Book Review: In a Witch's Wardrobe (A Witchcraft Mystery #4)

In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the things I really enjoy about Juliet Blackwell's "A Witchcraft Mystery" series is that she's able to create a world in which natural witches and witches who had no skills before training exist side by side, each learning and practicing differently, but each having an effect.

I also like the way she uses real magical theory in her novels. For example, her character Lily Ivory describes the difference between binding and banishing. Blackwell's description is similar to the one in one of my own novels, which makes me believe that she did her homework researching.

I love all of her characters, and the voice talent on the audiobook really brings them to life. Still, I'm pretty sure, though, that if I read a text version of her books that I'd find them just as distinct and interesting.

Definitely recommended for those who enjoy reading books with realistic witch characters that can still excite and fascinate.

View all my reviews

Camp NaNoWriMo

If you're a writer and on the internet, you've heard about NaNoWriMo, the online creative writing project that takes place in November. Writers pledge to write a novel of 50,000 words during the month, relying on the site for support, encouragement, and tips, with the only reward being a fantastic feeling of accomplishment.

It's a rough slog, requiring you to write 1,667 words each day— or making a mad rush on weekends. In the United States, November contains the Thanksgiving holiday, which can work for or against the writer. If you have an extra two days off from work, you're in luck. Some, though, who are close to their families (or friends) or expected to do a lot of holiday travel or cooking find it hard to fit in writing time.

Have no fear, though; there's Camp NaNoWriMo! "Camp NaNoWriMo is a more open-ended version of our original November event." Launched in 2011, it was initially held in July and again in August. In 2014, though, there will be sessions in both April and July, and the word-count goals are more relaxed: "We welcome word-count goals between 10,000 and 1,000,000." It's also not limited to just novels; "writers may attempt non-novel projects. Camp is a creative retreat for whatever you’re working on!"

Just as with NaNoWriMo, there are perks to participating. Check out the sponsor pages for details.

So join in the fun at Camp NaNoWriMo.  April is just around the corner.

And consider donating. "When you donate to National Novel Writing Month, you help bring free creative writing programs to more than 500,000 kids and adults in approximately 100 countries, 2,000 classrooms, 600 libraries, and 500 NaNoWriMo regions every year."

National Novel Writing Month is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Book Review: Secondhand Spirits (A Witchcraft Mystery, #1)

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good paranormal mystery with just the right amount of tension and dread. The "natural witch" (that is, someone born with paranormal powers) and the pagan witches are drawn well and believable.

The voice talent (I listened to an audio version) was excellent, too.

I was impressed enough that I'm already listening to the second in the series.

View all my reviews

Podcast of Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Readings at Boskone 2014

The Rapid-Fire Reading (RFR) is one of the oldest events that Broad Universe presents, usually at science fiction, fantasy, and horror conventions. It showcases published and in-progress work from members. 

If you missed the Rapid-fire Reading at Boskone 51, here's your chance to listen to Broad Universe members read five minutes of their works. Writer Elaine Isaak assumed the duties of emcee, introducing readers and keeping us to our time limits. Writer Justine Graykin recorded the readings and published them in the March edition of the BroadPod podcast.

Here are the bios of the readers who participated. You can download or listen to the podcast on the Broad Universe web site.

Moven Westfield (me) is a fiction writer, technical writer, and occasional podcaster who fuses her love of computing, vampire mythology and modern witchcraft in a series set in the suburbs west of Boston. She has also contributed non-fiction articles on supernatural lore to the Witches’ Almanac since 2006. Morven served as a member of the Motherboard of Broad Universe for two terms and is an active member of the New England Chapter. She is also a long-time member of New England Horror Writers. Like many writers, she keeps a messy office and drinks way too much coffee.

Sandra Barret grew up in New England. She moved to California for a time, but that proved to be too much sun and fun. She’s back in New England with her wife, children, and more pets than are probably legal to own (and sheep…let’s not forget the sheep).

Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Thereafter, the second book in her AfterLife series will be available May 1, 2014.

Roberta Rogow is know for her Filk (Sciencefiction/fantasy folk songs); she also writes historical mysteries. Her latest book, Murders in Manatas, is a detective story set in an alternate universe, sort of Last of the Mohegans meets Arabian Nights, with a Spanish accent. The second in the series, Mayhem in Manatas will appear later this year.

Anna Erishkigal is an attorney who writes fantasy fiction under a pen-name so her colleagues don’t question whether her legal pleadings are fantasy fiction as well. Much of the law, it turns out, is fantasy fiction. Lawyers just prefer to call it ‘zealously representing your client.’  Seeing the dark underbelly of life makes for some interesting fictional characters. The kind you either want to incarcerate, or run home and write about. In fiction, you can fudge facts without worrying too much about the truth. In legal pleadings, if your client lies to you, you look stupid in front of the judge. At least in fiction, if a character becomes troublesome, you can always kill them off.

New eBook Versions of Darksome Thirst Available

New eBook versions of Darksome Thirst, the first novel in my vampire series, are available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.  

On Smashwords, Darksome Thirst is available for only $1.25 as part of a special eBook Week promotion. You have to enter REW75 as the coupon code and the offer is good only until March 8, 2014. http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370046

The new versions fix formatting problems, small typographical errors, and readability problems with the electronic version because scene changes weren't clearly denoted.

If you bought an electronic version of Darksome Thirst before, you should be able to download the improved version.
 

Boskone 2014 Recap - Part 4 (Sunday)

Sunday
I have never stayed through to the end of Boskone and I thought I might this time, and be able to help tear down, to attend the feedback session, and maybe even check out the Dead Dog Filk, but I had a chance to get a ride home instead of discovering first-hand whether the public transportation was affected by the storm.

After checking out and stowing my luggage in the luggage room, I attended two more panels. My Favorite (or Worst) Story and Why I Wrote It was moderated by Leigh Perry and included Paul G. Tremblay, Dana Cameron, and Charlaine Harris. It's always interesting to hear how writers come to their stories (or stories come to their writers), and this was no exception. Interesting and fun.

The second panel, Having Your Work Adapted to Film was moderated by Melinda Snodgrass and included Charlaine Harris and Steven Sawicki. They discussed what an option is (a placeholder so that someone else doesn't buy the rights, not an agreement to do a film), how the money works (the lower the money, the shorter the term), and why books must by necessity differ from the movie (books are internal, movies are external; books are too long to fit in 90 minutes or, with some, even 3 hours). Very informative, well-explained, and well-moderated.

Where Was I Supposed to Be?
Before I wrap up my recap, let me mention Boskone's new guide application. Based on open-source software called KonOpas, it runs on a browser and - a biggie for me - can even show the schedule when you're not connected to the internet. Because it runs on a browser, it doesn't matter whether your smartphone is an iPhone, an Android phone, or a Windows phone; you just open a browser and go to boskone.org/guide. You can select the panels that you want to attend and they will appear in a chronological list under MyCon.

One of my friends said he actually preferred it over Guidebook, the app that Boskone used last year (and Arisia used this year). I have only two minor complaints: I don't think there's a way to add your own events (for example, going out to dinner or staffing the Broad Universe table) and I don't know how to pronounce KonOpas. Kudos to the team who implemented it for Boskone! (Boskone lists them as Eemeli Aro, Henry Balen and Tim Szczesuil).

So How Was the Interview with the Guest of Honor?
When I first started going to cons, I remember hearing "You should get to the room early. GOH events are always packed." I didn't, and after standing outside the room trying to listen to the well-modulated but under-amplified voice inside for a few minutes, I walked away. I forget who it was or where it was, but I felt that I had really missed something of great import, like going to Paris and missing the Louvre or La Tour Eiffel or the Catacombs.

I know people who plan their whole convention around the GOH events. I know others who avoid them because they can be too crowded. And then there are others like me, who forget to put them on their schedule and then do things like sign up for table duty because there's an empty slot (duh! I wonder why!) or go get lunch because there finally isn't a line (duh, again!)

So maybe next year the first thing I do when looking at the schedule using KonOpas will be to select the GOH events. I don't need to plan my con around them, but at least I'll remember they're there.

Boskone 2014 Recap - Part 3 (Saturday, continued)

Saturday, Continued
The next panel is one that I was really interested in and haven't seen at other conventions. The Long Series - How We Did It discussed how three multi-book authors handled long series. Ginjer Buchanan moderated Charlaine Harris, Melinda Snodgrass, and Steve Miller. How do you keep characters straight? Do you have an arc across the series? How does fan reaction affect your writing-in-progress? Charlaine has an assistant who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the books and checks continuity. Steve says that from time to time he and the other writers re-read books in the series. Once again, great panel, well-moderated.

I had to leave the panel early, though, because I had to get to the Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading. I was one of eight readers giving 5-minute readings from my work. I was reading a new piece, one that I had read through at home and in my hotel room, but once up in the front of the conference room I realized I should have done more. I didn't know the piece well enough to look up at the audience and then find my place quickly again. I tried the trick of using my left thumb as a bookmark, but forgot that for this trick to work, I really needed to look up at the end of the previous line so that the next word was the one next to my thumb, not a word in the middle of the sentence. I muddled my words a bit, and as I wrapped up the piece, I felt that I really should have picked a livelier extract. (Imagine my surpise on Sunday when I found out I actually sold a book from that reading. Thank you, purchaser! I really needed that.)

At this point I should mention the snow. Boston had a winter storm warning and I heard someone say that the City of Boston was asking people to stay off the roads after 5 pm so that the plows could do their job. Some friends and I had made a reservation weeks ago to go out to eat. Dear Hubby would come in to the city and join us, then stay over at the hotel and relax in the hotel room while I continued con-going.

After watching the weather forecasts, he reluctantly decided to stay home, with my encouragement, because you never know how serious snowstorms can get. (Remember the Blizzard of '78? I do. Read about it on WikiPedia.) Some con-goers who planned to go home Saturday night changed their lodging plans, too. Helmuth, the single-page news vehicle for Boskone, announced that the hotel would honor the Boskone rate if attendees decided to stay because of the storm. That was a nice touch.

Judging by the long lines outside the hotel's M. J. O'Connors restaurant, some con-goers must have changed their dining plans, deciding to eat in instead of exploring Boston's restaurant scene.

My friends and I trudged through the snow on foot to the restaurant. The sidewalks nearest and around the hotel were relatively clear, crews out with mechanical sweepers trying to keep up with the snow. As we got further away from the hotel, there was an inch or two underfoot and I found myself needing to pay attention to how I planted my feet so I wouldn't slide, but this is February, in New England, and of course I had boots, a scarf, a winter coat, and gloves. I also thought to grab extra tissues from the hotel so that the three of us would be able to wipe off our wet eyeglasses when we arrived so we could actually see the menu.

We had a nice meal and good conversation while I sent my husband pictures of the restaurant and food, much to his dismay ("You're not making this any better.") As we left the restaurant, the sidewalk was more slippery underfoot, but once again, near the hotel it was fine.

After dinner, we managed to hit the first Book Launch Party, held in the Galleria/Con Suite. Authors and publishers with a new book sat at the Con Suite table with their books and swag and you were able to chat and inspect the new books. I hope they do that again next year (and that I have a book out next year so I can participate). Duncan Eagleson was there with his first novel Darkwalker. (Don't you hate multi-talented people? Just look at his creds!)

While staffing the Broad Universe table, I heard that I missed a great panel, Fun with Seriously Silly Poses, where participants re-enacted scenes from SF/fantasy/horror cover art. As Mur Lafferty pointed out in her post, it was similar to what Jim C. Hines did in his excellent "Striking a Pose" on his web site. Darn! Hope they repeat that one some time.

To be continued.

Boskone 2014 Recap - Part 2 (Saturday)

Saturday
Trying to be a good convention-goer, I silenced the sound on my cell phone. I didn't remember that I did that when I set the alarm on my cell phone Friday night. It probably would have been okay except that 1) I kept waking up in the night with leg cramps from walking back and forth, and 2) I didn't even think of going to bed until 1:00 am because I was engaged in a great conversation with sister Broad Universe member Justine Graykin.

Add to that the fact that the Westin hotel has this great green/conservation program of allowing you to opt out of daily room cleaning (thereby saving water from linens and towels being washed when they really don't need to) and you have a recipe for wakeup failure. If I had opted for the normal housekeeping, a knock on the door would have woken me by, say, 9:00. Unfortunately, there was no knock, and I slept until 10:03.  I missed the Writers' Warmup by E. C. Ambrose, author of the Dark Apostle series, and Writing Fan Fiction for Kids with Mur Lafferty and Max Gladstone.

"Morven," you say, the shock evident in the look on your face and the low tone of voice, "You don't write for kids. You don't have kids..." True that, as they say. But I do listen to the "I Should be Writing" podcast and I believe there was an episode with Max and I thought they were fantastically intelligent and funny. Since Mur lives in North Carolina, I don't have the opportunity to see her at cons, so I was a little upset with myself for oversleeping and missing the panel.

The Writers' Warmup is a mini-workshop I've attended before and loved it. If it was the same this year, writer E.C. Ambrose sets you a writing prompt and you free-write for a set amount of minutes. Sounds tame, right? Maybe it's the writing vibes from the other writers around the table, but it was really productive and fun. Sorry I missed it this year.

I did, however, make it to the Broad Universe table at 11 to do the first of my one-hour shifts. One of the benefits for paid members of the organization is that you get to sell your books at the table, but you must put in two hours staffing the table during the convention. There are always two people staffing at a time, so even if traffic is a little slow, you get the opportunity to know another member of Broad Universe. My buddy for my first shift was Roberta Rogow, author and filker.

After my shift, I did finally get to see Mur Lafferty in a panel. Urban Fantasy in Transition, which was moderated by Leigh Perry, included Melinda Snodgrass, Mur Lafferty, and Max Gladstone.  This well-moderated panel had me wondering if my own work was more urban fantasy and gave me a better understanding of the genre (or is it category?) One high point was hearing Max Gladstone describe the bankruptcy process as a form of necromancy (Chapter 11 is like a circle of mystical wards, and bankruptcy court raises the dead. Think about it.)

Later that day I attended an interview with special guest Ginjer Buchanan, who, after 30 years as an editor, has just announced her retirement. The interview was conducted by urban fantasy writer/editor Leigh Perry (aka Toni Kelner), who is an excellent moderator and interviewer. Speaking of Urban Fantasy, in the Boskone program there's a pull quote that says, "Ginjer can partly claim responsibility for the rise of the subgenre known as urban fantasy." We were lucky to have her.

One of the great (bad?) things about Boskone is that I kept running into people I knew and having hall conversations. That meant I would be late for the next panel, and since I was late anyway, I might as well stop at the Broad Universe table and make sure they had coverage and see if I could cover if someone needed a quick break.

I was really late for the panel The Pleasures of Parasites, moderated by Priscilla Olson and including Jill Shultz, Frank Wu, and Joan Slonczewski. In high school, I found biology fascinating, so I was disappointed that I was able to sit in for about only 20 minutes. Still, what I heard was excellent. You could tell that the panelists not only knew their stuff, but were really fascinated by the adaptations and life cycles of parasites. Again, an excellent panel!

I know we're still on Saturday, but let me stop here and continue later. There's so much to talk about!

Boskone 2014 Recap - Part 1 (Friday)

Sometimes I come home from a convention tired. No, let me restate that: I usually come home from a convention tired. After all, I've stayed up late two or three nights in a row preparing, I've driven into a strange city or for many hours, I've lugged books and vending setups, and I've walked miles back and forth between my hotel room, event rooms, and my car. And then I don't always eat full meals, sleep less on a strange bed, and either eat the wrong foods or have one too many glasses of wine or cups of coffee.

Despite all of that, I returned home from Boskone today feeling great.

Just as I want to do an investigation when cons go wrong, I now find myself investigating why this one went so right.

Friday
Let's start on Friday. I managed to get the day off work. That's a big plus. I wasn't thinking of work-related projects, I wasn't rushing out of the house into rush-hour traffic. Instead I was sitting on a commuter train into the city, listening to Mur Lafferty's "I Should Be Writing" podcast while gazing out at the beautiful snow-covered winter tableau.

I checked in and put everything away before registration or vendor setup even started; no rushing in at 7, late to the game, apologizing that I couldn't help.I helped set up the Broad Universe table with Elaine Isaak and Justine Graykin and met a Broad new to Boskone, Jill Shultz, and her husband. Okay, so I wasn't feeling guilty and I got to meet new people. Score one on that.

I was able to attend a panel when panels began at 5:00 —— a first for me —— on The Fine Art of Murder with Dana Cameron, Leigh Perry, and Charlaine Harris, moderated by Vincent O'Neil. O'Neil did a great job of moderating, something I saw repeated throughout the convention and that I heard others praise over the weekend. Did Boskone send out guidelines for moderating? Did this crop of moderators just remember to do their homework? Was it just because they were blessed with a panel of professionals? I don't know, but the panel (and audience) were excellent.

And how does mystery/murder fit in with an SF convention? It made perfect sense to me, and maybe to others, too, because the next panel I attended was the Blurred Lines panel, which discussed how the lines between genres are becoming more blurred. Again moderated by Vincent O'Neil, this panel included Joshua Bilmes (JABberwocky Literary Agency), editor Stacey Friedberg, and writer Paul G. Tremblay. In the panel they discussed both how genre categorization helps (helps readers discover other writers who write the types of novels the reader likes) and how it's not really that important these days. (I kept thinking that with the internet, it's not the genre that matters, but the keywords, and you can have multiple keywords, whereas in bookstores, yes, it's true that you have to figure out which shelf to put things on.)

Had a tasty dinner and engaging conversation with Terri Bruce, author of  the novel Hereafter, an adventure into the afterlife when thirty-six year-old Irene Dunphy makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night bar-hopping with friends. Terri is also one of the co-ordinators of the robust New England Chapter of Broad Universe. For dessert, we hit the Boskone Meet the Guests & Art Shop Reception that started at 9. Those who know me know that I follow a low-carb diet these days, but it's hard to resist the cakes and sundries there. (I was restrained: only a tiny slice here and there.)

Justine Graykin joined us as we ate our desserts and the three of us did check out the party floor before returning to our rooms, but Boskone is a very restrained con. The parties were convention bids for future WorldCons. That is, you went in and sampled their arrays of cheeses or snack food and they told you about their bid for the next WorldCon. It was nice, no pressure, and informative. But the three of us didn't hang out long. Bed was beckoning.

[to be continued]

Broad Universe Events at Boskone (in Boston, MA) this Coming Weekend

In a January 30 article, Boston magazine listed Boskone in its Culture Calendar as one of its seven "must-see arts and entertainment events in February 2014."

It's not surprising. After all, Boskone has been going now for 51 years. This year's lineup includes Guest of Honor Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, Official Artist  David Palumbo, Special Guest  Ginjer Buchanan, Featured Filker Bill Roper, Hal Clement Science Speaker Bill Higgins, and NESFA Press Guest  Jane Yolen.

The New England Chapter of Broad Universe, an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror and other speculative genres, will have a table in the Dealers' Room and will present a Rapid-Fire reading.

What's a Rapid-Fire Reading? "The Rapid Fire Reading (RFR) is one of the oldest events Broad Universe holds. Usually at science fiction, fantasy, and horror conventions but branching out to other venues, too, the RFR showcases snippets of published and in-progress work from members for the audience to enjoy." Source: Broad Universe web page

The RFR will be on Saturday, February 15, at 6 pm in Burroughs. Readers include Sandra Barret, Terri Bruce, Anna Erishkigal, Justine Graykin, Morven Westfield, Phoebe Wray, Jill Shultz, and Roberta Rogow.

Other members who will be attending, some presenting on panels, include

Elaine Isaak
Ellen Larson
Jennifer Pelland

Reminder - An Evening with the Authors

Wednesday, February 12, 2014
5:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, NH (map)

In the Levenson Room

An Evening with the Authors - Valentine's Day Edition

The New England chapter of Broad Universe, an international association of men and women dedicated to encouraging, celebrating, and promoting women authors of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, is hosting an event in Portsmouth, NH this February.

From the meetup page:

Wednesday, February 12, 2014
5:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, NH (map)

In the Levenson Room

Join five New England authors for an evening exploring the treatment of love in all its forms--from the platonic to the erotic--in literature.

The authors--Trisha Wooldridge, Justine Graykin, Terri Bruce, Phoebe Wray, and Jennifer Carson--will read from their works and participate in a general Q&A, followed by mingling with the audience and book signings. Light refreshments will be served. This will be a chance to get up close and personal with the authors, so bring your questions and be ready to talk about your favorite books. This will be a fun and casual event and is free and open to the public.

Inanna Arthen's Talk on Vampires - Complete set of podcast episodes

In a lively talk recorded at Books and Boos in Colchester, Connecticut, on April 20, 2013, Inanna Arthen traced the history of vampires in fiction and debunked some of the common mistakes and misinformation about the genre.

I broke the talk up into three parts to fit the format of my "Vampires, Witches, and Geeks" podcast. All three parts are now posted here:


Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Pi-Con: A Celebration of Geekery

Pi-Con bills itself as "The friendliest little convention in New England" and I won't accuse them of exaggerating. They describe themselves as a "celebration of geekery" and have panels and events on Science Fiction, Fantasy, Gaming, LARPs, and Comics. They have readings, panels, parties, performances, and vendors. 

 

This year -- year number 8 -- it will be held June 27-29, 2014 at the Holiday Inn, Enfield, CT. Having made the trip a number of times myself (check out my past events page), I can attest that the hotel is easy to find, right off the highway. It's small enough to feel homey, but large enough to accommodate the con.

Here's this year's line-up of guests:

Guest of Honor
3-Time Hugo Award Winner
Allen Steele

Guest of Awesome
Justine Graykin

Artist of Awesome
Sarah Morrison

Featured Filker
Dave Weingart

Interested? Find out more here:

https://www.facebook.com/PiConSF
http://pi-con.org/

 

If you're interested in volunteering, please check out the following page. Volunteering is a great way to meet people if you're new to conventions, new to the area, or traveling solo. There's usually some sort of thank-you involved (like a cool tee-shirt), but that's not why you do it. You do it because it's FUN.

 

http://pi-con.org/get-involved/staff/

 

Broad Universe Events at Arisia (in Boston, MA) this Coming Weekend

Broad Universe is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror and other speculative genres.

The New England Chapter is very active, blessed by short distances and a number of fantasy, science fiction, and horror conventions all within commuting distance. One convention where the New England Chapter has a strong presence is Arisia.

Arisia, the first of the convention year, is a volunteer-run convention that covers all aspects of science fiction and fantasy literature and media. Held at the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel, it is different from other science fiction conventions in at least two respects: panels and activities run nonstop throughout the night (yes, you can attend a panel or join an event at 2 a.m. if you're still awake) and it has as many lifestyle panels as literature/media/gaming panels.

On Friday, January 17, the New England Chapter will host a party at 8 pm. All Arisia attendees are invited; you don't have to be a Broad Universe member or even a female!

On Saturday, January 18, at 1 pm, various members will read from their published works or works in progress at the Rapid-fire reading. Once again, all Arisia attendees are invited.

Some of the Broad Universe members (from the New England chapter and elsewhere) who will be reading include:

Ellen Larson
Terri Bruce
Phoebe Wray
Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert
Jennifer Allis Provost
Catherine Lundoff
Roberta Rogow
Trisha Wooldridge
KT Pinto
Gail Z. Martin
Rachel Kenley
Connie Wilkins

Other members who will be attending, some presenting on panels, include:

Elaine Isaak
Ellen Larson
Inanna Arthen
Jennifer Pelland
Justine Graykin
Morven Westfield

Arisia and Boskone: How New England Genre Writers Survive the Darkest Months

Though December has the shortest day of the year, January and February typically have the coldest weather.

Fortunately, those of us in New England who love science fiction, fantasy, horror, or just want to learn more about writing in those genres, have two Science Fiction conventions to keep us warm -- and sane.

I'll be attending both this year (weather willing).

Arisia (January 17-20, 2014)
Westin Waterfront
425 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210

Arisia is a volunteer-run convention that covers all aspects of science fiction and fantasy literature and media.

I'll be hanging out at the Broad Universe table, signing and selling books. Stop by and say hello.

Boskone 51 (February  14-16)
Westin Waterfront
425 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210

Boskone is a regional Science Fiction convention focusing on literature, art, music, and gaming. They're not just SF, though; there's a good amount of Fantasy and some horror representation in panels and author signings.

Once again, I won't be doing any readings, signings, or panels, but you can find me hanging out with members of Broad Universe.

Book Review: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't remember reading this in high school, but even if I did, it's good that I read it now.

Reading it now, after living a bit, I appreciate the difference in class, especially back then, having seen class distinctions change over time. At this time of my life, I've known many self-made people and a few born into money, something I hadn't experienced in high school.

More than that, I could appreciate the beauty of Fitzgerald's prose. I was thoroughly surprised by it. When younger, I would have been too worried about getting a good grade and noticing what I was supposed to notice to actually enjoy it.

This version of the audiobook was read by Tim Robbins who does a great job with all the voices. My only complaint was that when he spoke the part of Tom Buchanan, it was VERY loud, which took a little getting used to when I was wearing earbuds, and some of the dialog spoken by Jordan Baker was too soft. I realize that the volume goes with the character, though, and eventually I got used to it (or they mixed it differently).

The recording includes a selection of letters written by Fitzgerald to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, his agent, Harold Ober, and friends and associates. I know those letters wouldn't have meant as much to me in the days before I knew anything about agents, editors, and the publishing business


View all my reviews

Book Review: A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley

A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley by Neal Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I remember reading the Ripley's Believe it or Not cartoons in the Sunday comics and being fascinated and amused by the exotic things he discovered around the world.

What I didn't know then was that he was a journalist, started out drawing baseball characters, and was even a semi-pro baseball player! He was also a self-centered, arrogant, womanizer. Though I don't think I would have thought highly of him if I knew him, the fascinating story of his life kept me interested.

Those were interesting times, especially for Ripley, a Sinophile who watched the countries he loved fall into communism or be destroyed by wars. I think that hearing about the world events as Ripley would have seen them is what kept me interested. I barely remember a lot of my history classes, but I do remember thinking that my college history class was the best because the instructor spoke of how people were affected, how they felt, what it meant to their lives. Thompson makes not just Ripley come alive, but the world around Ripley come alive.

I enjoyed the audiobook edition, though I first thought that the reader was a little dry. Thompson's writing was solid enough so that I was able to visualize the scenes as they read and eventually started to like the delivery of the narration. It was as if the voice came from the times the author described.


View all my reviews

Baltimore Book Festival 2013 Review

[Ooops! Forgot to publish this one! The Baltimore Book Fair was September 27-29, 2013.]

Why would I drive seven hours down -- and a grueling ten and a half hours back -- to the Baltimore Book Festival when there is a perfectly good local festival less than an hour in Boston? Friendship, curiosity, and to see and meet a new group of authors and publishers. (And to connect to some of the people who drive up north to attend events that I usually attend.)

Because of the long commute, I knew I couldn't make any Friday night events, so I picked three from Saturday and three from Sunday, realizing that I might not be able to make all of them; it's so easy to lose track of the time at large events.

I made plans to stay with my friend, writer Roxanna Benson. After picking up her daughter, artist Laura Benson on Saturday, we used Baltimore's excellent transportation system to commute in from a suburb. That was the easy part. Because it was a weekend, the commuter parking lot was nearly empty. The subway was running on time, and not crowded.

When we disembarked, our adventure began. (Yes, adventure. The three of us chose to view our challenges as an adventure, and it's well we did.)

We could not find the place. Roxanna had printed a map that she found on the BFF site, and Laura remembered that the stop we wanted was State Center/Cultural Center. I had even downloaded the App onto my iPod Touch.

Leaving the subway stop, we didn't know which way to exit. Once on the street, we looked at the map and, using a cheapo compass I had dug out of my camping gear, we set off in what ultimately was the wrong direction. We would pass W. Madison, but for some reason it seemed to be perpendicular to the way it was shown on the map.

After more than an hour of walking around and asking at least four different groups of people for directions, Laura spotted a man who seemed like he was heading the same way we were. Fortunately, he was.

Arriving too late for the first event we wanted to attend, we used our time visiting the various stalls, including food stalls (we were starving by now!)

All three of us sat in on the "Manuscript Makeover" panel with Baltimore Review editors Barbara Diehl, Kathleen Hellen, Ann Kolakowski, Lalita Noronha, Seth Sawyers, and Dean Bartoli Smith, who described their personal practices on making their manuscripts go from draft to publishable. I usually attend panels given by authors in the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, so it was interesting to hear tips from non-genre writers.

After that we attended "No Holds Barred with Agents and Editors" with featured publishers Treva Harte, Editor, LooseId; Mary Sue Seymour, Literary Agent, Seymour Agency; Lyndsay Hemphill, Agent, ICM Partners. This was an exciting panel where members actually commented on entries by attendees. One had to submit 5 copies of 1 page only of a work you wanted evaluated. The panelists gave feedback on how they reacted to the submissions. Roxanna and I bit our fingernails as we waited to see if there would be enough time for them to read ours. There was. And in both cases, the feedback was encouraging, very encouraging. We were both dancing on air.

Unfortunately the euphoria didn't entirely compensate for our long walking adventure and we ended up leaving early, before the evening events. We were tired, but refreshed, and ready to write!

Book Review: A Skeleton in the Family

A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the publisher: "Moving back into her parents’ house with her teenage daughter had not been Georgia Thackery’s “Plan A.” But when she got a job at the local college, it seemed the sensible thing to do. So she settled in and began reconnecting with old friends... Including Sid. Sid is the Thackery family’s skeleton. He’s lived in the house as long as Georgia can remember, although no one, including Sid, knows exactly where he came from and how he came to be a skeleton."

What can I say? I loved it. Sid is wisecracking, but in a timid, self-conscious way. He's loyal and protective, and intelligent. In short, he's everything you'd want in a family friend.

I loved the way the mystery built, I loved Sid's wisecracking, and I loved Georgia's logical solving of the problem. Author Leigh Perry did a great job of world-building when she placed Georgia in academia, making the struggles and politics come alive. In this first book, we don't come to understand exactly how Sid is an animated skeleton, but I didn't mind. I was able to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the show.

The narrator of the audiobook did a great job of bringing the characters to life. I expected Sid to be more "up" (yeah, I don't know why), but I easily settled into his dry (what else would you expect?) voice.

I loved the characters and am looking forward to more books in the series. Yay, Sid!

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