I’m reviewing my own books. I believe they’re worthy efforts. Worthy of what? Readers. Like every writer who’s serious about their work, I want to be read.
Due to my bias, I cannot praise them further than I have. But I can give an idea of what they’re about and the approach I took in depicting people and situations.
I don’t write great books, nor am I profound; I want to entertain, and in doing so to make a point. My prose isn’t innovative or dazzling; instead, I try for a reader-friendly simplicity. I won’t confuse you with obscurity of any kind; that said, I often inject ambiguity because, as a reader, I find that quality to be intriguing. I won’t pander, nor will I give you formulaic fiction.

Driving Through the Night – Phillip Routh
Into the lives of Jeanette, Paul, Nancy and Angelo comes an entity named Robert. Robert serves as a catalyst; he possesses exceptional qualities that are exploited by others. Though what a character seeks is achieved, it comes with some form of destruction (it’s at this point that Robert is shipped off to another person). This is an off-kilter book; besides an odd premise and the grotesque (even slightly comic book-ish) events, there’s a grimness intertwined with humor. At the core of Driving are psychological studies of four flawed people. They were real to me. The novel was written in 1986; I put the manuscript in a box, where it remained for over twenty years. But I sometimes imagined that I could hear faint voices, insisting that they be released to tell their stories. *

The Camellia City – Phillip Routh
A comic novel about the writing life. Morgan Baines had a big success with his first novel; but that was long ago, and since then it’s been all downhill. He has become disgruntled and cynical. In the first chapter he’s on a plane headed for a writer’s conference in Louisiana where he’s due to give a workshop. His ulterior motive is to meet a famous author who will also be attending; he has a plan to get the Great Man’s help in reviving his sagging career. But the journey he’s on takes him in a wholly different direction. Although some chapters are largely devoted to literary matters, they’re alternated with chapters that have nothing to do with writing. I don’t consider this book to be restricted in its readership; that’s because we’re in Morgan’s mind, and what he thinks and feels is relatable to us all. Ambition can be like blinders on a horse. Morgan has the blinders removed forcibly, and he discovers a world beyond that of words on a page. *

A Baker’s Dozen – Phillip Routh
The thirteen stories in Baker’s Dozen have only one aspect in common: they reflect my interest in human nature. If my main characters were brought together in a lineup, they’d present a wildly disparate group. As for tone, the stories range from gritty realism to the fantastical. Often a mystery arises (and, in every case, is solved). Some stories are more ambitious than others, though in all I try to leave the reader with a thought or feeling to mull over.