Category: Literary Locals Page 2 of 5

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In this series of Q&As, I keep running into mentions of the group IdaHope, a Christian Writers association in the area. Today, we’re chatting with ICW Secretary, Lisa Hess, and President, Hilarey Johnson (who has been here before) about the group.

It’ll come up below, but before I start with Lisa and Hilarey, I want to direct your attention to their Fall Gathering coming up on October 28, “Your Story Matters.” It looks like a good opportunity to spend 4 hours with people focused on writing and storytelling. If you’re local (or semi-local), look into it, will you?

IdaHope Christian Writers logo
I know we’re supposed to be talking about the organization. But you’re both writers–kick things off by telling people about your own writing.
Hilarey: I write fiction and nonfiction, I also ghostwrite and narrate. I published a coming-of-age literary fiction series which would appeal to readers with a faith background. Titles: Sovereign Ground | Heart of Petra | Sworn to the Desert. I also have a historical fantasy set in Idaho. Dance of the Crane and it is a retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo.

Lisa: My tagline is “Writing Relationships” because I don’t read just one genre, and there is no way I could ever stick to writing one genre—but people fascinate me. I’m sort of obsessed with the inner workings of relationships, and also, I’m an introvert. So relationships can be very difficult and downright puzzling to me. My favorite reads are probably what the industry calls “up-market” fiction—novels with the plot and movement of genre fiction, but some of the deeper, internal struggles and big life questions of literary fiction. People struggling to know and love each other, to pursue meaning and hope and redemption–that’s what I enjoy reading, so that’s what I try to write. You can see some of my short stories in a compilation called Passageways, and my first full-length novel, a coming-of-age mystery called Ghost of Gold Creek, was released in 2018. I worked in-person with the public all through lockdown and the years after, most recently at Boise Main Library, and that took all I had to give those years. But now, I’m excited about an adventure/romance in the final editing stages, and a half-done political thriller romance on deck…so I’m all over the place! And of course, so excited and pleased about the opportunity to be involved in this re-launch of ICW.
I do actually have a copy of Passageways waiting to be read. I’d planned on having it done by the end of July, so…any day now 🙂
Hilarey: You are such a fast reader, it will be any day. [snort. If only]

Lisa: Wonderful! Four different authors contributed to that collection, so there is a lot of variation in style and subject in Passageways. Hopefully, something for everyone.

Let’s move on to ICW. Elevator-pitch style, what is IdaHope Christian Writers? (Readers can access the longer, official, version here)

Hilarey: Idahope Christian Writers is a group for people of Christian faith, in Idaho, who want to write or be part of storytelling. This can include poetry, creative nonfiction, memoirs, devotions, spoken word, songwriting, children’s books, graphic designers…and every genre of fiction.

Lisa: Yes! I would just add that this version of ICW is created to provide community, education and encouragement for creatives involved in writing or publishing—not saying networking/promotion doesn’t happen, but that’s not our mission. Also, we are a completely volunteer-run nonprofit. 100% of donations, conference and member fees go to provide those three things: community, education and encouragement…aaaand here’s the 815^th floor in our elevator ride.

Could you flesh that out a bit? What kind of education? Articles on your site, speakers at your meetings/conferences? Anything else? What kinds of topics might one look for? How do you encourage one another?

Hilarey: I think we did a good job on the elevator pitch if you’re asking more questions! We have three types of weekly blog posts. Monday has a writing devotional to kick the week off. It’s called Meditation Monday and we’ve hosted a few local pastors. Writerly Wednesday has a craft post. One of our regular contributors is Peter Leavell. And Fiction Friday has a fiction or creative nonfiction post. Members can submit posts to be published on our blog and we’ve had fiction from Robin Lee Hatcher and Lisa Phillips.

Our monthly meetings are just getting started. We began with Sandy Jones from Christian Living Magazine. She shared “Why we need to be published to get published.” (This is one of the reasons we feature members on our blog.) Last month we had member Barb Sulfridge share “Why authors need to be speakers.” And I’m very excited about November’s speaker…you! With your experience interviewing local authors, I am excited to hear “How not to be a boring author interview.”

I am excited to have The Creative Space as our monthly meeting place. It is so conducive to community. Because, ultimately, our focus is on building in person connections.

Lisa: And don’t forget our Weekly Write-ins. These meetings are member favorites–a chance to meet in a smaller, more informal group for critique, brainstorming–so important and motivational when you have a work in progress. We hope to have a number of these kinds of groups meeting around the Treasure Valley in the future. We currently have two active groups, and the details about those are on our website.

We also have an active, members-only FB page where members frequently seek and receive advice and support from each other. We have a bookstore on the website, where members can promote their latest releases, and hope to have a “seeking/offering” job site service soon, for editors, graphic artists, audio-book artists, etc. that will be free to members to access and list.

As I understand it, like so many things, your organization’s activities got derailed in 2020. What did things look like things for you before? Were you able to do much at all between then and your re-launch?

Lisa: Right. ICW has been around in the Treasure Valley for more than a decade. A few years back, folks at ICW took a year’s sabbatical to reassess for the coming decade and plan for IdaHope’s Ten Year Anniversary celebration. A number of us began meeting regularly together to pray and plan…then COVID intervened. Our one-year sabbatical turned into an almost four-year sabbatical, kept breathing with our interaction on the ICW FB page, as we added new friends and waited for the right time to relaunch. That time was tragic and horrible, beyond what any of us could have imagined. But there is also the creative’s little secret: lockdown gave many of us time to rest, reassess, and renew our commitments to our purpose and callings. Most of all, we came to realize how much we need each other. Having almost four years to think and dream together about what we wanted ICW to look like going forward wasn’t a waste. The ideas generated during that time buoy and inspire the new ICW launch in both small and great ways.
Nice silver lining.

I’m sure a lot of this is to be determined (at least the details) as you get up and running–but tell us about your re-launch and what kinds of things IdaHope will be doing in the next few months?

Hilarey: We started informal meetups for people to gather regularly and encourage or critique each other. The local libraries have been wonderful hosts. We are hoping to set connection opportunities up all over the valley, in churches or coffee shops, so writers can find their people.

Our main goal is to meet monthly— have a snack, worship, learn something useful from a speaker and then spend time nurturing friendships with other people who hear fictional voices in their head.

We also plan to have an annual small conference in the fall, like the one coming up at Trinity Fellowship Church on October 30. Each year we will also have a larger conference, likely, in the spring. That might take a few years to grow to our vision.

Lisa: We also hope to lean into the diversity of our ICW members, and expand on that diversity in the future. Most of us are Jesus followers, and ICW was created to be a safe place for Christian creatives, who often aren’t understood or encouraged, even among their own faith communities. But I imagine our members represent a dozen or more denominations and faith groups, and just as many genres of writing. We hope that the variety of backgrounds and viewpoints continues to grow. We tend to focus on our commonalities, rather than our differences, which is helpful, in what can be a very divided world.

Can each of you give us a few particular ways that IdaHope has benefited you/your writing? (this feels like a job interview question, sorry!)

Hilarey: Idahope first connected me to my critique partners. I formed a small group with people I connected with personally. Even as our (writing) career paths have taken us in different directions, we remain friends. It also connected me to training and connections through writing conferences. Idahope is why I became an author instead of someone who writes.

Lisa: I stumbled into an ICW conference not long after moving to Boise twelve years ago. I had a couple drafts of Ghost of Gold Creek, I loved the characters, setting and ideas, but I knew it could be better—I also knew I didn’t know how to get it there. That conference was the first time I’d sat around with a bunch of other fiction writers, and it was a revelation. There I was, surrounded by fifty or so other writers who talked like it was perfectly normal to go through phases where you spend more time listening to the voices in your head than the person sitting next to you, that it was okay when the characters in your novel became more real to you than real life—I wasn’t the only one, not by a long shot, and it was so comforting. And motivating, that I could actually get that novel to a place that I would be proud to share it…and then, of course, all those great benefits that Hilarey mentioned about writing in community. There are a number of those same people still involved with ICW. Many have become very successful published authors, but one thing hasn’t changed—they have mentors hearts, every one of them.

That sounds great! Building on all this, why should someone in the area look into IdaHope?

Hilarey: Someone should look into Idahope if they are ready to work on the craft and pursue their dream.

Lisa: Nicely, said, Hil. That’s a great paraphrase of the first sentence of our mission statement. The second sentence is, “We strive to foster a community for creatives who will contribute to a faith-filled, nurturing environment.” That environment is important to our members. So you’re coming to a place where you will be nurtured, mentored and encouraged, but you’re also coming to learn how to do that for others.

I can’t let anyone get away from a Q&A here without a few book recommendations–tell me about some (at least 2 each) of your favorite writings produced by IdaHope members.

Hilarey: There are so many published authors in Idahope I recommend! The books which are extra special to me, though, are ones where I participated in brainstorming. So, I got to see the author’s eyes light up all the way to an end product that I couldn’t have imagined.

You should get Husband Auditions from Angela Ruth Strong–she started Idahope years ago just before she published Love Finds You in Sun Valley. She got the idea for the story from a 1950s magazine article about how to catch a husband. Things like “cry softly in the corner, so he approaches you.” Strong decided a modern girl should video post her attempt to work through the list and see how men react to the prompts.

My favorite from Heather Woodhaven is The Secret Life of Book Club. It’s about a book club that decides to start going on adventures instead of reading about others living their lives. We went on several adventures as a group while she was plotting that. It made brainstorming hilarious. Other than that, you will find Romantic Suspense novels on her website–some I’ve narrated.

Kristine McCord has a Christmas romance with a sexy santa called The Santa Society. Think of a suspenseful version of The Santa Clause. She wrote that in a matter of weeks–it just poured out of her. It reads just as fast.

From Lisa Phillips, she writes so fast I cannot count her books, but I will never forget when she had the idea for a secret witness protection town, called Sanctuary, hidden in the hills of Idaho. It was for people who were too high profile to live in the real world. So they were all thrown together. WITSEC Town was one of her first series, but it’s still a bestseller. I also enjoyed her supernatural thrillers she wrote under the pen name JL Terra.

Lisa: Great picks, Hilarey! This is hard, it’s like picking out my favorite children. I can’t do it. But just for a little parity, I’d like to give a shout-out to our male authors. For example, Peter Leavell’s Gideon’s Call is a civil war historical fiction that has won a number of awards. Paul Regnier, like myself, doesn’t stick to one genre, but writes books from speculative fiction, to fantasy to cozy mysteries. His latest is Bard Tidings.

Those look like some great picks! Thanks!!

Thanks, Lisa and Hilarey, for your time and willingness to put up with my questions. Idaho-ish people, you should absolutely look into ICW and check out their Fall Gathering.

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Shadow Ranch by Rebecca Carey Lyles: One of the Vilest Villains You’ll Find This Year

By HCNewton

On September 6, 2023

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Literary Locals, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Be sure to check back a little later this morning for a Q&A with the author about this book and her writing in general.

Shadow Ranch

by Rebecca Carey Lyles

DETAILS:
Series: Children of the Light, Book One
Publication Date: April 24, 2022
Format: eBook
Length: 380 pg.
Read Date: August 4-8, 2023

What’s Shadow Ranch About?

So, I knew going in that this book was about a woman who ended up as part of a polygamous cult—so there’s no way that things are going to go well for Kasenia as we meet her. But even if I didn’t know that, after half of a page of dialogue between her and her romantic interest—you know that this guy is a creep. He might as well be named Redd Flagg, the heir of the vast Crimson Banner Estate (actually, I’m going to call him that for the rest of the post, just because).

Quite possibly because Kasenia has no girlfriends or confidantes to help her see how creepy Redd is, she falls for him. And almost instantly, things get worse—he’s a horrible, controlling husband, but she’s trying to make things worse. Then Redd turns on the charm—why don’t Kasenia and her brother come out to his family’s ranch for the weekend? Kasenia drags her younger brother along (he’s on to Redd—at least to a degree) and they head out for a chance to rekindle their marriage.

Of course, his family consists of multiple other wives (none of whom are happy to see her), enough kids to fill a schoolroom, and a few foster kids (there’s an ethnic and language difference between the foster children and Redd’s own). Between a combination of threats, guards, isolation (geographic and technological), and psychological manipulation, Redd has created a family full of people that are (almost entirely) devoted to him, and work themselves constantly to earn money for him and to earn approval from him.

Kasenia is determined to find a way out for herself and her brother—when she discovers that there’s more to Redd’s debauchery and devilry than she’d realized. The stakes are higher than ever—will she be able to find freedom for those he’s a threat to?

A Little More about Redd Flagg

Now I fully realize that when you’ve got someone with megalomaniacal tendencies like Redd, you’re going to find someone with a lot of messed up qualities. No one who deceives and manipulates a young woman into joining his group of wives—and keeps her as one through threat of violence (that he does follow through with to some extent) is in any sense a good guy. Moreover, I know that Lyles did some research and that there are more people like this in the U.S. than anyone wants to think about.

Still, I couldn’t help but think that Redd was too evil. “Like so evil, that you would say it was E-VEEL.” Every time you think you’ve found the depth of his moral void, there’s a new level of despicableness. Yes, that’s a common thing in fiction (or life), but it just felt like Lyles was laying it on a bit too thick.

Manipulative and abusive is enough—you’ve got yourself a true villain right there. But once she starts adding the other crimes that he’s committed and/or planning to commit? I’m not sure the reader or the story needed that.

I Was Uneasy About…

It’s a risky thing (for storytelling reasons and, more importantly, for the risk of blaspheming) to bring God into a work of fiction as an actor in the story. Multiple times characters who are trying to free themselves from Redd will pray and instantly—or quickly—something will happen that could be interpreted as an answer to that prayer. Is it possible for the reader or someone in the text to interpret these happenings as coincidental? Sure. But not one single character does—they all see the good things happening to them after praying as a direct answer to that prayer.

I absolutely am convinced that prayer works—but I don’t think it works like a bunch of kids praying for help getting away from a gunman and suddenly a mountain lion shows up to frighten off the gunman.

Using prayer like that almost turns God into a genie in the bottle—or at least those praying into Magicians with just the right spells ready to get the heroes out of danger.

I absolutely appreciate and celebrate Lyles taking prayer seriously, demonstrating people acting in faith and trust in the Most High with integrity and not turning them into hypocrites or anything. I also think she doesn’t go over the line to treat God as a genie—but she walks right up to that line. It makes me uneasy (at best) to read on several levels, though.

So, what did I think about Shadow Ranch?

Overall, there’s a lot to commend about this book. It reeks of research into situations like this one, it’s full of distinct and clearly drawn characters. Many of these characters are really well-developed and (largely) well-rounded—a mixture of good and bad qualities, understandable motives, and repulsive actions. The tension and the pacing are enough to keep propelling the reader through the twists and make it hard to put down without knowing what happens next.

According to the Internet—and a book I read in grade school (so I’m more inclined to believe it, but not much)—Abraham Lincoln in trying not to say he didn’t like a book said, “People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.” That’s very much what I want to say about this book. Let me rush to say that I did not dislike the book, but it wasn’t for me. I know there’s an audience out there who really get into this kind of thing (The Lifetime Movie Network alone proves that), but you’re not going to count me as part of it.

In a Q&A Lyles did with me months ago, she mentioned that her novels always have a happy ending. That alone kept me reading, just to see how she pulled it off—and there were a handful of times I considered abandoning the book. The ending could’ve been dark. It could’ve been ambiguous. It could’ve ended up in a pretty twisted and sordid way. But no, Lyles stuck with her pledge and provided a happy ending (that’s not too cheesy).

I do think the touch of romance (that didn’t involve Flagg or anything toxic) was a little out of place, and possibly unbelievable—definitely misguided on the part of the characters. But it feels on brand from what I can tell about Lyles’s work, so ignore me.

Again, there are people who will like this sort of book—and more power to them. If you think you’re likely in that camp in any way—read this. I think you’ll be rewarded. If you’re leery of it? I’m not going to tell you to give it a chance—trust your instinct. There are books that I’d approach differently, and encourage people to take a risk. Shadow Ranch isn’t one of those—it delivers what it promises.

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.

Proxies by James T. Lambert: The Marx Brothers, Interstellar Threats, a Meddling Mother—Proxies Has it All

By HCNewton

On September 4, 2023

In Fiction, Literary Locals, Science Fiction

Proxies

by James T. Lambert

DETAILS:
Publisher: Bert Books
Publication Date: August 13, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 246 pg.
Read Date: July 19-20, 2023

What’s Proxies About?

Jair Howard is a tech working to maintain the Faster-Than-Light network. Lambert doesn’t give us a lot of details about it, so I’m going to give you even less. The pilot he works with during his maintenance runs, Merab, is his girlfriend. Or maybe. Jair’s reluctance to commit to starting a family has put things on the ropes.

A bigger—or more pressing, anyway—concern is that during their last trip, Jair found some disturbing evidence of hacking into the security network. He’s having trouble convincing anyone of it because the evidence is largely gone. Jair keeps digging, though, he knows what he saw and anyone who can do what he saw—and remove all traces of it—is someone to worry about. Then some of the evidence reappears, and it points at Jair. Suddenly everyone who doubted what he said about a security breach believes it and is coming for him.

To keep his freedom for a little while longer—and hopefully to find proof of what’s really going on—he needs to get into space and get access to the network. The only way that’s going to happen is with Merab’s help.

Remember When AI Wasn’t the Enemy?

Jair doesn’t work alone—in fact, he doesn’t do most of the work. He has a team of AIs helping him. Jair’s a classic movie fan. Black and White Movies that we consider classics today—he’s far enough into the future that he has to think of them as practically ancient. He’s such a fan that he’s given his four primary AIs the names and personalities of the Marx Brothers.

He spends a lot of time tweaking their personalities and humor to get them to better match the versions he knows from film—and finding a way to get Harpo to be able to communicate what he needs to while capturing the essence of the silent brother. It’s something for him to fiddle with while waiting during interstellar travel or while a report generates and the like.

It’s a fun bit of whimsy in the book—and it felt very strange to read while being hit with headline after headline after headline about the problems with AIs this summer.

So, what did I think about Proxies?

The heart of this book isn’t the threat posed by the hacking that Jair found and then lost, etc. Nor is it the efforts that he and Merab undertook to expose and maybe stop the threat. It’s in Merab and Jair’s efforts to get their relationship to work. The bulk of that is on Jair, to be sure—but Merab has some work to do, too.

That’s about all I’m willing to say about that, although it deserves more—because Lambert did a great job with that. As much as I enjoyed the relationships that the protagonist of his first book found himself in, they didn’t feel as grounded as this one. They were clearly there to serve a story, create conflict, and so on. Here, the relationship is the story—and that makes all the difference. If he continues to grow as an author this way, I’m going to be happy reading him for a long time.

This is a Space Opera, so the details of space flight and other science-y stuff don’t need to be really well worked out or discussed—which is good, because Lambert doesn’t bother to (whether that’s because of the genre, or he went with the genre so he didn’t have to doesn’t matter). And a lot of the detailed work into the investigation can be waved away with “Groucho and Zeppo did a thing and came back to tell Jair the results.” I both wanted to see more of the science-y/investigation bits and was perfectly satisfied with the lack of them, because that left time for all the people-y stuff. (I’m clearly in the mood to talk in generalities today).

If you’re looking for some light Space Opera with a lot of heart—you’ll want to pick up Proxies. If you’re not looking for that, you still might want to try it, it’s a fun way to spend a few hours.

3 Stars

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Stone of Asylum by Hilarey Johnson: A Clash of Cultures and Reshaping of Destinies

By HCNewton

On August 24, 2023

In Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Locals

Earlier this year, Johnson participated in my Q&A series about writing in Idaho and later this afternoon, she’ll be back to talk about her own writing and this book in particular. Be sure to come back for that!

Stone of Asylum

by Hilarey Johnson

DETAILS:
Series: Dance of the Crane, Part 1
Publication Date: March 17, 2017
Format: eBook
Length: 218 pg.
Read Date: August 2, 2023

What’s the Setting for Stone of Asylum?

While we spend a little time in California, this takes place largely in the Idaho territory (in what would now be considered North Central Idaho…I think) during the Civil War.

There are characters with strong sympathies toward both sides of the War, but it doesn’t come up much, really. Mostly I mention that because it helps locate the story. We do get to see a lot of the racism faced by Chinese workers (Asians in general, although they’re all considered Chinese) in the mines (and other places), as well as other kinds of bigotry and mistreatment of others.

It’s not a kind or forgiving world that Johnson gives us in these pages, but it’s one that seems pretty realistic. At least until you get to the man who can turn into animals. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Yi Bae

Yi Bae is a Korean warrior who has made his way to San Francisco looking for his sister—they’d been separated sometime before as they traveled through China. He needs to find her to fulfill his mission in life—he is to protect her at all costs. Together they are the last two Watchers in the world—a duty his family has to protect a particular type of garnet with magical abilities.

His search for his sister brings him into conflict with a Chinese businessman/criminal in San Francisco. He then learns some things that convince him to look for his sister in Idaho, which is in the midst of mining booms of various types. He finds that same businessman—who Yi Bae is convinced has something to do with his sister’s disappearance. He also finds himself in the employ, however temporarily, of some less-than-decent people, but is doing what he has to do to track down the other Watcher.

Not only is Yi Bae very capable when it comes to hand-to-hand combat (and those scenes are a lot of fun to read), but that thing I said before about changing into animals? Well, he can do that, too. He’s more like DC’s Garfield Logan (Beast Boy/Changeling) or Jane Yellowrock than your typical lycanthrope, because he can change into various animals.

Eldora

Our other protagonist is Eldora—a young woman whose father is an employee of a wealthy family. Eldora is old enough to begin working as a servant on their ranch. Her primary duty is to be a companion to the family’s daughter. The reader understands quickly that Eldora thinks the relationship is closer than the daughter does—and far closer than the ranch’s owners do. Despite living in a part of the territory that is already fading from prominence in favor of other locales where the mining is better, they’re trying to cling to Southern gentility’s pretensions of position and class.

She is happy (naively so) and well-loved. Which is no small thing. If you can read about Eldora and not almost immediately like her, there’s something wrong with you. Sadly, you know that this happiness and (perhaps) loving environment isn’t going to last long.

I’ll skip over some nasty classist business that reeks of Austen/Brontë-esque villains to the turning point—she has some sort of seizure and is taken from the ranch almost immediately—without her father’s involvement. She’s placed in an asylum, which is exactly as pleasant an experience as you can imagine given the time and location. It might actually be worse. Now we get to find out exactly what Eldora’s made of.

A Chance Encounter

Eldora and Yi Bae do eventually (as we all expected) cross paths with each other—on her way from the ranch. This was my favorite part of the book and I was eager to see what would happen in that eventuality. Sadly, it didn’t last that long—but it did change things for both of them (sadly, only the readers really understand that, for now).

It was kind of a let-down when they didn’t spend too much time around each other, but that’s what future books in the series are for—and what we got was enough to make me want more. A lot more. Which is odd because it wasn’t like they struck up a friendship, or even had a really good conversation. But there was something about them in the same scenes that really worked for me.

The Part that Really Bugged Me

I’m not crazy about the way that Johnson ended this book. It was a bit too abrupt—it felt like she hit a word-limit or page-count and said, “Okay, that’s enough,” and just stopped.

That’s not at all what she intended (I trust)—but that’s what it felt like to me. The last chapter was likely to have been a cliffhanger ending to bring people back for book 2. And that’s fair—I’m not the world’s biggest fan of cliffhangers, but I can appreciate a good one (and can begrudgingly accept them). This wasn’t a good one. I think if she’d left the last couple of pages off and just resolved the arcs for this novel, the ending would’ve been more satisfying. Also, the closing pages and implied threat to one protagonist would’ve been a great hook to start the second novel. I was interested in seeing what happened next to both main characters and knew things weren’t that great for both of them already—I didn’t need the threat to carry me along.

That’s just me—I might be wrong and your results will almost certainly vary.

So, what did I think about Stone of Asylum?

This is a deceptively fast read—there’s a lot more to be mined* from this book if you stop and soak it in—Johnson makes that tough and you can easily just sail along with the current. This is a perfectly fine and enjoyable way to read the book, but you’ll be happier if you catch everything she’s doing.

* Sorry. Had to.

Her fight scenes are great—particularly the way she works in Yi Bae’s supernatural abilities and martial arts skills together. Even if I didn’t care about anything else, I’d probably give the book 3 stars just for these fight scenes.

Yes, I wasn’t happy with the last couple of pages, but the rest were an intriguing mix of family drama, action, fantasy, and cultures mixing (and/or trying not to mix). This blend is a great idea and I’m really looking forward to seeing how Johnson develops this and brings our heroes (and several other characters) through it. I’m also really looking forward to seeing some characters get their just desserts (I’m pretty sure Johnson’s going to be that kind of author) and our heroes figuring out everything they missed or misunderstood here.

In short—this is a solid first entry to a trilogy that I’m eager to see played out over the next two books. I think you will be, too.

3.5 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.
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LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Paul Regnier

By HCNewton

On August 22, 2023

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

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Paul Regnier’s fantasy novel, Bard Tidings, came out in June (and it looks pretty good–since Fflewddur Fflam, I’ve been a sucker for bards). You should absolutely give it a look. But we’re not going to talk about that today (hopefully soon)*. Today, we’re focusing on what being a writer in Idaho is like for him. Enjoy!

The way things are going around here, “soon” probably means February.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
I’m Paul Regnier. I’m a writer living in the Treasure Valley here in Idaho. You can find me online at www.PaulJRegnier.com.

Are you a native Idahoan? What brought you to Idaho in the first place? (answer whichever question applies) What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I’ve lived in Idaho for the last six years. I’ve heard once you cross the five year mark you’re an honorary native Idahoan. My family and I love it here. I love all the pine trees and the beautiful mountainous landscapes. Winters are mild and there’s very little humidity. I’m happy to call Idaho my home state.
I’m going to have to check the handbook on that five-year rule (is that akin the to 5-second rule?) and get back to you.

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.
I’m connected with a group of local writers called Idahope (idahopechristianwriters.org). They have get togethers, conferences, and events all geared around writing. It’s a great group to be a part of.

I’ve been connecting with a few IdaHope members recently—what to you is the biggest benefit? Or maybe I should ask, why would you tell a local author to join up?
The writing journey can be lonely. Much of the time it’s just you typing away at the computer. It’s so refreshing to get together with other writers and creative people and talk about stories and books and movies and everything in-between. Online meetups are nice as well but nothing compares to face to face, personal interaction with fellow writers.

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?
Besides the Idahope group I’m a part of, I’m looking into homeschool events that take place in the area. There’s one in Nampa that I plan on attending next year. Homeschoolers are big readers so the events are great places to connect as a local author.

That’s a great idea! And one that no one has mentioned before—a good fantasy novel and that crowd (at least those I know in that audience) sounds like a great combination. That’s not just a great market, but a fantastic way for readers to get to know you. Are you and your family part of the homeschooling community and is that why you thought of this, or did you get this tip from someone else? (thinking back to when I homeschooled, I don’t remember anyone doing this, but I’d have loved to see it)
We haven’t personally homeschooled our kids but my daughter had experience with online school and I was her learning coach so I got to experience it in a small way. I think homeschooling is such an amazing opportunity for families and if parents have the time and resources, I think it’s a great way to educate your kids, especially when it comes to imparting family morals and spiritual truths.

One of my favorite writing conferences is Realm Makers. It’s a conference focused on speculative fiction writing (fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural, superhero, etc…). Besides the annual conference, they go around to various homeschool events with their mobile bookstore. They always report on the great response they get from homeschoolers. That’s where I first realized what an amazing opportunity it was.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
I would say my readers are more national than local. Generally people find me online through Amazon or from online recommendations. The internet is a wonderful way to reach readers around the country and around the world.

Do you have plans to change that—or is it early enough in your writing career that you’re still trying to see what works before you make solid plans?
Honestly, I’m open to anyone, anywhere that enjoys my books LOL. I’ve tried to go around to local libraries and give them free copies of my books but the response has been lackluster. With online accessibility, it’s just so much easier and quicker to “spread the word” to a wider audience.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
The latest series I’m working on is a fantasy series (the first book in the series is called Bard Tidings). Since the Treasure Valley in Idaho is filled with lush pine trees, hills and mountains, the scenic setting really helps in the creation of a fantasy world. I get inspiration for many of my scenes from the amazing locations around me.

Were you writing before you came to Idaho? If so, was the bookish community (writers or readers) noticeably different?
I lived in Southern California for many years but we moved here six years ago and never looked back. We love it here! I think my only tie to “local writing groups” in CA was a writing critique group that I was a part of. However, most of us are still in touch and we try to meet online as often as schedules allow.

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?”
For me, the main aspect of Idaho that inspires my writing is the landscape. The trees, hills, and mountains. The beauty of creation. I created a fictious small mountain town in Idaho called Crystal Falls for my cozy mystery series. The setting was inspired by the area around Cascade Lake and Payette Lake.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
If there is, I haven’t found it. I think the “Idaho spirit” means something a little different to each resident and it probably varies in different parts of the state. For me, Idaho means peace, the beauty of God’s creation, and family.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!

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However Long the Day by Justin Reed: One Eventful (some might say Disastrous) Night

By HCNewton

On August 14, 2023

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Literary Locals

However Long the Day

by Justin Reed

DETAILS:
Publisher: Bulrush Press
Publication Date: February 15, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 402 pgs.
Read Date:  August 8-11, 2023

What’s However Long the Day About?

This is a The Prince and the Pauper-esque story set in New York in 1918 with the son of a wealthy politician and an activist mother hiring his doppelganger, a recent Irish immigrant, to stand in for him for one night. Fredrick (the rich guy) got caught (again) doing something reckless and is about to be subject to a lecture/tirade from his father before being sent to his room for the evening (a room, it should be noted, that’s bigger than the apartment Niall is sharing with his uncle). Sure, it’s ridiculous that someone in his early-to-mid-20s (I’m guessing) is being treated that way. But if he wants to siphon off of his parents, I’m guessing he has to put up with ridiculous things like this.

I’d better move on before I open another parenthesis.

Niall was offered more money than he could make in a year, so he has to sign on. This kicks off 12 hours (or so) of mistaken identities, women kissing the wrong me, kidnappings, abductions, fights, beatings, criminals, police, criminal police, plots being hatched, secrets being exposed, plans going awry, plans coming to fruition, and so much more.

Frederick Philips

Frederick is a spoiled and apparently useless man desperate to get out from underneath his father’s thumb. He’ll do anything to accomplish that, except get a decent job and put in an honest day’s work. He needs to live in the manner to which he’s become accustomed, and there’s no way he can do that easily. I’m pretty sure Archie Goodwin would call him a “fop,” and although that word’s not really used anymore, it feels rather fitting (and not just because of the setting for the book).

He appears to have tried gambling and some other hare-brained (and likely illegal) schemes that have put him on the wrong side of at least one crime syndicate. One of the things he’s trying while Niall pretends to be him is the culmination of a lot of his scheming—he’s trying for the big score that’ll equip him to set up a new life in Philadelphia.

Niall Donovan

Niall has been in NYC for a month and we meet him as he’s struggling to substitute for his Uncle Paddy on his ice delivery route. Paddy’s fighting off the Spanish Flu* and needs someone to cover so he can keep his job. Niall’s not that good at the fairly thankless job, but it’s a way he can contribute.

* The grief given to the police officer wearing a mask—and his defending the practice—feels pretty timely.

Other than in appearance, Niall’s everything that Frederick isn’t—he’s a hard worker, he’s honest and honorable—and can acquit himself well in a fight. You’ll have a really hard time not being immediately charmed by him and wanting to see him succeed everywhere. He might be so loyal, so devoted, so determined to do the right thing that he puts himself in some stupid and dangerous situations, quite honestly. And more than once you’ll shake your head at him making a choice that’s sure to lead to problems—but you’ll still root for him.

Other Characters

Frederick’s ally/accomplice in all this is named Ivy. She lives near him, with parents in a similar social standing—she’s equally miserable but doesn’t have the means to get away from home. She’s a little more level-headed than Frederick and works with him—urging him to take some chances for both of their sakes.

Flora works in domestic service for one of the homes on Paddy’s route and Niall is pretty sweet on her (the feeling’s mutual). She’s hands down my favorite character in the book—she’s everything that Niall is (but backwards and in high heels), but generally thinks more clearly (except for the one time she encourages Niall’s foolhardiness. Both of them end up regretting that). I wish I could tell you all the reasons I love Flora, but that’d involve spoilers.

Niall’s Uncle Paddy is a great guy, too. He’s doing all he can (in his very limited way) to help Niall acclimate to New York and to get established.

And I’m going on too long—I can’t talk about all the great characters—but Reed’s got a knack for creating characters that come to life. There’s not one of them that you’re not going to have a very solid impression of—and probably a pretty good mental image for (despite minimal description in the text). I could’ve easily enjoyed more scenes with each and every character—except maybe Frederick—because I just enjoyed watching them in action so much.

The Object Itself

Most of the time I don’t talk about things like covers, printing, and whatnot—it’s just not something I want to dwell on (and frequently it’s stuff outside an author’s control). But when it’s done this well—particularly by a self-published author, I want to take a moment to talk.

The printing, binding, and so on for this book is top-notch. Indistinguishable from most of the hardcovers on my shelf. The cover design as well as the interiors were done with skill and care. Does this help the reading experience much? Probably only a negligible amount. But it’s clear that Reed put some money into the production end of this—money and care. As much effort into that as he put into the words on the page (or close).

I wonder if he regrets that—or if by trimming a few costs, he’d be closer to making a profit. But for me? I appreciate an author putting their money where their mouth is. Again, I don’t know if it added much to the experience, but I sure enjoyed that part.

So, what did I think about However Long the Day?

As far as I can tell—Reed nailed the historical setting. His NYC of 1918 looks and feels like histories of the era that I’m familiar with—and with books from around that era that I’ve read. I’m no expert by any means, but it felt accurate—and if I raised an eyebrow at any of his historical details, they didn’t bother me enough to remember or write in my notes. I’m open to correction on this point, but I’d say he dealt with this part well.

I’ve talked briefly about the characters already, so let’s move on to the plot. It took a while for a clear picture to develop about what was going on, but the ride to that point was so fun, I really didn’t care—I just kept wondering what the next scene would bring. Sure, there were some moments early on that I wondered if he was trying to juggle too many storylines and characters, and I will admit to shaking my head a few times when he’d throw in something new or insert a new difficulty or obstacle for Niall or Frederick to overcome. Eventually, I started to see the tapestry he was weaving and was glad to see that patience rewarded—Reed knew where he was going and led us on a straight path that only seemed to be meandering.

Every now and then, I wondered if Reed was hitting either Niall and Paddy’s Irishisms* a bit too hard—or if he was laying on the 1910s jargon/slang a bit too thick. But it was less often than I assumed I’d think something like that going in—and it really was rare that I wondered that. There was a time or two that I wondered if the dialogue in general was a bit preachy (whether or not I agreed), or wordy in general.

* Flora using the term “Irishism” also seemed a bit strange, but it worked in the moment so well, that I’m not going to complain. And not just because it was Flora who said it. Although that helps. I’m telling you, I loved her.

But overall, I was really impressed with Reed’s writing. Near the 300-page mark I got a little uneasy. There was maybe 30 pages of story left, how was he going to fill up another hundred or so? It turns out that it was super easy, barely an inconvenience. Not only that, it was some of the best story-telling he’d done up to that point. Most of it didn’t even depend on the mistaken/interchangeable identity aspect of the book. It’s not often that I misjudge an author’s pacing anymore, especially not a first-time author (and when I do, it’s generally not a good thing)—but Reed taught me a welcome lesson in humility there.

I was pleasantly surprised throughout this book—I didn’t expect anything much to strike me as funny when I picked it up, for example. I was optimistic about the premise and anticipated enjoying it. But I expected a fairly earnest, straightforward drama. But Reed gave us some good action, some interesting hijinks, and some solid comedy. (Yes, there’s a chance that I found things funny that I shouldn’t have…I’ll grant you that, and apologize to Reed if that offends him).

One example of the comedy that really stood out to me–there’s a recurring discussion about the choice of cake vs. fruit pie. It feels straight out of Tarantino, or maybe Jim Gaffigan. It essentially becomes a personality test–and Frederick fails, incidentally. It becomes this nice bit of humor, it helps solidify Flora as a character, it humanizes some of the gangsters (see Tarantino), and is something that really helps the reader to connect with the characters. The fact that it has almost nothing to do with the plot is a great bonus, it becomes something where the characters can interact as human beings regardless of what’s going on. Also, anything that allows Flora to shine and makes Frederick look bad is worth pointing out.

Clearly, I enjoyed this book a lot. If this is what Reed can do for a debut, I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes for a follow-up. I strongly recommend you all to go pick this one up.

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.

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Barking for Business by E.N. Crane: Move Over Plum, It’s Time for Cynthia Sharp and Winnie

By HCNewton

On August 10, 2023

In Dogs, Fiction, Literary Locals, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Barking for Business

by E. N. Crane

DETAILS:
Series: Sharp Investigations, #1
Publisher: Perry Dog Publishing
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Format: Paperback
Length: 307 pg.
Read Date: July 26-27, 2023

I apologize in advance for all the references to Stephanie Plum that follow. This is sort of like all the people who mention Adams or Pratchett when talking about humor in Science Fiction or Fantasy, even if the styles don’t match. It’s just hard to talk about a character like this and a book like this without mentioning Stephanie.

Also, Crane did that herself when I met her. So she stuck it in my head.

What’s Barking for Business About?

After the latest in a series of successful investigations that double as calamities (you’ll have to read the first couple of chapters to see), Specialist Cynthia Sharp, MP, and her partner, Sgt. Pupperson, are discharged from the Army and return to Cyn’s hometown of Sweet Pea, OH—a very small town that should provide some peace and quiet while they decide their next move.

Before they can even enter the Sharp residence, a neighbor approaches Cyn with a job—someone has been taking money from the church bingo funds and she wants Cyn to put an end to it. Mostly because she can’t say no to this older woman—and because she has nothing else to do—she agrees.

This puts Cyn on a collision course with a military crime, a murderer, some serious gangsters, identity thieves, and more. She also has to deal with a love (lust?) triangle and reuniting with a best friend whose fantastic baked goods could probably prove dangerous to anyone with a weakness for sweets.

Sgt. Winnifred Pupperson

Winnie, as she prefers to be called, is a Belgian Malinois dog that found her match in her K-9 handler. She’s reckless enough to make Chet the Jet look disciplined, is very food motivated (sure, she’s a dog, so that’s a given—but as most dog people know, there are levels—she can sniff out junk food faster than Brenda Leigh Johnson, and is the perfect combination of canine athleticism, furry chaos, and unintentional hilarity.

My only complaint is that there’s not quite enough of her. Cyn leaves her at home too often. Probably a realistic amount—but too much for my taste. Hopefully, in time the people of Sweet Pea accept her presence in places they shouldn’t so she can be in on more of the action.

And You Think Stephanie Plum is Hard on Cars?

Hopefully, this isn’t too much of a spoiler, but it’s so good I have to talk about it.

Early on, Cyn breaks her arm in an understandable mishap. And over the next 240 or so pages, has to keep replacing the cast after catastrophe after catastrophe befalls it.

Somehow, every time, the reaction of the medical staff and the predicament she finds herself in makes me laugh. Every time. I cannot believe how well this recurring joke worked for me (that’s not a slight on Crane—it’s about my sense of humor/patience). You think she’s done with it—and she’s not. In fact, you find yourself wondering how it’ll happen again and looking forward to it.

The Fun Twist of Character

Yes, she’s clumsy. Sure, she’s easily distracted. Her dog handling skills are, um, sub-par. But I tell you what…when it’s crunch time? When things matter? Cyn is sharp.* She is more competent than you expect—piecing together clues, dealing with dangerous situations, and saving the day like the seasoned pro you’d expect from someone just out of the MPs. When that aspect started to really show itself I was impressed. This isn’t about someone flailing about and somehow stumbling on to the truth of the matter (like a certain NJ bond enforcement officer or Inspector Gadget)—it’s about an accident-prone woman who can shine when given the opportunity.

* I know. I know. I’m sorry.

So, what did I think about Barking for Business?

This was just ridiculously fun. It’s hard to come up with more to say than that (obviously, I’ve found a way, but the temptation to just write that sentence and move on was strong).

There’s a little too much peril and action for this to technically be a cozy, I think. But I could be wrong about that. Regardless, it’s in that same zip code. The focus is never really on that—it’s about the puzzle, it’s about the antics of Cyn and Winnie. Cozy fans should feel very at home with it. More than anything, Barking for Business is a comedy—there are few pages that go by without something—a little slapstick, a nice bit of humor in the narration, Cyn saying something she’ll regret, or worse, learning something about her parents that she’ll regret.

Do I worry that the town is too small to keep things happening? Sure. But when their first case starts with money missing from the church’s bingo earnings, it’s obvious that Crane can make much from little. Do I worry that the schtick of the series will get old by book 5 or 6? A little. But I worry that about the premise of several series, and it means that I have at least 4 or 5 more books to enjoy before that happens. For now? I’m just going to shut my pie hole and enjoy the ride.

This is a fast, breezy read that’s full of excitement and humor. It’s the perfect book for people who fondly remember the first few Stephanie Plum books or have ever wondered what it would be like if Miranda Hart or Mindy Kaling wrote crime fiction (possibly co-writing it). I’ve got the second novel on my shelf already and am trying to figure out how to get it read quickly.

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 in Idaho with Justin Reed

By HCNewton

On August 8, 2023

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

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I met Justin Reed at the Treasure Valley Indie Book Fair back in March and am really glad we’ve finally gotten our ducks in a row to be able to bring you this Q&A. By a strange stroke of coincidence, I should be starting his book today. So you’ll be hearing more about him soon. But for now, let’s introduce him.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
My name is Justin Reed. I live in Boise, and I am an author, publisher, consultant, software engineer, and investor. I have published one novel—However Long the Day—a historical adventure set in 1918 NYC about two young men who switch places for a day and nothing goes to plan (think The Prince and the Pauper meets A Tree Grows in Brooklyn). People can find me at justinreedwrites.com, and on Instagram (@justinreedwrites), Facebook (@JustinReedWritesNovels), and LinkedIn (@justinreedwrites). People can buy a hardcover copy of However Long the Day at Rediscovered Books in Boise and/or Caldwell; from my website (in which case I’ll personalize the inscription); and at online book retails (bookshop.org, B&N, and The Great Smiling Beast). You can also borrow a copy from most of the libraries in the Treasure Valley (though they share a few copies, so you might have to put a hold on it). The ebook is available here, and can also be borrowed from Treasure Valley libraries (any of the Lynx libraries, I believe). And you can listen to the audiobook on Audible, Apple Books, B&N, libro.fm, and on Overdrive (if you have a local library card).

Are you a native Idahoan? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I am a native Idahoan, born and raised in Boise. I went to Capital High School, and graduated from Boise State University with a Computer Science degree. Beauty, freedom, and family keep my Idaho.

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.
I run a writers workshop of sorts at the Lake Hazel branch of the Ada Community Library. I call it Group Therapy for Writers, and it gives us attendees an opportunity to support each other in our writing goals. It’s nice to talk about the writing process with others who care about the process of turning thoughts into words on the page, and words on the page into something compelling to read.

First, that’s a great name. Have others in your group gone down the publishing road yet, and have they been able to help you through it—or are you the group’s guinea pig?
It’s a great group. We’re a mix of folks who have published and those who haven’t. Everyone in the group is experimenting with their style, genre, etc., hence the need for outside perspective. We’re taking a break for the summer but plan to start back up in September.

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’ve attended the Indie Book Faire at the Nampa Public Library, and I’ve attended several events at both the Boise and Caldwell Rediscovered Books locations. I would enjoy attending more events like these, as well as other author get-togethers.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
However Long the Day is my debut, so I’m still in the audience building phase. My focus is older teens and adults of all ages. Most of my readers are here in Idaho.

Do you have a plan on expanding that audience? Or are you in more of a “see what works” phase of life?
I am definitely more in the see what works phase in which I try a bunch of ways to grow my audience. As you might expect, most of these come to a deadend, but I’m certainly learning a lot in the process.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
Boise is geographically isolated, which is both a blessing and a curse. I would love to more easily visit other metros and talk books (including mine), but that isn’t as easy in the Treasure Valley as it is in other places. However, the isolation is part of what makes our town—and the rest of Idaho—such a great place to live. I’m not very connected to the writing culture here in the Treasure Valley, but I suspect that is more because of my introverted nature than anything. I suppose we all have the chance to build the writing community if we take it.

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?”
The first novel was set in Idaho during the earliest part of our existence as a US territory (1864 gold rush era), so in that regard I bring Idaho into my work. Unfortunately, that novel hasn’t been published yet because I just can’t get it right. Even so, I bring my Idaho sensibilities into all my writing, both published and unpublished. I try to mute my voice as much as possible and let my characters speak for themselves, but complete silence is an impossible objective.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!

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Klone’s Stronghold by Joyce Reynolds-Ward: Nothing—I mean Nothing—Is What It Seems In This Fantasy

By HCNewton

On August 1, 2023

In Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Locals

That’s the best of a dozen headlines for this post. Which tells you something about the other eleven.
Joyce Reynolds-Ward participated in a Q&A with me about Writing Near Southwest Idaho earlier this year, and I’ve finally found the time to read one of her novels. She’ll be back this afternoon for a Q&A about this book, but first, allow me to ramble on a bit about it.

Klone’s Stronghold

by Joyce Reynolds-Ward

DETAILS:
Publication Date: June 19, 2018
Format: eBook
Length: 226 pg.
Read Date: July 24-25, 2023

What’s Klone’s Stronghold About?

A year ago, Reeni escaped her abusive marriage—her ex-husband has turned into a stalker, he’s apparently a man of some status in the community and was able to get her fired from her job as a Special Ed teacher and Reeni’s on the verge of having to move a long way away just to find a new position. To add insult to injury, her family keeps trying to get her to reconcile with her ex.

Two dear friends convince her to attend a music festival with them—they love this band (she enjoys them, but isn’t going to be following them around like Deadheads). It’s a few days away from home, there’s no way that Karl is going to show up here. She needs some time in safety and peace to think about life. And if she happens to have a little fun? All the better.

Of course, it doesn’t work out. Karl shows up with some friends (or henchmen, your call). The band’s security takes care of them while Reeni finds a safe place to hide out. Before Karl had arrived, Reeni had struck up a friendship (or the beginning of one) with one of the security team—a supernatural of some kind. He comes to her with a proposal—he knows a guy who is working with a small group of supernatural people who are socially and educationally delayed, and are in need of a teacher to work on both areas. Due to the nature of their work and abilities, Karl won’t be able to approach her there; and she’ll get paid a very tidy sum if she commits for a few months in this out-of-the-way spot in the Eastern Oregon mountains.

Intrigued by the job—and desperate to get refuge—she agrees.

Because I’m struggling to finish this section, I’m just going to borrow from the official Description:

But things are not as they seem at the Stronghold, from the older proprietors of a nearby store and the Stronghold’s leader Alexander Reed Klone, to Reeni herself. She discovers it’s not just Karl who seeks to control who and what she is, but forces from her past that threaten her present. Can she learn the truth about herself and do what is needed in time to defend the Stronghold?

The Cozy That Could’ve Been

Sure, when Reynolds-Ward wrote this, cozy fantasy wasn’t really a thing (I’m sure it existed, but it was so far under the radar…), so it might not have crossed her mind to do this, but…

If she had abandoned the last 46% or so of the book and had just stuck with Reeni’s work in the classroom for a few months, letting us watch the progress she makes with her charges? I’d have been utterly charmed with it and would’ve likely enjoyed the novel more.

I’m not actually criticizing the last 46% of the book (most of it, anyway)—this is just a rabbit trail of a thought I had while reading this. That 46% results in a perfectly satisfying that I’m recommending, I’m just saying.

Now to try to turn this from an inadvertent criticism to something positive. I was interested in Reeni and her story and I was enjoying trying to figure out what was going on. But it was the moment that Reeni first started working with her students, connecting with them in a way that her employer didn’t see was possible that I got invested in this novel. I started caring about Reeni and her students then. Yes, the rest of the book was exciting, had magic flying about, secrets were revealed, and Big Things happened, etc. But the whole time, the back of my mind was asking—but what about the next week of lessons? When do we get back to that?

So, what did I think about Klone’s Stronghold?

I really could’ve focused on so many things here, Klone’s Stronghold is a target-rich environment for someone looking for things to write about. There’s Reeni’s attempts to escape her bad marriage, and worse husband. There’s her family’s reactions to her divorce (it’s eventually explained, but it makes it worse). There’s a twisting of religion. There’s something to explore with her great friends—new and old. You could go on and on about the supernatural species (or whatever you want to call them). But for various and sundry reasons I have to move on. Also, this could end up being 40 pages long if I let myself. You want a novel to inspire all kinds of rabbit trails for you to follow while reading? Look no further.

There are a couple of moments in the latter half of the book that I’m not sure we needed. Or at least we didn’t need all that Reynolds-Ward gave us. It’s tricky to talk about without spoiling—but it’s in the parts where Reeni is helped to understand what she learns about her background and family. Most of this section is really well done—and it’s all interesting. But parts of this take up a whole lot more space than I think they needed to—it dragged the story down, and didn’t illuminate much. With some trimming I wouldn’t have said anything at all.

Other than that, I found the pacing really well done—there’s a lot that Reeni goes through here—and the rate at which she experienced it and had to figure out how to deal with all she goes through was really well done—not just for Reeni, but for the reader.

There are so many scenes that make you stop and bask in them. Reynolds-Ward puts you in this world, and even when you’re trying to figure out exactly what’s happening because (for example) you haven’t worked out all the various kinds of supernatural beings there are—you can see and understand enough that it doesn’t matter.

I know that this wasn’t intended to be a series (or at least it didn’t become one)—and I don’t want to complain about a stand-alone (phew! Plotlines I don’t have to remember for books on end! I’m not signing up for a multi-year commitment!). But boy howdy, do I wish I could spend more time in this world. The general store (or whatever it should be called) and its owners along with the Stronghold and those that live there have all the makings of a setting you want to return to—even the band would be great to spend more time with.

That said, this was a very satisfying story that absolutely doesn’t end anywhere near where you think it will after the first couple of chapters. (which, incidentally makes it really hard to talk about).

I recommend this for people who want a very atypical fantasy (that brushes against SF, but not really) in a contemporary setting. Readers of Bledsoe’s Tufa novels might resonate with this. It’s a nice breath of fresh air. This is my first novel by Reynolds-Ward, but it won’t be my last (I’ve already got the next one picked out…and probably the one after that, too).

3.5 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.

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The Inside Scoop—A Q&A with Rebecca Carey Lyles About Self-Publishing

By HCNewton

On July 28, 2023

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

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In our brief acquaintance, Rebecca Carey Lyles has participated in a Literary Locals Q&A with me, recommended others for that project, had me on her podcast, and has now subjected herself to this series (and we have at least one more Q&A to come once I catch up on some reading). I cannot thank her enough for all this. Lyles as some great experience—and therefore has plenty of advice to provide.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Thanks so much for asking, H.C. I’m a wife, mom and grandma as well as an author and an editor. Although I’ve written for a variety of publications, fiction became my passion when I moved to Idaho and joined a wonderful Treasure Valley writing group. Since then, I’ve written two fiction series plus the first book in a third series.

My tagline for my novels is Contemporary Romance Set in the West and Salted with Suspense. But some have suggested the books are suspense salted with romance due to the subject matter and action/adventure aspect. Although I tackle difficult subjects like human trafficking, coercive cults, and contemporary polygamy, I always promise happy endings—because I like happy endings. 😊

Here are some links for you to peruse:
Website: http://www.beckylyles.com

Amazon Author Page: https://Lyles.gy/t54xp

Facebook Author Page: Rebecca Carey Lyles

Twitter: @BeckyLyles

What are some of the biggest misconceptions you find that readers have about self-published books?
From what I’ve observed, readers don’t look to see who published a book. They choose a book based on the cover and the blurb, a recommendation from a friend, or good reviews. They might even read the first two or three pages online or at a bookstore to see if the story interests them. Therefore, I assume most readers don’t have misconceptions about self-published books, but I could be wrong…
The shoe is on the other foot, eh? I’ve got misconceptions about readers? I buy that 😉

What kind of costs are associated with self-publishing a book? Do you hire one or more editors, or one editor for a couple of passes? Cover artist? Anyone to help with layout, design, etc.? Beta readers? Or do you take it all on yourself? Are you actually making any money at this, or are you still focused on breaking-even while building an audience?
I’m an editor, but I’ve also paid for book edits. I’ve designed book covers for a couple people who requested that I do so, but I always hire graphic artists to design my covers. In the early days, I hired someone to do interior design and then realized I could do it myself. And I always enlist the help of beta readers and proofreaders. Their input is crucial to the final product’s quality. About sales, I’ve found the only way to sell more than a handful of books is to advertise, which is not how most authors like to spend their time and money. But it’s a necessary evil of the writing game these days.

I think we’ve talked about this already, but this is a new context—what kinds of advertising has proved the most effective for you? Least effective? From talking to other writers, do their experiences match up, or does it vary a bit from person-to-person/genre-to-genre?
Facebook ads do the best for me, but they require a huge learning curve and can get pricey. I’ve taken courses re. how to advertise books and continue to follow several experts.

These links may be helpful.
https://davidgaughran.com/ [crazy hair, fun accent, and a great sense of humor!] Here’s his list of book promotion sites: https://davidgaughran.com/best-promo-sites-books/
https://learn.selfpublishingformula.com/p/adsforauthors [Mark Dawson also has a fun accent and an excellent podcast: https://selfpublishingformula.com/spf-podcast/]

https://kindlepreneur.com/book-marketing/ [Dave Chesson has plenty to offer, including a zany sense of humor!]

Do you do your own cover design, or have you found people to help with that? It seems almost as difficult as writing the novel itself—talk about the process a bit.
A quality book cover is crucial because the old adage is true, we do judge books by their covers. For that reason, I hire professional graphic artists to create my covers. I’ve worked with local artists and online artists. I’m always thrilled when a designer can take the vague ideas I suggest, hone in on one, make it “come alive,” and produce the perfect cover for a book, whether fiction or nonfiction. The designers I’ve used have all been well-qualified and reasonably priced as well as patient and willing to make the (many) changes I request. 😊

How do you go about finding these artists—online or local? What’s the process of vetting them and then getting the cover to start requesting changes on? (cover design is one of those topics I can’t get enough of—I don’t know why)
I found my first cover artist at the library. Actually, I heard an author speak there whose cover had been designed by a local graphic artist. She put me in touch with him, and he designed several covers for me. Another local recommendation came through a writer friend. My latest cover was designed by 100 Covers [https://100covers.com/], and I was quite pleased. After I explained my vision, each artist threw out an initial concept (or two), and we went from there. As I said, everyone has been patient with my multiple changes. Several other reputable sites offer expert cover creation or programs to create covers.

Are there tools, mentors, websites you’ve found to help you through this process? Or did you stumble through blindly on your own?
Through Idahope Christian Writers (ICW), a local faith-based writers’ group, I’ve met lots of Treasure Valley authors; plus, I attend their workshops and conferences. (ICW’s new website should become active soon: https://idahopechristianwriters.org/) Not only is the wisdom, knowledge, encouragement and camaraderie of likeminded friends valuable, smaller critique groups have formed from the main group. My crit partners are super helpful. They provide a fresh perspective and ideas I hadn’t thought of, suggestions to improve my writing, insights re: story direction, and so much more. Even better, we’ve become good friends and prayer partners.

Three podcasts I find helpful –
https://www.thestoryblender.com/

https://selfpublishingformula.com/spf-podcast/

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/

What made you decide that self-publishing was the direction you wanted to go? How often do you question that choice? How do you get through the self-doubt?
I worked with a partner publisher for my first nonfiction book and a second partner publisher for my first fiction book. Both experiences were good but taught me I could do everything they did except create the cover. For a brief time, I had an agent who sent out a mass query to ten or so traditional publishers. After informing me none of them showed interest, I didn’t hear from him again. When I finally contacted him, I discovered he’d forgotten about me. Rather than search out another agent and extend the process even longer, I decided to go the indie route and haven’t regretted it. I’d love for someone else to do the marketing for me, but I hear traditional publishers expect their writers to market their books just like we indie authors must do.

Self-publishing tends to have less external deadlines keeping one accountable. How do you maintain your work process or work ethic?
For me, I think it’s an ingrained from childhood finish what you start ethic plus the nagging need to get a story out of my head and into the computer/onto paper.

What was your process for learning how to take care of all the facets that go into self-publishing? (editing, book cover and design, ISBN, finding places to sell/distribute, etc.)?
Workshops, seminars and conferences for writers, how-to-write books and magazines, online research, webinars, podcasts—and lots and lots of trial and error.

Would you be willing to share a trial or two that resulted in errors you learned from?
Wow, you’re stretching my memory. Way back, when online book sales weren’t nearly as challenging as they are today, my books sold fairly easily with minimal advertising. But then my daughter got married (silly girl!) and I focused on the wedding and reception and a houseful of company and lost momentum just when authors began to flood the internet with books. And thus, to diminish the opportunities for a book to be noticed.

I’ve done something similar lately. After months of pushing hard with Facebook ads and then Amazon ads, I became weary of the time and expenditure marketing books demands. And stopped all ads. Funny thing, sales have dropped in tandem with lack of marketing. Must get back to it! I’m pretty sure any business person would tell me/us that marketing must be consistent and ongoing.

Also back in the day, every ebook sales site demanded a different format—Kobo, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, etc. The trial and error was figuring out each of their complicated formats. Today, thank God, we have Draft2Digital, a wonderful aggregator that provides distribution services for authors whose books aren’t exclusive to Amazon. https://www.draft2digital.com/

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! And do know that there are many of us out here who appreciate and applaud what you do (and our number is growing)!

Lyles has quite the variety of books to look into, be sure to look into them!

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