Author: J.L. Gribble
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My ChessieCon 2016 Schedule
Here’s my schedule of events for ChessieCon this upcoming weekend at the Radisson North Baltimore Hotel! Friday, November 25 5:30-6 PM: Reading: Scenes from Steel Magic 6:45-7:45 PM: Panel: Care and Feeding of Critique Groups Saturday, November 26 5:30-6:30 PM: Panel: Evolution of Women Fantasy 6:45-7:45 PM: Group Book Signing…
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Author Interview with Sheri Queen
Today I’m taking a break from NaNoWriMo panic productivity to feature a new release from fellow urban fantasy author Sheri Queen! I haven’t read this novella yet, but so much about it intrigues me. It’s both an installment in a multi-author project and acts as an introduction to Queen’s own universe,…
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Review: FROM A HIGH TOWER by Mercedes Lackey
I was thrilled that Lackey once again broke the mold with this installment of the Elemental Masters series. Some things were the familiar, such as a modern (well, Victorian-era) retelling of a traditional fairy tale featuring a strong heroine with elemental magic powers. However, like in Blood Red before it, this…
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Review: NO TIME LIKE THE PAST (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #5) by Jodi Taylor
After devouring five books in this series, two things are fairly obvious to me at this point: Jodi Taylor is a hell of a researcher/historian. She has also embraced a major facet of writing time travel and run with it rather than fight against it — Once again, this novel…
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Review: CAPTAIN MARVEL Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More by Kelly Sue Deconnick
This was another book picked up by my husband in his quest for graphic novels about women heroes by women authors. I’m a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but I didn’t grow up on comic books, so I’ve been going into all the movies blind. I figured…
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Review: ARTICLES OF THE FEDERATION by Keith R. A. DeCandido
Reasons why you should read this book: You are a fan of political dramas that involve multiple main characters dealing with crises and scandals. The television show The West Wing is your favorite of all of those. You are curious about the inner workings of the Federation, a major government…
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Review: SNOWED by Maria Alexander
Disclaimer: The author and I share a publisher, and I helped proofread this novel before publication. If I had not been reading this novel on an expensive electronic device, I’d have thrown it across the room when I got to the ending. But not because it was a bad book.…
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NaNoWriMo 2016 (sort of)
It’s that time of year again, kids! When the writers in your life disappear for hours upon end, consume copious quantities of caffeine (and sometimes alcohol), and come out the other end of 30 days with some semblance of a book completed. Though I’m not officially signed up for National…
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October Wrap-Up & November Goals
This month I traveled to Delaware, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. I also attended three weddings in three weekends. Frankly, the fact that I managed to do anything during my “free time” besides curl up in a little ball and watch Netflix is pretty impressive. October Wrap-up: I wrote 15k words…
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Review: A TRAIL THROUGH TIME (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #4) by Jodi Taylor
It’s hard to be a fan of time travel stories without also acquiring some familiarity of the alternate universe trope along the way. Jodi Taylor switches up her world a bit as Max receives the full effect of her second chance. But there are still enough similarities to our original…
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Guest Post: Cara McKinnon on Alternate History
I’m pleased to host author Cara McKinnon today for a discussion on alternate history. And it’s a special occasion! Today marks the release date of the second novel in her Fay of Skye series, A Theft of Magic. I’m a huge fan of the alternate history version of Victorian England…
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Review: ESSENTIAL MAGIC (Fay of Skye #1) by Cara McKinnon
Disclaimer: The author and I attended the same graduate school program and participate in group promotional tours for our books. However, I purchased my hardcopy version of this novel for full price. For a person who doesn’t claim to be a “romance book” reader, I seem to keep lucking out…
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Review: A SECOND CHANCE (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #3) by Jodi Taylor
You could read this as another installment of a series that only brings you time travel adventure (and misadventure). And if you read the book that way, or if that was all you were looking for, you’d still be in for a great ride. On the surface, this book doesn’t…
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Review: A SYMPHONY OF ECHOES (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #2) by Jodi Taylor
There’s always a vague worry when picking up the second book in a series that it won’t quite measure up. That the first amazing novel was a flash-in-the-pan fluke, sucking up all of the author’s creativity and leaving only the dregs of inspiration for future installments. Luckily, I loved A…
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Con Report: DogCon 5
It’s kind of crazy to think that it’s been 5 years since I’ve been involved with Raw Dog Screaming Press. There are other dates to mark that anniversary that might be more “official,” such as the date my first book with them was announced (at DogCon 3), but I quietly…
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September Wrap-Up & October Goals
I know the month isn’t quite over, but I’m off to Broadkill Resort for DogCon V tomorrow, so let’s do this thing! September Wrap-up: Words were written in book 4! Specifically, 15k of them, so the goal was officially met. I’m in the swing of things now, and doing that thing…
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Review: HIDDEN DESIGN: THE PROPHECY by Tia Tormen & C.K. Stone
Sex sells. Everyone knows that. Marketing professionals especially know that. But does the inclusion of sex necessarily make something better? Erotica has become more mainstream in popular fiction within the past few years and can make any genre book more appealing to the right audience. In some cases, however, the…
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Review: A WIZARD’S FORGE (Woern Saga #1) by A.M. Justice
Disclaimer: I received a free ebook of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. It’s no surprise that I was drawn to this book immediately, considering it’s fusion of fantasy and science-fiction elements, it’s excellent world-building, and its awesome protagonist named Vic (short for Victoria). But…