Review copy provided by the author, who’s a convention/online buddy. There are many things we’d like to cut: legislation, pork, cake. At the same time, there are many cords we fear to sever. Yet sometimes inaction is the greatest catalyst of all. So whether we slash, parry, or even draw blades becomes a weighty decision. […]
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About a year ago, I thought I had a book deal. The publisher provided me with their edit requests, we talked about marketing, I even had the green light to reach out to authors for blurbs. Then with no foreshadowing or reason offered, it fell apart. Now, I’ve been writing long enough to develop pretty […]
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In four days, I’m going to paradise. I guess the first step is to get footloose. No, that can’t be right. Being footloose gets you almost to paradise. To get to a Viable Paradise, the first step requires homework. Lots of homework. After all, paradise without preparation likely leads to dystopia. In this case, homework means […]
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So, a general thought on the Hugos. It’s really cool to see what the powers that be grade out as the best, but I’ve long been aware that there are many factors that influence how a book, editor, artist, or magazine is chosen. That doesn’t mean that the award winner is unworthy or less worthy, […]
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What fun! I really didn’t know what to expect when I accepted the Author of the Year recognition from the Baltimore Faerie Faire, but there was belly dancing, big bands, folk music, a hoard of really cool/fun people… AND I was given a key to the Faerie Kingdom! It all started when I received a […]
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Before I get to reviewing Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, I thought I’d share an anecdote. When I was in middle school, our chorus teacher asked me to try out for the state choir. Part of this, I’m sure, was just because my voice had changed early and I could produce a strong baritone/bass which for […]
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It’s always difficult to review a friend’s book. Do you read it with the same eye as you do other novels? Are you more critical? More forgiving? I’m struggling a little with what I want to say about McLaughlin’s novella. McLaughlin calls this book “Beauty and the Beast, but with dragons.” I think it’s a […]
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The Young Elites by Marie Lu turns out to be the story not of the Young Elites, but Adelina, a survivor of a plague which mutated her such that she gained magical/mutant powers… In her case, the power of illusion, but not only illusion of sight, but smell, touch, etc. Lu’s exploration of perception reveals […]
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It was a hot day at the Maryland Renaissance Fair and not only because it was 105 degrees plus humidity. Some of the heat emanated from the amazing acts, the cosplay, and the phenomenal pieces of craft on display like life-sized chain mail version of the Maryland state flag by Brian Galloway. But mostly it […]
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I really like Mark Lawrence’s Book of the Ancestor series so far. The world building and the blend of dystopic sf with its religious/political backdrop is well done. Possibly because Lawrence never lets ideas take dominance over the characters themselves. Grey Sister is more of a split narrative than Red Sister. The story tracks […]
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