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Nathan Keys and I tried to get this posted last year, but communication errors led to that plan going out the window. But after the Treasure Valley Book Faire a couple of weeks ago, we brushed this up, updated it, and now I’m happy to bring this to you. Hope you enjoy.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Hello there! I’m Nathan Keys, author of the epic fantasy adventure series, The Epic of Marindel. My mission is to write captivating stories that will bring readers hope and purpose. I believe every person has a story, and every story is a part of something Greater. My faith in Christ is central to everything I do.

I have three books published as of this interview. Chosen and Redemption are Books I and II in The Epic of Marindel series. I also have a companion study guide called The Great Story of Marindel that offers the Marindel gospel allegory as a stand-alone tale, with guided questions after each chapter for those who would like to dive into the symbolism and Scripture references behind the story. Currently, I’m writing Books III and IV in the fantasy series.

You can find me on Facebook and Instagram @nathankeys23. Below are links to my website, YouTube, Goodreads, and Amazon page.

https://nathankeys.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@nathankeys23
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19341586.Nathan_Keys
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07V5CCZWQ/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=c113121d-7d33-402f-8bb4-e29c353973fc&ref_=pe_1724030_132998060

What brought you to Idaho in the first place? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I was born and raised in the Southern California town of Rancho Cucamonga. I moved to San Diego for college, where I lived for ten years until the pandemic hit and I lost the means to afford the big city. My parents had been looking to move out of state for years, but the way the pandemic was handled in California pushed them over the edge, and they bought a property in the Treasure Valley. When they invited me to come with them, what was I going to say, no? We’ve been here for over three years now, and I have no regrets!

My favorite things about Idaho are its abundant natural beauty, the existence of four seasons, and the friendly neighborhood feel that I so rarely encountered in Southern California.

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?
I’ve been part of a Christian writing group called the Kingdom Writers Association (KWA) for several years. I encountered them when I was just finishing the first draft of my first book, and they provided me with valuable information about how to publish, and connections with editors and illustrators. Though it was initially founded in San Diego, KWA has since expanded globally, including a local Boise chapter called Sacred Scribes, which I now help lead. We meet once a month to encourage one another in our writing, just like CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien did in their writing group, the Inklings.

Oh, great! Yet another writing group in the area—I keep finding new ones every time I turn around. Tell us a little about Sacred Scribes—how big is it? How active? Is it more of a mutual encouragement group, or do you critique each other and so on?
Sacred Scribes meets once per month, usually on the first Saturday. We’re pretty small for now, but slowly growing – our average attendance is between 8 and 15 people per meeting, with 65 people in our Facebook group (look this up if you, reader, are curious about joining). Our major focus is encouragement of the writer, though we also do regular writing prompts and critique circles. I’m the point-person for getting more of our published members involved in events like the Treasure Valley Book Faire!

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?
Being relatively new to Idaho, I’m still learning about all the events that are possible to attend. I’m very pleased to see the local author/bookish community in the Treasure Valley growing so quickly. I was worried there would be fewer opportunities here than there were in San Diego, but it seems like each library in the TV is trying to put on an event at least annually. I’m also curious to discover which craft/community fairs will allow book tables. I’m sure there are more opportunities here than I’m aware of, so I’m open to suggestions!
If there are community/craft fairs that don’t allow them, I haven’t heard of any. I’m always getting tips from friends who attend more of them than I can.

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 have a growing local fan base, which I’m very thankful for. Word-of-mouth is my favorite way to market! However, through my connections with the Kingdom Writers Association and as I grow my social media following, I have fans popping up all over the country. I’ve even gotten a few sales internationally. A library in the UK recently stocked my first book!

I have to imagine that hearing about that UK library had to be a great encouragement. Do you have solid plans for how to grow your social media following? I’m just curious about how authors experiment with these kinds of things. Have you tried some things previously that haven’t worked out?
For now, consistency is key. I’m not willing to allow social media to drain me, so I set realistic goals that I know I can accomplish, even if it’s less than what some other authors are doing. Right now, my goal is posting consistently twice per week. As for things that haven’t worked, I haven’t seen much luck with paid ads, though I think it may require more experimentation on my part.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
For advantages, the community-forward culture of the Treasure Valley makes it easier to connect with people through word-of-mouth. Getting into events at libraries, bookstores, etc. is also much less competitive than what I experienced in California with my first book release (2019). Here, I feel it’s much easier for indie authors to make connections and find their fan base. As for challenges, all I can think of is the lack of bigger writers’ groups and writing conferences that bring in renowned field experts. A TV writer will have to travel to take advantage of those!

You mentioned finding your fan base here. A couple of weeks ago, we were both at the same event, and I talked to someone who was so excited that their “favorite writer” had a table there—you. So you’re at least finding some fans here—has there been a strategy behind that, or is it just happening?
It’s happening by me showing up, being present, and talking to people! At every event I attend, networking is the most important objective. I don’t stress too much about sales, at least not in the short-term sense. Personal connection and brand familiarity often precede sales.

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?”
In my WIP (Marindel Book 3), I’ve introduced a tavern called “The Hardy Bluebird,” which is an intentional reference to Idaho’s state bird. The tavern’s entrance sign depicts a flying bluebird clutching a sage branch in its talons. The setting is more or less a ghost town (as much as a fantasy realm can delve into the wild west genre), and it’s very exploratory at the moment, but I’m enjoying the world-building so far!

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?
This is a question I’d like to turn on everyone reading this. I love both history and historical fiction, and I’m still getting familiar with Idaho’s story. Any recommendations?
Readers, feel free to give him some recs! I have a couple of ideas, but I’d love to hear yours.

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

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Saturday Miscellany—4/19/25

By HCNewton

On April 19, 2025

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 Gatsby @ 100: American Classrooms, American Dreams?
bullet Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby Turns 100. Time To Admit It’s Crime Fiction.—I’m not sure that I buy this, but I can’t argue against it.
bullet Mark Twain Died Famous, Not Happy—this review of a new biography of Twain really makes me want to carve out a couple of weeks to get it
bullet The Joy of Inefficiency: Teaching My Kids How to Read—wish I’d done it in a way more like this. Good read even without the whole “road not taken” vibe.
bullet Why Being the Child of a Crime Writer Made It Inevitable I Would Become One—Abbi Waxman on her new (and very good) crime novel, her first in the genre
bullet Digging Up Sam Spade: What’s the point of writing ‘your take’ on a famous character?—I get his point—and agree with it, but I’ll probably keep buying some books that fall into this category (I’m a sucker for certain characters).
bullet I skipped this week’s Top 10 Tuesday because I didn’t think I could come up with ten Unpopular Bookish Opinions, but after reading the lists that Damppebbles and Carol put together, I really probably could’ve (especially if I’d done the post late in the day and “borrowed” about half of each of theirs). Give ’em a read! (for bonus points*, guess where I agree with them)
bullet I really appreciate Beth Tabler posting this recipe: The Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—I have enough time to assemble ingredients by Towel Day.

* Not redeemable for cash or goods, just the warm glow of self-satisfaction.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet The Thriller Zone Episode 220: From Celebrity Journalist to Crime Thriller Writer: Meet Nick Kolakowski

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs
bullet Dark Digital Sky by Carac Allison—(if Allison is out there using a pen name now, I’d love to find out)
bullet The Commitments by Roddy Doyle—I just love this book, I could probably write a post about it now without picking up a copy
bullet I talked about the releases of Hit by Delilah S. Dawson (a gritty, violent read that’ll stick with you–in a good way) and The Prom Goer’s Interstellar Excursion by Chris McCoy

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman—Think Hacks plus Rebel (the Katey Segal show), and you’ll have the gist of this. “A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison.” I had a blast with this, and hope to tell you more about it soon.
bullet The Fact Checker by Austin Kelly—1. Great cover. 2. Promising premise: “Mirthful, laugh-out-loud funny, and surprisingly philosophical, The Fact Checker is a brilliant debut novel featuring a missing woman who might be perfectly fine, and a single-minded investigator yearning for meaning, morality, and accuracy in an increasingly post-truth world.”
bullet Benny on the Case by Wesley King—”A boy with Mosaic Down syndrome navigates entering a mainstream classroom, making new friends, and standing up to bullies all while trying to catch a thief and save his home in this thrilling middle grade mystery.” I was rather charmed by King’s OCDaniel, betting this will be pretty good, too.

Grandpappy’s Corner: Life Lessons by Titan as told to Melaney Taylor Auxier: Wise Words from a Noble Dog

By HCNewton

On April 16, 2025

In Dogs, Grandpappy's Corner, Literary Locals, YA/MG/Children's Books

Life Lessons by Titan

as told to Melaney Taylor Auxier

DETAILS:
Publication Date: June 28, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 39 pgs.
Read Date: April 9, 2025

What’s Life Lessons by Titan About?

We meet this very good-looking dog, Titan, at the shelter when he meets his human, she “fell in love instantly because I’m so loveable.” Titan decides to keep her.

We get a couple of pages showing Titan adjusting to his new home and friends, making some mistakes and then Titan teaches some life lessons. He teaches about friends, making mistakes, eating well, being grateful, that sort of thing.

Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute

The art consists totally of home photographs of Titan—and occasionally some other good-looking dogs—and a couple of human feet.

On the one hand, these are not studio-quality pictures. They’re just candids of Auxier’s dog, likely her phone is loaded with them (like any person who has pets and a phone). She took the best—sometimes goofiest—of these to illustrate Titan’s lessons.

Are they the best dog photos you’ll see? No. But they’re taken and shared with love for the subject—and that’s more than enough to justify looking at them. Also, little kids are not known for being discerning when it comes to pictures of handsome doggies.

So, what did I think about Life Lessons by Titan?

This is a great tribute to a great dog.

My grandson isn’t ready for Lessons From Lucy by Dave Barry, Lessons from Tara by David Rosenfelt, or even The Teachings of Shirelle by Douglas Green. But he is ready for this one (pretty much). Many of the lessons/perspectives/thoughts in this book match those books for older readers, so even if he has a decade or so before I can introduce him to Lucy, Tara, or Shirelle, I can introduce him to Titan and his wisdom.

Also, this one has far more pictures. And who doesn’t want that?

It’s short, sweet, and to the point. It’ll win over young dog lovers, and even bring a smile to us older ones when we need a quick fill of puppy love.

Grandpappy Icon

WWW Wednesday—April 16, 2025

By HCNewton

On April 16, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

For a few years, April 15 was the apex of my professional life–months of effort led up to it, weeks of effort spent dealing with it, and then we had a couple of months of reprieve before starting the cycle again. I left that employer almost 4 years ago, but it’s still in the back of my mind to be stressed right now. It’s always such a relief when I realize I don’t have a reason to be, even if my subconscious is convinced I should be. I do feel bad for former coworkers who are still there, and the long hours they “get” to work.

I can’t remember where I was going with that, but I can’t think of another introduction for this. So pretend I had a punchline, and let’s get on with today’s WWW.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


The Impudent Edda by Rowdy Geirsson	Dark Neon & Dirt by Thomas Trang	Happy Jack and the Scary-Ass Book of Doom by Rich Partain, read by JP Adams

The Impudent Edda bills itself as a translation of the last Edda, this time made by a Bostonian. It is ridiculously fun. It’s also hard to take in large chunks, so I also started Trang’s debut, which is almost the complete opposite–it’s fun, but only because it’s gritty LA noir done right. Assuming I survive the mental whiplash between these two, the next couple of days are going to be great.

Yeah, it’s a couple of weeks after I said I was going to listen to the Rich Partain book but Library holds came a calling.

What did you recently finish reading?


One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman	Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

It felt like Waxman turned her comedy up a few notches with this one–while delivering a strong mystery novel filled (as you expect from Waxman) with fantastic characters.

I learned far, far more about Tuberculosis than I ever expected to (including how much I have yet to learn–and it’ll likely stay that way). In the midst of this history/social commentary is the (true) story of a very sick teenager. It’ll surprise no one to learn that Green is very good at talking about sick teenagers.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson	Summer Knight by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

Why did it take me so long to get to Stevenson’s sequel? No one will ever know. But I’m hoping to take care of it by the end of this week.

My Dresden Files re-listen got derailed last year, so I might as well get back on track, right?

How are you faring in the post-Tax Day world?

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: Death and Taxes by Mark David Zaslove: The most rootin’ tootin’ shoot ’em up about accountants you’ve ever seen

By HCNewton

On April 15, 2025

In 2018 First Reads Challenge, 2018 Indie-Fever Challenge, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

This seems like a good day to revisit this (sort of a shame there were no sequels)

Death and Taxes

by Mark David Zaslove
Series: Tales of a Badass IRS Agent, #1

ARC, 219 pg.
Aperient Press, 2018

Read: August 13 – 14, 2018
I’m not sure I can go this book justice with a hand-crafted synopsis, I’ll just copy and paste from Zaslove’s site:

Death and Taxes follows Mark Douglas, an ex-Marine turned IRS agent, who, along with auditing the weird and the profane, also spearheads weekend raids with his locked-and-loaded gang of government-sanctioned revenuers, merrily gathering back taxes in the form of cash, money order, or more often than not, the debtor’s most prized possessions.

Things turn ugly when Mark’s much-loved boss and dear friend Lila is tortured and killed over what she finds in a routine set of 1040 forms. Mark follows a trail dotted with plutonium-enriched cows, a Saudi sheik with jewel-encrusted body parts, a doddering, drug sniffing, gun-swallowing dog named The Cabbage, a self-righteous magician with a flair for safecracking, a billionaire Texan with a fetish for spicy barbecue sauce and even spicier women, and an FBI field agent whose nickname is “Tightass.” All of which lead to more and bloodier murders – and more danger for Mark.

Enlisting his IRS pals – Harry Salt, a 30-year vet with a quantum physical ability to drink more than humanly possible; Wooly Bob, who’s egg-bald on top with shaved eyebrows to match; Miguel, an inexperienced newbie with a company-issued bullhorn and a penchant for getting kicked in the jumblies – Mark hunts down the eunuch hit man Juju Klondike and the deadly Mongolian mob that hired him as only an angry IRS agent can. There will be no refunds for any of them when April 15th comes around. There will only be Death and Taxes.

This is hyper-violent (not that filled with blood and guts, really — there is some), a lot of guns, bombs, more guns. Sometimes played for comedic effect, sometimes it’s the good guys vs. the bad guys. Sometimes, it’s a little of both. It never got to the overkill point for me, probably because this felt more like a cartoon than a “realistic” thriller.* What was overkill for me was the hypersexualization of every woman under the age of sixty. I didn’t need to hear that much about every woman’s physical appearance — there are more gorgeous women with perfect (sometimes surgically enhanced) bodies in this guy’s life than an episode of Miami Vice.

But man, is this funny. There are sections — sometimes a sentence or two, sometimes several paragraphs long — that are the literary equivalent of a shot of espresso, they are so taught with action, cultural references, and humor that you just revel in them. This reminds me a lot of the John Lago Thrillers by Shane Kuhn — I think Kuhn shows more discipline in his plots and characters, but on the whole, these two are cut from the same cloth. The same energy, a similar style, similar sense of humor — and frankly, that stuff is catnip to me. I think the plot got a little convoluted, a little confusing — but it was worth working through.

Am I planning on reading Tales of a Badass IRS Agent, #2? Yeah, I will be keeping an eye out for it. This is a heckuva romp, and will entertain anyone who gives it a shot.

* Really, what thriller is realistic?

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion, which you see above.

—–

3 Stars

Miracles by C.S. Lewis: A Pleasant, If Not Particularly Helpful, Read

By HCNewton

On April 13, 2025

In C.S. Lewis, Further Up and Further In, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Further Up and Further In A Year with C.S.Lewis

Miracles: A Preliminary Study

by C. S. Lewis

DETAILS:
Publisher: Collier Books
Publication Date: 1960
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Length: 168 pg.
Read Date: March 2-9, 2025

…the shock comes at the precise moment when the thrill of life is communicated to us along the clue we have been following. It is always shocking to meet life where we thought we were alone. “Look out!” we cry, “it’s alive.” And therefore this is the very point at which s many draw back—I would have done so myself if I could—and proceed no further with Christianity. An “impersonal God”—well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads—better still. A formless life-force surging through us, a vast power which we can tap—best of all. But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband—that is quite another matter. There comes a moment when the children who have been playing at burglars hush suddenly: was that a real footstep in the hall? There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (“Man’s search for God”!) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us?

So it is a sort of Rubicon. One goes across; or not. But if one does, there is no manner of security against miracles. One may be in for anything.

What’s Miracles About?

In this book, Lewis sets out to defend the idea of miracles. The possibility of them. He flat out says he won’t defend the historicity of Christian miracles—that’s not his field (of course, neither is theology, but that doesn’t stop him). He wants to lay the groundwork. If he can convince the reader that miracles are possible—even better they expect them and appreciate the relationship between them and Christianity—well then, he hopes the reader will—like Lewis himself did—examine the claims of Christianity on a more reasonable and ready basis.

The Direction of the Argument

First, Lewis starts with Supernaturalism vs. Naturalism (and it’s here that he might be at his best for the book)

Belief in miracles, far from depending on an ignorance of the laws of nature, is only possible in so far as those laws are known. We have already seen that if you begin by ruling out the supernatural you will perceive no miracles, We must now add that you will equally perceive no miracles until you believe that nature works according to regular laws. If you have not yet noticed that the sun always rises in the East you will see nothing miraculous about his rising one morning in the West.

His point is essentially that his readers will fall into two camps: those who will refuse to accept a miracle because they can’t happen or those who are willing to accept there are—or at least might be—supernatural possibilities in the world. If you are a committed reader in the former camp, there’s nothing that Lewis can do or say to make you change your mind. He will, at least, help you to see that—and lay out the possibilities of a supernatural explanation.

If you’re open to a supernatural explanation for things—like a miracle. Then Lewis has some things he’d like to talk to you about.

…it is mere confusion of thought to suppose that advancing science has made it harder for us to accept miracles, We always knew they were contrary to the natural course of events; we know still that if there is something beyond Nature, they are possible. Those are the bare bones of the question; time and progress and science and civilisation have not altered them in the least.

Then he moves into Christian miracles—or at least the miracles that Christians claim as part of their story—their Scriptures, their religion.

…you cannot [remove miracles] with Christianity. It is precisely the story of a great Miracle. A naturalistic Christianity leaves out all that is specifically Christian.

This is, he suggests, part of the path that he took to get to where he is.

If at any point along the line of argument, Lewis loses you, he will not ask you to accept his conclusion—or at least he has no basis to do so. Otherwise…

So, what did I think about Miracles?

You are probably quite right in thinking that you will never see a miracle done: you are probably equally right in thinking that there was a natural explanation of anything in your past life which seemed, at the first glance, to be “rum” or “odd.” God does not shake miracles into Nature at random as if from a pepper-caster. They come on great occasions: they are found at the great ganglions of history—not of political or social history, but of that spiritual history which cannot be fully known by men. If your own life does not happen to be near one of those great ganglions, how should you expect to see one? If we were heroic missionaries, apostles, or martyrs, it would be a different matter. But why you or I? Unless you live near a railway, you will not see trains go past your windows. How likely is it that you or I will be present when a peace-treaty is signed, when a great scientific discovery is made, when a dictator commits suicide? That we should see a miracle is even less likely. Nor, if we understand, shall we be anxious to do so. “Nothing almost sees miracles but misery.” Miracles and martyrdoms tend to bunch about the same areas of history—areas we have naturally no wish to frequent. Do not, I earnestly advise you, demand an ocular proof unless you are already perfectly certain that it is not forthcoming,

I enjoyed it—this was the second or third post-Narnia book I read by Lewis, and it’s one of them I’ve returned to the most. It’s also less and less effective to me the more times I read it. I just don’t like his line of argument. Nor do I appreciate some of what he says about the Scriptures. But, I do enjoy reading this.

There are two major aims for an apologetic work, as I’ve heard from a few apologetic professors/writers. The first is to present a defense for the faith to unbelievers—to convince them, to provide evidence for the faith to them, or at least to show that Christianity has a rational basis (things along those lines). The second aim is to buttress the confidence of the believer that they haven’t taken a blind leap of faith, that their convictions can stand against a hostile culture—or a disinterested one. I don’t see this working to well with the unbeliever (outside of maybe stressing that they’re committed to not accepting the possibility of miracles), rather the strength of his book falls into the latter category.

I appreciate what Lewis attempted to do here. I enjoy seeing him think through these things, and generally have a good time with his language. But it’s not the best thing he penned, and I’m not sure it’s all that useful.

Still, I like it. And anyone who’s going to name a chapter what he called Chapter 9? I want to spend a little time with.

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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Saturday Miscellany—4/12/25

By HCNewton

On April 12, 2025

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 National Library Week wraps up today (something I should’ve said something about earlier), so today is your last chance to take advantage of this. However, if you donate $15+ to a local library, you can get an audiobook credit from libro.fm click the link for details.
bullet Carla Crane Osborne uses her Idaho childhood as a muse—a Literary Local talks to a local news station. Yup, I got her to talk to me before TV did.
bullet The Comic-Book Artist Who Mastered Space and Time—Art Spiegelman on the late Jules Feiffer
bullet Pace Yourself—Molly Templeton makes the case reading slowly
bullet The Magic of Sci-Fi: Exploring the Unknown and Imagining the Future—a nice look at Science Fiction over at Adventures in Lit
bullet INTERVIEW: Voice Artist Jeff Hays—Over at GrimdarkMAGAZINE, Beth Tabler talked to the voice behind Dungeon Crawler Carl and many, many other books.
bullet Thematic music from lauded Game of Thrones composer, Will Musser—Micheal Michel’s The Price of Power gets its first piece of fan art from this guy (pretty good way to start)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy
bullet The Stolen Ones by Owen Laukkanen
bullet Vanished by Joseph Finder
bullet I mentioned the releases of The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu; Dark Heir by Faith Hunter; and Scent of Murder by James O. Born

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet My Documents by Kevin Nguyen—One of the best things I’ve read this year. I’ll probably be saying that in December, too. In the late twenty-teens, the U.S. Government starts detaining Vietnamese-Americans, and this harrowing-yet-frequently-amusing novel follows four siblings. If I say more than that, we’re going to be here for awhile. Hopefully I can get something together in a day or two.
bullet 24-Hour Warlock by Shami Stovall—in the third Chronos Chronicles novel, Finch (and his new team) takes on a demonologist to save his sister-in-law
bullet Big Chief by Jon Hickey—a provocative-looking political thriller set in the days leading up to a reservation’s election

LITERARY LOCALS: The 3rd Annual Treasure Valley Book Fair (and tiny book haul)

By HCNewton

On April 10, 2025

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

Literary Locals logo
This past weekend, the Nampa Public Library hosted The 3rd Annual Treasure Valley Book Fair and, as is my habit, I wanted to take a minute or two to talk about it.

Like last year, everyone was given a Passport with the names of every author present. If you got a stamp from every author, you got a free book from…I don’t know where they got this selection—but it was a pretty good one. I got a hardcover of Terry Pratchett’s Dodger, which looks fun. The downside to this is that there were several people that just came by, got a stamp, and moved on. My daughter and I had a conversation of a decent length with all of them—and were interrupted more than once by someone just wanting that. It’s kind of a shame because you could tell that too many people were just out for that (we actually had to be reminded more than once by an author to get a stamp—we’d just get distracted by whatever we were talking about). We had some great conversations—too many. Once again, we spent about 4 hours at an event we’d planned on attending for 90 minutes. We both would’ve gladly talked to many of these authors for longer than we did.

We didn’t see nearly as many returning authors as we’d hoped (Amy Maren Rice‘s absence made us briefly rethink attending). However, there were many that we got to meet for the first time. I’ve already talked to some about showing up here—and will be reaching out to as many of the others as I can in the next few days.

All in all, it was a great event with a large range of genres, target audiences, and authors represented (which was pretty encouraging) and one I hope is repeated again and again.

Now, I can’t be expected to show up to an event like that and walk away empty-handed, can I? I did restrain myself this time (the budget was very restrained this year—I bought less than half of what I wanted too) I do have a shopping list of some of the leftovers.
NPL Indie Fair Book Haul
(behold yet more evidence of why I don’t do bookstagram).

I, again, really enjoyed getting to talk to all of the authors there. Here are the social media (and/or way to order the books for) everyone that I could find. Do yourself a favor and check these authors out!

bullet Ashley DeLeon—a writer of spooky and humorous tales, I think my daughter and I could’ve stopped and talked to her for quite a while
bullet Bonnie Schroeder—her “novels feature complex female characters who must navigate challenging and even extraordinary circumstances to discover strength and wisdom they never knew they had.”
bullet Vannotes—writer of graphic novels, who was super-friendly
bullet Charles L. Hay—his novel focuses on survival, nature, and faith (I really wish we could’ve talked more)
bullet Cindi Hartley—her book talks about her struggles, and how she gets through them, with guidance for others (if this book is half as bright and optimistic as she seemed, it’ll be great)
bullet Daniel J. Breen—author of a cute children’s book about a well-loved dog
bullet Danielle Harrington—Fantasy and YA Fantasy novelist
bullet Elliott Linker—a young graphic novelist, back for his third time at this festival
bullet Ellis L. Knox—a local Fantasy novelist with a healthy backlist and a new mystery series in that fantasy world that looks promising
bullet Felicity Watt Wilson—author of a charming children’s book with art you have to see
bullet Gail Cushman/Helene Mitchell—As Gail Cushman she writes rom-coms for the senior set, and as Helene Mitchell she writes mysteries set in a (fictional) small-town Idaho
bullet Glen Gabel—his doorstop of a fantasy novel looks to be fun. Glen took time out of talking about his stuff to tell me about a Western that he’d recently become a fan of. A non-Western reader talking to another about one instead of plugging his own book. It’s exactly the kind of conversation I love falling into
bullet Katherine Ecrivain Joy—writer of faith-filled books for children
bullet James T. Lambert—one of my favorite local writers—SF and Steampunk—with one of the best beards in the valley
bullet Charles Sage—His thrillers look like they could be uncomfortably realistic (just from the setting). Came all the way from the panhandle.
bullet J.S. Anderson—writers of thrillers with a supernatural edge
bullet J.C. Jackson—I’ve probably been reading Jackson longer than any other local writer, always great to see her.
bullet JoEllen Claypool—Claypool writes for children, adults, and writers of all ages. And probably a few other audiences as well
bullet Julie Howard—writer of a series of domestic suspense novels
bullet K.J. Backer—writes books for younger readers who love animals and fantasy novels for adults that feature unicorns who know what to do with that horn. She’s new to the area and I hope I run into her at future events.
bullet Kelsey Elwood—the author of a memoir full of life-coaching lessons
bullet Ken Pollard—a musician-turned-travel writer. He had a violin/fiddle with him to decorate his table. We only realized later that we could’ve asked him to play for us (what we could hear from a distance sounded good)
bullet Laura Jenski—writer of cozy-ish mysteries
bullet Lori Josifek—writer of bird-centric children’s books
bullet Margaret Koger—a very nice poet
bullet Mary Vine—writer of “Romance With Humor, Suspense and Inspiration” and “Language-based Children’s Books that Educate, Inspire and give Hope”
bullet Melaney Taylor Auxier—Writer of Adult Fiction, Middle-Grade and Children’s books. Also a generous fellow dog-lover.
bullet Mel Parrish—A YA Fantasy writer from the Eastern part of the state
bullet Nathan Keys—Epic Fantasy writer. Our conversation led me to realize I didn’t post a Q&A we did last year. Oops.
bullet Nicole Sharp—her website describes her as a “writer of love, coffee, Italy, and fearless women.” I think she’s added “with a touch of spice” to her signage. Conversing with her was just as pleasant this year as last year—she’s the kind of person you’d love to get coffee with.
bullet Rachelle Nelson—writer of YA Fantasy
bullet Rebecca Evans: another brave soul trying to sell poetry
bullet Robin Chadwick Rundle—writer of Historical Romances
bullet Samual Smith, aka Joe Idaho—writer of “action and adventure, political commentary and satire, contemporary or historical fiction, modern or weird westerns.” Anyone who titles a book Teddy Roosevelt’s Goblin: A Bigfoot Story has got to be fun to chat with (and he was!).
bullet Sara Knightly—writer of Fantasy, who had one of the best-decorated tables.
bullet Sarah Hill—writer of Romance, who (with good humor) remembered that I told her last year that I probably would never read her books.
bullet Sherry Briscoe writes : writer of “suspense mysteries with a flavor of the paranormal”
bullet Troy Lambert—a writer of thrillers, and a couple of other things. He’s been distracted from getting to sequels that I’m waiting for by things that pay better (and that sound pretty cool, truth be told)
bullet Wendy Ann Mattox—a writer of Christian children’s books. She seems so full of energy, I expect her to put out 5 more books this year. At least.

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WWW Wednesday—April 8, 2025

By HCNewton

On April 9, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

This is my third post for the week, should be my seventh or eighth. On the plus side, if you are seeing this, it means I stayed awake long enough to put it together yesterday 🙂

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


My Documents by Kevin Nguyen	I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart

If anything was going to make Butler’s Parable of the Sower feel less prescient, it’d be Nguyen’s. It pulls off this odd combination of sweet, comfortable, slightly satirical, and utterly horrifying.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of Hart’s book, but I’m looking forward to pressing on.

What did you recently finish reading?


The Price of Power by Michael Michel	Baby City by Freida McFadden & Kelly Stoddard, read by Phillipa Miller

Michel’s relaunched book is just fantastic. I’d be counting the days for the second book in the series if it had a firm release date (phew! Saved from Math!!)

Baby City was utterly fine–and now I can say I’ve dipped my toe into McFadden’s work (even if it’s a far, far cry from a Domestic Thriller)

What do you think you’ll read next?


Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang	Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Wang and this book. Eager to dive in.

What could be more entertaining than a book about TB? It’s about time I try a John Green (past time, really), might as well try this one.

Are you working on anything good?

(late, I know) Saturday Miscellany—4/5/25 (or Weekend Miscellany or Sunday Miscellany…)

By HCNewton

On April 5, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I spent the day at the Nampa Library’s 3rd Annual Treasure Valley Book Fair and dealing with family stuff, so it’s taken me a bit to get the time for this.

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 The Book Business Prepares for Tariff Turmoil —this is going to hurt
bullet “Reading builds empathy”: The case for saving America’s libraries: America needs “third places” like our libraries more than we ever have, both functionally and philosophically
bullet A Mini Train Just for Books? NYPL’s New System is a Must-See—ohhhh, I wanna watch this in action
bullet Who Killed the Omniscient Narrator? A Brief History of POV
bullet The White Male Writer is Fine, I Promise—a nation breathes a giant sign of relief, I’m sure—we were all so worried.
bullet Narratess Indie April Sale—is this weekend
bullet My Recommendations for Narratess’ Indie Sale April 2025 from JamReads.
bullet The Curious Case of Literary Confusion: Guest Post by Andrew McAleer
bullet Book Worlds We’d Like To Visit—this list from LibraryThing is bringing back a lot of memories for me, and adding a few ideas to my TBR
bullet World Autism Awareness Day: Why Authentic Autistic Representation Matters – a personal perspective—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
bullet Best Amazon Alternatives for Book Lovers

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
bullet Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson—the book that turned me from the occasional reader of Johnson into a devoted fan
bullet Dead to Me by Cath Staincliffe
bullet And I mentioned the release of The Diamond Conspiracy by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett—A fantasic sequel, and an even better mystery in this fantasy series, as I tried to say earlier this week
bullet Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto—I was supposed to write about this sequel a week ro so ago, but I couldn’t quite get my act together enough. Short version, this is everything that fans of the first Vera Wong will want.
bullet The Price of Power by Michael Michel—This is the first volume in a fantasy saga that is destined to be fanstastic. I talked about it some on Friday (and am going to have to eat my words on more than one prediction)
bullet Rex Stout: Killer Conversations with Edgar Winner John McAleer by by Andrew McAleer—the son of Rex Stout’s biographer has brought us this collection of interviews between the two. I have to spend some time pouring over this.
bullet Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words by John McWhorter—”With his trademark humor and flair, bestselling linguist John McWhorter busts the myths and shares the history of the most controversial language topic of our times: pronouns”
bullet I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney—”Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a ‘far more interesting’ man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living.”