The scene-by-scene outline of Steel Time is 95% complete! I just have to work out the final conflict sequence of events, which I won't be able to do until after I complete some research. I know some authors do their research after coming up with the general idea for the book, but I'm the other … Continue reading STEEL TIME Research Topics
April Wrap-Up & May Goals
What a roller coaster of a month! April Wrap-Up: Vacation successful and new job started! I'm three weeks in and enjoying myself immensely. I'm doing a very different sort of editing, along with a bunch of other interesting projects. My small team is great, and I love the area of Baltimore that my new office … Continue reading April Wrap-Up & May Goals
Review: THE MAGICIAN’S LAND (The Magicians #3) by Lev Grossman
Some trilogies work well when the author tries to have every book tell a story in a very different way. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. I adore heist stories, but this one jumped us right into the middle of the heist story line without really explaining how Quentin got to that position. Instead, we … Continue reading Review: THE MAGICIAN’S LAND (The Magicians #3) by Lev Grossman
Review: THE MAGICIAN KING by Lev Grossman (Magicians #2)
This novel was easily my favorite in the trilogy, for a few different reasons. Perhaps it was because of the distance of writing in third person, or because Grossman can not as easily identify with Julia as he can with Quentin, but I absolutely thought that Julia's "coming of age" narrative in this novel was … Continue reading Review: THE MAGICIAN KING by Lev Grossman (Magicians #2)
Review: THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman
First of all, let's get a few things straight. (1) This is a literary fantasy novel. (2) This novel was much more influenced by The Chronicles of Narnia than by Harry Potter. (3) I read this trilogy because I adore the television show currently airing, so my review is going to be linked to that bias … Continue reading Review: THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman
Netflix Tag
Original creator: [unknown]. Stolen from: Camryn at The Writing Crafter. Some context for this tag: I enjoy visual storytelling as much as the written version. Therefore, though it comes in waves, I spend and an awful lot of time watching television as well as reading. Though my husband and I still have cable, Netflix has … Continue reading Netflix Tag
Review: BLOOD RED by Mercedes Lackey
It's always fun to return to one of my favorite series, and it's even better when that series manages to consistently surprise you. Though there have been some departures, Lackey's formula for her Elemental Masters series has been "Traditional fairy tale retold in historical (mostly British) urban fantasy setting and concludes with female elemental master … Continue reading Review: BLOOD RED by Mercedes Lackey
Review: MAGIC SHIFTS by Ilona Andrews
Part of me keeps waiting for anything about this series to get stale or boring or overdone, because it can't possibly keep being this damn good. Sure, not every novel in the series is the best thing I've ever read, but one thing I appreciate about Ilona Andrews (referred to as "they," since it is … Continue reading Review: MAGIC SHIFTS by Ilona Andrews
Review: CRUCIBLE edited by Mercedes Lackey
Favorite story: "The Note" by Phaedra Weldon. While many of the stories in this anthology rated between 3 and 4 stars for me and were cute and enjoyable but not amazing, this penultimate tale punched me right in the feels. There are so many things about the life of a Herald that are explored in this tale, … Continue reading Review: CRUCIBLE edited by Mercedes Lackey
Review: THIRD PATH (Stargate Atlantis) by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham
And thus, we finally come to the conclusion of the Stargate Atlantis Legacy series, which continues the story past season 5 of the television series. Overall, this novel was both a bittersweet and very satisfying ending to a much larger and more complicated story line. One of the benefits of media tie-in novels is that … Continue reading Review: THIRD PATH (Stargate Atlantis) by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham
Review: STEAMPUNK WORLD edited by Sarah Hans
DISCLAIMER: I share a publisher with one of the authors discussed below. However, I purchased my copy of the book at full price from the anthology's editor, not the author, and I do not consider our relationship to have bearing on my review choices. I was not a contributor to the Kickstarter campaign that initially … Continue reading Review: STEAMPUNK WORLD edited by Sarah Hans
The Real World Returns…
My husband and I are home safe from our amazing vacation. We spent a great 10 days aboard Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas, which sailed out of Baltimore to tool around the Caribbean for a few days. The time was well-spent relaxing and recharging and just spending some quality time together before the husband … Continue reading The Real World Returns…
March Wrap-Up & April Goals
Some highs and lows this month, for sure. See last Friday's post about the major milestones in my life I'm currently in the middle of. March Wrap-Up: Complete the scene-by-scene outline for book 4, Steel Time. It turns out that the power in the 'verse that can stop me is my own brain! I have … Continue reading March Wrap-Up & April Goals
End of an Era
Today marks the end of a journey. If you've read my Bio page, you know that I'm a medical editor for my day job. That's not going to change, but as of this morning, I can announce that I am no longer employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) , where for the … Continue reading End of an Era
Book Review Policy
As I slowly get caught up on the never-ending list of finished books that need to be reviewed, I figured I should put together an official review policy (even though I definitely don't consider myself an official book reviewer). Go here or click the "Review Policy" tab at the top of the page for information … Continue reading Book Review Policy
Review: CLOSER TO HOME by Mercedes Lackey
I think my biggest complaint about this book is probably the fact that the back cover text has very, very little to do with the actual plot of the novel. And if that's my biggest complaint, I will definitely call this book a win. I've read every Valdemar book by Mercedes Lackey, many of the … Continue reading Review: CLOSER TO HOME by Mercedes Lackey
Review: MAGIC BREAKS by Ilona Andrews
Not only is this one of my favorite books series, it is also one of the major inspirations for my own writing. So it's no surprise that I absolutely loved and devoured this set of the series. I was so, so glad that the authors included a note at the beginning warning that this was … Continue reading Review: MAGIC BREAKS by Ilona Andrews
Review: ARMADA by Ernest Cline
Because I loved Ready Player One so much, I didn't argue very much when my husband insisted on pre-ordering the hardcover of Ernest Cline's second novel, Armada. My husband read it first, and I have to admit that my stomach sank a little bit when he described it to me. My takeaway was that it … Continue reading Review: ARMADA by Ernest Cline
Review: TO SIR by Rachell Nichole
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this novel at full price. This was my second official foray into the erotica genre--this time, without the cushion of the paranormal to root me in something familiar! I also normally stay far, far away from novels where the protagonist is also an author. However, … Continue reading Review: TO SIR by Rachell Nichole
Review: THE COST OF HONOR (Stargate SG-1) by Sally Malcolm
A good media tie-in novel should hit a number of criteria. Expand upon the established universe. Give the reader better insight into the internal motivation of the characters. Build a setting that goes beyond the restrictions of the original format. Sally Malcolm's conclusion to the story she started in A Matter of Honor does all … Continue reading Review: THE COST OF HONOR (Stargate SG-1) by Sally Malcolm