Book Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Pros: slow burn romance, low stakes, cozy atmosphere even when bad things happen, a wide variety of fantasy creatures, realistic magic system

Cons:

Kiela works at the Great Library of Alyssium, keeping to herself with her sentient plant assistant Caz. When the library burns down, she escapes with a few forbidden spellbooks she's hidden on a boat. Back at her childhood home on the island of Caltrey, her plan to lie low at her family's old cottage is undermined by her handsome neighbour who keeps coming by. She quickly learns that the island is suffering due to a lack of visiting sorcerers, and starts to learn how to use the spellbooks to bring the island back to prosperity. But spellcasting is dangerous, which is why only sanctioned sorcerers are allowed to practice the art.

Kiela's a fun protagonist who starts off very standoffish and introverted, and slowly grows a group of close friends. Her relationship with Larran is sweet and very slow paced. There is a side romance that shows up at the end that felt like it came out of nowhere, but the main romance is a lovely ride.

I liked that the magic system felt realistic. Seeing Kiela try various things to get the spells to work - changing ingredients, adjusting pronunciations, studying alternatives, was neat. So much of the book is pure fantasy, that having the magic feel more ceremonial and scholarly was great.

I was a little surprised by the sheer variety of magical creatures on this small island. Otherwise the world-building was fun. I liked the political underpinnings of the story and that they were used to enhance what was happening in the main plot.

The atmosphere of the book is so cozy. Even when bad things were happening, I knew everything would turn out ok so I didn't need to stress about things. Great care is taken to describe the sights, smells, and tastes of island life.

This is a wonderful comfort read.

Shout-Out: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

"A uniquely charming mixture of whimsy and the macabre that completely won me over. If you ever wished for an adult romance that felt like Howl's Moving Castle, THIS IS THAT BOOK." —Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

Shout-Out: The Reinvented Heart edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo

What happens when emotions like love and friendship span vast distances ― in space, in time, and in the heart?

Science fiction often focuses on future technology and science without considering the ways social structures will change as tech changes ― or not. What will relationships look like in a complicated future of clones, uploaded intelligences, artificial brains, or body augmentation? What stories emerge when we acknowledge possibilities of new genders and ways of thinking about them?

The Reinvented Heart presents stories that complicate sex and gender by showing how shifting technology may affect social attitudes and practices, stories that include relationships with communities and social groups, stories that reinvent traditional romance tropes and recast them for the 21st century, and above all, stories that experiment, astonish, and entertain.

 
Authors include:
Jane Yolen, Seanan McGuire, AnaMaria Curtis, Lisa Morton, Madeline Pine, Sam Fleming, Felicity Drake, Premee Mohamed, Beth Cato, Naomi Kritzer, Sophie Giroir, Maria Dong, Lyda Morehouse, Devin Miller, Aimee Ogden, Anita Ensal, Fran Wilde, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lauren RIng, Xander Odell, Rosemary Claire Smith, Justina Robson.

Ebook out now, print version out May 31.

Book Review: Pheonix Unbound by Grace Draven

Pros: good world-building, interesting characters

Cons: the world is brutal, begins with a rape

Gilene is the village of Beroe’s sacrifice for the Rites of Spring, and due to her ability to control fire, has been for the past few years. Her actions keep the other women in her village safe from harm but extract a severe price from her. When she’s recognized through her illusion spell by the Gladiator Prime Azarion, he blackmails her into helping him escape the coliseum and the Empire itself. As a fire witch, he needs her to reclaim his rightful place as heir to his clan.

This is a fantasy novel that follows the beats of a category romance novel. Despite it’s happily ever ending though, the world is brutal and the book itself begins by explaining that the heroine has been raped in the past as part of her duties as a sacrifice, while graphically showing the rape of the hero by the Empress, a scene I could have done without.

These actions set a tone for the book that I was never able to recover from. The author does a great job of showing how, over time, the couple begins to overcome their meeting (Azarion’s abduction and threatening of Gilene) to slowly kindle romantic feeling for each other. A fair amount of time passes over the course of the book, making this feel believable.

I really liked both Gilene and Azarion as characters. Gilene is responsible and pragmatic, even in the face of her imposed ‘duty’. The scene at the beginning where she disrobes, ready to be raped and done, is heartwrenching but really does show what a survivor she is. Azarion has lived through similar horrors and I was surprised that this was never used as a way to bring them closer together emotionally - that they never talked to each other (or other characters) as a way of dealing with and trying to heal from their traumas. I did like his determination and spirit and learning about his tribe was interesting.

Their rape is never formally addressed between them and thus hangs over everything they do. When they finally make love, Gilene thinks back to the last man she was with (ie, her previous rape). Not only is this off-putting to the reader it shows that she’s never really dealt with the trauma of the horrors she’s been through. Thinking back on this later, I wish the author had eased them into the physicality of sex as much as she’d eased them into their emotional connection. Yes, they share a bed and end up cuddling, but there’s no measure of, this is how sex with a willing partner differs from an unwilling, and I think the characters (and I as a reader) needed that. I also think it would have been interesting to see Azarion discuss how his only (only recent at any rate) experiences of sex were violent and filled with fear and anger, asking for advice on how to give (and feel) pleasure. I found it bizarre that the author would bring up such a heavy emotional event and then not try to show actual healing via therapy of some sort. Because as much as Gilene’s pragmatism makes her willing to undergo rape, that’s not the same as healing from it and being ready for an actual emotional and physical connection.

The world-building was very good. I liked that there are several types of magic and that some magics come with a cost. There are several interconnected political and economic groups (the Empire, various tribes, guilds, tradesmen). The Savatar were fleshed out as a people with a lot of customs setting them off from the Empire.

I loved that both characters get satisfying climaxes for their different plot arcs. The ending was great.

If you’re looking for a feel good, fluffy read, give this a pass. If you like grimdark fantasy but want more romance, this is for you.

Movie Review: The Adjustment Bureau

Directed by George Nolfi, 2011

IMDb listing

Pros: great acting, interesting story, impactful

Cons: 

A chance meeting between a young senate hopeful and a dancer inspires both of them. But when they meet again their attraction runs the risk of disrupting THE PLAN. So agents of the adjustment bureau are sent to keep them apart.

I loved this movie. It’s very, VERY loosely based on a Philip K. Dick short story, which I read after seeing the film. While I found the story kind of meh, the movie is sweet and sad and makes you want to cheer.

Matt Damon and Emily Blunt have so much chemistry, and his plight - knowing what their being together will cost both of them - is heart-wrenching to watch. I also loved Anthony Mackie as Harry Mitchell, the angel / agent who shows mercy to the pair.

I liked that the film left things up to the viewer to interpret. This is the kind of feel good movie that poses some interesting questions whose answers you don’t care about so long as things turn out well. 

[Like most trailers nowadays this one gives away quite a lot of the film, so you may not watch to watch the whole thing if you're interested in seeing the film.]

Book Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pros: some interesting twists, great characters

Cons: somewhat predictable

Antonina Beaulieu is a rich 19 year old from the country, joining her cousin and his wife, Valerie, in the city of Loisail for the Grand Season. Quick to speak her mind and unable to remember proper city etiquette or the names of important society members, Nina also has telekinetic abilities, her poor control of which has caused her problems in the past. When she meets the telekinetic performer Hector Auvray at a party, they quickly grow closer and her dreams of a romantic marriage seem assured.

But Hector has a past with Valerie, the beautiful woman who criticizes Antonina’s failings at every turn. And his attentions towards Nina aren’t what they seem.

For the most part the book’s plot follows the traditional category romance beats. Set in a fantasy world that mimics the late 1800s/early 1900s, it reminded me at times of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and at others of Mary Robinette Kowal’s Shades of Milk and Honey.

The characters were wonderful. I started off the book liking everyone, even people I probably wasn’t supposed to. Though I knew Hector’s initial interest in Nina wasn’t real, I still liked him and thought that having your heart broken by a ‘good’ guy is better than some alternatives. I even felt some pity for Valerie, forced to marry someone for money to help her family despite having met the love of her life. The personal motivations and actions of the characters felt honest and the fallout of their decisions, earned.

While telekinesis isn’t a major part of the story, it does come up fairly often and it’s great seeing Nina learn more control over her abilities.

I really enjoyed this.

Shout-Out: Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

London, April 1812. On the eve of 18-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall's presentation to the Queen, one of her family's housemaids disappears--and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

Downplaying Romance in SFF

An article came out recently about the Bechdel test and how it’s unrealistic to expect good movies to conform to arbitrary guidelines. I won’t be commenting on the author’s complete misunderstanding of what the Bechdel test is for, instead I’ll be dealing with the conversations that have arisen from its final paragraph.

…women tend to write movies about relationships, and men tend to write movies about aliens and shootouts. Have a wander through the sci-fi and fantasy section of your local bookstore: How many of these books’ authors are female? Yet these are where the big movie ideas come from. If a woman wants the next Lord of the Rings–style franchise to pass the Bechdel Test, then a woman should come up with a story with as much earning potential as J. R. R. Tolkien’s.

As a former bookseller I can safely say that this author's not looked at the SFF section of a bookstore in a long time because there are a TON of women writing all kinds of science fiction and fantasy. He's also ignoring the fact that a woman (J. K. Rowling) has already written a fantasy series that's as big of a commercial success as The Lord of the Rings in both book and film.

But I’m not going to be talking about that either. Years ago I did a reading list for female science fiction authors (maybe I should update that list and do another one for fantasy authors). No, what I want to write about here is a response I’ve seen in reply to this article.

Barnes & Noble did a twitter post showing the spines of several books by women. A female commenter had an interesting response:



If you can't read it, she's complaining that the books all look like either young adult or romance - based on the spines (that is, based on the fact that the authors are women).

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Signal to Noise, Certain Dark Things and the forthcoming The Beautiful Ones, took exception to the fact that her books are often called YA and then dismissed as not being worth reading. She tweeted the following (note, I edited the feed so it reads top to bottom and removed a few tweets due to length).


I understand Moreno-Garcia's point, that having a romance sub/plot or writing YA shouldn't make things inferior. My concern is that if we downplay romance then we feed into the belief that romance is shameful/wrong/unworthy. And I don't like that.

Instead, reviewers should start pointing out the romantic plots/subplots in books written by men. Make it clear that men also write touchy feely scenes. Point out when their romances feel realistic and natural. Mention when they’re written for the male gaze (women are only there as eye candy - eg: the sexy scientist who does yoga to maintain her flexibility - wink wink). If we bring attention to the fact that books by men also have romantic subplots, then it will become harder to dismiss women's writing because they do the same thing.

Writing good romance/sex scenes is HARD. Which is why I used to believe I hated romance in books.

Then I read some great SFF with well written romance and realized I actually enjoy it.

Here are some examples of fantasy books with excellent romantic sub-plots by women: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold, The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope. Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn, Poison Study by Maria Snyder.

And some by men: Lamentation by Ken Scholes, The Bands of Mourning & Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson, The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks, Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams.

Note, these aren’t all ‘category romance’, by which I mean, they don’t all end happily ever after the way category romance must. I’m not keen on books where the main plot is two people coming together (for several reasons, often they involve a lot of lying and they fall in love too fast to be believable, but mainly because I like plot driven rather than character driven novels), but I like a good relationship that’s built up over several books and feels organic and real. I especially like good relationships that include some fun banter (one of the best I’ve read for this is Dhampir and Thief of Lives by Barb and J. C. Hendee - though the later books lose the banter and my enjoyment of the series declined).

The Tomb may have been the first book by a man where the romance is what got me interested in continuing the story. The opening scenes show a very visceral longing Jack has for the girlfriend who recently left him. I wanted them to get back together so badly, even knowing why she left.

And speaking of Tokien, the romance between Faramir and Eowyn was one of my favourite parts of Return of the King. I loved that this fierce, determined, capable woman found a man who admired those aspects of her nature. I felt that he truly respected her as a person. Was it a major part of the story? No, but it tied up her segment of the story nicely.

Society has this strange idea than women love romance and relationships and men don’t. Aside from the fact that most men want to be in loving relationships, sex and love are fundamentals to human existence. Most novels mention them to some extent, regardless of who they're written by. No, romance doesn't have to be the focus, but to state that books written by women only deal with romance and books written by men don’t deal with it at all ignores reality. It also ignores a lot of male authors who - though they often try to deny it - write romance novels.

But since not everything is for every reader, here are some fantasy novels by women that have little to no romance in them at all: The Sleeping God by Violette Malan, Transformation by Carol Berg, The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan, Resenting the Hero by Moira Moore (this series develops a romance as time goes on, but the first two books basically just have some great flirty banter), The Summoner by Gail Martin (a rather good romance develops in the second book).

And some books where the romance takes center stage: Lord of the Fading Lands by C. L. Wilson, Archangel by Sharon Shinn, Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal, Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, The Death House by Sarah Pinborough.
I'm only using fantasy novels as examples here (without bringing in urban fantasy), as that's what the original posts I'm responding to seemed to criticize. If I went into science fiction or other forms of fantasy, steampunk, etc. I could have even more examples. I also only used books that I remember clearly enough to know what level of romance they have (which, unfortunately, means these suggestions are very white).

So, where do you stand? Do you think romance is good in novels - as plots, subplots? Do you notice when men write good romance storylines? Do you wish romance would just stay out of books? What are your favourite romances in SFF books?

Book Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Pros: brilliant concept, brilliant writing, compelling characters, thought provoking

Cons:

For Parents: some sexual content, some swearing, very minor violence (two teens fight), mention of drug use

'A' wakes up in a new body every day. The only similarities are the age of A's hosts and their relative proximity to A's previous host. A has come up with a guideline for his/her life: don't mess with the host's life.

When A wakes up in Justin's body and meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon, his/her guideline changes to: spend as much time with Rhiannon as s/he can, often making his/her daily hosts act completely unlike themselves for one day.  This starts to cause problems, both for them and for A.

But A no longer cares. All A wants is for Rhiannon to reciprocate his/her love.

This novel is brilliant. The writing is amazing, the premise is bizarre but handled brilliantly, the characters are interesting, both A and Rhiannon. Similarly A's host bodies are varied by gender, sexuality, race, religion, social class, size, etc. Some are drug addicts, some are nice, some are definitely not nice - to themselves or others.

The premise allows for a lot of interesting social and cultural issues to be brought up - how we see ourselves and how we judge others - making this a really thought provoking book. A's acceptance of everyone as they are, and his/her eventual judgements regarding them as s/he starts to see his/her hosts the way Rhiannon does, with her social conditioning, is fascinating.

It's a brilliant novel and even if you're not a fan of romances, it's worth the read.

New Beginnings

After much deliberation I've finally come to a decision about what to do with my blog. If you've been following me, you know I've had questions about what you, my readership, would like to see here as well as where I think this blog is heading.

I've been reading a lot of older SF, dystopian YA and fantasy recently and enough is enough. After combing through the hundreds of emails about what you want to see I've decided to change the focus of my blog.

It's time for me to grow up. To read LITERATURE. Work that's better received by the greater public.

Towards that end, from now on I'll only be reviewing romance novels. Yes, you read that right. Romance. The more semi-naked torsos on the covers, the better.

These will be the next three books I review on my blog:

 Happy April Fools!

Book Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Pros: light romance, interesting use of zombies

Cons: tries to be all genres, slow paced

For Parents: some violence

Nora Dearly is kidnapped the day after she arrives home from school for the holidays and learns that her deceased father was killed by a plague that reanimates the dead, leaving some of them able to think and act like living humans.  She slowly falls in love with one of the soldiers who brought her to the military camp in order to protect her from those who would do her harm.

This book tries to be several genres, not really excelling at any of them.  It takes place in 2195 and uses some advanced technology (like tablets for writing, email and watching TV), but not much else.  I was often at a loss as to what tech was supposed to be advanced and what was lost and not recovered after the war.  The world has greatly changed due to global warming and a nuclear war, making it somewhat post-apocalyptic.  But again, society has rebuilt enough that it didn't have a post-apocalyptic feel to it.  The Americans who pushed out the Central and South Americans and formed New Victoria, live an idealized Victorian lifestyle, with high morals and a strict social hierarchy.  Their enemies, the 'Punks' have steam powered derigibals, making it steampunk.  But it was a bit confusing which, if any, side the author was praising.  At times she showed the follies of the New Victorians, at others they were definitely more civilized than the punks.  Then there are the zombies and the plague that created them, making it horror, and a popular horror trope at that.  While there were two types of zombies - those that reanimated with memories and those that came back as ravening monsters - the zombies were only really scary at the end of the book when the plague spread.  Finally, let's not forget the romantic plot line between Nora and Bram.  This developed slowly, and naturally, but the complications of dating a zombie were never properly faced (nor was Bram's impending expiry date).

I found the pacing slow and while the ideas were interesting, enjoyed the action surrounding Pamela's storyline more than the romance and revelations surrounding Nora. 

I also found myself confused by the constantly changing viewpoint for the first person narrative.  The author made it clear who was speaking, but I fell into the habit of assuming it was Nora's POV and had to constantly correct myself.  Captain Wolfe's POV scenes seemed superfluous, and while I understood wanting to show both Bram and Nora's thoughts via POV, there were times when the POV changed when it didn't seem necessary.

I know teen books need to get the adults out of the way in order to give the teen protagonists a chance to shine, but that doesn't mean all the adults need to be morons.  Nora's aunt is a real piece of work, and Pamela's parents are surprisingly clueless and made to look evil in some ways, even though they're honestly trying to do what's best for their daughter.

I can understand why this is popular, but wouldn't recommend it as a first foray into YA lit.

















***Spoilers ***

There seemed to be a bizarre anti-live male sentiment running through the book.  Captain Wolfe, Isambard, Doctor Elpinoy, Averne and Michael Allister all started out as, or became, cretinous characters.  Isambard only becomes a better 'man' once he dies and is reborn as a zombie.  The dead men on the other hand, Dr. Dearly, Bram, Tom, Renfield, etc. are all likable, if not perfect characters.

Book Review: Blameless by Gail Carriger

Pros: quirky characters, action

Cons: soap opera feel

As this is the 3rd book in the series, the synopsis contains spoilers.  This is not a book you can pick up without having read the previous two.

Alexia, Lady Maccon, begins this book at her mother's abode, being estranged from her husband due to the 'baby inconvenience'.  Though faithful, her husband's werewolf state ought to make him unable to father a child.  The vampires aren't happy about Alexia's pregnancy, and without the protection of the Woolsey Pack she's in trouble.

So she does what any self-respecting soulless would do while under attack - take a trip to the continent to see if anyone there can explain how she conceived.

While the characters are still quirky, their personalities are toned down a bit in this novel so at no point do they grate on your nerves (which happened a few times in Changeless).

The plot, while organic as per the other books in the series, feels a bit tighter in this book.  Carriger's writing, already good, has improved.

The only 'negative' I had was that the story is starting to feel like a soap opera.  Which can be fun, but can also go too far.  It's worked so far, I hope Carriger can keep the books from becoming farcical rather than pleasantly campy.

Marjorie Liu's "Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box" PC Game

PassionFruit Games has released a PC (and soon Mac) game based on Marjorie M. Lui's novel Tiger Eye. Looks interesting.

From their website:

PassionFruit Games is thrilled to announce one of the first ever “romance casual” games written by, designed by, and created for women. The game is a hidden object-style adventure game loaded with compelling puzzles and addictive mini-games. Between levels, players will experience hand-drawn, voice-acted cut scenes that depict the story from bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu’s novel Tiger Eye.

The game will be divided into two episodes. Curse of the Riddle Box corresponds to the first half of the book and takes place in China; the concluding installment takes place in the United States. Each episode will be available as a stand-alone game for just $6.99. Players will also have the option to purchase the games as part of larger packages which include soundtracks, artwork and strategy guides. Curse of the Riddle Box will be available for the PC on April 28, 2010 – the Mac release will follow soon after in May.

THE STORY

Play as the psychically-gifted Dela Reese as she’s hurtled into danger after purchasing an ancient riddle box in a Beijing dirt market. From the box emerges Hari, a striking 7-foot tall warrior who has been imprisoned for 2000 years. Help Dela thwart assassins who seek the power of the box, and find a way for her and Hari to safely return to Dela’s homeland, while earning each other’s respect and love.

And the game's already received a few reviews. Here's one by a gamer and one by a romance author.

C. L. Wilson - Author Interview

Novels:
Lord of the Fading Lands
Lady of Light and Shadows
King of Sword and Sky

website: www.clwilson.com

> Pitch your series.

Long ago, in the magical holocaust known as the Mage Wars, the immortal Fey and their allies fought to defeat the grasping evil of the Elden Mages and their dark-gifted supporters. During those wars, in a fit of grief-induced madness caused by the death of his mate, Fey shapeshifter Rain Tairen Soul nearly destroyed the world in a blaze of tairen fire. Now, a thousand years later, the fierce Fey king must fight to save his race from the brink of extinction and once again stop the evil rising in the homeland of his enemies, the Eld. The key to his success lies in the mortal city of Celieria, where the Mage Wars began, and with a young woman whose soul sings to him in ways no woman’s ever has, whose presence reawakens the primal fury of the tairen within his soul, and whose vast, untapped power can either save or destroy him and his people.

Beginning with Lord of the Fading Lands, continuing with Lady of Light and Shadows and King of Sword and Sky, and concluding with Queen of Song and Souls, the Tairen Soul series tells the story of a mortal woodcarver’s adopted daughter, Ellysetta Baristani, and the Fey king, Rain Tairen Soul, as they fight to save the tairen and the Fey, defeat the dangerous power of the Eld Mages, and complete their truemate bond.

KING OF SWORD AND SKY, which comes out this October (Sept 30) is book 3 in the Tairen Soul series. In this book, Rain and Ellysetta return to the Fading Lands, where Ellysetta begins adjusting to her new life as a powerful immortal and the queen of a fabled magical land. As the Eld plot their next deadly strike, Ellysetta struggles to master her vast magic and discover how to save the tairen, while Rain confronts open challenge to his rule and prepares to lead the Fey army to war.

> What are your favourite three books (not by you, either in the field or out of it)?

Oh, that’s a tough one. Limiting my favorites to just three is so difficult. I’ve had different favorites at different times of my life, and with so many wonderful books coming out month after month, I’m constantly enthralled as a reader.

I have to say, on the romance front, a pure historical romance, my favorite book is probably Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. Or Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. Or Flowers in the Storm by Laura Kinsale.

On the paranormal romance front, Dark Desire by Christine Feehan hooked me so completely and drew me forever into the love of her Carpathian series. (I’m also a big fan of JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, Karen Marie Moning’s highlanders.)

On a pure fantasy front, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series both impacted me so greatly, they continue to be among my favorites, even though I haven’t re-read them in years. I adored Terry Goodkind’s Wizard’s First Rule as well.

> In the books you've written, who is you favourite character and why?

Oh, gosh. Well…I confess, I adore writing Gaelen. He is a man who lives life by his own rules and to hell with anyone who disagrees with him. He fights for what he believes in, and is willing to pay any price to do what he thinks is right. He’s also a cheeky git, and that makes him huge fun to write. Yet for all his “in-your-face” attitude, deep inside is an honorable man who loves his country and his friends and his family so much, he would do anything to protect them. In the words of the wonderful movie, “A Few Good Men”, he is the man who will stand on the wall and say “Nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.” He is a man who will never give up, never let anything stand in his way – not even laws. And because of that, he’s something of a double-edged sword, which is part of what makes him so interesting to me.

And I actually really enjoy writing Annoura, the mortal queen descending into darkness too. She is so human, so flawed. There is goodness in her – Dorian could never have loved her if there weren’t – but she is a woman falling prey to her own weakness and insecurity. She wants so desperately for Dorian to love her, but she was raised in such a cold, political, untrusting place (Capellas) she’s always looking for the knife behind the back…the betrayal she knows has to be coming. Ultimately, if you look for something hard enough, you will find it (or at least start seeing it, even where it doesn’t exist). She’s a tragic figure, because she had a deep and abiding love, and she couldn’t believe in it enough to keep it whole.

> If you could, would you change places with any of your characters?

The way I torture them? Er, no! LOL.

> If you could live in your fantasy/sf world, would you? Would you live in somebody else's?

Oh, absolutely, but only if I could be one of those gorgeous, slender immortals with vast power and no need for dieting and exercise and no fears of going gray or getting wrinkles! What woman doesn’t think that sounds like heaven?
Seriously…I love the whole concept of the existence of magic, of entire races of people dedicated to honor and the protection of what is good and innocent in the world, and the idea of lifespans that last many, many thousands of years so long as you had a truemate – a perfect, unwavering soul-to-soul love. I don’t even think the threat of true evil that exists in my world would deter me, because a paradise without a purpose is just a different form of hell.

As for someone else’s fantasy world, I have to confess that as a kid, when I first discovered Anne McCaffrey’s dragonriders books, they so captured my imagination, that my childhood best friend and I use to have weekend sleepovers in which we’d pretend her basement room was a weyr and we had both Impressed our own dragon. I’d love to live on Pern (if I could be a Dragonrider!) but I’d get in trouble for smacking some of those obnoxious Holders in the mouth, I’m afraid!

> What was the first novel (published or unpublished) that you wrote and how long did it take to write it?

The first novel I ever wrote (and completed!) was a 80,000 word contemporary romance called GHOST (unpublished) which I completed when I was twenty. It took me about 3 years to write it. I completed the whole thing in longhand on legal pads then taught myself to type by entering it into a word processor on a computer.

The first published novel was Lord of the Fading Lands (which in unpublished form also included Lady of Light and Shadows) and it took me probably about five years to write, revise, chop in half, rewrite, re-revise. Then I had to chop it in half again and revise it into two books for publication.

> What was the most fun book signing, convention, etc. you've attended and why?

So far, my favorite convention has to be this year’s DragonCon. It’s been a while since I went to a con, and I forgot how much fun they were. Although I was working a booth and didn’t get to get out to the workshops and panels much, it was four days of fabulousness. The costumes people wore were so gorgeous. I can’t wait to do it again!

> If you still have one, what's your day job? If you don't, how long did it take before you could support yourself only on your writing?

My day job used to be Manager of Training and Product Marketing for a telecommunications manufacturing company. I spent all my career in high-tech, working around computers and computer systems, but always in some capacity related to writing – marketing, technical writing, training. Though I have not yet made it to my first royalty statement, I quit my full time job 18 months ago before accepting a contract to write two more books in a year. I knew even that would be a stretch for me, working at it full time. Luckily, I have a husband who was willing to support my decision, and my family agreed to make the sacrifices necessary to give up my salary and let me write full time to pursue my life long dream.

> What is your university degree in?

My degree is in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing. (Because I always wanted to be a writer and was determined one day to see my own books in print.)

> Do you think it is easier to write fantasy or science fiction?

For me? Fantasy, without a doubt, because I get to make anything happen “by magic” . And because science was never my particular strongpoint in school.

> When and where do you write?

All the time and everywhere. I have an office at my house, and I’m usually in the office from 3am in the morning until 6pm at night and sometimes much later, but I’m trying to force myself to write for a few hours, take a break for a few hours, then go back to writing some more. Juggling life and writing and managing a productive full-time writing output can be difficult. I’d really like to get to a point where I can comfortably write a book every six months, but I’m still not there yet.

> What's the best/worst thing about writing?

The best thing about writing is the people I’ve met through my writing – readers, other writers, booksellers, librarians. The worst part of writing is my penchant to get stuck in my office for days on end and never leave it.

> Do you have any advice for hopeful authors?

Don’t give up! The road to publication is littered with the dead dreams of wonderful writers who gave up too soon. It isn’t easy. It isn’t rewarding. Putting yourself out there – your writing out there – and getting rejection after rejection is one of the hardest and most demoralizing [things] an artist can do. But keep at it. How can you expect anyone else to believe in you, if you don’t first believe in yourself?

King of Sword and Sky - C.L. Wilson

A wonderful mixture of fantasy and romance, this is the third book in the Tairen Soul series, and the books just get better. While I found the second novel a little more 'romancy' than I generally prefer, this novel returns to the wonder of being in a fantasy world and is more plot rather than character focused.

The world is expanded as Rain escorts his new wife back to the Fading Lands, where Ellysetta discovers that political scheming is not only a Celierian vice and Rain enjoys less popular support than she was led to believe. The crisis of the dying Tairens is examined in detail as Ellysetta tries to familiarize herself with her new home and responsibilities... and discover more about her own sinister origins and ties to the Eld's High Mage.

The ending will blow you away.