Category Archives: Thoughts about Writing

The Said Book Goes to a Party

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Marion

The Said Book accompanied me to the writers’ group on Saturday.  It was the hit of the day.  I passed it around and various fellow writers observed it with awe, fear and contempt.  “I thought it was a myth,” M … Continue reading →

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Fantasy Literature Nominated for an Award

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Marion

Book Bloggers Appreciation Week has nominated Fantasy Literature for an award.  We are on  the “long list” at this point.  Our stalwart editing board is frantically reading through this year’s reviews to try to pick the best possible one as … Continue reading →

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The Big What-If

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Marion

(Warning; Spoilers. I have listed the biggest of them in Comments, but there may be others. Read at your own risk.)  Last week I read two books. One was the popular and much-hyped Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark … Continue reading →

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But It’s Really Not a Story

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Marion

Last week I picked up a steam-punk anthology called . . . Steampunk’d.  I think “Punk’d” is the way Ashton Kutcher spells his TV trick show.  Maybe that was a clue. I sent my review of the whole anthology to … Continue reading →

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Greywalker; A Textbook Origin Story

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Marion

Greywalker, Kat Richardson Roc Paperpacks, 2006 For a review of Greywalker click here and here.  I’m not going to review it.  I’ve posted this in Thoughts About Writing because I’m going to talk about the technique Richardson uses to introduce … Continue reading →

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The Internet is Cruel

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Marion

I’m referring, of course, to the kerfluffle over on Big Al’s Books and Pals.  If you read book-review blogs you already know about this, because on Monday and Tuesday it blew up, got shared, tweeted, Face-booked and has probably “gone … Continue reading →

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Fantasy Literature

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Marion

As of today, I have joined the reviewing website fantasyliterature.com.  Terry Weyna of Reading the Leaves reviews there, and she suggested me.  The site is well-regarded by the publishing industry and has a reputation for solid, thoughtful reviews.  I’ll try … Continue reading →

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Ariana Franklin, Rest in Peace

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Marion

In a field crowded cheek-by-jowl with history mysteries and historical detectives, Ariana Franklin managed to create a true original in Adelia Aguilar. Adelia is an orphaned, Italian-trained physician sent to the backwater of 12th-century England to serve Henry II; a … Continue reading →

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Jane Eyre Part II: Repression, Regression, Tension and Release

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Marion

(All quotes taken from the 1985 Penguin Classics edition)  “You have a very bad disposition,” said she, “and one to this day I feel impossible to understand; how for nine years you could be patient and quiescent  under any treatment, … Continue reading →

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Vampires: Can They Smell You Coming?

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Marion

In modern fiction, specifically urban fantasy, vampires are frequently characterized as having an acute sense of smell.  Often they can smell humans from several yards away; they can smell fear like a dog or wild animal, or they can track … Continue reading →

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