The Daily Monocle

I am J. P. Wickwire: an author, a musician, a book critic, a literature enthusiast, a student, a lover of the arts, and most of all, a Christian.

I used to have a blog of random musings, where I watched movies and commented on the costumes, or put together YouTube lists of bands I felt compelled to share with the world. But this blog is different; this blog is strictly literature based: reviews, exerpts, poetry, prose, notes from various classes and seminars, maybe a bit of my own writing, and (hopefully in the near-future), some author interviews. And who knows what I might end up posting? I might make a post about a movie I loived, or a song whose lyrics moved me. But the important thing is that this blog is about the written word.

Review Policy

Reviews
Whether you hold a position in the book marketplace (author, publisher, editor, publicist, etc.), or you're an avid reader with an extra copy on your hand, I will accept your book if I can. Please understand that I am a full-time student, and I work a part-time job, so if I reject your query for a book, it's usually lack of time. I have more time to read around the holidays, and, obviously, during the summer. Please keep this in mind.

I ask that books are sent to me at least 4 weeks before their publication date, if you want a guarantee that the review will be posted by the time the book releases. If you aren't concerned about the timing of the review, or if your book has already been released, I still try to get things read as soon as possible. If your book is coming out sooner, and you'd still like me to review, please contact me, as I will try to accommodate you.

I always read the books sent to me, and I will always give my honest opinion. I emphasize the positive in my reviews, but I try to look at everything with a critical eye. That being said, I'm not biased against any type of book, and will gladly welcome any type of story, although I tend to focus on science-fiction, fantasy, horror and their derivative genres. If you want to get an idea of my review style, please read some of my past reviews.

Because I have so many books to read, and so little time, I give each book 100 pages to catch my eye. I reason that, if an editor can skim half a page and know if something is worth reading, I can read 100 and know if I want to finish the book. If I, for whatever reason, can't get into the book by that point, I will do a mini-review about my impressions of the book, and what could've been done to improve the read. This does not happen often. However, if this should happen to your book, that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad read. It means that it just didn't catch my eye.

Interviews
Generally the interviews I conduct are very short, and unless otherwise specified, they will be conducted via e-mail. I have been experimenting with the idea doing Skype interviews—possibly Skype video interviews—but I have not yet tested this method. If you're interested in doing an interview, and have a preference as to how the interview is conducted, please feel free to contact me and let me know.

I like to have read and/or reviewed your book before I interview you. This gives me an idea of what sort of questions to ask. So if you'd like to be interviewed on The Daily Monocle, please send me a copy of your book!

Interviews are generally between 15 and 20 questions long. The first half of the interview deals exclusively with your novel, and the second half allows you to talk about your method of writing, as well as answer some silly questions.

Thank you so much for checking out The Daily Monocle. I am more than happy to work with you. Please feel free to e-mail me at JPWickwire@gmail.com. Happy readings!

-J. P. Wickwire