Get Real by Donald Westlake

When a favorite author passes on to that great library in the sky, there is a profound sadness for the loyal fans. But when the author leaves a work behind, written before he died, published posthumously, it can bring true joy to a fan's heart (in this case, two fans, as javaczuk and I listened to it on a recent road trip. This particular voice actor (WilliamDufris) was amazing. We could hardly believe how many character voices he created. And the story? Dortmunder to the end. Westlake had a talent for making the ridiculous plausible, and Get Real is real Dortmunder to the last word.

Preorder Patterns of the Wheel - offer no longer valid

Preorder Patterns of the Wheel and get a thank you gift!

Fabulous news! If you preorder Patterns of the Wheel through through Ta'veren Tees at www.TaverenTees.com/patternswheel you'll get a free mini pencil case as a thank you! (This is the new version from Tor, with 20 additional drawings and some other goodies, which will be in bookstores October 25.)

If you're at DragonCon this year, stop by and say hello to the fine folks at Ta'veren Tees, who will be on Floor 2, Booth 102D-104D with Planet Comics. There's some great stuff there, plus the can help you preorder your copy right there on the spot.

Thank you so much for all your support!

Preorder Patterns of the Wheel and get a thank you gift!

Fabulous news! If you preorder Patterns of the Wheel through through Ta'veren Tees at www.TaverenTees.com/patternswheel you'll get a free mini pencil case as a thank you! (This is the new version from Tor, with 20 additional drawings and some other goodies, which will be in bookstores October 25.)

If you're at DragonCon this year, stop by and say hello to the fine folks at Ta'veren Tees, who will be on Floor 2, Booth 102D-104D with Planet Comics. There's some great stuff there, plus the can help you preorder your copy right there on the spot.

Pre-orders also available at your favorite bookseller. f you've already pre-ordered, no worries! Save your preorder confirmation slip and you can enter it in a drawing next week to win prizes. Information to follow.



Thank you so much for all your support!

The Drawing Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw by Mark Crilley

I am a self taught folk artist. As a kid, I loved to draw, but my art teacher in school didn't like my style and told me I had no talent. If she'd taken the time to work with me , instead of stifling my creative yearnings, the paths I chose in life might have been different. Instead, at nearly 60, I got my first art lessons along with David, from Becky, courtesy of Mark Crilley. It's been a lot of fun. Just in time, too-- my coloring book comes out in October from Tor Books. Imagine if I'd had Becky's help in the creation of that. Thank you blogging for books and publisher for sending me my copy of this graphic book.

Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

I'd like this book even if I didn't know Mary Robinette Kowal wrote it. But the fact that she did, had me quivering in anticipation until I could get my hands on a copy. It's got that MRK touch that brings a story to life. I think all her work in her other life, which include dramatic speaking, puppetry,  and voice acting, really helps shape her conversations so that they actually sound like conversations that occur in real life. They're not overly stuffed with information, the pace and emotions are realistic, and you can hear the characters speak in your head (or at least I can. And it's not that I'm hearing voices in the she-needs-medical-evaluation sense, but that the author has given life to her characters through their words, thoughts, and action, and I, as the reader, benefit from that.)

So, I've been to Regency England (with magic!) with Mary, and to Mars, and a bunch of other places. This time, she took me to WWI, and introduced me to the Spirit Corps, England's secret weapon that gets real time battle information and military intellegence from British soldiers on the front. The only catch is that these are soldiers who have died, and their ghosts are reporting in before following the light to whatever comes next. The details they are able to give, such as where they were, which direction the shot came from, etc, helps to give the British command valuable information.

In the meantime, Ginger Stuyvesant, an American who is engaged to intelligence officer Captain Ben Harford, is one of the mediums of the Spirit Corps. She and her circle discover there's a traitor in the system, mucking up the works, and helping the Germans who want to destroy the Spirit Corps. Even though she and her colleagues provide valuable information, they have a hard time convincing those in charge that there is a true threat. And when that threat is aimed at the Spirit Corp itself, Ginger and company move into action.

There's a lot to like in this novel. I did have a quibble or two with a couple of stereotypes, but they ended up being kind of fun against the other characters. Also, I did roll my eyes and groan, and complain to my husband that I thought Michael Livingston had a hand in getting one of the troops in the trenches mentioned. (Turns out, I was right, but had to wait 136 pages to the Acknowledgements to find out my hunch was correct. The man is everywhere!) There's also a love story (though that's not the, pardon the expression, thrust of the story. It's all very proper.)

My main dissatisfaction? That I have to wait for MRK to finish writing something else for me to read. Whatever it is, i'm pretty sure I'll squee with delight when I get my hands on that, too.

Tags: a-favorite-author, alternate-history, made-me-look-something-up, met-or-know-the-author, read, taught-me-something

The Summer Dragon (The Evertide, #1) by Todd Lockwood

Dear Todd,

Cut it out, will you? You're already an incredible artist (award winning, in fact), and  your art contains the very images that already populate the brains of fantasy readers when someone says "picture a dragon." Do you know how hard it is to walk into a bookstore and not see a cover by Todd Lockwood? Give us a break.

And then, if that's not enough, you're a nice guy. You actually talk to people at conventions, make friends, interact, and even get out there on the dance floor. Talk about being approachable. Jeez.

So now, you wrote a book. Well, actually, not just a book, but as the cover says "First Book of the Evertide", which I got, because I'm a friend, and thought you should have the support of those of us who know and like you. But come on, Todd, the book is in its third printing already, and it just came out in May 2016! I picked up a first edition, (pre-ordered, in fact) and when I heard how many had sold, I figured it was because of the kick-ass cover art or the drawings by the artist/author included inside.

But damn it, Todd. You can write. You can build worlds as well as draw them. You can craft characters with ink, and not just in your art, but with your words. I don't even like coming of age tales, but got sucked right into Maia's world, hopes, conflicts, and determination. She's an amazing young woman. There's even a touch of the philosopher in you, too. It's just not fair.

Plus, you broke my heart, right in two, with one of the drawings. You know, that father-daughter drawing at the start of chapter 22. The tenderness and love in his eyes, as he gazes down at his little one; her joyful posture as she stands below him balanced on her back legs, looking adoringly up at him. I love the personalities you've given your dragons.  There human fathers who yearn for what Malik had in that moment when his little qit gazed up at him in that drawing.

So anyhow, Todd, I'm kind of annoyed at you, because you've set a hard standard for us other artists to live up to. So, please put away your dreams of creating Dragon Symphony and Ballet, and give us a chance, okay? You don't want us to die of despair before the next Evertide book comes out, do you?

Thank you so much, and would you mind signing my copy?

tags: 2016-read, met-or-know-the-author, i-liked-the-pictures, creatures, good-worldbuilding, dragons, first-novel-or-book, great-cover, part-start-of-a-series 

My Name Is Lucy Barton: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout

A love story, though an understated love between mother and child. Lucy Barton's life is told more by what was left unsaid. But, as her writing teacher told her, we all have one story to tell. This is Lucy's, and it's fascinating. We are made of where we come from and where we go


Tags: 2016-read, an-author-i-read, made-me-look-something-up, read, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-provoking