Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 2

Book Review: Coffee Cakes & Dragon Aches, by Cherie Baker

This came up as a random recommendation, and looked cute enough to try.

What to Expect

A modern day, hard-to-classify, fantasy tale about an apprentice magician and unusual circumstances. AS Raj is following various assignments towards graduation as a ‘mathemagician’, he runs further into all sorts of situations. At the same time, Eliza, a baby dragon, is finding her feet in the world under the care of an elderly woman.

Not urban fantasy, not magical realism, definitely not a parody...

What’s alternate about history?

[image error] Credit: Possessed Photography on Unsplashed

This post originally appeared on Simon Williams newsletter. He writes dark fantasy, and we’ve hosted his characters on The Protagonist Speaks. Go check his work out!

Readers are often surprised that straight-up historical fiction requires “world-building,” a term most often associated with fantasy and science fiction. I mean, it’s just history, right? Don’t we know what happened, how our own world was at the time?

Well, not quite. Dependin...

Book Review: Vanishing Falls, by Poppy Gee

Continuing my quest of reading Tasmanian crime fiction and mysteries.

What to Expect

Expect a psychological thriller set rural Tasmania, in a fictional village that feels true to real life. A husband comes home late at night to find the front door open and everything in place except his wife which seems to have gone inexplicably missing. The novel then goes back a week, where we get to know – and slowly change our minds – about the people of the novel. The story continues for ten days ...

Researching Historical Architecture (and its Embedded Ghosts)

Credit: Shami Stoval, an author whose cartoons have been circulating and entertaining authors in a “it’s-funny-because-it’s-true” way

In writing the Sydney Sandstone novella, the very first DI Jack Finkel case, I ended up doing a lot of procrastination research into the early history of the City of Sydney. In the process, I uncovered some amazing material, which I thought I’d share with you here. This is both about the beautiful historical nuggets you can find online, as well as the way the m...

TWO new DI Jack Finkel stories!

For those who missed them, you can now enjoy two new Detective Inspector Jack Finkel mysteries!

Pixie Dust & Fireworks

Sydney is famous for its New Year’s Eve’s fireworks show. Every year tens of thousands flock around the famous harbour to view them in person, and millions more around the world watch the spectacular welcoming of the new year.

This year, on the last day amidst the hectic preparation, a very unexpected spanner was thrown in the works.

Enter Detective Inspector Jack...

Book Review: Deadman’s Track, by Sarah Barrie

This came up in a list of Tasmanian thrillers to try, and I do love Tasmanian crime/gothic novels for their uncommon settings.

What to Expect

A romantic suspense and crime thriller, set in Tasmania. While the story’s point of views shift between a few characters, the first half is centered around crimes (robberies escalating to murders) in Hobart, while the second is about a hike from hell in Tasmania’s remote South West National Park.

What I liked

Characters are mostly sympathet...

Book Review: Funny Fairy Tales. by Reut Barak

Who doesn’t like a twisty fairytale, and could use a bit of comic relief these days?

What to Expect

Sixteen re-telling of classic stories, from The Frog Prince to Alice and Wonderland. These aren’t your traditional versions, but tongue-in-cheek wild twists, rife with pop-culture references. They are funny with mildly risqué humour, and are sure to bring a chuckle.

Expects twists like Hansel & Gretel being very good at navigation as they try to rescue their brother Charlie (who loves...

Philosophical Discourse about the Nature of Stories, wrapped inside a Book Review

I’ve heard Matt Dicks on a podcast, and since I’m always trying to improve my storytelling craft I dove into his books as well.

What to Expect

Expect a very easy to read book, filled with stories and anecdotes that helps explain Dicks’ take on storytelling. Dicks takes you through recognising moments in your life that could make a good story (and indeed, what makes for a good story), and then how to polish it and deliver it.

What I liked

I loved the tone of the book, very convers...

At the end of the Rainbow is a Sandstone building (a new Jack Finkel mystery!)

Find it on Amazon!

The guys at Purple Toga are happy to announce that we are releasing this month our second anthology: Rainbows Aren’t Just For Leprechauns!

Why is red so crucial for the making of Red Riding Hood? Or, how could emperors distinguish themselves without the color Purple? What would the Discworld be without octarine?

This time we set out to re-imagine the meaning of colours, and boy were we amazed at the submissions we received! From stories centering on your traditional...

Book Reviews: ‘Big Stake’ and ‘The Square Up’, by SJ Brown

I’ve enjoyed the first two in the series before (books one and two), and felt like finishing the year with some good old police work. This review covers the last two books in the DI Mahoney series, but as noted below you can jump right in.

What to Expect

Big Stake: Life’s a Gamble: Expect another murder case set in Hobart for the head of the serious crimes squad to solve. This one revolves around the betting and gambling industry, particularly horse racing. When a body of a jockey that ...