E.M. Hamill's Blog, page 8
June 25, 2020
Comfort Reading When the World is Dark
With everything happening in the world right now, I have found myself falling back on old favorite books. These are stories I read over and over in high school and in my twenties. Reading them again makes me feel safe and comfortable, like spending time with long-time friends who know me well. Most recently, it’s been Nancy Springer’s Books of Isle series: she recently re-released them as a boxed set of e-books and I’m savoring every word. The Silver Sun and The Sable Moon are my two favorites, and it’s been wonderful to roam Isle with Hal and Alan, and to Elwestrand and back again with Trevyn.
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My body’s way of dealing with stress is fatigue, and my body has been short circuiting too early for the last couple of months to do much else in the evening than go to bed and read a while before sleep drops on me like a Looney Tunes anvil. I’ve read some great new books since the pandemic erupted, which is a bright spot in the chaos.
But my old books…I know them so intimately, I can almost close my eyes and quote them as I read. The plots are well-worn paths in my mind; no surprises lay behind the turn of the page, but it doesn’t detract from my pleasure or keep me from getting misty-eyed when Alan extracts an oath from a gravely wounded Hal reminding him of the burden of his birth, or when Trevyn unwittingly sacrifices Gwern to the goddess by coming to love him.
What are your comfort books?
May 30, 2020
E.M. Hamill
Elisabeth “E.M.” Hamill is a nurse by day, unabashed geek, chocoholic, sci fi and fantasy novelist by nights, weekends, and wherever she can steal quality time with her laptop. She lives wit…
Source: E.M. Hamill
May 26, 2020
EATING STARS by Angel Martinez: a release day review
I’ve said before that Angel Martinez has become one of my favorite go-to authors for a bit of light-hearted, fluffy fun with The Brimstone Journals and Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters. Her book The Mage on the Hill was more serious, and I enjoyed it immensely.
The short science fiction novella Eating Stars turned out to be strange, unexpected, and kind of adorable. Despite a having a more serious undertone than the usual fare I seek from her and some unique alien anatomy, Martinez writes achingly believable characters in this quick read.
Deadly enemies pursue a peaceful group of diverse alien refugees across the vast reaches of space, where they crash land on Earth in emergency vehicles. Recently widowed music professor Serge Kosygin is jolted out of his isolated haze of mourning when one of these escape pods thunders to earth near his home. Two of the three refugees are killed in the crash, and having seen too many alien autopsy videos, Serge can’t bear the thought of the last injured visitor dying as scientists wait to dissect the body and resolves to care for them until the end.
Een, the injured Aalanan (a sentient being who feeds on sunlight and reproduces like a plant), knows his mates were killed in the crash landing. He is grateful to this gentle human who has taken him in. Their communication develops first through music, then through data and language as Een begins to heal. Serge and Een have a common bond in their respective grief and the fascination each feels for the other. Fascination turns to fondness, and when agents in black suits come knocking on the door, Een and Serge fear they will be forcefully separated. A misunderstanding and an attack lead to serious physical consequences for Een. Serge must force himself out of his solitary comfort zone to save Een’s life before it’s too late.
This story was fun to read, though I’m ashamed to confess being giggly amused at the particular biological condition Een develops, which was meant to be deadly serious. I am perpetually a child in that way, I suppose. Alien-human lovemaking is a tricky thing to write, and Ms. Martinez does it very well, making it arousing and just uncomfortably weird enough to be a unique experience. The last act of the book refreshingly subverts some sci-fi tropes, teases with others, and ends on an affirming note of love and hope.
If you’re a fan of M/M sci-fi romance, this novella will definitely not disappoint.
EATING STARS is available from Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books.
May 16, 2020
O.E. Tearmann’s Aces High, Jokers Wild Series: ACES AND EIGHTS
The ACES HIGH, JOKERS WILD series has a new installment, and holy crap, is it intense.
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I got hooked on this series last year, a delicious blend of military sci fi and cyberpunk. These books take place in an alternate universe, post-fracture United States where huge corporations have become dictatorships in place of a central government. Freedom fighters who cling to a democratic way of life are working to bring down the system, hacking supplies, intelligence, and equipment in order to survive and stay hidden.
In the first book, The Hands We’re Given, Commander Aidan Headly reluctantly accepts his new assignment as the CO of the Wildcards, a bunch of misfits with a reputation for eating hapless officers for breakfast. The recent death of their old commander, who was able to mold this group into a cohesive unit capable of carrying out daring and productive missions, has left them sailing without a rudder. It’s up to Aidan to organize them into controlled chaos and bring them back into line. He has a personal history he’d rather keep quiet, but trust is a two way street, and if he wants his team to rely on him, he’s going to have to trust them in return…and handsome Kevin McIllian might be just a little too charming for Aidan’s own good.
Book two, Call the Bluff, has the Wildcards on top of their game again. Aidan’s team is more of a family, and they’re going to need each other to get through this mission. The horrific truth of how inhumane the Corporations are drops into the hands of Aidan’s team in video format. The Wildcards are charged with getting this information out into public view by hacking into social media and exposing the grim reality. With everything working against them, Kevin and Aidan have to recruit some unconventional help.
Book three, Raise the Stakes, has the Wildcards poised for their most dangerous mission yet. They are tapped to bring down a crucial system which keeps citizens compliant with the draconian demands of the Corporations. To get this done, they will have to risk it all, and Corporate drone strikes are coming closer and closer to their hidden base. Some of the Wildcards are going to pay the ultimate price for others’ freedom, and Aidan is going to have to reap the painful consequences of past decisions.
As you can see, it’s a freaking wild ride this far, and Aces and Eights is no exception. This book starts out with a gentle reprieve from the deadly intensity of the last mission as Aiden is finally able to complete his surgical transition. He and Kevin get to spend some much-needed time alone as he recovers before they must jump right into their next mission: an endeavor that may permanently solve the base’s food supply issues and make them less reliant on risky seizures of Corporate shipments. An ambush sends the mission spiraling out of control, and betrayal is hiding in the shadows everywhere they turn for help. When Aidan is captured by one of the Corporations and tortured to give up information about the hidden base, Kevin and the rest of the team must rescue him before it’s too late…but Aidan may wish for death instead of rescue before the Corporation is done with him.
I repeat, HO-LEE CRAP. This was probably the most incredible, brutal adventure yet and I had to stop reading to catch my breath a couple of times. I thought for a minute, aww, this is going to be a welcome character development book with a minor adventure at first, but then BANG! (cue O.E. Tearmann’s maniacal laughter: YOU ONLY THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE EASY, HAMILL.)
One of the things I love the most about this series are the characters’ relationships with each other. They truly are a team, a family, and are inextricably meshed cogs in a machine that might fall apart if any one element is removed. They work so well together because they believe in each other, support each other, and rip new assholes when it’s needed.
O.E. Tearmann (actually a team of talented writers) unflinchingly faces the reality of chronic, severe depression seen through Aidan’s eyes in all these books. There’s no magic pill even in the future to make it go away despite the medical miracles Corporate technology can provide, and I think that is a huge thing to acknowledge. The understanding no one can, or should, go through it alone is important here. It takes a community to heal, whether that community be blood or found family.
The diversity of the cast is not just apparent in cultural and LGBTQIA representation, but in neurodivergent characters as well. I am so excited to see hacker Tweak settling into her new family and growing with the help of medications and counseling.
With all these subtly nuanced characters, Tearmann creates a compelling, breathlessly exciting series of books which have not yet failed to disappoint me. I especially loved the interlude in a pagan community in the mountains. If Coomb Olwen is taking applications for residency, sign me up. And OMG. The end. ALL THE FEELS. Somebody read these so we can squee together.
While this book took a bit of a different track, I personally think Tearmann is just lulling me with a false sense of security until they rip my heart out and staple it back together again. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the Wildcards’ next installment.
May 9, 2020
OF HONEY AND WILDFIRES: Sarah Chorn’s dark, beautiful AU fantasy Western
I’m restarting my reviews and features of sci-fi and fantasy books with LGBTQIA main characters and/or themes, especially those written by indie authors. Seriously, some of the BEST books are coming from the independent and self-published crowd these days. OF HONEY AND WILDFIRES is at the top of that list.
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Sarah Chorn’s first novel, Seraphina’s Lament, reinforced my concept of grimdark fantasy as a potential favorite genre. You can see my review of this incredible book here. I now have to add ‘fantasy AU Western’ to that mix.
If grimdark is not your thing, you absolutely MUST read Of Honey and Wildfires instead to get a taste of Chorn’s magnificent, lyrical prose, which flows between the events of this story like its golden, sticky namesake and weaves the events together in an inescapable flood.
It is not a feel-good book by any means. Chorn explores the greed and inhumanity of the early days of the oil rush, transposed upon the mythical industry of crude shine: literally, liquid magic pumped and mined from the ground. Young Arlen Esco, heir to his father’s vast company holdings, is sent to Shine Territory ostensibly to learn the business. Instead, sensitive Arlen’s world is turned inside out when Christopher Hobson, a larger than life outlaw known as the Shine Bandit, kidnaps him and shows him the dark side of the Esco empire. What Arlen learns about himself and what his father has become is chilling.
The book contains three strands of consciousness: Arlen’s, as he is reluctantly pulled into Chris’s painful world; Cassandra’s: Christopher Hobson’s daughter, outcast by her father’s deeds; and Ianthe’s: the consumptive love of Cassandra’s life, who sees the world in glory and beauty through the haze of the shine addiction keeping her alive. Between the three of them, the painful narrative of life and death, where magic exists but cannot hold back the hand of disease or the ravages of human greed, plays out to its climax.
I absolutely loved this book. Ianthe and Cassandra’s love story is a needle-studded skein of embroidery thread, shining and beautiful but sharp with the scissors poised to cut. Beyond the mention of Arlen’s chest binder, the fact he is male goes refreshingly unquestioned in the narrative in this AU Western world, and I loved that as well. It’s a must read for anyone who loves achingly beautiful literary prose. The book comes full circle from its shocking introduction to the last page. It’s definitely a stand-alone, though I would love to see other stories set in this world.
Of Honey and Wildfires is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
April 29, 2020
Dalí Tamareia Missions Series Trailer
If you haven’t had a chance to see the magnificent trailer created by Baz Collins of Akwekon Media, feast your eyes on this!
April 24, 2020
Wrote Podcast Ep265: Get Your Butts Scoped!
I had the wonderful experience of being interviewed on Wrote Podcast with Vance Bastian and Baz Collins on this week’s episode. We discussed my newest book, “Peacemaker”, coming out at a late age, cancer survival, and why it is important to GET YOUR BUTTS SCOPED! There’s a great rapid fire questions session after the interview where we talked about my current obsession with “The Mandalorian”, acknowledged the infinite power of the intergalactic chancleta, and revealed who I want to direct and star in the fantasy film production of my Dalí Tamareia Missions.
Many thanks to Vance and Baz for a painless interview. They made it very easy to talk about me for way longer than I thought possible. You can listen to it right here:
http://www.wrotepodcast.com/em-hamill
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April 17, 2020
Angel Martinez reads from PEACEMAKER
The wonderful Angel Martinez (author of one of my favorite books, The Mage on the Hill) is reading an intense scene from Peacemaker on her blog for Reading Friday. I may or may not have a little crush on her voice…enjoy!
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March 28, 2020
Real Life Intrudes
I’ve been trying to put my thoughts into words and failing miserably. Like many people, I have been living a breath away from an ugly cry for the last several weeks. Writing has been almost non-existent other than finishing on-line coursework for my degree, which came slowly and painfully but is now finished. Neither my son nor I will be able to walk in our respective graduations.
At the end of January, my coworkers at the cancer clinic and I discovered unexpectedly our clinic will close in mid-May. Our “dream team” is being broken up, and we were already mourning the impending loss of each other and some of the patients we serve before the nasty virus reared its head. As new best-practices come to light literally each day from the CDC, we are changing the way we do things, what we wear and when we wear PPE in order to conserve it and still protect our patients and ourselves.
I’m a nurse in the midst of a pandemic. I have a high-risk patient population with suppressed immune systems due to chemotherapy. I am by no means on the front line of things like I was when I worked in the hospital, but my heart aches for my fellow nurses and the physicians who work in the ER and ICUs and on the patient care floors.
Especially in New York, I cannot imagine what my peers are going through. Each time I see a parent who can’t hug their child until this is over for fear of passing on the virus, or a health care provider who has succumbed to the illness they selflessly waged war against, my spirits sink a little more.
I drove to the grocery store today to get things for my mother and noticed spring has seemingly appeared out of nowhere. White blossoms and tiny green leaves are emerging on tree branches, and my forsythia is a yellow riot against the newly green grass.
When did that happen?
For the last few weeks I’ve just been driving to work and back, mentally and emotionally exhausted, without really seeing anything. The gray landscape in my head colored my world, but today’s colors and sunlight broke through the fog and gave me hope.
So much love and beauty has emerged during this crisis. Videos of neighbors singing together on the balconies of Italian apartment complexes during quarantine. The newly crystal-clear canals of Venice. Children playing music for the world. Patrick Stewart reading daily sonnets. People sewing thousands of masks for health care workers. My forsythia, golden and sunny and brilliant.
These are the things I’m going to cling to during the next couple of months to get me through.
March 17, 2020
Read DALÍ for FREE until 3/31/20
Wishing everybody health, love and peace during this craziness. My publisher NineStar Press and I are offering the first book in The Dalí Tamareia Missions FREE until the end of March, and all other books on the site including PEACEMAKER are discounted at least 40% . Take the time to breathe, relax, and read a book.
https://ninestarpress.com/product/dali/
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