Hi everyone,
I recently wrote a novel titled Yo-Yo. It’s a fictional account about the world’s greatest yo-yoer that I thought might be of interest to people on this forum.
Here’s a link to the amazon page.
And here’s a link to my website with more info about the novel and a sample chapter.
If you have any questions about the book feel free to ask.
Thanks!
Too fictional for my tastes.
Benny took out his hand too, but not for a traditional handshake. Instead he lassoed Mr. Friendly’s hand with his yo-yo, they shook and with a flick of his wrist, the yo-yo released Stan’s hand and returned to Benny.
How would this even look?
Congrats! Are any of the characters inspired by real life players? I keep imaging Benny as a version of Ben McPhee.
Definitely gonna read this! 
From the little I read, you managed to build some conflict and tension in short time. This is a hallmark of good fiction, so pretty, pretty, pretty good…
Is this based in a world of people with superpowers (can fly or pick up a city bus) or people with above-average abilities (like a top pro athlete)?
I wanna read this. Any chance it’ll be released in any other ereader DRM formats besides Amazon? It’s against my vice-principles to spend money at Amazon if I can spend it somewhere else. 
Ivan
I’m glad this was shared, but I agree that it seems a bit too hard to suspend the disbelief in just that sample chapter. The slacker son who with almost no fuss gets completely cleaned up for a job interview that he didn’t even know was about his yoyo skills until he was all ready to go. I know this might just say something about his character/personality, but it felt wrong in that short sample. I probably would’ve loved this when I was in middle school and was first getting into yoyo.
I don’t know. It seems to show how intimidated he is by his dad and how he just does what he says no questions asked. It would be interesting to see how Benny grows into a star and what made him feel that he needs to use his ability to fight crime.
It read like the father did have some plans or aspirations for his son. If he was one to listen so easily I’d think he would be following the wishes of his father and not being such a slacker like it seems to portray him as. Yet he quickly follows his dad’s orders with basically no qualms. I was definitely expecting some kind of resistance with the setup to that point.
Yes, I do agree on a bit of resistance with the father’s request would add to the story a bit. We only get Benny’s dad’s side that he is a slacker. Many parents feel like their children are not working hard enough. Benny could be posting jobs and networking online. We don’t know the state of the employment market in this world. It could be hard to find a job. Benny jumps at his dad’s request for a chance to get his foot in the door to get a normal job at the bank. Not knowing it would launch him into a life of fame. This is also just a fun story and it’s ok to just let some plot convenience just happen.
It wouldn’t……
That’s why it’s called ‘fiction’, lol…
Thank you for taking the time to read the chapter.
It is definitely not an attempt at realism which I fully understand is not for everyone.
Thanks!
I just watched some Ben McPhee videos and he could completely play the part. He definitely has the stage presence I imagine Benny James would have.
I started writing this book 20 years ago and at the time I could see Tobey Maguire playing Benny.
Thanks Owen. I hope you enjoy it. I have the Amazon link for paperbacks and e-books in the main post. If you would like me to mail a signed copy to you feel free to e-mail me at rollanddavid@yahoo.com
Thank you Steve for the kind words and taking the time to read it!
Good question Gio. Yo-Yo takes place in our world. No one has super powers. I do however take many liberties with what a person could realistically do with a yo-yo.
I’ll take a look into having it in other ereader formats Ivan. If you’d like a paperback copy and want to circumvent Amazon, you can buy a copy directly from me. Email me at rollanddavid@yahoo.com if you’re interested. Thanks!
Thanks for taking the time to read the sample chapter Almonds!
I think this would probably qualify as “Magical Realism”. A setting that is realistic, but within which some (minor) magical things happen and no one questions it or acts like it’s magical. Kind of like how in musicals people break into song to communicate.