Want an Underdog Doomed to Surviving in a Hostile Environment?

   Slow writing week, but I managed to read three books -- given added reading time while waiting for the Christmas cookies [gifts] to bake. Skimmed one book with flat character development but got drawn in by two Yasmine Galenorn books. Flight from Death won my reading derby this week because I thought the characters were more original, even though it's an Otherworld spin off. Maybe because Flight is complicated ghost story featuring a dragon and the other book felt like a predictable urban fantasy.

   Galenorn has a talent for creating three dimensional characters. She layers enough quirks and problems on her characters to make them live and breath. More important, their quirks add to the twists, turns, and suspense of the plot--even when the lsupernaturals land well within fantasy norms. Yeah. Galenorn's characters break cliches.

   What's more, even her secondary characters stand out as individuals. One example, the all important lore-resource character has flaws that both make him more likable and ratchet up the danger in the plot line when he makes mistakes in judgement So, much for the all-wise guru.  [Sorry if you think that's a spoiler.]

   Imagine. Shimmer, an orphan blue dragon exiled to the earth plane without most of her magic for a stupid adolescent-type prank/revenge on a bully, must survive in a world where supernaturals are tolerated on the edges. So, she broke the rules in a society that favors clan, lineage, and wealth above all. But being indentured to a vampire private investigator?????? I really liked that twist. The kid's definitely an underdog, errrr under dragon.

   Flight from Death the the first in a new series for Galenorn. Loosely set in the Seattle of her Otherworlds fae/multi-sup series, it looks like she is letting the book gets its legs under it without playing into the previous saving-the-world-from- the-nasties plot. The book takes us to Port Townsend, Washington where ghosts riddle the town, including the house where a former vampire friend of the boss wants to open a bed and breakfast for supes. Only there is something nastier than discontented ghosts haunting the place, and Shimmer proves she more than just another urban fantasy pretty face with attitude.

   Liked that Galenorn managed to recycle her Otherworld world so it felt new rather than a rehash.

   Recommended. Oh, I felt there were a few missteps where Shimmer exhibited fad/fashion knowledge too subtle for the length of time she'd spent on earth, but these were minor glitches. Overall, the read gallops. A great start for a new series with an intelligent protagonist.

Read excerpts and more reviews on Amazon and at B&N Nook.

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My Writing Rut

What writing?

   Granted I revised an originally drafted chapter to fit the Pillar, the current main character of On the Run. Since I had two such chapters in the que, it should've been a breeze to pound out both of them last week. Didn't get that done. Can only blame baking cookies. At least, I spend very little time in stores trying to find gifts for family.

   Still, it feels good to finally be using material written last spring when I had an entirely different main character for On the Run.

Does a Series Need All it's Ends Tied -- Odd Thomas?

    Decided to review on the odd side this week, the last of the Odd Thomas series--Saint Odd, by Dean Koontz. When I picked up the first book, I first thought, "Interesting. Koontz is writing about an idiot savant. Might be interesting."

   Koontz had me hooked by the second or third chapter. Definitely by the time Odd was on the run. The abandoned hotel is one of the scariest settings I've encountered. It's still in my mind several years later.

   Scary, supernatural "things" or is that "entities" are the norm in Odd Thomas life as he weaves a path between the good and evil, building mystical skills beyond his ability to see ghosts and mourning his lost love who was killed in a terrorist attack at a shopping mall, even though they are destined to "be together forever". Yeah, Odd Thomas suffers from "survivor's guilt".

   Koontz uses a very narrow, first person point of view in the Odd stories. The reader knows nothing but what Odd tells them. Fortunately, Odd is a minute observer while he wonders about people, things, and the supernatural. I won't go into the technical aspects of Koontz's writing. He's a master, and the construction of the novel is masterful, even if he did leave a huge number of dangling loose ends.

   The hallmark of a Koontz story is action. In Saint Odd, the villains are chasing Odd from the get-go as he tries to sneak back to the town he left because something significant's going to happen. More important, I think, is Odd's distinction between "killing" and "murder". Odd Thomas is the good guy, but he only ends a human life to save himself or other innocents. Murder is the killing for selfish purposes. For some reason, that thought keeps bubbling up to the surface of my mind. So, I'll consider it profound.

    Definitely recommended Saint Odd, but you might want to read some of the other books in the series if you haven't done so, especially the previous volume. An epic tale of good vs evil. Granted it gets a little boring when good wins, but that's what we're rooting for. Right? Too bad it's the end of the series. But, there is the possibility of a continuation if Koontz every gets around to it. Meh.

See excerpts at Amazon and B&N Nook.

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Interesting Link

   Cate Hogan, a writer/editor of romance novels, recently posted an article on 8 useful tools for writers , information that can improve writer's communications and money making ability. The tips also apply to anyone who emails a lot. I realize emails are a little old fashioned in this day of smartphones. But, when I want to "talk" to people, I prefer the amount of information I can convey via emails as opposed to texting.

   Of, course, I could write a letter... ... ...

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My Writing Rut

   Ended up backtracking last week. Added another chapter to On the Run where Pillar learn moreabout her past and her abilities.

Sigh. 

   Maybe I'm done with the academy now and can get on to Nate. Not really much to say. I've been under the weather and just didn't have the energy to stare at the computer as long as usual. For some reason, I don't feel the enthusiasm I felt last week. At least, I'm getting back to the part of the story I wrote last Spring. And then, I have to have the showdown with the demon -- about which I don't have a clue outside of the brief description of the aftermath when Nate gather's up Pillar's pieces.

Getting Caught by a Demon, But Ending Up With the Cops

    Good thing I liked the only book I read last week. [I read the magazines I didn't read last week while tangled in volcanic Armageddon.]

    Yeaht, I wondered if I'd have anything to review. While the big, bold "Demon" in the title first drew my attention and the opening plot point set an eerie situation, I wasn't finding Diana Rowland's demons captivating.

   For almost a third of the book I was thinking I deserved the let down for jumping into the middle of a series. Yeah, I knew the book was part of a series because the blurbs told me so. Secrets of the Demon turned out to be the third book in Kara Gillian's story of coming to grips with her arcane abilities.

   Fortunately Gillian is a homicide detective, and the cop part of the story kept me reading--especially after it became the focus of the book rather than what Gillian should do with her demon lord lover. And no, the demon secrets don't really pertain to the demon lord. It's all tangled up in how the plot points twist and turn.

   Secrets of the Demon is an urban fantasy with light romantic overtones. Gillian has problems with human guys, who may or may not be demons, as well as with her demon lord...and doesn't quite resolve them. Rowland depicts the dilemma in realistic terms so Gillian feels like a real person trying to sort through her relationships. She does resolve the mystery in rip-roaring fashion which kept me reading beyond midnight.

   Really liked Kara Gillian as a character. She'd be someone I'd enjoy having coffee with. I wouldn't have to censor my thoughts as much as I usually do. Besides a raucous sense of humor, she smart and thinks fast on her feet. Her arcane abilities are treated more like a pain in the arse than a wondrous superpower. Rowland's nicely rounded secondary characters take on personalities of their own rather than being cardboard plot point stand-ins too.

    Recommended as a fun mystery who-dun-it complete with decent red herrings to lead your guesses astray. Also, the foreshadowings for the next book create more red herrings for the reader to sort through. FYI. Yeah, I'm going to be looking for other books in this series.

Read excerpts and more reviews at Amazon and B&N Nook.

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Some Interesting Links

   Since I assume most of my page views come from writers, I thought I'd share two blogs I found particularly interesting this week. 

   Janet Reid, my dream agent if I wrote the stuff she represents, recently did a blog on what questions writers should ask an agent before signing on the dotted line when going the traditional publishing route. It's an important piece of knowledge to file away ... even if you only scribble ideas for fan fiction. Take a look at The Engagement Period if you even guess you might one day turn into a writer.

   From an indie author point of view, I found another blog by Anne R. Allen on marketing books. Any writer or author wanna-be reading my blog should take a look at Marketing Your Books on Social Media. How to Avoid Scams.

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My Writing Rut

    Am feeling better about my writing. I finally got through my endless "turning-point" chapter of On the Run done. And the ending set up was something I never thought of before until I started pounding the keys. Now, I'm keeping my toes crossed that it doesn't turn into a "darling".

   This week, after I get this blog posted, I finally start writing the big demon attack where Pillar's world falls apart. I also plan to get another snippet up on my website.   It'll be down at the bottom of the first page.

   Still debating what I should do with my own marketing. Have an interesting video in process, but don't know quite how I'll use it. But, I've only got short stories up for downloading, and readers seem to want novel length works for free or 99c. No I'm not complaining. Just trying to figure out what's going on. And, deciding on whether or not I even care.