They may not bring mayflowers here but at least they’ll wash away the left over snow.

Status

Marva Collins Series
School Days and Working Class are both available on Audible now. Hard Knocks is up for pre-order, if you celebrate those.

Shackleford House
My fountain pen and notebook habit is paying dividends in story building. I’m really liking what’s coming together even if it’s taking way longer than I usually spend. I think the end result will be worth it.

What Am I Reading?

I didn’t read enough science fiction last month. I’m finding it scarce on the ground these days. So many of the authors have gone with small presses and removed themselves from consideration. I’ve waded through so many samples that didn’t grab me enough to get the book since John Beresford’s Gatekeeper (which I recommended to my newsletter mid month). There’s a new Bob and Nikki (of course). So this month you get fantasy.

Awakening the Witch, Book 1, in Christina Garner’s Hollywood Lakes Magical Midife series.

Lemme preface this with obligatory disclaimers:

1. I know Christina Garner from an online community we both participate in. She hasn’t asked for this. I’m doing it for you, not her. Seriously, give it a shot.
2. Midlife magic (otherwise known as Paranormal Women’s Fiction) takes the magic out of puberty which speaks to the Tanyth Fairport in me. It’s worth a read.

The story features Shay Atwater, Hollywood agent to the undiscovered greats and heir to an inn located in a small town the hills somewhere around LA called Hollywood Lakes. Its claim to fame is where the stars went to get their whistles wet during prohibition. When Grammy Atwater shuffles off her mortal coil, she left some business unfinished with Shay. Business that has Shay playing with pixies and parlaying with the Fae. This deal-maker for the stars finds her negotiating talents getting a workout when she finally breaks away from the city and starts uncovering secrets in Hollywood Lakes.

As always it’s the characters. Shay and her squad had me grinning for days while I squaffed up all three novels and looked for the third. It’s up for pre-order and should drop in a few days. I’ll be heading back to Hollywood Hills when it does.

Maybe you should, too. Grab a sample and see what you think.

Looking Ahead

I’ve got to take some time to straighten out my web presence. I’ve put it off for too long and my hosting company has let me know they’re changing things up. It’s all good for now, but the last thing I need is for the site to disappear suddenly.

This site will remain, largely unchanged unless I get a bug in my ear to change the template to something that might work better on phones. None of the ones I’ve looked at actually work so, it’ll take some doing.

Some of my other sites will be merged into here or taken down. Look for the Solar Clipper Diary to become a link here like TOMMW. Tanyth Fairport’s website and the old indie review blog will likely go away all together. That will leave only a lot of tedious sorting through the detritus of botched installs, failed blogging attempts, and old installations of software I don’t use any more.

It’s nothing difficult. Just tedious and time consuming.

We all know how much I love those kinds of tasks.

Anyway, until next month, safe voyage.

I’m eyeing the calendar with a bit of suspicion.

Was there some kind of cosmic power failure and we missed a couple of months? Seems like it has gone really fast …

Status

Marva Collins has started releasing. A pre-order for Working Class should show up on Audible any day now, I suspect.

The Wizard’s Cat seems to be hiding under the bed. I haven’t seen much more than a flash of fur disappearing around the corners of my vision when I turn my head quickly. Stay tuned.

Sad to say, that’s it for news for now.

What Am I Reading?

Looking back at my reading list, mostly the next books it series I’ve already talked about. John Wilker’s Grand Human Empire, a Mackey Chandler April book, Aaron Renfroe’s Resonance Cycle, a couple of Chaney and Maggert’s Backyard Starships, and – of course – Bob and Nikki.

I’ve just started a new series that one of you recommended – Brent Clay’s Assemblies of the Living.

Let me prefix with “way off my beaten path.” I’m not a fan of first contact stories, not a fan of omniscient point of view, not a fan of most of this first book in the series.

Yet, I couldn’t put it down.

Well, yes, I could but then I’d turn around and be sucked into it again. I just started the second volume and it’s just as compelling.

Characters, always. Riley, Clipper, AJ – and the cast of characters orbiting in their three-body problem – just keep me coming back for more. I can’t explain it.

But I can recommend it.

It’s not a “light read.” There’s a bit of heft to the science (more than a bit of physics and math), but the unfolding of the universe just keeps me coming back to see what happens next.

Before you commit to this one, maybe grab the sample to see if it’s something you can live with.

(And thanks, Bob.)

Looking Ahead

I’m not expecting any great revelations in the coming month. Holiday disruption, end of year hi-jinks, and a general sense of trying to make sense of what I want to accomplish next year will all take a toll on my executive function. I mean it’s only running on one-cylinder out of the four now, but I’ll baby it along until it smooths out.

Long time readers will know this cycle repeats itself periodically, just not predictably.

I still have a lot to process now that the immediate pressures of recuperation and recovery have bled off. I’m still physically weak. Still have issues eating. For the most part, I’m coping with it but I still have work to do.

Mostly I just need to give myself time.

Until next month, safe voyage.

-N

We’ve had our first snow, I’ve been skipping a lot of morning walks lately, and the trees are shedding their fall finery in piles. In spite of all that, I’m feeling better than I have in weeks.

Status

The Wizard’s Cat
I’ve made a lot of progress in re-imagining the story. I’ve known what the cat is for months. The struggle is trying to fit him into the book. It’ll get there. Eventually. I’ve notified Podium that I’m not going to make the December date for them. Rather a good book than a fast one.

Marva Collins
The audio for School Days is up for pre-order, due Nov 21. Working Class should be next but I’m not seeing any news from Podium on that yet.

What Am I Reading?

A lot of comfort reads last month, continuations of previous series including Tom Larcombe’s Crow Hill and Small Town Crafter, Jerry Boyd’s Bob and Nikki, and a new series – Rachel Rener’s Gilded Blood. Liked them all.

The recommendation for the month is a book I did a beta read for in September – Chris Lewis’s book Trouble Wore Red. Chris is a pen name for an author I’ve read and enjoyed a lot so when the opportunity came for the beta read, I jumped on it.

The characters grabbed me by the ears and dragged me through a twisted tale of luck, skill, and derring-do. It’s a sci-fi spy story set on Mars with a lot of fun scrapes, interesting problems, and a locked door that shouldn’t exist – but does.

Loved it. I’ve just been waiting for the release so I could tell you all about it.

But – as usual – don’t take my word for it. Maybe grab a sample and see what you think.

Looking Ahead

The month ahead looks like “more of the same” with me wrestling with the cat, tuning up my new computer, and generally settling in for a long winter ahead. With the end of year holidays coming up, I’m not looking for a lot of new words. After the first seven months of the year, it feels good to let my well fill up a bit. Giving myself some breathing room has loosened a lot of knots.

Whether those knots are holding me up or holding me back?

That’s a harder question.

Until next month, safe voyage.