Transporter room, this is the captain speaking…

June 4, 20149 Comments

In case you missed it Monday, I’m participating in the Writing 101 challenge this month. Thanks to Thumper, who insists he’s big enough to dispense with daily naps (he’s two, so he’s not), I went from having an afternoon to catch up on some blog-related affairs to having about an hour to catch up on everything, and this is one of the things that was left undone when I finally collapsed into bed last night. Day two’s prompt asked where I would like to go if I could be transported anywhere, and I added the extra twist of anytime because I’m not sure that Europe would count for this (but in case it does, I want to start in the west and work my way east, exploring everything on the continent). So!

If I could be transported anywhere (and anytime), I’d stay right where I am, but 150 years in the past, when our farm was first homesteaded. Back in the 1860’s, Iowa was still covered in prairie grass and, compared to today, more sparsely settled. We’re talking Little House on the Prairie-type stuff here, and I LOVED that show…

Chasing Azrael

June 3, 20146 Comments

Hello! Me again. I’ve finished two books quite close together, so I’m back with another review for you. Today, let’s take a look at Chasing Azrael by Hazel Butler, archaeologist, artist, and fellow member of the Alliance of Worldbuilders. From Amazon:

When Andee Tilbrook’s husband died, her preoccupation with death turned to obsession. Thanks to her unique ability to commune with the dead, her husband remains all too close, yet never close enough. Mired in grief, she clings to James’s spirit, slowly losing touch with the world, her friends, and any desire to continue living.

But when her friend Josh becomes the target of Natalya, a jealous, capricious and violent Russian beauty, Andee somehow finds the strength to free herself from her misery long enough to help him. They soon discover that Natalya is wanted by the police for her involvement in a series of grisly murders, and Andee is dragged into the inquiry by the same man who investigated her own husband’s death.

Torn between new feelings for Josh, and fear that he might be involved in the murders that seem to threaten anyone who comes close, Andee must face the realities of her life, her past, and her very nature-and do it all in time to save her own life.

I could not put this book down. I stayed up past the witching hour…

Writer’s hardship, a guest post by Alisa Sibrova

June 3, 20143 Comments

Today I’m happy to have Alisa Sibrova here with a post on the hardships faced by writers. She was kind enough to host me at her blog on Sunday, and I’m happy to return the favor. So, without further ado, here’s Alisa!

I am a very bad writer. An honest confession, and I know that. The moment I sit down and pick up the pen (yes, most of my writing I put down in ink on paper) nothing seems right enough to create stories worth reading. Benjamin Franklin once said: “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing”. That’s what I believe moves most of us: endless memory, historical footprints, eternity pressed into the hardcover book. Partly, it is my motive as well, of course, we are social beings and we do things in order to receive feedback and society’s approval. But, that is far from being the main trigger, at least for me.

Imperfection moves me. Understanding that there is always some room for development, realizing that you can always strive for better, creative, smoother writing. But it is also utterly agonizing: no one becomes a great writer in one day, it is a long way filled with troubles and missteps. I have my own writing troubles…

Ideas sometimes whisper

June 2, 20145 Comments

I tried to come up with a quick short story to post today for the first Writing 101 challenge. I’m really excited to be participating in another Blogging University event, especially one that’s geared toward writing! Normally all I have to do is just look out the window for just a whisper of an idea, and then I’m off, my hand (and pen) gliding swiftly over the page, seemingly of their own volition.

But not today.

For whatever reason, I’m unable to concentrate today. The only thing to be heard at the moment is the song “Frankenstein” by the Edgar Winter Group, which is currently blaring from the office radio. Soon enough, it will be something else, something which is sure to be be equally distracting. I mean, it’s a good song, but when I’m trying to focus on characters and setting and plot, it’s too…

Review time!

June 2, 201410 Comments

I’ve been reading again the last few weeks, something I really should do more of. I used to always have my nose in a book, but now trying to find time to escape into another world so completely when there are so many other demands on my time is just exhausting. I really do need to make more of an effort, though, because reading more (and widely) is one of the best, easiest, and most entertaining ways to improve my own writing.

With that in mind, behold the glory that is City of the Sun by Juliana Maio. This fantastic book is set in Cairo during WWII, which is one of my favorite periods to study, the Holocaust in particular. I love reading accounts of what it was like living under Nazi rule because it’s so different from what I know, and it terrifies me to think that people can be so horrible to each other.

But this book is a work of fiction; while real people appear in it, and similar events did take place, the author used them for her own purposes. From Goodreads:

Ambitious American journalist Mickey Connolly has come to Cairo to report on the true state of the war. Facing expulsion by the British for not playing by their rules, he accepts a deal from the U.S. embassy that allows him to remain in the country. His covert mission: to infiltrate the city’s thriving Jewish community and locate a refugee nuclear scientist who could be key to America’s new weapons program. But Mickey is not the only one looking for the elusive scientist. A Nazi spy is also desperate to find him–and the race is on. Into this mix an enigmatic young woman appears, a refugee herself. Her fate becomes intertwined with Mickey’s, giving rise to a story of passion, entangled commitments, and half-truths.

Once I started this story, I couldn’t put it down. Well, okay, I could, obviously, or it wouldn’t have taken me so long to finish it, but when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it. Mickey and Maya wouldn’t leave me alone; they demanded I finish reading to see what happened. The romance was captivating, and the tension just kept ratcheting up the further I read. I noted some parallels between what happened in the Middle East 70-odd years ago and what is happening there today, which made the story all the more intriguing.

If you like historical fiction, and you like a good love story, and you’re looking for a thrill, then check out City of the Sun. It’s got all of that and more!

Author Interview with Juliana Maio and Giveaway

The Summer Reads Blog Tour!

June 2, 2014September 10, 20147 Comments

For the next thirteen weeks, I’ll be participating in Lisa L. Wiedmeier’s Summer Reads Blog Tour. It’s going to be lots of fun! There will be book recommendations and prizes and author talk…It’s a tour made of win!

As the posts go up, I’ll be reblogging them and adding the links to this post, but be sure to head over to Lisa’s blog, too, because she’s got a Rafflecopter event of epic proportions going on. She’s got books! She’s got swag! She’s got a one-hour Skype session!

But you can’t win if you don’t read these posts. So, without further ado, the links to the posts lie below!

Week One – Lisa L. Wiedmeier
Week Two – Sam Dogra
Week Three – Carrie Fetzer
Week Four – Will Macmillan Jones
Week Five – Andrea Baker
Week Six – Tricia Drammeh
Week Seven – Sammy HK Smith
Week Eight – Kay Kauffman
Week Nine – Michel Prince
Week Ten – AFE Smith
Week Eleven – Sophie E. Tallis
Weeks Twelve and Thirteen – Lisa’s Reflections

I’m a guest!

June 1, 2014June 1, 2014Leave a comment

Today I’m happy to say that I’m guest posting at my new friend Alisa’s blog! We met during the Blogging 201 challenge WordPress ran in April and became blogging buddies. I love making new friends! 🙂

We thought it would be fun to do a couple of posts about inspiration, and mine is up on her blog today. Alisa blogs about all sorts of fun and crafty things, and I’m excited to be there.

To check out my post and learn what’s inspiring me at the moment, just click here. And stay tuned – coming soon, Alisa will be taking over here for a day!