Sometimes, you find a published story that incorporates major elements of an idea you had once upon a time and you're disappointed, because now it's already "taken." But other times, you stumble across a story that's very similar to a vague idea you had back in high school and you're thrilled, because someone has already … Continue reading Review: GENRENAUTS: SEASON ONE by Michael R. Underwood
Book Spotlight & Review: BITE SOMEBODY ELSE by Sara Dobie Bauer
Happy book birthday to an excellent sequel! Yesterday, I interviewed author Sara Dobie Bauer about her paranormal romance Bite Somebody. Today, I'm pleased to review the sequel, Bite Somebody Else. #Imogene4Life! ABOUT THE BOOK Imogene helped her newbie vampire friend Celia hook up with an adorable human, but now Celia has dropped an atomic bomb of surprise: … Continue reading Book Spotlight & Review: BITE SOMEBODY ELSE by Sara Dobie Bauer
FINAL CALL for Steel Blood blog tour volunteers!
I'm starting to work on the final details for the celebration of Steel Empires Book 3 on July 19, so this is your last chance to be part of the party! Thank you very much to everyone who has signed up so far. I will start pulling together the final schedule and contacting everyone within … Continue reading FINAL CALL for Steel Blood blog tour volunteers!
Review: AND THE REST IS HISTORY (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #8) by Jodi Taylor
I am finally caught up on everything in this series, and now I have to wait for the next installment! I picked up the first book just under a year ago, and I think that I'm thrilled to be up to book number 8 (plus all the short stories) in such a short period of … Continue reading Review: AND THE REST IS HISTORY (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #8) by Jodi Taylor
Review: BITE SOMEBODY by Sara Dobie Bauer
Disclaimer: I acquired this novel at a convention through a book trade with the author, whom I consider a friend. Not gonna lie -- I probably never would have picked this novel to read without outside influence. But I met the author at a convention and we hit it off immediately, and I knew based … Continue reading Review: BITE SOMEBODY by Sara Dobie Bauer
Review: “My Name is Markham” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story” by Jodi Taylor
This short story is very different from anything else in the Chronicles of St. Mary's series specifically for what is says on the tin: The narrator of this story is security officer Markham rather than historian Max. Now, this isn't the first time this has happened (see "The Very First Damned Thing", narrated by none … Continue reading Review: “My Name is Markham” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story” by Jodi Taylor
Spotlight & Review: MEMORIES OF MAGIC (Fay of Skye #3) by Cara McKinnon
Once I fell in love with the Fay of Skye series, I could no longer claim to dislike romance, historical romance, or paranormal romance. But I definitely fell in love with this series because of the incredible twist McKinnon puts on her tales, setting them in an alternate universe and focusing on both diversity and … Continue reading Spotlight & Review: MEMORIES OF MAGIC (Fay of Skye #3) by Cara McKinnon
Participants needed for STEEL BLOOD blog tour this July
Are you a book blogger and/or reviewer? Would you like to be part of a blog tour this summer to promote the next book in the Steel Empires series, Steel Blood? Please use this Google form (no registration required) to submit your contact information, availability, and interest in the following: Spotlight (book and author info) … Continue reading Participants needed for STEEL BLOOD blog tour this July
Review: “The Great St. Mary’s Day Out” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
While I have to wonder at the logic of involving time travel in a holiday for this lot of miscreants, considering all the things that go wrong normally, I have to admit that the story wouldn't really work, otherwise. (Though I do have faith that they'd get up to the same sort of trouble during … Continue reading Review: “The Great St. Mary’s Day Out” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
Review: “The Very First Damned Thing” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
It was very, very cool to not only get a glimpse of the origins St. Mary's but also a peek into Dr. Bairstow's head. At this point in the series, seeing his relationships with the people that he intentionally sought to staff St. Mary's was more interesting than the jump to Waterloo (despite the delightful … Continue reading Review: “The Very First Damned Thing” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
Review: “Christmas Present” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
How do you balance the heavy subject matter of lovers lost in time, potential suicide, and imminent attack by Boudicca's army? Add a giant pig, of course. This Chronicles of St. Mary's short story plugs a hole in the narrative that is touched upon in the main books, featuring our heroes (Max, Peterson, and Markham, … Continue reading Review: “Christmas Present” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
Review: “Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
Taylor hooked me immediately with the problem that needed to be solved in this adventure. The rising sense of horror at what happened felt very visceral, and what's even better is that the threads that came about to create this situation were beautifully laid in previous installments of this series. The time travel adventure itself … Continue reading Review: “Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
Review: SHORT FUSE by Brent D. Seth
Disclaimer: I acquired this novel at a convention through a book trade with the author, whom I consider a friend. What an incredibly refreshing science fiction novel to find in a market that sometimes feels saturated with overly complex space opera and violence-infused military epics. Though this novel includes complex world-building and plenty of (sometimes … Continue reading Review: SHORT FUSE by Brent D. Seth
Updated schedule of events!
I have my panel schedules for my next two events, Balticon and In Your Write Mind! You can check out the details here, along with my full schedule of upcoming events. Come see me geek out about world-building, female characters, and genre blending. Or pick my brain about writing groups, editing issues, and life as … Continue reading Updated schedule of events!
Review: “The Magician” (A Fool’s Journey #1) by Mark Pannebecker
Disclaimer: I received an electronic version of this short story in exchange for an honest review. It’s hard to get invested in a story that opens with too many characters who are hard to differentiate and even harder to identify with. Though the basic world-building is accomplished with well-written descriptions, no major conflict is introduced … Continue reading Review: “The Magician” (A Fool’s Journey #1) by Mark Pannebecker
Review: “Roman Holiday” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s short story) by Jodi Taylor
One of the best things about these extra short stories that fit into the overall Chronicles of St. Mary's world is that you can enjoy them without worrying about where they fit into the larger context of the story. They're a short peek into the many, many other time travel trips that the historians have … Continue reading Review: “Roman Holiday” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s short story) by Jodi Taylor
Review: THE DYING OF THE GOLDEN DAY (Heartfriends Trilogy #1) by Carrie Gessner
Disclaimer: I attended the same graduate program as the author and consider her a friend; however, I purchased my hardcopy version of this novel for full price. I spend a lot of time reading urban fantasy these days, so it had been a while since I dove into a more traditional epic fantasy. Starting this … Continue reading Review: THE DYING OF THE GOLDEN DAY (Heartfriends Trilogy #1) by Carrie Gessner
2017 schedule in the works!
Where can you find me the next few months? I've updated my Events page with my confirmed events for the rest of 2017. I'm always happy to attend conventions as a panelist, so if you know of any that might like to have me on programming, please let me know!
Review: DAILY GRIND (Takeover #4) by Anna Zabo
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend and have promoted her projects on my blog. However, I purchased this ebook for full price. This novel was sweeter than the others in the series, but certainly no less hot for it. Brian and Rob go through a much more traditional meet-cute and love story, with the … Continue reading Review: DAILY GRIND (Takeover #4) by Anna Zabo
Review: DUE DILIGENCE (Takeover #3) by Anna Zabo
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend and have promoted her projects on my blog. However, I purchased this ebook for full price. This next novel ties into the Takeover series by featuring one of the engineers in Sam's new consulting firm. While it was lovely to be reunited with Eli as a secondary character, … Continue reading Review: DUE DILIGENCE (Takeover #3) by Anna Zabo