Review: The Blue Pen by Lisa Rusczyk

Author: Lisa Rusczyk
Publisher: Club Lighthouse Publishing, April 2009
Genre: fiction
Format: E book, 202 pages
Book source: the author

From Fictionwise eBooks:

Parker didn't expect to find his next great magazine story sleeping off a hangover in the back seat of his car. The homeless woman, Cleo, says she never wakes after dawn, which makes Parker curious. His intuition for finding a unique story is buzzing after meeting Cleo, and he decides to interview her to find out what drove her to live on the streets. Cleo explains how the early death of her first love set the path for her life. She withdraws from the world after he dies, only to re-enter it by going to a strange club called the Beacon.

At the underground club, the patrons channel spirits on the improv stage and share psychic readings in the room behind the beaded curtain. While Cleo describes her spiritual awakening, Parker wonders if she actually fell prey to mental illness. Because of a first article Parker wrote about Cleo, another reporter is after the story, blackmailing Parker to give it up. Parker must decide how to keep his story and not let Cleo down in the process.

My Thoughts:

I really liked Cleo and did empathize with her. She was a great character who was trying to sort herself out, and find her path in life. Cleo's pain when she looses her early love, was palpable. Parker...didn't like him so much, but he was more a means to an end. A way for Cleo to tell her story, and ultimately steer her on her path.

Overall the story was very good, and I think it reminds you to both keep your mind open, and that homelessness is still an issue today. You know it's always there, but it's never discussed. Every homeless person has a story to tell, good, bad, or indifferent and they could use some help. Keeping an open mind with respect to homeless people and the mysterious side of life is important. Explore the many facets of yourself. You may be surprised by what you discover about yourself. Open yourself up to new ideas.

My one issue with the story was the format: e book. I have discovered e books are not for me. This may have lead me to not like the book as much as I may have otherwise. It took me a while to finish this one because of the format, and the story did drag a little. I also wanted to know more of the back story on the Beacon and Ice. What was up with that?

All in all it was a decent read, and I would consider reading something else from this author, just not in e book format.

My Rating: 83/100 I liked Cleo and her story greatly.