K.D. Carter's Blog
August 11, 2018
Review - It's All Greek to Me
Well for some reason my reviews are NOT posting to my blog - totally annoying! Anyway, here is my review of "It's All Greek to Me" by Maggie Aldrich.
I picked this book up during a free giveaway. To be honest, this isn't the type of book I would normally read, but at the time I thought a light romance could be fun. The story is about a 30-something slacker named Emily, a trust-fund girl with little ambition working an easy job and living in a cute bungalow partially funded by her parents. Her parents disappear on a return trip from Louisiana (the story takes place in Texas) and are presumed dead. Right before their death, her parents made a bad investment in some land, which got the estate assets frozen and cut Emily off. Add to that her job disappearing because the owners decided to close shop, and Emily has quite a predicament to deal with. She lands a job and a place to stay when she goes back to her old college to be house mom to her sorority. It seems the sorority house had its own scandal and, like Emily, needed to be rebuilt.
There was a little bit of a mystery involved, as Emily was trying to find the people responsible for defrauding her parents, but this was mostly a romance between Emily and Michael, a hunky carpenter hired to fix up the sorority house. Like a modern Jane Austen story, their first meeting didn't go over so well, and she started out thinking Michael was a jerk, so naturally she fell for him later. There was also the heroine having to start over and discover just what kind of girl she really was. Like I said, it was a fun summer romance kind of read, no big surprises at all. I gave it 4 out of 5 because the story did drag in a few places, and more than once I shouted at Emily for being so dumb! (Yeah, I do talk to/yell at characters in books, doesn't everybody?) It's not a very big book, but I'm also not a very fast reader. I got it read in a few days, but most readers wouldn't need more than a day. If you are in the mood for a not too complicated romance, and/or like Austen-like stories, I think you would enjoy this book.
I picked this book up during a free giveaway. To be honest, this isn't the type of book I would normally read, but at the time I thought a light romance could be fun. The story is about a 30-something slacker named Emily, a trust-fund girl with little ambition working an easy job and living in a cute bungalow partially funded by her parents. Her parents disappear on a return trip from Louisiana (the story takes place in Texas) and are presumed dead. Right before their death, her parents made a bad investment in some land, which got the estate assets frozen and cut Emily off. Add to that her job disappearing because the owners decided to close shop, and Emily has quite a predicament to deal with. She lands a job and a place to stay when she goes back to her old college to be house mom to her sorority. It seems the sorority house had its own scandal and, like Emily, needed to be rebuilt.
There was a little bit of a mystery involved, as Emily was trying to find the people responsible for defrauding her parents, but this was mostly a romance between Emily and Michael, a hunky carpenter hired to fix up the sorority house. Like a modern Jane Austen story, their first meeting didn't go over so well, and she started out thinking Michael was a jerk, so naturally she fell for him later. There was also the heroine having to start over and discover just what kind of girl she really was. Like I said, it was a fun summer romance kind of read, no big surprises at all. I gave it 4 out of 5 because the story did drag in a few places, and more than once I shouted at Emily for being so dumb! (Yeah, I do talk to/yell at characters in books, doesn't everybody?) It's not a very big book, but I'm also not a very fast reader. I got it read in a few days, but most readers wouldn't need more than a day. If you are in the mood for a not too complicated romance, and/or like Austen-like stories, I think you would enjoy this book.
August 7, 2018
A review of "The Book of Kells"
I am copying this review here, because when I posted it I stupidly forgot to have it post here. So here it is:
I did enjoy this book, and will look for more by R.A. MacAvoy in the future. I admit, some of the reviews of this book had me worried, particularly about the need to constantly flip to the glossary for the less-familiar Old Irish words. But I really didn't look up more than one or two things, and I don't lose sleep over whether I'm pronouncing an Old Irish name correctly or not.
There were some fun characters in the book, although I agree with one reviewer that the two main characters weren't all that great. Derval, the woman, was a University professor in history and the Irish language. She picked up John in Newfoundland, and apparently persuaded him to follow her to Dublin after a fling. And then after that she wasn't terribly nice to him, and he kind of let her push him around.
John was an artist who taught graphic design & wanted to study the Book of Kells - let's just say he got his wish. Anyway, an incredibly beautiful cross was found with gorgeous spiral designs and a naked girl carved into it. When John practiced drawing the spirals while listening to an old tune, he accidentally opened a time portal, and the naked girl from the cross walked right into his room. Yes, that's how it begins, and it doesn't let up. Some might be comparing it to "Outlander," and while there is time travel involved the stories are quite different. John and Derval meet others, John mans up a bit, and they do end up going their separate ways in the end. But before that happens they have to face a brutal Viking who vowed to sacrifice all of them to Odin. There's mention of St. Brigit, and the Book of Kells does eventually find its way into the story.
I chose this story because I went to Ireland on vacation, and read most of it on the plane going and coming back. Ireland is steeped in history and battles, and although I didn't research the events named in this book, it seems an authentic historical fiction to me. I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and/or anything Irish!
I did enjoy this book, and will look for more by R.A. MacAvoy in the future. I admit, some of the reviews of this book had me worried, particularly about the need to constantly flip to the glossary for the less-familiar Old Irish words. But I really didn't look up more than one or two things, and I don't lose sleep over whether I'm pronouncing an Old Irish name correctly or not.
There were some fun characters in the book, although I agree with one reviewer that the two main characters weren't all that great. Derval, the woman, was a University professor in history and the Irish language. She picked up John in Newfoundland, and apparently persuaded him to follow her to Dublin after a fling. And then after that she wasn't terribly nice to him, and he kind of let her push him around.
John was an artist who taught graphic design & wanted to study the Book of Kells - let's just say he got his wish. Anyway, an incredibly beautiful cross was found with gorgeous spiral designs and a naked girl carved into it. When John practiced drawing the spirals while listening to an old tune, he accidentally opened a time portal, and the naked girl from the cross walked right into his room. Yes, that's how it begins, and it doesn't let up. Some might be comparing it to "Outlander," and while there is time travel involved the stories are quite different. John and Derval meet others, John mans up a bit, and they do end up going their separate ways in the end. But before that happens they have to face a brutal Viking who vowed to sacrifice all of them to Odin. There's mention of St. Brigit, and the Book of Kells does eventually find its way into the story.
I chose this story because I went to Ireland on vacation, and read most of it on the plane going and coming back. Ireland is steeped in history and battles, and although I didn't research the events named in this book, it seems an authentic historical fiction to me. I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and/or anything Irish!
June 5, 2018
New book - The Death Doll
My latest book, "The Death Doll," is now available on Amazon as a e-book or paperback. This is my first historical fiction, set in New Hampshire during the Salem Witch trials. At one time, both New Hampshire and Maine were part of Massachusetts colony, which were largely Puritan colonies. Interestingly enough, the witch hysteria of 1692 was pretty much limited to Massachusetts. Neither Connecticut nor New Hampshire colonies were much affected by this, although I did find two witch trials in New Hampshire some 30 years earlier. One woman was convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, while the other was acquitted for lack of evidence.
If you’ve read anything about the Salem witch trials, you’d know that some young girls were the main accusers, and the judges relied on “spectral evidence” provided by the girls. They claimed to see the spectral image of the accused, and that the spectral images would allegedly pinch and torment them. Of course, no one else could SEE these spectral images, which is why Sir William Phips, Governor of Massachusetts told the judges not to use spectral evidence in the trials. However, he left that summer to fight Indians in Maine, and while he was gone the judges ignored Phips’ instructions, and used spectral evidence to convict and hang some 19 people. One of those victims was John Proctor, a historically-based character in a stage play, “The Crucible.” That play was written during another American hysteria movement, the fight against Communism led by Joseph McCarthy. A U.S. senator, he was chair of the Un-American Activities committee. He went after state workers, movie stars and even school teachers in a bid to rid the nation of “Communist infiltrators,” and earn fame for himself. A few people, like screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, actually spent some time in jail, mostly for contempt of court (since being a Communist was never against the law). Still, careers were ruined by Mr. McCarthy’s push for fame, and most never recovered.
Trumbo’s career was resurrected when Kirk Douglas decided to hire him to write the screenplay for “Spartacus,” one of his most famous roles. There’s a wonderful movie about Trumbo and Kirk Douglas making the Spartacus movie. Before “Spartacus,” Trumbo had to use an alias to hide from McCarthy’s allies in Hollywood. Some of those allies were afraid of McCarthy, but others took advantage of the hysteria for a power grab. And like McCarthy, there is ample evidence that most of the witch trials were actually land grabs. Anyone who either confessed to or was convicted of witchcraft forfeited all their land and property. When Governor Phips returned from his summer Indian hunt, he put an immediate end to the trials and freed most of the imprisoned, but their property was gone.
“The Death Doll” isn’t the heavy political statement of “The Crucible,” but I think it’s relevant to today, especially in the era of “Fake News.” My lead character, Kate Tremont, is the victim of some idle gossip run amok. She gives a doll to a child, and that simple act of kindness is turned against her by some “Mean Girls.” In fact, you could say that the Salem witch trials, which take place during my book, featured the original “Mean Girls” Abigail Williams and Anne Putnam, Jr. Anne Putnam was about 12 years old during the trials. Later, she lost both parents to illness and had to raise her younger siblings by herself. She never married, no big surprise there, and when she was 30 she finally admitted that she gave false testimony (but claimed the Devil made her do it), apologized and begged forgiveness. Her story is a real-life example of “what goes around, comes around.” This is why I enjoy reading - and now writing - historical fiction. The best stories contain truth, and history contains some of the best stories.
If you’ve read anything about the Salem witch trials, you’d know that some young girls were the main accusers, and the judges relied on “spectral evidence” provided by the girls. They claimed to see the spectral image of the accused, and that the spectral images would allegedly pinch and torment them. Of course, no one else could SEE these spectral images, which is why Sir William Phips, Governor of Massachusetts told the judges not to use spectral evidence in the trials. However, he left that summer to fight Indians in Maine, and while he was gone the judges ignored Phips’ instructions, and used spectral evidence to convict and hang some 19 people. One of those victims was John Proctor, a historically-based character in a stage play, “The Crucible.” That play was written during another American hysteria movement, the fight against Communism led by Joseph McCarthy. A U.S. senator, he was chair of the Un-American Activities committee. He went after state workers, movie stars and even school teachers in a bid to rid the nation of “Communist infiltrators,” and earn fame for himself. A few people, like screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, actually spent some time in jail, mostly for contempt of court (since being a Communist was never against the law). Still, careers were ruined by Mr. McCarthy’s push for fame, and most never recovered.
Trumbo’s career was resurrected when Kirk Douglas decided to hire him to write the screenplay for “Spartacus,” one of his most famous roles. There’s a wonderful movie about Trumbo and Kirk Douglas making the Spartacus movie. Before “Spartacus,” Trumbo had to use an alias to hide from McCarthy’s allies in Hollywood. Some of those allies were afraid of McCarthy, but others took advantage of the hysteria for a power grab. And like McCarthy, there is ample evidence that most of the witch trials were actually land grabs. Anyone who either confessed to or was convicted of witchcraft forfeited all their land and property. When Governor Phips returned from his summer Indian hunt, he put an immediate end to the trials and freed most of the imprisoned, but their property was gone.
“The Death Doll” isn’t the heavy political statement of “The Crucible,” but I think it’s relevant to today, especially in the era of “Fake News.” My lead character, Kate Tremont, is the victim of some idle gossip run amok. She gives a doll to a child, and that simple act of kindness is turned against her by some “Mean Girls.” In fact, you could say that the Salem witch trials, which take place during my book, featured the original “Mean Girls” Abigail Williams and Anne Putnam, Jr. Anne Putnam was about 12 years old during the trials. Later, she lost both parents to illness and had to raise her younger siblings by herself. She never married, no big surprise there, and when she was 30 she finally admitted that she gave false testimony (but claimed the Devil made her do it), apologized and begged forgiveness. Her story is a real-life example of “what goes around, comes around.” This is why I enjoy reading - and now writing - historical fiction. The best stories contain truth, and history contains some of the best stories.
April 17, 2018
A note on "The Last One Alive"
I need to explain why "The Last One Alive" isn't available anymore. It was a short story available as an e-book on Amazon.com, and I had to remove it from their website, as they are no longer taking submissions for Kindle Singles. The original plan was to write three short stories that could be sold together in one volume, and I intend to carry on with that objective. This story will be rolled into a larger work, but right now I am completing the second book in my "Celtic Rings" series. I am looking for another platform to make "The Last One Alive" available, and will advise on my progress as soon as possible.
