Christine Amsden's Blog: Christine Amsden Author Blog, page 42
May 2, 2012
Book Review: Foundation (Collegium Chronicles #1)
Mags, so named because he had the eye of a Magpie, was a slave in a gem mine until one of Valdemar’s magical companions chose him. After that, he entered a whole new world as a trainee, and despite all odds, attracted the notice of some powerful people who were eager to use his skills.
This is something of a fluid story, without the typical event-driven structure. It’s really about Mags, so it takes some time to get to the intrigue portion. Nevertheless, I found it captivating from the first. The detailed descriptions of working in a mine, coupled with Mags’s sad inside view of the situation, were a masterpiece. We might think what he endured, his treatment, and the little he had to eat were criminal — and they were — but Mags just thought that’s the way life was. The priests told him so, after all.
I read this book over two years ago, before the two sequels were available. I reread it recently, now that I have the two sequels (almost) in hand, and I enjoyed it more than I did the first time. The reason, I think, is largely because I have those two sequels. The story doesn’t end in book one, but that’s normal for Mercedes Lackey. She writes in trilogies, so I recommend reading her that way. Luckily, unlike some other fantasy authors I could name, she doesn’t write insanely long books. nor does she write insanely long series — just neatly packaged 3-volume sets.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and/or strong characters. It is other world fantasy, but don’t let the label get you down if you don’t usually go for epic/D&D-like books. This isn’t that. It only belongs in the same category by a fluke of setting.
Rating: 4.5/5
Title: Foundation
Author: Mercedes Lackey
ISBN: 1423307941
Published: October 2008
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April 25, 2012
Sudden Transformation of Personality
I’m sure you’ve heard of dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities), but perhaps you were unaware that in fiction, there is often a dramatic and equally troubling phenomenon: Sudden Transformation of Personality. We’ll call it STOP!
STOP usually occurs when a character does something at odds with everything the reader has been led to believe about him or her. This unexpected and unexplained new behavior is often convenient to the plot, such as when the “intelligent” hero rushes blindly into certain death, dismissing all logic in favor of an exciting conclusion. I see it in romance, when either the hero and heroine randomly decides to run away, usually near the end of the story when you’re not sure what else is delaying the HEA. (The average solution to this problem is to have some third party disaster show up. The bad solution is the STOP. The good solution is a subject for another post…)
STOP plagues many a decent read, and inevitably…infuriatingly…past the point where I would normally just stop reading. I probably should, but instead, I will put out this universal plea to writers: Don’t allow your characters to suffer from STOPs. If you find that your character can no longer behave in a manner consistent with his or her original personality, then find a different character to start with, one whose personality fulfills your needs.
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April 24, 2012
Book Review: Shades of Twilight
Roanna has been in love with Webb for as long as she can remember. As a child, it was a sort of hero worship, but as she grew older, the love matured into something more real. So it broke her heart when Webb married her spoiled cousin, Jessie.
Then one day, everything falls apart. Roanna spies Jessie with another man, but she doesn’t want to tell Webb, because she’s afraid of hurting him. She does lose her mind, however, and kisses him, a kiss that Jessie interrupts. Jessie and Webb fight, and later that night, Roanna finds Jessie’s body. Webb is convicted in the eyes of public opinion, even if there is no proof, and he leaves.
Ten years later….
I loved this story. I did think the setup (which I summarized for you) was just a bit slow, but worth it to get through to the good part, when Roanna and Webb meet again. Both Roanna and Jessie were orphaned as children (when Roanna was 7 and Jessie 13), and taken in by their grandmother, who loved Jessie more. Roanna was a challenge, and had to fight to be worthy of love in her family’s eyes. She never measured up in anyone’s eyes except Webb, the second cousin who was also her protector. Her life came with consequences, chief among them an eating disorder (anorexia), which nearly killed her after Webb left.
Roanna and Webb were wonderful characters, and this book was full of both passion and love. (Not the same thing!) I highly recommend this to romance readers. Or heck, I recommend just about anything by Linda Howard. She’s one of those authors I just pick up — no questions asked. I don’t even bother reading the back of the book; if I find a new Linda Howard book (or an old one I haven’t read), I’ll be reading it within a few days, regardless of what’s waiting on my nightstand!
Rating: 5/5
Title: Shades of Twilight
Author: Linda Howard
ISBN: 0671019716
Published: November 2009
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April 20, 2012
Workshop: Beginnings
I’m teaching another Savvy Authors Workshop starting next week…Beginnings.
It’s about what it sounds like it’s about…beginning a novel. We’ll talk about the all-important hook, and how to fill the reader in on background info without dumping it. It doesn’t matter what genre you write, most of the tricks and tools remain the same.
I will be giving personal feedback and attention, as usual. You’ll get detailed critique on the first chapter or so of your novel by the time all is done. The personal feedback portion is essential, because as I Like to stress…there are no rules, only guidelines. Every story is unique.
I hope you’ll join me! I always have a lot of fun in these workshops.
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March 28, 2012
Book Review: Zombie Penpal
Back in second grade, you had a pen pal from New Orleans, but she disappeared when Hurricane Katrina hit, and you haven't heard from her since. Now you're in 7th grade, and there's a new girl in school who some thing is a zombie, but who you think reminds you of your old pen pal.
You see her going into a cemetery. Do you follow?
"Choose Your Own Adventure" is as fun as always, with this spooky new book written for elementary or middle school readers. The premise is great, the writing style is quite good, and there even manages to be a bit of character in there. (Unusual for this type of book, but it actually made me feel more connected to the "you" who was supposed to be me.)
My only complaint is that I felt the endings were weak. I don't want to spoil them, but in a few cases I just didn't feel like it was truly over, and in a few other cases I was just hoping for a bit more. Nothing truly bad seems to happen, which may be because of the targeted age range, but I did feel that the journeys were spooky enough to warrant more consequential endings.
I do recommend this to Choose Your Own Adventure Enthusiasts, especially if you're into spooky stories or zombies.
Rating: 4/5
Title: Zombie Pen Pal
Author: Ken McMurtry
ISBN: 1933390344
Published May 1, 2010
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March 27, 2012
March 26, 2012
Book Review: Aching for Always
What a fun story! The worst thing about it, IMHO, was the title. It just didn't grab me. I haven't read this author before, but put this on my to-read list based on the summary. Trouble was, every time I perused my to-read list, I couldn't remember what this story was supposed to be about, so I went on to something else.
Finally, I picked it up, and I am glad I did. This was a time travel romance set largely in modern day Pittsburgh. It involved the misdeeds of the heroine's father, and the man who traveled through time for revenge.
Joss is already engaged when the book begins, but that didn't bother me. (It often does.) Rogan, her fiance, isn't a great guy, but he's not some classic a****** either. Oh, he has his faults, but it wasn't over the top, which I appreciated. I would love to say more about him, actually, but I don't like to put spoilers in my reviews. Suffice to say, I found his motivations believable.
Both Hugh and Joss learn things about themselves in this book. Hugh learns about the perils of leading a life of vengeance. Joss learns who she is, separate from her mother and the things she images her long-dead mother would have wanted for her.
Highly recommend to romance readers.
Rating: 4/5
Title: Aching for Always
Author: Gwyn Cready
ISBN: 1439107289
Published September 28, 2010
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March 23, 2012
Book Review: The Perfect Mistress
Juliet's great-grandmother considered herself the perfect mistress, and was so proud of her life that she wrote about it in detail and left the memoirs to å granddaughter who never received them. Juliet inherits them when her great-uncle dies, right around the time she finds herself in a serious money crunch. Her solution — sell the memoirs to a publisher.
Lord Harrison isn't enthusiastic about the idea, to say the least. Most of those named in the scandalous memoirs are dead, but his own father is not, and he doesn't want scandal to touch his family.
What follows is a fun romance and a very quick read. Juliet's dead great-grandmother even pops in to give advice and liven things up from time to time.
In the end, Juliet has two decisions to make — what to do with the memoirs and which of three men's interests to encourage. I liked the ride, although I will admit that part of the ending bothered me.
Overall, I recommend to Regency Romance fans.
Rating: 3.5/5
Title: The Perfect Mistress
Author: Victoria Alexander
ISBN: 142011705X
Published January 25, 2011
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March 22, 2012
Tips for Writers: The Value of Schedules
I like plans and I like schedules. I have short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans for my family, my home, and especially, my career: Fiction writing. The schedules make me feel safe, they help me set goals and feel like I'm working towards something, but ultimately, they're an illusion.
Let's take my family: I planned to have my son reading before he went to kindergarten, and I planned to keep my daughter away from Barbie and similar fashion dolls. They both had other ideas. My son is very smart, but he has a peculiar independence about when and how he will learn things. The best I could do was teach him to love reading before kindergarten, which, I figure, is more important. As for my daughter, she loves pretty things. As long as she realizes that she is one of those pretty things, who am I to stand in her way?
In summary: Schedules can be illusory because they often depend upon other people, and we can only control ourselves.
Moving on to the house: When I moved in 7 years ago, I made a schedule of home improvements. I also planned to upgrade after 10-15 years. But emergencies happen, and things cost more than I think they will. I hated the kitchen floor we had when we moved in, and I kept saving to have it replaced, but every time I got close to having enough money, I'd need it for something else. I now call the emergency fund the "kitchen floor fund." (Even though I did, finally, get together the money for the kitchen floor.) And as far as moving goes…well, if we stay here, we'll finish paying for the house the summer before our oldest starts college. Can you think of a better college savings plan?
In summary: Schedules are illusory because stuff happens.
Then there's my career, and boy, is it illusory to believe I have much control over it! For one thing, writing is an art, a creative endeavor, and as such, it is inherently difficult to quantify or predict. I have a long-term goal to write a new book, start to finish, every year. Looking forward, I see myself with 10 books in 10 years…a nice catalog! But last year, I spent six months on a project that ultimately failed, and this year, I'm revising the Cassie Scot series I've already spent 2 years on, working through a series of changes (improvements, I hope).
You could argue that I should force myself to stick more closely to the schedule, but actually, I finish projects early as often as I delay them. I recently told my publisher that book 3 in the Cassie Scot series would be done by May. Then I got feedback suggesting I'd done a better job than my inner artist (who has self-esteem problems) thought, and I've decided not to mess with it too much. Don't tell her I said so, but she may get the manuscript as early as next week!
In summary: Schedules are illusory because by nature, creativity resists schedules.
So, what is the value of a schedule? I believe I said that in the first paragraph — they make me feel safe, they help me set goals, and they make me feel like I'm working towards something. I think the mistake most people make in scheduling (including myself, if I'm being honest), is to set their watches by them.
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