Author: HCNewton Page 205 of 623

Spelling the Month in Books: December

On December 20, 2022

Spelling the Month in Books: December
Here we are at the end of this little project, I’ve spelled the year in books now. I’m glad that I pivoted early on to focus on books I haven’t blogged about here/read in years, revisiting these books has been a lot of fun.

	Demolition Angel This is Robert Crais’ second stand-alone, and it is just fantastic. From the concept to the central character to the story–he’s at his best here. Carol Starkey is a bomb tech and detective in the LAPD, scarred (physically and emotionally) from a detonation that killed a colleague/lover, she’s now on the hunt for a serial bomber. Thankfully, Crais was able to work Starkey into a couple of Elvis Cole novels–but in this introduction to the character, she really gets to shine brightly. I’m tempted to toss the rest of my plans for the year (including this post) to go re-read it.
	The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook Matt Dunn’s rom-com about a man with a goal–become the kind of guy his suddenly-ex-girlfriend wants. This means exercising, dressing better, showing sensitivity to other people’s wants and needs (and actually being sensitive to them), etc. This is a far cry from the lazy manchild he’d been over the last 10 years. But he’s determined. But once he arrives at the destination, does he want her back? I remember this being fairly predictable but so sweet and fun that I didn’t care.
	Coraline I’m sure everyone reading this post is familiar with Neil Gaiman’s classic creepy tale for children. I remember having a blast reading this with my kids (and look forward to trying to creep out their kids with the same story). It’s got all the typical Gaiman ideas scaled down and packaged for the audience. The illustrations are on par with–possibly superior to–the words on the page. For me to say that, especially about Gaiman, you know they’re great.
	The Eyre Affair This was my introduction to the, um…inventive and indescribably strange mind of Jasper Fforde. This book features alternate history, time travel, and cloning–and none of that really has to do with the story, it’s just a backdrop to the story about people going into literary classics to kidnap major characters and/or rewrite them entirely. Thankfully, our heroine, Thursday Next is on the job.
	The Magician’s I know there are people who have problems with Lev Grossman’s trilogy that started with this book, and I’m not saying they’re wrong. But I came across this book at just the right time for me–it’s one of those reads that hit allllllllll the right notes for me at the time. It’s the reason that I refuse to name my top book of the year until the end of the year (finished it on 12/30, I believe). This Harry Potter/Less Than Zero/C.S. Lewis/Narnia-mashup is a celebration/critique/play on those ideas, works, and people–and so much more. The latter books in the series weren’t as satisfying for me–but I still loved ’em.
	The Bridge of Sighs Richard Russo’s novel took just about everything from his other novels and squished them into one (without the humor of Straight Man). It’s the story of a friendship, of the growth of a town, of the development of a marriage/family, and what happens when an extraordinarily gifted person leaves a small town for international fame. To explain it better would take a full post or two, but that’ll do for here. It’s a beautiful work.
	Evel Knievel Days I’d completely forgotten Pauls Toutonghi’s novel existed until I was pouring over the E’s in my Goodreads history to come up with this last “E” title. That’s a shame, too. This novel is about a young man from Egypt being raised by a single mother in Butte, Montana. He can’t remember anything about his home country, but he wants to go back to somewhere he feels he belongs. Between his name, skin color, and religion–there’s nothing about Khosi that seems to fit in the city he finds himself in. On the spur of the moment, he travels to Cairo to track down his father and understand his roots. As you’d expect, he gets more than he anticipates.
	The Rook This is one of those books that brings nothing but warm fuzzies to my mind and heart when I think about it–it’s not flawless, but I can’t think of a problem with it. Daniel O’Malley’s debut is an Urban Fantasy Thriller with a touch of espionage. It’s like Harry Connelly and Mick Herron wrote a book together (I thought about saying Butcher or McGuire there, but the supernatural is more Connelly-esque). If you haven’t read it yet, you really should.

The Return of the Christmas Witch by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza, Julia Iredale (Illustrator): The Witch Returns to Battle a Dystopian Holiday

By HCNewton

On December 20, 2022

In Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Return of the Christmas Witch

by Dan Murphy & Aubrey Plaza, Julia Iredale (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Christmas Witch, #2
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 10, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 56 pg.
Read Date: December 17, 2022

What’s The Return of the Christmas Witch About?

Kristtörn wakes from her frozen slumber to find a world she cannot recognize—it’s a dystopian world where the joy of Christmas is gone and everyone is left with an automated, sanitized, homogenized, corporation-run day of market-driven consumption. Santa is nowhere to be found—and many doubt he ever existed—in his place, we have the Kringle Corporation.

We get to spend time with one family—grandmother remembers Santa and longs for his return, but her grandchildren don’t (but aren’t fans of Kringle, either). Kristtörn watches the girl and the two strike up a relationship at a distance, and ultimately team up to take down the corporation and bring back Kristtörn’s brother.

That’s a sloppy job on my part, but it’ll do for these purposes. Murphy and Plaza tell it so much better.

The Artwork

On the whole, I’d just want to repeat what I said about the first book, so I will.

Iredale’s work struck me like a classic storybook, the kind of art that was in the books I read as a kid—especially the books that were old by the time I read them. It was fitting for the kind of story. It wasn’t knock-out gorgeous, and I think it would’ve hurt the book overall had it been. There’s some sharpness to the art—almost the kind of thing that would’ve been carved into wood.

It’s vibrant and I can’t imagine a kid who won’t want to pour over the pictures as much as the story.

So much for repeating—I did think this work wasn’t as well done as the previous book. There are a couple of illustrations that…sloppy isn’t the right word, but they don’t seem as finished. It felt like Iredale ran out of time and rushed one or two drawings/characters. That’s likely not right—and probably not that fair of me to say. But that was my impression. I doubt that any of the target audience will pick up on it (or care if they do), but it surprised me that I wasn’t as impressed with the art.

So, what did I think about The Return of the Christmas Witch?

This takes a darker turn than I expected from this story—the first book had a hint of this, and it’s not out of place, but I raised an eyebrow at the dystopia. That said—I thought it was a great choice, and offered a new take on the usual “over-commercialization of Christmas” and “we need to get back to the essence of the holiday” stories. But that’s what it is at its core—and I’m all for that kind of story.

I did think the ending felt a little rushed—like the authors ran into a hard page limit/word count. It wouldn’t have taken much more, but after the well-established set-up, I thought we needed a little more development to the magical ending.

The door is left open to one more book in the series—it’s maybe even suggested. If so, I’m totally on board for it. I can see the authors leaving it here, too—and I’d be okay with that.

The words-to-image ratio for this kind of book leans toward the words side, so that will limit some younger fans—but as long as there’s a willing adult around, I think this will satisfy fans of the first book.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing (and Drawing) in Idaho with Jeremy Billups

By HCNewton

On December 20, 2022

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

Literary Locals logo
I’ve got a chat with Children’s Book Writer/Illustrator Jeremy Billups today. I love Jeremy’s stuff—some of his artwork has popped up here over the last year. I have enjoyed and blogged about his three books and am eager to see what’s next from him. But for now, am excited to share this with you. Hope you enjoy!

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Ok, sure. Let’s see. I’m Jeremy. I live in Boise, Idaho with my family. I’ve written three children’s books so far, Bearded, Bearded Too, and Sea This and Sea That. I’m currently working on two new children’s books that I hope will be out at some point in 2023. I’m also working away on some comics that I’m super excited about. Should I share the titles of the new stuff? Or should I keep them a mystery?

If anyone is interested in buying my books right now, I’ve made it super tricky. I decided to stop selling on Amazon. I took down my personal website and am in the middle of building a new website that will serve as the exclusive home to all my stuff. I’m hoping to launch the new site soon. So, really the only way to buy my books is directly from me, and I’m a terrible salesperson. Haha.

For the announcement of the new site you can follow me on Twitter at @jeremybillups.

You should share the upcoming titles. I won’t publish them if you don’t want me to, but you should share 🙂
Okay! I’m having a hard time keeping it all secret, anyway. I’ve decided to add a third book to the Bearded series. Bearded Tree should be out this upcoming Summer. And, I’ve been trying to finish a Christmas book that I’m currently calling, Caroline, Caroling. I would love for that to be out next October. The comics I’m working on are Tales of the Incredible and Squirrel E. Jones. They’re very different from each other, but both are a lot of fun.

Are you a native Idahoan? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
Yep. Born and raised. I grew up in the small town of Weippe in North Central Idaho. Very small town when I lived there and even smaller now. My parents still live there so I still get to visit at least a couple of times a year.

And, I love Idaho and the Treasure Valley. With family and friends here, it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else.

Just to be on the safe side, you want to tell non-Idaho readers how to pronounce Weippe? Am sure growing up that you heard all the jokes… (but probably didn’t make any of them yourself)
Good call! Weippe is pronounced like “We Hype”. I have definitely heard all of the jokes and still do. I’m guilty of making some of my own jokes too. 🙂

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
Yes and no. I was meeting with one of my friends from college once a month to talk about current projects, critique each other’s work, and motivate each other to keep pushing to get better. That was going really well, until we both had kids. Haha. Now we email back and forth when we can.

I was also in SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) for a while and participated in a couple of events, but that was hard because at the time I was a member they lumped Southern Idaho in with Salt Lake City and all the really exciting events were down in Utah. Considering the event fees, hotel, gas and travel time – it was hard to get down there. I’m not sure if they’re still lumped together. I should probably check because SCBWI is a great organization.

I guess this is a good time for me to share some news along those lines. With my new website, I’m also launching a Discord server. I’m hoping that it turns into a small online community where people can share, critique, learn, have fun, and ultimately grow creatively. If anyone is interested, the server is already open. Here’s the link: https://discord.gg/9DYb8GWFVr

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I absolutely love the Boise Comic Arts Festival! It’s always so much fun and such a positive energy. I always walk away from that event recharged and excited to make new stuff. Plus, that’s where we met! I wasn’t able to attend this year because of my day job but I’ll definitely be there next year.

I also enjoy selling at small Holiday Bazaar events at local schools. And, I’ve done a couple local school/library visits. They’ve been good options for children’s books.

I haven’t been to one yet, but there are some great children’s book festivals around the country. I would also love to see a children’s book festival here in the Treasure Valley. Oh man, now you have me pondering whether or not it would be a good idea to start a festival like that here. Should I do that?!

The Boise Comics Art Festival was interesting this year—having it in the Zoo added a nice bit of flair (but the downside was that you had to wander around a lot to see everything, and we were never sure if we had). Are there some sure-fire Bazaar events that authors/readers should check out, or does it vary from event to event, year to year?
I saw some pictures online of this year’s Festival. I’m very bummed I missed the Zoo. I did wonder about the “artist alley” experience. Definitely not the typical approach. I wonder if they’ll have it at the Zoo again next year.

Other than the Boise Comic Arts Festival, it tends to vary from year to year for me. Gem State Comic Con is one that I’ll be checking out in April. If it’s not too late, I should probably look into getting a table there.

I’ll also mention The Cabin (thecabinidaho.org). They have excellent events, activities, and workshops all throughout the year. I think they’re a tremendous local resource for both readers and writers.

Back to your idea of starting a children’s book festival, personally, I’m game for any book festivals I can get to 🙂
Good to know! I’m definitely putting it on my list of things to ponder. I imagine it would be a lot of work to put on, but I think it would be something that could be a lot of fun for years to come!
(you might want to see what Devi Walls said about that last week)

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Through the power of Amazon, I definitely have more readers across the nation and world than I do locally. I was pretty intimidated, still am, with selling face-to-face so I thought selling on Amazon would be the best place for me to start. I have no complaints with starting there, but I did finally come to realize the power of local, not just for selling, but for meeting people and growing relationships. I finally started participating in local events a few years ago. I’m so glad I did.

Do you have solid plans (as much as anything can be solidly planned) for expanding locally, or are you more at a “throw it at the wall and see what sticks” point?
My big focus at the moment is to get my website squared away. Once that’s done, I’ll take a fresh look at expanding locally. There are a lot of farmer’s markets here in the valley that I’ve been looking into. I think they could be a really good next step toward growing my local audience.
I think that could work pretty well.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
Compared to where I grew up, there are definitely advantages. Events, activities, resources, and communities of like-minded people with similar aspirations are easy to find here.
Nothing against Weippe, but I bet!

Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
So far I’ve been deliberate about leaving Idaho out of my work. But now I’m wondering if that’s the best approach. Have you ever watched a cartoon by the name of Bluey? It’s an amazing show about a family of dogs that live in Australia. The show is made in Australia and is VERY Australian. Watching the show from an outsider’s perspective, I’ve come to really enjoy the little peeks into Australian life and slang. By the way, did you know that Australian slang for toilet is “dunny”? Haha.
That could work really well—assuming there’s a local slang.
Definitely going to explore this. I think it could be a lot of fun.

Is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you?
Growing up here in Idaho, I was introduced pretty early on to the Idaho and Ernest Hemingway connection. That connection led me to reading A Farewell to Arms which was followed up with me reading anything and everything written by Hemingway that I could find. There was something about the unadorned style, subject matter, and time period of his writings that really resonated with me. In a lot of ways, it’s like reading about the romanticized version of Idaho that I have in my head.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you for taking the time to chat! It was a lot of fun!

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The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal: Classic Mystery and Classic SF in One Contemporary Package

By HCNewton

On December 19, 2022

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Science Fiction

The Spare Man

by Mary Robinette Kowal

DETAILS:
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 10, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 348 pg.
Read Date: December 5-6, 2022

“The same, but different.”

Despite it being on my list since High School, I’ve never gotten around to watching The Thin Man or the sequels. I haven’t read Hammett’s novel, either (on a similar list for almost as long). I know enough about them to catch the occasional allusion and to make the right guess when it comes up in a trivia game or crossword puzzle.

Still, when I saw Kowall’s piece on CrimeReads last month, “On Writing a New Take on The Thin Man, Set in Space“, I was intrigued and my library put it into my hands a lot sooner than I expected.

So, all I know about the comparisons between this novel and the source/inspiration material comes from this piece. So I can’t judge how much is Kowall being clever and inventive with her reworking and how much is just Kowall being clever and inventive. I can tell you there’s a whole lot of Kowall being clever and inventive, though. I’m going to write this pretending it’s all Kowall so if I give her credit for something I shouldn’t have…whoops.

So I’ll tell you now a couple of things before we dive in: 1. I won’t appreciate everything she did in the way I maybe should. 2. (more importantly) You don’t have to know anything about the movies or the book to appreciate this novel. You just have to appreciate goodness.

With that out of the way, let’s dig in.

What’s The Spare Man About?

Tesla Crane—heiress, noted inventor, and celebrity—is on her honeymoon. Her new husband, Shalmaneser Steward, is a retired detective and isn’t exactly a non-celebrity either. They are traveling under assumed names and in disguise to stay under the radar. They do get their fair share of attention, however—thanks to something we don’t get to know about at the beginning, Tesla has a service dog—an actual dog, which is apparently a very big deal to see.

They’re on a cruise from the Moon to Mars, and the ship they’re on puts the lux in luxury (wow, that’s a lame line). They plan on spending their time drinking ridiculous cocktails, having fun with various activities on board, and other honeymoonish activities. Sadly, someone is attacked while they’re nearby and Shal’s old instincts kick in and he chases after the assailant. The victim dies and Shal becomes the prime suspect because running away from the victim in pursuit of someone only you see tends to make the ship’s security think you’re lying.

Shal is content to let the authorities take care of things, certain that by the time actual law enforcement gets involved, he’ll be exonerated. Besides, he’s retired. Tesla cannot sit by and wait and she investigates on her own (ultimately Shal will get on board, but Tesla will do the bulk of the work).

Tesla and Shal

The best part of this book is probably the relationship between these two newlyweds. She shows a couple in love. Not a meet-cute followed by chapters of misunderstandings and near-misses, not a love unrequited for whatever noble/stupid/bureaucratic reason, not a couple in the first blush of infatuation and love, nor a couple trying to recapture something or having doubts. They are in love, they respect and support each other, and they actually like each other. I see this so, so rarely in stand-alones or series that it just fills me with joy to see.

They’re not perfect (who is?), they bicker a bit—and there’s some lying back and forth—mostly of the “I’m not in that much pain” type (which they generally readily admit to when asked). But even then, it’s typically a lie told so the couple can accomplish something without the other being distracted by worry.

Sure, it’s their honeymoon, so they are a little extra-lovey-dovey. But you get the impression they’d been together for a while pre-wedding and that this is pretty much the way they are together (if only because of the way Gimlet interacts with them).

I cannot express just how much I loved this couple. I wish I could see things like this more.

Fantine

The only element of this book that I liked almost as much as their marriage was Tesla’s lawyer, Fantine. Fantine isn’t crazy about the way that Tesla and Shal are being treated and starts threatening various lawsuits.

Depending on where they are in the journey, there’s a communication lag between the ship and her office, so she’s continually responding to people 3-8 minutes after they’ve said something. The comic opportunities from that alone are great.

Add in Fantine’s aggressiveness and you have gold. Think Dr. Perry Cox, but angry, her gift for creative insults and threats are gold. Fantine is clearly a power to contend with and has lawyers and security officers on the ship jumping to keep her from making the lawsuits she’s planning from becoming even bigger. I could read a novella full of nothing but her yelling at people.

So, what did I think about The Spare Man?

I feel like I should be raving over this, shooting up fireworks, and putting on a song and dance show here, but I can’t quite. The entire time I was reading, I wondered why I wasn’t liking it more.

The dialogue was great—especially when it veered toward the banter (between Tesla and Shal, either of them bantering about the other, between them and a particular security officer). The characters leaped off the pages and were practically alive. The setting and all the SF accouterments were perfect. The mystery…was pretty good. Everything else I can think of to point to was outstanding.

But I never felt engaged with the work—I admire it, I can praise a whole lot of it, but I was never grabbed. It felt like an exercise, like someone executing a recipe or equation. Wonderfully executed, but it left me cold.

I expect I’m a minority report on that—at the same time, I want to stress that this is a really good book. I’m just saying that I feel I should be giving this 5-Stars, instead of the 4 I’m giving it. There’s just so much to relish, so much to enjoy in this book that you should really ignore this last section and go get the book. It’s taken a darker turn than I intended—or want to leave you with.

This really is a great mixture of SF and Mystery, with a classic feel to both elements and yet it’s very much something that could only be produced in this moment. Kowall captured something here and you should really check it out.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Highlights from October and November: Lines Worth Repeating

By HCNewton

On December 19, 2022

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations

Highlights from the Month
Things got away from me last month, and I didn’t get anything put together for October. And now I’m late with November, too. I tell you, I’m halfway tempted to fire my staff. But, as I’m the staff, I’d have to replace myself afterward—and that’d be awkward. I might as well just catch up and try to do better at the end of December.

Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston

“Amari,’ says Maria. “It’s not your job to save the world every summer,” I don’t have a choice!”

Pretty please?” I ask.

“Fine, fine. Anything for a fellow human.”

I lean in, lowering my voice to a whisper. Just so you know, we don’t usually call each other humans.

Tiny scratches his bald head, his confused eyes flashing bright yellow before changing back. “But why? You are human, yes?”

I nod. “It’s just… we assume everyone we meet is human, so there isn’t any reason to mention it.”

His shoulders droop dramatically. “So many things to remember to fit into human world.”

Working It Out by Jo Platt

I read her text twice, acknowledging it to be actually a rather impressive composition; fewer than one hundred words and with more triggers than a rifle range.

6 Ripley Avenue by Noelle Holten

Just like her, the public were seekers of truth, only sometimes they needed a nudge in the right direction.

Racing the Light by Robert Crais

“Why would Josh ignore her?”

“Because he can. He’s self-absorbed, arrogant, irresponsible, and rotten with privilege.”

“Oh. The usual reasons.”

I wondered what other secrets he kept, and if those secrets had driven him away form his home and his family and Ryan.

Ryan probably wouldn’t like the answer.

Adele probably wouldn’t like the answer, either.

The people who hired me to find someone they love, almost never wanted the truth.

And when I found the truth, I often wished I hadn’t found it.

Pike answered on the first ring. I’ve never called Joe Pike when he didn’t answer the first ring. Pike would have to be dead in a ditch not to answer the first ring, and then he’d probably answer the second ring.

Pike said, “Zongtong.”

I said, “Okay. I give.”

“It’s the word for president in Standard Chinese.”

“You don’t speak Chinese.”

“Jon Stone.”

Of course. Stone was multilingual. He was fluent in Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Russian, and now, apparently, Chinese. And these were only the languages I had personally heard him speak. Some guys were born annoying.

She sounded as lost as yesterday’s kiss…

The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo, Chi-Young Kim (Translator)

“How old are you, princess?”

“I’m six.”

Six. Hornclaw already knew, but now that she hears how the girl says it, it feels as though she would remember the girl’s babyish pronunciation forever. The moisture in her words never evaporating.

The Ophelia Network by Mur Lafferty

Frankly it was a little disappointing that the male hackers weren’t hoodie-and-fingerless-glove-wearing unwashed young adults constantly looking over their shoulders. The women weren’t gorgeous Goth chicks, either. Everyone looked boring and normal. Each was dressed professionally, if a little rumpled, as they worked into the night.

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

There is no practice more vexing than that of authors describing in travel for the edification of people who have already traveled in coaches. As I must adhere to form, however, I will simply list a series of phrases for the unlikely reader who has never gone anywhere: thin eggshell dawn-soaked curtains stained with materials unknown to science; rattling fit to grind bones to powder; the ripe stench of horse and driver and bog.

Now I have fulfilled my literary duties…

The girl who had broken off from the line was twelve, with a moon face which was so beautiful I had no notion whether she should be congratulated or censured for taking matters a trifle too far.

I hope that the epitaph of the human race when the world ends will be: Here perished a species which lived to tell stories.

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

The second date was, if anything, even better than the first. They have been to Brighton to watch a Polish film. Donna hadn’t realized there were Polish films, though obviously there must be. In a country that size, someone is going to make a film once in a while.

Joyce finally cracks. “So where are we off to, then?”

“To meet an old friend of mine,” says Elizabeth. “Viktor.”

“We used to have a milkman called Victor,” says Joyce. “Any chance it’s the same Victor?”

“Very possible. Was your milkman also the head of the Leningrad KGB in the eighties?”

“Different Victor,” says Joyce, “Though they finish milk-round, very early, don’t they? So perhaps he was doing two jobs?”

“It’s the people, in the end, isn’t it?…It’s always the people, You can move halfway around the world to find your perfect life, move to Australia if you like, but it always comes down to the people you meet.”

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

“My mind’s on the job,” I said defensively, plucking the cherry from my drink. “Really. I swear.”

“Uh-huh.” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Do we have have the ‘don’t lie to the telepath’ talk again? It won’t take long. I say ‘don’t lie to the telepath, it never works,’ you glare at me, and then you go find something you can hit.”

“Finding something I can hit is the plan.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I said flippantly. “I’m the bad thing that happens to other people.”

Sometimes I think the universe listens for lines like that one, so that it can punish the people who use them.

Screwed by Eoin Colfer

You see, laddie. I’m a businessman. And what we got here is a business opportunity.

Except he says opera-toonity. For some reason he can’t pronounce the word right and I wouldn’t mind but he works it into every second sentence. Irish Mike Madden says opera-toonity more than the Pope says Jesus. And the Pope says Jesus a lot, especially when people sneak up on him.

Little things like that really get to me. I can take a straight sock to the jaw, but someone tapping his nails on a table or repeatedly mispronouncing a word drives me crazy. I once slapped a coffee out of a guy’s hand on the subway because he was breathing into the cup before every sip. It was like sitting beside Darth Vader on his break. And [’ll tell you something else: three people applauded.

He doesn’t know about my aversion to killing people, so is convinced that I can’t let him live. If Shea survives, he is done in this world of shadows, but Freckles would never stop coming. He’s Irish, like me, and we know all about holding grudges. When it comes to vendettas, the Irish make the Sicilians look Canadian.

Desert Star by Michael Connelly

Ballard told herself not to be annoyed with Bosch. She knew that putting him on a team did not make him a team player. That was not in his DNA.

He knew this was a pessimistic view of the world, but fifty years of toiling in the fields of blood had left him without much hope. He knew that the dark engine of murder would never run low on fuel. Not in his lifetime. Not in anyone’s.

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

“Sounds like a really good plan to me,” Hadrian declared, “Royce?”
“I like any plan where I don’t die a horrible death.”

“Besides, this shouldn’t be a problem for you, of all people. I am certain you have stolen from occupied homes before.”

“Not ones where the owner can swallow me in a single bite.”

“So we’ll have to be extra quiet now, won’t we?”

Missing Pieces by Peter Grainger

People do not tell the police all they know for all sorts of reasons, and sometimes those reasons are perfectly sound. But we can be certain of one thing: if the police officer concerned suspects you of concealing information, he or she will assume the worst. It comes, as they say, with the territory.

The maverick intuitive geniuses on the television screen are wonderful entertainment, of course. But it’s the people who keep lists that solve cases in the real world.

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Having a cat is one small step from having two cats, and to be a single woman within a syllable of fifty in possession of two cats is tantamount to declaring life over. Catherine Standish has had her share of scary moments but has survived each of them, and is not about to surrender now.

She started drawing up a mental list of everyone she didn’t trust, and had to stop immediately. She didn’t have all day.

“We don’t like being out of the loop.”

“You’re always out of the loop. The loop’s miles away. Nearest you’ll get to being in the loop is when they make a documentary about it and show it on the History Channel. I thought you were aware of that.”

At the bar he ordered a large scotch for himself, because he wanted to give the impression of being kind of a lush, and also because he wanted a large scotch.

Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne

He was wearing a close-fitting jumpsuit. The yellow was somewhere between neon and actively fluorescent, with accents in a metallic purple rumored to cause an assortment of mental illnesses if a human stared at it too long.

First lesson: Space bears were not sticklers for personal hygiene.

The boy sighed. “My name is long and stupid. But you can call me Rinth.”

“I’m sure it’s not stupid.”

“Amarinthalytics. It sounds like a subject in school that everybody fails.”

“Tell him I said hello. No hard feelings.”

She cocked her head and looked at him with her blank yellow eyes. “Really?”

Rohan shrugged. “I mean, I’m not eager to be best friends, but I also don’t want him worried that I’m going to walk down the hall and pull his testicles out of his body through his ears.”

“That is a very vivid description of vengeance to come from a man with no hard feelings.”

“I’m still an il’Drach Hybrid, you know. Our emotional milieu is mostly made up of hard feelings.

“That is your mantra? ‘Be nice’? Not, for example, ‘Be good’?”

“Yeah. Once you try to do the right thing, the moral thing, you find all sorts of ways to justify whatever. Oh, this action here is cruel, but it’s for the greater good, so it’s right. But you can’t argue with nice.”

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)

Low Anthropology by David Zahl: How Realism Should Lead to Compassion and Charity

By HCNewton

On December 18, 2022

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Low Anthropology:
The Unlikely Key to a
Gracious View of Others
(and Yourself)

by David Zahl

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brazos Press
Publication Date: September 12, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 203 pg.
Read Date: November 27-December 4, 2022

This is another one of those books that I have to fight the temptation to dig deep and spend a few thousand words laying out the ideas in detail and responding to them in kind. But that’s not what I do around here—nor is it what I have time to do. But mostly, I wouldn’t do it as well as the author did in the book—so why not just stick with what I do and tell you to buy the book?

What’s Low Anthropology About?

Zahl’s concern is the way we think about human nature—our anthropology—not in some academic sense (or just that), but how, individually, what we believe about human nature impacts the way we live and think.

High anthropologies are based on some idea about basic decency and goodness in humanity and that with the right ideas, the right amount of effort and ambition, we can improve ourselves, and fix ourselves. Low anthropologies start off with the idea that people are broken, sinful, a mess, and that while we’ll do the right thing sometimes, those times are the exception. And yes, with help, we can stumble through life in a way to be of service to others and do better ourselves.

By realizing—and remembering—that everyone is broken and struggling, we can be gracious. We know ourselves and that we are a mess, we deal with bad habits, addictions, imperfections, and sin on a more-than-daily basis. But we forget that’s true of others, too, especially in a social media world where we only see the airbrushed images others put forward.

High anthropologies tend toward self-righteousness, perfectionism, and judgementalism (toward ourselves and others). Low anthropologies can and should free us from that—to compassion, humor, and charity.

At least that’s the basic idea—he fleshes it out and argues for it much more convincingly. Then he applies it to various aspects of life—relationships, politics, and religion.

So, what did I think about Low Anthropology?

This really reminded me of Alan Noble’s You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World and Kelly Kapic’s You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (it’s not that surprising, really, I invoked Kapic’s book when I posted about Noble’s). The three books approach similar topics in very similar terms—just changing the focus a little bit. The chapter on politics reminded me of the relevant chapters in Michael Horton’s Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us (and there’s probably some overlap with other chapters, too).

I guess what I’m saying is that there’s a lot in this book to tie to things I read over the course of the year—2022 ended up being along a theme. In essence, humans are limited creatures—and when we remember that (as true of ourselves and others) and recognize the legitimacy of those limitations, as well as who put those limitations on us—it will affect the way we live and think of ourselves. It will free us to obey as we ought, to live as we ought, and treat ourselves and others along the lines we’re supposed to. We can think of it in terms of limitation and creaturely dependence, in terms of being those purchased by Christ, or in terms of realism about human nature. All call us to humility, all put the emphasis on our hope in Christ, and all will help us serve others because we’re in the same situation as them.

Zahl’s treatment of this is a bit briefer—and he applies it to more situations than Noble or Kapic, so it’s inevitably shallower. Not worse, I want to stress, but he can’t get to the same depth as the others.

Zahl’s sense of humor is evident throughout, and his engaging style really carries this work—it’s not just a helpful book, but you want to be helped by it because you’re having such a good time reading it. He brings in good illustrations and insights from psychology and culture alongside his points from Scripture and theology.

This is a practical work—the theory is sound and worked out well, but it’s not theory for theory’s sake—Zaahl’s eye is on doing something the whole time—living better, serving others, and being gracious. I wondered a little bit about particular applications he makes, and if they’re as consistent as I’d want them to be. Thankfully, a low anthropology ensures there’s plenty of room for Zahl and me to be wrong on those points and not get too worked up about it.

I really liked this work and suggest you find some time for it.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Saturday Miscellany—12/17/22

By HCNewton

On December 17, 2022

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Before we turn the page on 2022 Idaho, let’s talk about how books were in the ‘eye of the hurricane’—local public radio looked back at the book-related controversies in the state this year
bullet The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest “Winners” for 2022—these winners and Dishonorable Mentions are all worth your time, but I’m going to have to insist that you all take a moment to read the Children’s Lit & YA entries.
bullet The Ultimate Guide to 35 Popular Book Genres—I’m not certain that Reader’s Digest can speak that authoritatively on this, but this is pretty solid.
bullet Legally bookish: Reese Witherspoon and the boom in celebrity book clubs
bullet Here are a few more Best of ’22 lists to embiggen your TBR Stacks:
bullet You can sod off, 2022, but leave the books please—from Criminal Minds (the blog, not the CBS show)
bullet Top Five Powerful Books I Read in 2022—an interesting approach to the idea
bullet The 13 Best Literary Adaptations of 2022—from LitHub
bullet 14 Authors Share the Best Books They Read in 2022—from NetGalley’s blog
bullet Operation 2022: Success! (Or Favorite Books From this Year)—from Witty and Sarcastic Book Club (so much temptation!)
bullet The 103 Best Book Covers of 2022—I love this post every year on LitHub, so many pretty pictures…
bullet How to Plan for Your 2023 Reading Challenge—It is the time of year for this project…some good advice from NetGalley’s blog
bullet Self-Education Project Part Two: The Extended Great Books Reading Plan—or you could take this approach…zowie
bullet Speaking of advice here’s some more: Bookish Gift Ideas #1 and Bookish Holiday Gift Ideas—likely too late for Giftmas or whatever you celebrate. But good for the rest of the year, too
bullet 746 Books is 9 today!—746 Books turned 9 this week and Cathy reflects on her Quixotic project.
bullet While I Was Reading announced an end to their well-deserved and understandable hiatus: Welcome Back
bullet QOTD: Do you use bookmarks? I do, just not actual ones. Here are some weird/random things I (and my daughter) use!
bullet 5 reasons why we love morally gray characters and 5 books that feature them

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (and, for the second week in a row, a couple that I missed recently):
bullet Secrets Typed in Blood by Stephen Spotswood—Pentecost and Parker are hired by a mystery writer to find the killer who keeps lifting their method of killing from her short stories.
bullet Posthumous Education by Drew Hayes—Fred the Vampire Accountant spends a semester as a college professor. Sure, why not? I can see him really enjoying that. I just doubt he’s going to get to spend too much time teaching.
bullet Destructive Reasoning by Scott Meyer—a serial killer targeting actors playing Dr. John Watson. Sounds like a case for the Authorities! (because their funding source is about publicity first and crime-fighting second) I didn’t think we’d get a second novel featuring this team, so this is just gravy to me.

Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke: Family, Puns, a Dash of Romance, and Murder

By HCNewton

On December 16, 2022

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Vinyl Resting Place

by Olivia Blacke

DETAILS:
Series: The Record Shop Mysteries, #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: December 27, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: December 13, 2022

What’s Vinyl Resting Place About?

Tired of all the corporate buyouts and reshuffling in the software business, Juni Jessup returns to her home—a small town just outside Austin, TX. There, she and her two older sisters invest in a record/coffee shop. Years before, the digital music revolution had forced her parents to close the shop that had been in their family for decades. But now, the resurgence of vinyl has given them the chance to reopen—adding a coffee counter is a clever move and something that the neighborhood could really use, too.

The sisters are energized the night of the Grand Opening party—there’s a huge crowd (free tacos from a local food truck and beer from a microbrewery helped). Not only are they optimistic about the business, but the family is back together again, after Juni’s time in the Northwest. They know the future will have challenges, but for the moment, life is good.

Sadly, that first challenge is less in the future than they realized, and it’s a big one. While they’re cleaning up after the party and getting ready to open for their first day of business, Juni finds a murdered girl in the closet with their cleaning supplies. Very quickly, the police focus their investigation on the sisters’ uncle and arrest him. The family puts up the Sip & Spin as collateral for his bail, convinced that the investigation will clear him.

Then Uncle Calvin disappears and the business is in jeopardy—not to mention the three life savings they invested. The sisters, led by Juni, take the investigation into their own hands—determined not to go down without a fight.

Juni and Everyone Else

I’ve only mentioned Juni so far because of space, but the book isn’t just about her. Juni is clearly the protagonist—but the book isn’t just about her. The sisters are the core—with their mother and the husband of the eldest sister rounding out the immediate circle. The emotional core of the novel is about Juni’s return to the family and the way they’re welcoming her back (it’s not that things were ever tense, but hundreds of miles and only brief visits aren’t the same as living near each other). It’s the sense of family, the way they come together for each other, that makes sure this book (and the series, I’m sure) is filled with the warmth and comfort you need in a cozy.

Of course, you can’t have a character come back to a small town without a love interest or two popping up, too. There’s the lifelong best friend, who apparently carried a torch the whole time—he’s grown into a pretty attractive man. And then the high school/college boyfriend who suddenly and unexpectedly broke up with her one day. He’s clearly got his eyes set on reestablishing the status quo.

Also, he’s the police detective in charge of the murder. Because why should things be easy?

It’s a great recurring cast, and one that’d be easy for a series to use in new and fun ways as the series progresses—mostly because the reader can’t help but find them all endearing.

A Tiny Bonus

The music-inspired punny drink names for their coffee counter are just perfect. Too many more would’ve been too much, but I could’ve used an additional handful. They’re the kind of little touch that adds so much to a scene—you get an idea of the characters behind them, if nothing else. Like the names of the stores and restaurants in The Good Place, they add a layer of enjoyment on top of everything else.

I’m not saying I’ll pick up book two just to read what names Blacke comes up with. But I’ve had worse reasons to pick up a book.

So, what did I think about Vinyl Resting Place?

I’m a little concerned about how this can be a series—how many murders can happen in one small town record store or involving the family that owns it? I’m sure Blacke can get another one or two out of the premise before it starts to get creepy, but suspending that kind of disbelief is part and parcel of cozies like this, right? So what do I know?

The premise and genre promise certain things about this novel—and Blacke delivers exactly that. The best word to sum this experience up is pleasant—the mystery was clever, the characters are charming, and I like the overall setup for the series. And the book was exactly what a cozy should be—an entertaining and pleasant time.

I don’t see how this book won’t find fans all of whom will be more than ready for the next murder this family stumbles across.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Thanks to both for the opportunity. Opinions expressed are my own.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Friday 56 for 12/16/22: Sacrifices by Jamie Schultz

By HCNewton

On December 16, 2022

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it.

from Page 56 of:
Sacrifices

Sacrifices by Jamie Schultz

“You know they’re chock-full of demons, right?”

“I don’t know that. This is the twenty-first century. We tend to be extremely careful about calling aberrant behavior demonic possession when it might simply be mental illness.”

“Seriously? Under these circumstances?”

“None of them appear to have any history with the occult, that I can turn up, let alone the kind of lengthy history that results in end-stage possession . . .” Elliot spoke quickly and precisely, dressed it all up with technical-sounding jargon, but a note of uncertainty clung to her voice like a parasite, sucking the life out of it.

A Few Quick Questions with…James T. Lambert

By HCNewton

On December 15, 2022

In A Few Quick Questions With...

Earlier today, I posted my take on the charming Aether Powered by James T. Lambert, and now I’d like to share this Q&A with you. Lambert got me to work a little harder than most authors do, which was a fun twist for me. Hope you like this Q&A and check out his work! He’ll be back in a week or two for another Literary Local post, too.

The second question and answer are probably technically a spoiler for his novel so you may want to skim/avoid them. But I think we’re both safe enough that it won’t really ruin much for you.

All authors have more ideas running around in their head than they can possibly develop—what was it about this idea that made you commit to writing it? Was there something about it that led it to be the first one you published—is it something as simple as of those you’d finished, it was the most worthy of being polished up, or was it something about that particular story?
So this was my second (and a half) NaNo project. My first had some style problems I wanted to fix and wasn’t making fast progress on, so when someone asked me which of my project was closest to completion, I thought Aether Powered was. Even after finishing some of my other NaNo projects, this one still seemed like it needed the least work to get to publication. After having published Steam Opera and Proxies I think I was wrong and Proxies was probably in better shape, but at the time I was convinced it needed a major rewrite to start in a different spot.

So my first NaNo project was Steam Opera and I attempted to write a sequel about 8 months later. It kind of fell apart between real life drama (a tree crushed both my cars while I was writing a few feet away) and problems with lack of direction in the plot. Steam Opera was a great NaNo idea as it had a specific goal for the plot: Get to the moon. If the characters got to the moon or failed in an interesting way the plot worked. So every decision while writing was ‘what do they do next to get to the moon?’ But Aether Powered was a less clever idea in terms of daily writing. I started with an interesting concept: trunk full of inventions. But every day was ‘what happens next?’ I didn’t have a goal like Steam Opera. But I wanted to succeed at NaNo and get those 50,000 words written, so I stuck to it.

When it comes to a character like Carol—how difficult was it to maintain (and/or arrive at) a believably overbearing girlfriend, without making her into a monster? Is the key in the way you write her, or in how Joseph reacted to her?
At the base she wasn’t that bad a person. She had the assumption that since Joseph owned a house and had a trust fund, he was rich. She just never moved beyond that to realize he was just scraping by. I just kept her focused on ‘I want money’ and always pushing and that gave her some ugly motivation. Also the jealousy and suspicion. I may have gone overboard with the ‘I’ll ruin your dating life’ but maybe she meant it as a joke and it just came out wrong. But with those motivations for acting the way she did, and with Joseph’s easy-going attitude letting him get steamrollered, their relationship was doomed, but not over-the-top unbelievable. People get stuck in bad relationships that aren’t quite bad enough to end. An old friend once said “it may be a cold, wet mudhole, but it’s YOUR cold, wet mudhole.” There’s a certain amount of inertia in most people and overcoming that to get out of a bad situation can be hard. I think Joseph’s reactions to her probably sold it better than anything. He tried to be careful, say the right thing, not make waves, but that just got him in deeper instead of fixing things.

There are several aspects of this book that I’d love to do a deep dive into, but I’m going to keep myself to one other: the Seafair Pirates. They are such a fun group! Is anything about their part of the story (a group like them, the Seafair, anything) based in reality, or is this something you made up en toto? When do we get a novel about them (either as a semi-sequel to Aether Powered, or something unrelated)?
I wish I was clever enough to make them up. Seafair and the Seafair Pirates are totally real. I just lucked into finding the information about them when I needed him to get some help. Here’s the website for the event: https://www.seafair.org/ The Pirates also exist (or did when I wrote the book) and I found news footage of them coming ashore. http://www.seafairpirates.org/

The descriptions of them in costume were from videos and pictures I found online. I read a lot about what they did and tried to incorporate as much as I could, but ended up modeling individuals and group scenes (like the singing) around fan groups I’ve been in. I’ve got a recording of Where the Red Queen Reigns from the group Annwn and I’ve been in Filk circles singing like that at conventions. When I was in my Science Fiction club we had all kinds of interesting people who did interesting things, so I made it a lot like that. Same with the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) where you could find one of everything in the groups. Just as examples: Federal radio techs fixing Smoke jumper radios at NIFC (National Interagency Fire Center), Ham radio enthusiasts who dispatched ambulances during power outages, rocket scientists who programed Martian rovers. Those are all people I’ve met through fan stuff.

I’m thinking about a sequel to Aether Powered with another invention as the key point. I’d most likely bring in the pirates again. My current working title is Rogue Wave and would be about the rogue wave phenomenon of Tsunamis. I don’t have much else yet and want to get a solid plot for it before I start. Maybe late in 2023? Depends on all the things, lol.

Who are some of your major influences? (whether or not you think those influences can be seen in your work—you know they’re there)
All my favorite authors are influences, but I never feel like I get enough of them in there. Lois McMaster Bujold, Terry Pratchett, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Alan Dean Foster, John M. Ford, Charles Stross, and more.

More personal people would be Troy Lambert (no relation), Danielle Gilbert, David Farland, M. Todd Gallowglas, John M. Olsen, and more.

I learned a lot from the Writing Excuses podcast with Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Brandon Sanderson.

You’ve published SF and Steampunk so far (and non-fiction about SF)—are those your genres of choice for writing and reading? Is there a genre you particularly enjoy, but don’t think you could/would want to try—or, given time are you going to get around to them all?
I was a huge SF fan growing up and still am. I used to be a bigger fan of Fantasy too, but am less so now. I like Steampunk, but don’t read it as much as I used to a decade ago. Of course, I’m not reading in general quite as much now as then.

I will probably continue doing SF and Steampunk a lot, but I also like Urban Fantasy and have several short stories I’m planning on getting out that are UF. I’m working on a fantasy as well, so we’ll see how that goes.

I really like humor. I’m a huge Discworld fan and would love to be able to write funny/satirical stuff like that. Or like Keith Laumer’s Retief books (more SF) or Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s books. But I’m having trouble getting into writing it. I’ve got a plot idea for a humorous SF story, but it hasn’t risen to the top of the pile yet.

Let’s play “Online Bookstore Algorithm” (a game I made up for these Q&As). What are 3-5 books whose readers may like Aether Powered?
Ouch, I wish I knew, my advertising might be going better, lol. Seriously though… hmmm, that’s tough.

Flaming Zeppelins. It’s a Steampunk book. More crazy than mine.

City of Saints by DJ Butler. Another Steampunk book set in Utah in the late 1800s.

Rock Band Fights Evil by DJ Butler. A series that is exactly what it says. Again, I wish mine was as creative as this.

I am having some trouble finding books that would have crossover to mine. If you have suggestions, I love to hear it. I don’t seem to be good at that kind of matchup. My first thought when you asked was, Not Dressed by Matthew Hanover—if he was to write contemporary Steampunk, it’d be a lot like it Aether Powered (and Not Dressed is the closest match of his books). While reading the book, I thought of K.R.R. Lockhaven’s The Marauders, the Daughter, and the Dragon more than once (his pirates would love yours—and vice versa).

2022 has been a busy year for you, are you easing up on yourself soon? Can you tell us what’s coming up in ‘23?
I hope not! But didn’t have a great start, getting sick right at the end of NaNo. I’m shooting to keep up a three to four book a year pace, but it’s going to be tougher than it has been since I’m running out of written stuff that just needs rewrites and edits.

I know I’ve got Relics of War coming out in early 23, probably by February (I want it for the LTUE conference in February). Relics of War is a SF story set a few thousand years in the future after a devastating war with rouge AI warships set humanity back. A ship of privateers finds information that might lead to one of the warships from the AI wars, but they aren’t the only ones after it.

I was working on Dead Knowledge until I got sick, so I need to pick that up again and get that ready, hopefully in the Summer. It’s an idea I got when taking a class from Dave Farland where he said that Necromancers were never the good guys. So I have a story where one is. He’s a research necromancer who contacts the dead to answer questions and retrieve lost knowledge. Basically he’s a librarian and the dead are the internet.

I’ve got a bit done on a sequel to Steam Opera which just came out. Shadow Opera is a story of spies and spying. Think a little like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I may get that out next year.

I’ve got a story idea with a couple of scenes written I plan on calling IGLOW: InterGalactic Ladies Of Wrestling. Aliens are kidnapping lady wrestlers and pitting them against alien female wrestlers. I may work on that this coming year.

I’ve got a partially finished story I’m having some trouble with I might work on. Muse asks the question: If the Greek Muses were alive today, what would they be doing? A college student with severe writer’s block finds one playing guitar on a street corner and another holding a cardboard sign: Lost Home, Lost Hope, Please Help.

Oh, nearly forgot. I’ve got six short stories in a connected set I want to polish up and print in thin little booklets. As a group they are called Monster Marshals and they are about marshals working for a secret government organization that polices magic and monsters in our world. One of the stories made it into the Haunted Yuletide anthology. “’Twas the Fight Before Christmas” has two marshals sent to a Reindeer farm in Maine to stop animated snowmen from attacking it.
WOW. I’m tired just reading that—that’s ambitious.

Thanks for your time—and thanks for Aether Powered, I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you have plenty of success with it.

Literary Locals logo

Author: HCNewton Page 205 of 623

Demolition Angel

The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook

Coraline

The Eyre Affair

The Magician’s

The Bridge of Sighs

Evel Knievel Days

The Rook

What’s The Return of the Christmas Witch About?

The Artwork

So, what did I think about The Return of the Christmas Witch?

“The same, but different.”

What’s The Spare Man About?

Tesla and Shal

Fantine

So, what did I think about The Spare Man?

What’s Low Anthropology About?

So, what did I think about Low Anthropology?

What’s Vinyl Resting Place About?

Juni and Everyone Else

A Tiny Bonus

So, what did I think about Vinyl Resting Place?