Monthly Archives: January 2011

Bloodshot

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Marion

Bloodshot/Cherie Priest Ballentine Spectra, 2011 I thought I’d take a break from Gilgamesh and The Book Thief—and that may be the first time those two books showed up in the same sentence—so I read Cherie Priest’s urban fantasy Bloodshot over the … Continue reading →

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The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Marion

The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet:Arturo Perez-Reverte G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2003 When your action novel hero is a battle-hardened soldier, death alone is not enough of a threat to the character.  The writer’s challenge is to find something more serious, … Continue reading →

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The Comeback Girl

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Marion

Al hail to you, Sarah Palin, limelight-hugging Queen of the Kodiak!  They said they had “Palin fatigue.”  They said you weren’t news.  They said they could ignore you.  Would you stand still for that?  No!  You showed them.  First of … Continue reading →

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Jane Eyre, Part I

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Marion

(Warning: This is a very long post.) Chad Hull, author of the blog Fiction is So Over-Rated, and I have been having a discussion about Jane Eyre.  Chad just read it recently, and was irritated with Jane.  He wasn’t the … Continue reading →

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A Character Emerges

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Marion

Back in November I started a first draft of an urban fantasy.  I had a placeholder character I named “Pixie.”  I chose Pixie for a couple of reasons.  The first was that I knew the character was going to be … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare in Venice, Update: Hey, That’s Me!

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Marion

Jon Courtenay Grimwood has this blog posting on the Orbit publishing site, with lots of glorious photos of Venice, and some discussion of what he was trying to accomplish with The Fallen Blade. Here’s a quote: “My favourite mention of The Fallen … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare in Venice

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Marion

The Fallen Blade Jon Courtenay Grimwood Orbit, 2010  The Fallen Blade is Act One of the Assassini Trilogy. You can enjoy this intricate historical and political fantasy with its nuanced, layered characters on its own, or you can follow the … Continue reading →

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Squid Pro Quo

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Marion

 Kraken, by China Mieville Ballentine Del Ray, 2010 There are two adjectives for China Mieville’s Kraken, “fun,” and “exhilarating.” Mieville’s longer works have always seemed serious to me.  Intricately imagined, believably peopled with intriguing characters, and told with elaborate arabesques … Continue reading →

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An Educated Pony

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Marion
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Hi! We’re SAVOR

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Marion

The group that coalesced around the farmers’ market project last summer has named itself—in one of those rarest of events, a fun meeting!  We are SAVOR—Sonoma Alliance for a Vegie Outreach Revolution. And we have a mission:  “We are a … Continue reading →

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