Monthly Archives: September 2010

Fun Post Before I Send You Away

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The awesome and hilarious Carolyn Crane inspired this post with her recent post, Why aren’t men like Jamie Fraser? In it, she writes about that question, which came up in her Google referrals. For fun, I looked up mine and sure enough, I found some blog-worthy questions. But alas, they weren’t as fun as asking why men can’t be like Jamie Fraser.

So I am blatantly stealing her idea. Here are mine:

why are stepsisters usually strange?

I don’t know. I’ve never had one. But of all the girls in my own family, I’d have to say I’m the strangest one. It’s my own fault.

what’s up with tia and tiny?

I don’t know, because I am not tiny, and I’m not sure if this question even referred to me. However, I am using tiny.cc to make short links to the Buy page over at Carina Press for The Sevenfold Spell. So maybe someone got curious as to why.

what is impossible to do but seems possible

Most everything that goes on in a fantasy novel. But it only seems possible while you’re reading it, and only if the author did a good job suspending your disbelief.

What is the ending to angelology?

I found a surprising number of questions like this. Someone else wanted to know the ending to Insatiable, along with other books recently reviewed here. Why? Read the book; it is funner. And no. I’m not going to tell you the ending.

Literature survey about shakable flashlight

I have no idea about this one. I suppose my iPod touch could be a shakable flashlight, if I were to load a flashlight app. But I’m not sure why I’d even want one. It seems to me that I’d want a shake-proof flashlight. The ones I used in the Air Force were fairly shakable, and could withstand a dropping from a cockpit ten feet up.

is danielle trussoni a christian author

I can’t speak to whether she’s a Christian or not, but I suspect she is. However, I could not classify Angelology as a Christian novel. The point of Christian novels tend to be salvation, and Angelology was not about salvation. It was simply a fine story that uses elements from the Old Testament and other texts. And in my opinion, I think she did so respectfully.

does the nook always have the screensaver on?

The thing with e-ink is once the screen is drawn, it doesn’t use any power to keep it that way. It’s like a giant etch-a-sketch. Once the ink is set, it stays that way until an electric current redraws it. It’s a fascinating bit of technology, and you can read more about it at How Stuff Works.

difference between kitten heels and princess heels

I don’t know what either types of heels are, so I have no idea. Yeah, I know. The author of a fairy tale retelling ought to at least know what a princess heel is, but until tonight, I had no idea they existed.

can i buy an ebook for a friend

Sadly, no. I think you can do it in the Apple iBooks store, but everywhere else the closest you can do to legally giving an ebook as a gift (unless you are the author) is to give a gift certificate. I suspect the legalities of this will have to be worked out in the very near future.

That was fun. It made me feel like an advice columnist. For some more fun, head over to Bookin’ It, where I stop talking about myself and I discuss fairy tales, and the immense plot holes that can be found within them, and how I tried to fill them. There’s also the next excerpt and another giveaway. Don’t be shy; go forth and comment. I’m not gone, just temporarily relocated.

Today’s Stop – Smart Girls Love SciFi (and Paranormal Romance)

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Awesome new blogger and fellow RWA chapter member Charlie is having me today at Smart Girls Love SciFi. For today’s post, I discuss my trunk novel and for fun, I included the opening and critiqued it. I also have the next excerpt from The Sevenfold Spell and another giveaway. See ya there! (Link will open in separate tab so you can still check out Katie’s review.)

Review: Shadow Fall

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Shadow Fall
by Erin Kellison
Dorchester Publishing

MM Paperback

First book in the series was Shadow Bound, also reviewed by Superwench.

Deep in Twilight, in the forested realm where fey rule beneath the shadowed trees, a predator stalks the graceful mortal Annabella, hungry for her power. For Annabella’s talent with ballet is indeed magical, transcending the mortal realm until her dance calls Twilight near–and brings into her world both her wolf stalker and a man who appoints himself her guardian angel.

Custo Santovari was last seen in Erin Kellison’s Shadow Bound, where he passed through the Twilight Shadowlands to what lay beyond. Now he’s back in Shadow Fall, eager to continue his fight with the wraith, but more important, eager to banish Annabella’s stalker from the mortal world before Annabella, too, vanishes into Twilight–forever.

Since Shadow Bound didn’t give me enough of this very interesting Custo character, I was pleased to see him as the protagonist of Shadow Fall, and I wasn’t disappointed at that. Not only do Custo and Annabella have conflicts, but their conflicts feel real. So many times, I run across characters whose inner conflicts come across as staged, only present because that’s “the rule” for making complex characters. Not so here. These characters are realistic, a challenging task. And likeable, too, which still astonishes me, as urban fantasy so often disappoints on that front for me. No bitchy, kick-ass heroines or tough-guy jerks in sight. Custo and Annabella can hold their own without an attitude problem. This continues to be my favorite aspect of Kellison’s books.

Another thing I looked forward to in Shadow Fall was spending more time in Twilight, and her again I was pleased. The vehicle through which we get to Twilight in this book was such a perfect way to enter into the land’s macabre beauty. I have always been awed by ballet (perhaps because it’s a mystery to me how one can be so graceful, as I am the world’s clumsiest person). It’s so etheral almost, so strong and airy all at once, and its delicate grace is a perfect complement to the land of the fey. The concept of artistic mediums as a gateway to another world is another continuing aspect of this series that I love, and I’m really excited to see where that thread leads in later books.

As with Shadow Bound, I find it hard to find complaints about Shadow Fall. The one nitpicky detail that sticks out is that I didn’t think Custo’s own artistic talent (I won’t say what it is), which we learn about closer to the end of the book, was adequately set up. It seemed a bit sudden that he should have this interest and talent when it never appeared in his thoughts before. To reach that level of mastery, you must be consumed by it enough that not a day goes by when it doesn’t cross your mind. But that’s hardly any reason not to read this book. A nitpick, like I said.

With its ventures into the fey’s brooding and beautiful Twilight woods, the wolf stalking the lovely ballerina, and one man’s quest to save her, Shadow Fall reads like a New York fairy tale. As with its predecessor, Shadow Fall is part of Dorchester’s Guaranteed Read program, which means if you’re not satisfied, you can return it by September 27 for a full refund. But also like its predecessor, you may want to forget the refund and make room for it on your shelf. I know I have!

Reviewed by Superwench83.

Katie Lovett, better known around these parts as Superwench83, is an aspiring novelist and published short fiction author. She blogs about writing, books, and the fantasy genre at her website, www.katie-lovett.com.

Tia here. I wasn’t hooked until I read about the ballet. I just love when authors combine some art with magic. Now I’m thinking I need to read these.

My Pajama Party Blog Tour

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My Pajama Party Blog Tour starts today! Why a pajama party? Because I will only be available for commenting after business hours, and I thought I’d make the most of it. I hereby swear that I will be wearing a pair of pajamas when I comment. I will not, however, post pictures of myself in said pajamas.

For my first stop, I’ll be heading to Jenny Schwartz’s Acquiring Magic blog, where I wax nostalgic on my early writing life. For an added bonus, there is a brief excerpt from The Sevenfold Spell, plus a giveaway. Did I say a giveaway? Yes, it’s my very first author giveaway!

So go on and head over to the first post. Which is up early! See ya there!

Katie Picking Up the Slack

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This week begins my blog tour, but Katie will be picking up the slack with two reviews, and I have a guest post scheduled for Thursday. Plus, I’ll leave little posts indicating where you might find my blog tour posts. There will be giveaways!

I made some subtle changes around here. I have a new Buzz page, which I’ll keep current with reviews, and a page that shows you where you can download various ereaders for you computer or phone. I also cleaned up the widgets on this page, and I must say it loads much faster. I loved the boxes of faces, but they made this page load way too slow. The Google FriendConnect widget seems pretty speedy, so it remained.

I have been toying with the idea of adding stars to my reviews. I have discovered their worth from an author’s standpoint, but this is a blog for readers, not authors, so I’m still undecided. Here’s my tentative system, which starts out fairly standard:

***** Excellent

**** Very good

*** Good

** Fair

* At least I finished it.

I will not mention books I did not finish, since in such cases I don’t think I’d be a good reviewer.

Additionally, I’d have an optional rating, “Keeper,” which I would apply to any book that I love enough to keep. There are many books where I would give it a high number of stars to acknowledge the excellence of the writing, but really was not for me. This system allows me to give 4 or 5 stars to such books. I can also think of other novels that maybe were not so masterfully executed, but which I loved anyway. This way, I could give such books 3 or so stars, but label it a keeper.

What do you think? Stars or no stars? Indicate your choice below!

Blog Tour Schedule

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After an unusually loooong summer, autumn has arrived in the deep south. Summer gave its last gasp on Tuesday, when I wondered if I would survive to the end. Happily, Tuesday dawned muggy but bearable, and by Thursday I has happily talking deep breaths of breezy, warm–not hot–outside air.

Monday is the start of my Pajama Party Blog Tour, and I’ve been busy writing posts not just for the goofing off of it, but because it’s an important and integral part of my Grand Publicity Plan. Such as it is. Here are the blogs in the tour:

I have other posts scheduled after that, but more sporadically, and I’ll put up another post for those. And later today, I’ll post my blog tour graphic.

Guest Post – Liz Fichera on Breaking the Rules

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Today, Liz Fichera rejoins us with a post about breaking the rules when writing. Liz, as you may recall, wrote Captive Spirit, an American Indian historical novel. Captive Spirit has received a lot of good reviews, including 4 stars from Romantic Times. Liz’s website is http://www.lizfichera.com/ and her blog is http://lizficherablog.blogspot.com/.

~*~

I generally hate rules.  But I’m not a law breaker.  Usually.

Today I’m talking about the often conflicting rules of writing advice.  I remember learning lots of writing do’s and don’ts before I made the switch from hobby writer to published author.  And if you’re a writer, I bet you have to.

When I first began my writing career, I was like a sponge—reading, studying, and listening intently to all the writing do’s and don’ts from respected agents, editors, teachers, bestselling authors, and fellow struggling writers, while still trying to find my “voice” and wrestling with what, exactly, I wanted to pound into my laptop each day.  My head spun for a couple of years as I tried to make sense of everything.

The struggle was trying to decipher from all the good and well-intentioned advice and what worked best for me.  From queries to genres to book promotion, I heard everything from:

1)      Never write a query longer than five sentences.

2)      Always write a query that’s at least three paragraphs.

3)      Don’t worry about synopses.

4)      Worry about synopses.

5)      Never combine genres.

6)      It’s okay to combine genres.

7)      Literary fiction is plot based.

8)      Literary fiction is character-based.

9)      Editors aren’t really interested in male protagonists.

10)  Editors are screaming for books that appeal to men and boys.  To young adults. To baby boomers.

11)  Write what you know.

12)   Don’t be afraid to write what you don’t know, as long as you do the research.

Many times, I remember thinking, Calgon, take me away!

The helpful advice was (and is, still) never-ending.  But of all the rules and writing advice that I heard, there were two that always stuck out in my mind, probably because I struggled with accepting them the most.  Part of me wanted to blow these two rules out of the water:

13)  Never write a novel in first person.

14)  Never write a novel in present tense.

“Well, that’s a bummer,” I remember saying to myself when I learned these two gems.

For starters, I like to write in first person—not always, not for every story—but first person is usually my preferred style.  I always feel that my writing “voice” resonates more in first person, although I recognize the drawbacks of only relating one character’s perspective.  So when writing in first person, I have to work doubly hard to tell a story.  But for some of my novels, like CAPTIVE SPIRIT, first person simply worked.

Verb tense was the other sticky wicket rule that I remember hearing several years ago from an agent.  “Novels should always be in past tense. I usually don’t represent novels written in present tense,” she told me.  Humph, I thought.  But I like writing in present tense, particularly with young adult novels and even some literary fiction.   For me, present tense can make a story more exciting, more immediate.  It’s what’s happening in the here and now.  While it certainly doesn’t work for every short story and novel that I write, sometimes, dang it all, present tense just feels right.

Rules are important, there’s no doubt about it.  They provide a starting point and some structure.  But I think the trick is applying what works best for you and your writing style.  Above all else, regardless of the rules, there has to be a compelling story.  If a story hooks and keeps me turning the pages, I don’t care whether it’s written in first person, second person, present tense, future tense, crayon, pink magic marker, English or Pig Latin.  I’ll read it anyway.

What’s the best/worst writing advice you’ve been given?  Are there any rules that you’ve bended or flatly refused to accept?

Fantasy Review – Red Hood’s Revenge

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RED HOOD’S REVENGE
by Jim C. Hines
DAW

MM Paperback

Reviewed by Deborah Blake

Note: RED HOOD’S REVENGE is the third in a series. The first two, THE STEPSISTER SCHEME and THE MERMAID’S MADNESS, were reviewed earlier by Katie. You can read those reviews here

http://www.tianevitt.com/2009/11/review-stepsister-scheme-mermaids-madness/

Roudette is a hunter; an assassin known to the world as the Lady of the Red Hood. Her cloak gives her powers that make her virtually unstoppable and her name strikes terror into the hearts of those who hear it. But when she is hired by those who want to escalate the war between fairies and humans, she comes up against the one woman who ever fought her and survived—the princess called Sleeping Beauty.

The books in this series, and RED HOOD’S REVENGE in particular, are not the fairy tales you grew up with. The princesses kick ass and take names, and the title villain of the story is not a shallow one-dimensional nasty, but a woman with her own history and motivations. You may not love her (and if you’re smart, you sure won’t trust her), but Hines takes the reader on a journey into her soul that at least helps you understand her.

I love the characters of Talia (Sleeping Beauty), Snow (Snow White), and Danielle (Cinderella). The story of their friendship, begun in the previous books and continued in this one, is both fun and believable. More remarkable than that, though, is the way the author builds sympathy for Roudette, a truly unsympathetic character. In the end, you want everyone to win—even though you know that isn’t possible. Or is it?

While the three princesses fight to thwart both Roudette and the dark powers who hide behind her, the Lady of the Red Hood schemes and plots to achieve her own hidden goals. This book takes you down a dark and twisting path, just as the fairy tales of old did, and will keep you on the edge of your seat far into the night. I could tell you more…but then Roudette would have to kill you.

The cover quote from GREEN MAN REVIEW says it all: “Brilliantly remixes fairy-tale elements with a modern action/adventure sensibility, as if the Brothers Grimm had been allowed to watch a ‘Charlie’s Angels’ marathon.” I look forward eagerly to the last installment, THE SNOW QUEEN’S SHADOW, coming from DAW in January of 2011. My only regret will be that the fourth book will be the end of this remarkable series.

One more note: for those who like to read author blogs, Jim C. Hines has one of the most consistently amusing, educational, and interesting ones I’ve seen. He is one of the few authors who I follow on a regular basis. Check him out at http://jimchines.livejournal.com (or, if you’re not on livejournal, http://www.jimchines.com/blog/).

About the Reviewer

Deborah Blake is an award-winning author with five books on modern Witchcraft. Two of these are coming out this year: EVERYDAY WITCH A TO Z SPELLBOOK (Llewellyn, July) and WITCHCRAFT ON A SHOESTRING (Llewellyn, September). She also writes Urban Fantasy and is represented by Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency. Deborah gives a number of highly successful online writing workshops and has a loop, THE CREATIVITY CAULDRON, for paranormal authors. Her website is www.deborahblakehps.com.

~*~

Tia here. I second the plug for Jim’s blog. I’ve been following it for over a year now and his is an example, I believe, of how an author can use his blog to keep his name out there all the time, not only when he has a book coming out. Plus, you can tell he really likes blogging and that he gets it! I follow the WordPress version, although he recently said on his blog that the comments on the LiveJournal version might make it worth getting an account so you can comment.

I really need to read these books!

Mini-Posts: Dragonlance, Guest Posts and Buy Links

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Just a quick informal post, and we’ll be back with a review by Deb, tomorrow.

Classic Reread – Dragonlance Volume 1, Dragons of Autumn Twilight

I’ve finished the first volume of the Dragonlance Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, as I do my reread of a fantasy classic.

In this first volume, there is more wonder packed into the opening 200 pages than you see in an entire ten-volume set of other fantasy series. Seriously. Along their way, the companions see miraculous healing, stars missing from the sky, dragonmen, spectral warriors, centaurs, a unicorn, a flight of pegasai, the ruin of a city that had fallen down a cliff, a goddess encounter, and finally, a dragon.

The strength that the authors had was making the characters very engaging. Only Riverwind is difficult to like, and even he grows on you over time. On the other hand, the inconsistencies can be annoying, especially when you consider that this is a reissued volume, where those errors ought to have been caught and corrected. Therefore, sometimes it mentions a knight of solomnia, and other times it’s a Knight of Solomnia. They can’t seem to decide whether it is a Dragon Highmaster or a Dragon Highlord, or the city of Qualinost or Qualinesti. Or maybe the city of Qualinost is in the nation of Qualinesti. It’s hard to tell.

The book is divided in two, which may safely be identified as Adventure 1 and Adventure 2. Adventure 1 is neatly tied to Adventure 2, but still, you can tell these adventures came from gaming modules. Or maybe they developed both at the same time. I just wonder how playable the modules are, because so much of what gets the companions through is sheer luck.

Fizban is still my favorite. And Tasslehoff.

Sometimes the timing seems off. Rocks spend a lot of time falling before they finally reach the ground, and there was so much cutting from one group to another that it seemed to take a long time for events to play out, even though it reads very quickly.

I won’t dive straight into the next book, Dragons of Winter Night. Instead, I’ll read that book Tor sent me not long ago, The Last Page by Anthony Huso. Plus books I have on my nook. I’ll get into Winter Night sometime in the months ahead.

Guest Posts

I hope you are enjoying all the guests I have had lately. A few weeks ago, I extended an invitation to Carina Press authors whose books seemed to be a good fit for this blog, and I had a good response. I am happily booked for the next few weeks, and I have guests lined up as far out as February.

Buy Links!

I have buy links for THE SEVENFOLD SPELL! I continue to feel lucky with my reviews. Also this week, THE SEVENFOLD SPELL is on the current NetGalley Buzz page.  Here are some buy links:

It’s available at lots of other places as well, but to be completely honest, these are the only places where I have my affiliates set up at present. Greedy me! The Carina link should be good for the UK as well as the United States and maybe other countries as well–just try it! If you have a Kindle in the UK, the page is up, but there is no buy button yet. If you need MobiPocket, try your favorite ebook store.

Whew. That’s all the formats I can think of right now.

Tune in tomorrow to read Deb’s take on a different fairy tale retelling!