Lorina Stephens's Blog, page 5
October 25, 2022
Review: Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Nghi Vo is a new writer to me, apparently an award-winning author. I am not sure what constitutes worthiness of awards these days, but it would seem wandering plot, predictable characters, and seedy settings are the criteria.
I delved into Vo’s novel, intrigued by the premise, and reassured by the fact this wasn’t some indie erotica which proliferates publishing these days. I was rather misguided.
The novel deals with the tired old trope of Hollywood predation, spicing it up with an alternate world of fey creatures both glorious and foul. The protagonist, Luli Wei, who has usurped her sister’s name, is a predator in her own right, consuming whatever is required to gain her ambition of stardom. She wanders the Hollywood production lots at night where a cast of demi-human and human stars and groupies gather around fires, each fire its own constellation, and each with its own orgy, or salon, or drug indulgence. The Wild Hunt wanders the lots. People submit to S&M, bondage, possession and anything Vo could throw into this hodgepodge of a novel. And beyond that, there is little other plot structure.
The very pragmatic side of me kept wondering how the asphalt wasn’t melted into tar, even set alight, from all these nightly fires, how it was fire departments weren’t called in because of the myriad flames and smoke. And there’s the unrealistic glamour and glitter, and indulgence which precludes any consideration of income and expense, and real world practicalities. This is nothing more than adolescent voyeurism and nightdreams. If Lestat had shown up I would not have been at all surprised. But apparently Tor thought it was a good novel.
If you like consumable, irrelevant, erotic fiction, you’ll likely love this novel. For me, I prefer a little more skill, elegance, and believability.
October 20, 2022
Review: The Cat’s Table, by Michael Ondaatje
The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I do have to say I have enjoyed most of what Ondaatje has written. He demonstrates a craftsman’s skill in his art. In The Cat’s Table, for me, that skill seemed laboured, even tired. What had been touted in promotional blurbs as a spellbinding story which promised to be poignant and electrifying, for me stuttered through endless exposition, predictable characters, and ponderous prose.
It is a story about a coming of age of a type, of a mystery uncovered which has life-long ramifications. But the import of these plot devices fades. I do believe Ondaatje is coming to suffer from Thomas Wolfe’s affliction of verbosity, words and words and words simply for the love of them, like an artist using all the colours, all at once, and only achieving muddy brown.
So, alas, another disappointing read for 2022. As always, read if you like. Don’t if not. Art is subjective: a good thing to remember.
October 17, 2022
Review: Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Spinning Silver was my introduction to Naomi Novik, and a glorious introduction it was. It has been a very long time since I have been so captivated by a story, by writing, by the beauty of language that it silenced my inner critic and editor.
This is a charming and captivating story drawing upon Eastern European mythology and sensibilities, a very female story, which reinvents Rumpelstiltskin, the Ice Queen, and others. Novik creates a mythology and world which are utterly believable, fully realized down to minute details. She understands material culture intimately, the effects of climate upon the land and its people, of social constructs.
Miryem is the protagonist, the descendant of moneylenders who are more kind and forgiving than with the fortitude required of the profession, and thus Miryem finds herself in a grim and indigent life until she decides enough is enough and takes over the family business. That action, and the boast she unwittingly utters, draws the attention of the Staryk king, a lord of a kingdom of ice and cold.
Miryem, and the two young women she draws into her circle, become entangled what seems an impossible quest. Novik knits together all these elements into a mesmerizing story, one which I will be purchasing in hardcover for my library. The only reason I haven’t given the novel five stars is because I don’t think it’s quite literary enough to become a classic of the ages. But it is definitely an excellent read.
October 14, 2022
Review: The Kingston Cycle, by C.J. Polk
Witchmark by C.L. Polk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A refreshing take on fantasy, set in a world of an aristocratic ruling class which holds not only social and economic power, but secretly magic, while all others are outcasts, and should they show any signs of magical abilities, are consigned to asylums to apparently languish.
Polk creates some interesting characters caught in both family and political power struggles, while examining morality.
Altogether an entertaining read.
Stormsong by C.L. Polk
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Polk continues her interesting trilogy in this second novel, this time changing character focus, although certainly the world she’s created descends deeper into chaos, subterfuge, political machinations, and outright horrors against humanity. All of that sounds as though the novel would be a slog to read, which it is, but not because of those factors. Certainly Polk had already built a fascinating world. However, with the shift from the lead character Tristan, in Book 1, to his sister, Grace, in book 2, the entire flavour changes, unfortunately not for the better.
While Polk crafted a vulnerable, powerful and fascinating character in Tristan, in Grace the flavour changes from one of empathy to one of superficiality. Grace quite often seems more focused on fashion, societal standing, and avoiding controversy than in championing the real cause of empowering the witches who have for generations fed the power-mongers of Aeland, and who now, though freed from bondage, exist in penury and pain.
Altogether a disappointing continuation of what started out to be a fascinating story.
Soulstar by C.L. Polk
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Unfortunately what started out to be a brilliant beginning to Polk’s Kingston Cycle trilogy came to a stuttering and struggling conclusion in this last novel.
The problems which arose in the second novel of superficiality, lack of focus, and a general sense of insincerity ballooned here, to the point it became a labourious chore just to slog through. Utterly disappointing.
October 6, 2022
Horror Storycrafting Session Saturday
Our horror event is happening in just a couple of days! If you missed our previous announcement, check out the full schedule below & claim your panel tickets today!
11AM – 12PM EST: Haunted Houses and Other Spooky Places: Creating Atmospheric Settings in Horror
This panel will explore why haunting house stories are enduringly popular, what makes a setting creepy, and how to use setting to evoke a sense of horror in your own stories.
Moderated by Dianna Gunn
Panelists: Brenda Radchik, Pamela K. Kinney, Mato C Lawrence, Priya Sridhar
Sign up for Haunted Houses and Other Spooky Places
12:30PM – 1:30PM EST: Spirits, Ghosts, and Ghouls: Emotional Echoes and Supernatural Encounters
An exciting discussion on how and why weaving spirits, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena into your horror novel can guide your horror story development and engage your readers!
Moderated by Lex Vranick
Panelists: Briana Morgan, Kaki Olsen, Mary Farnstrom, Rory Harbert
Sign up for Spirits, Ghosts, and Ghouls
2:30 – 3:30PM EST: Crossroad Blues: Exploring the Boundary Between Life and Death
Horror often seeks to explore the depth of human experience… including the boundary between life and death. This panel will discuss how to work these themes into your own horror stories.
Moderated by Laura Nettles
Panelists: Barbara A Barnett, Jean M Hodges, Bethany A Perry, Lorina Stephens
4 – 5PM EST: Dire Warnings: Building Social Critique and Concern into Your Horror Writing
A discussion about how horror has historically critiqued real issues within our society + how you can work social critique into your own horror.
Moderated by Dianna Gunn
Panelists: Lex Vranick, Tim McGregor, Jaecyn Boné (Charli), Mato C Lawrence
5:30 – 6:30PM EST: Gothic, Cosmic, Apocalyptic: Understanding Subgenres of Horror
This panel will define the differences between popular horror subgenres like gothic horror and cosmic horror.
Moderated by Jade Benjamin
Panelists: Alex Woodroe, Sìne Peril, Hannah Brown, Des M Astor
Sign up for Understanding Subgenres of Horror
We’ll see you there!
September 23, 2022
Short story appears in On Spec
So today’s exciting news is I have a short story appearing in On Spec Magazine.
What is On Spec?On Spec Magazine is a quarterly journal of Fantastic Literature, published by the Copper Pig Society. The magazine has won several Prix Aurora Awards, and has been a Canadian icon in Fantastic Literature since 1989.
My short story
I wrote a strange and challenging story, “Water Rights”, which explores not only rights to Canada’s waterways, but an Anishinaabe legend. I’m hoping you’ll come away with a sort of Twilight Zone resonance when you read it. And that, I’m afraid, is all I’m going to tell you about the story.
Who Appears in Issue 121?The table of contents:
Colleen AndersonErik BundyGlenn CliftonMary J. DaleyKarl DendenellLynne Taylor FahnestalkBarb Galler-SmithRoberta LaurieCat McDonaldJosh PearceRory SayZiggy SchutzKat SiddleLorina StephensJean-Louis TrudelPamela Yuencover art by Herman LauPlus I’m Interviewed!
Roberta Laurie spent time with me via Zoom a few months ago, during which we chatted about “Water Rights”, my writing process, where my muse resides, and the like. She’s a pretty fascinating person, and I had such a lovely time being interviewed by her. Roberta’s interview appears in this issue of On Spec.
Subscribing to On SpecA year’s subscription to On Spec is ridiculously inexpensive, with both a print and digital version available. Why not give them a gander. I think you’ll be entertained.
September 6, 2022
Storycrafting Sessions
Weeknight Writers, a social enterprise dedicated to creating accessible educational resources and events for fiction authors, is presenting a Horror Storycrafting Session, October 8, 2022. I’m pleased to be part of that by way of the panel: Crossroad Blues: Exploring the Boundary Between Life and Death. I’m pleased to share the panel with Barbara A Barnett, Jean M Hodges, and Bethany A Perry.
The Full Details[image error]Hello writers!Our next virtual conference is happening on October 8th, 2022 and tickets are available RIGHT NOW! Read on to learn about the panels or head straight to the Full Schedule Announcement for all the details & signup links!
THE SCHEDULE!!!
11AM – 12PM EST: Haunted Houses and Other Spooky Places: Creating Atmospheric Settings in Horror
This panel will explore why haunting house stories are enduringly popular, what makes a setting creepy, and how to use setting to evoke a sense of horror in your own stories.
Moderated by Dianna Gunn
Panelists: Brenda Radchik, Pamela K. Kinney, Mato J Steger, Priya Sridhar
Sign up for Haunted Houses and Other Spooky Places
12:30PM – 1:30PM EST: Spirits, Ghosts, and Ghouls: Emotional Echoes and Supernatural Encounters
An exciting discussion on how and why weaving spirits, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena into your horror novel can guide your horror story development and engage your readers!
Moderated by Lex Vranick
Panelists: Briana Morgan, Kaki Olsen, Mary Farnstrom, Rory Harbert
Sign up for Spirits, Ghosts, and Ghouls
2:30 – 3:30PM EST: Crossroad Blues: Exploring the Boundary Between Life and Death
Horror often seeks to explore the depth of human experience… including the boundary between life and death. This panel will discuss how to work these themes into your own horror stories.
Moderated by Laura Nettles
Panelists: Barbara A Barnett, Jean M Hodges, Bethany A Perry, Lorina Stephens
4 – 5PM EST: Dire Warnings: Building Social Critique and Concern into Your Horror Writing
A discussion about how horror has historically critiqued real issues within our society + how you can work social critique into your own horror.
Moderated by Dianna Gunn
Panelists: Peg Aloi, Lex Vranick, Tim McGregor, Jaecyn Boné (Charli)
5:30 – 6:30PM EST: Gothic, Cosmic, Apocalyptic: Understanding Subgenres of Horror
This panel will define the differences between popular horror subgenres like gothic horror and cosmic horror.
Moderated by Jade Benjamin
Panelists: Alex Woodroe, Sìne Peril, Hannah Brown, Des M Astor
Sign up for Understanding Subgenres of Horror
Have questions about this event? Check out the full announcement or email your questions to weeknightwriters@gmail.com!
August 17, 2022
An August Update
I know, I know, I truly am hopeless at promoting myself, of keeping people up to date on what I’m doing. But mostly it’s because I’ve convinced myself no one’s listening. Now, that’s not meant to sound like a sucky-baby statement. Just being very pragmatic. It has been my experience with social media of any sort that mostly people aren’t paying attention to all the white noise out there, and my voice is just one small blip in that wave of noise. Always seems like there are more productive ways for me to spend my time.
However, here am I, giving anyone who’s listening a ‘hale and hearty, well met’.
So what have I been doing?Well, it’s summer, so mostly garden stuff, mostly vegetables, because the perennial beds pretty much take care of themselves.
Today’s vegetable harvest has manifested in drying plum tomatoes. After 10 or so hours in the dehydrator, I’ll blitz those delicious, red jewels in the food processor, and freeze that for winter use. It will be a wonderful memory of summer.
But are you writing?I have been writing short stories, so there is that. In fact, a lot of short stories, eight this year. And that’s kind of strange, because I’ve previously found that form of writing a bit of an anathema. But somehow I’ve come to a new perspective regarding the literary form, and found it challenging and inspiring to craft a well-told story in under 2000 words. That word limit is purely my own discipline, because previously I’ve mostly written short stories in the range of 2400 to 6000 words.
Then there was the panel I took part in for When Words Collide, on Baking, Brewing, and Babies. It was a fun and lively discussion about accuracy in material and domestic culture in any genre, and the importance of primary source research. The 2013 When Words Collide festival will be taking place in person rather than virtual. While that’s wonderful for many people, for me it means I won’t be participating, as I don’t travel for that sort of thing. Silly, I know, but that’s part of the nature of being a reclusive type.
And what about painting?I’ve also been accepted to an online art gallery at Canada On Canvas. Right now there are six of my paintings available there, which you can order as a canvas gallery wrap, framed print, fine art print with mounting, metal/wood prints, plaque mountings, plexi face mount, greeting cards, and fabric dye – sub printing. These can be had in a variety of sizes, customized to your specifications.
Of course, the originals are available through this website as well.
Going forwardOnce the vegetable harvest has settled down, and we start to snug up in the Old Stone House for the winter, I’ll return to laying down tracks for the audiobook of The Rose Guardian. I’m aiming to have that available by the close of the year. Then during January 2023 I’ll forge ahead with the audiobook production of Dreams of the Moon.
I also want to plunge deeply into writing Hekja’s Lament, the historical novel which is based on the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows CE 1023. There’s just one tantalizing bit of research I have yet to complete, and that revolves around a garment the slaves known as Haki and Hekja wore, referred to in The Viking Sagas, known as a bjafal, which is described as a hooded garment open at the sides, with no sleeves, fasted between the legs with a loop and button. I can find no historical reference to such a garment, but for one tantalizing description of an Inuit garment very much like the description in The Viking Sagas. If the garment is, in fact, of Inuit culture, then that may very well through the entire plot into disarray. So, until I have that matter resolved, I am reluctant to continue. Wish me luck!
So, that’s all for now, dear readers. Wishing you contentment, laughter, and good health, as always. Let me know what you think of my books either by leaving comment here, or by posting on your social media, Goodreads, or Librarything, or your own blogs.
August 11, 2022
When Words Collide panel
Now in it’s 11th year, When Words Collide is a festival for readers, writers, artists and publishers of commercial and literary fiction, and it starts tomorrow, August 12, through Sunday August 14. Even better, the organizers have wisely chosen to hold the convention online again this year.
Why am I telling you about WWC 2022?I’m pleased to be one of four panelists this year who are discussing Baking, Brewing & Babies, or put another way: how to get the material and social culture of your novel right.
I share the panel with Sandy Fitzpatrick, Celeste Peters, and David Worsick.
The panel takes place Friday, August 12, 3:00 PM EDT.
August 2, 2022
Interview with author, Michele Laframboise
LS: You first studied at Polytechnique Montreal, I believe. What was your course of study, and did it relate in any manner to where you find yourself now?
ML: I love to learn new things and studied in geography, and later went to the Polytechnique where I met my husband and learned tons of physical concepts. This knowledge underlines most of my fictional constructions. For instance, the root-houses in several of my stories are more resistant to earthquakes than the brick and mortar ones, because of the central root axel. The root houses wobble, but do not fall. (There is an impressive earthquake laboratory on ground level.)
I studied civil engineering and really tried to fit in, but my social awkwardness kept the plush desk jobs away. I did a ton of low-wage, contractual technician-level jobs. I remember a 7-days/week for three weeks stint I did just after getting married, wearing a 22-lbs backpack with the then-heavy GPS. Two long antennas, the emitter and receptor, jutted from my back, reaching high over my head. One had a little flying saucer shape. As I stopped to register the coordinates of signposts in public places, all the curious adults asked if I searched for Martians. The children, more poetic, asked if I wanted to find a treasure.
LS: I understand your relationship with your dad was pretty special, and that in fact you made a sort of deal with him that you’d eventually be published in Asimov’s. Tell me about him, how he influenced you, and how you felt about fulfilling that promise to him posthumously.
ML: Dad was an avid SF reader, and he let me read all the books on his bookshelves, even if none were YA or children’s books. He was a mechanical engineer, and supported me when I started writing SF novels in the middle of my own engineering studies.
But he fell ill and eventually had to be hospitalized. I made the route from Toronto Union Station several times, with an Asimov’s copy that a convenience store at Union carried. When he was reading the issue, I promised him that one day, I would be published in the same magazine. That was in 2014. I sent many subs, and eventually one was accepted, and published at the end of 2021. Sheila Williams even incorporated the bit about the promise in the bio paragraph.
LS: Why write? What is it that inspires you, moves you to tell stories?
ML: I stared with drawing comics, and one day one story requested so many details that I decided to write it as a novel, thinking it would be easier. (it wasn’t, that first novel was workshopped to death, resuscitated, hacked, redrafted, and eventually published in 2012.) There are many mistakes we make in our first novel, and I am certain I made them all.
LS: Tell me about your creative process, how you take a story from concept to finished work.
ML: It comes from everywhere in life. An idea, a what-if… an image. As Kristine Kathryn Rusch says in her blog, write about what moves you or what revolts you, what you are passionate about. Flagrant injustices, the destruction of nature feeds my inspiration in Safe Harbor.
But I can stall if there is no strong emotional connection. For instance, I have one WIP with this nifty vessel, a problem/conflict, but I need another ingredient, a character who will carry this story, a character a reader can relate to, emote about. There has to be an emotional impact, and in that story as it is, I do not feel it. So I am stalled.
LS: Do you work on several works of fiction at a time, or do you focus on one, complete it, and move on to the next?
ML: Yes. This image will explain it better. Each story is at a certain point in life, and some need nurture. Some stay small like a short-story, some fizzle out, and some grow to be a tall novel tree.
LS: When writing short stories, do you write with a specific market in mind, or mostly on spec and then find a market to fit?
ML: I write to please myself then only later do I find the potential market; sometimes I do respond to a call on a specific theme. However, the genre/readership market comes early in the stories I write. For instance, I know very fast if it will be SF, or fantasy, or contemporary.
LS: I understand you’re also an artist, and in fact illustrate some of your own graphic novels. Was an exploration of visual art something with which you were always involved?
ML: I started as a French language comic artist (at a time the words ‘graphic novel’ did not exist) and had about 10 short comic books published before deciding to tell stories with words (see question about inspiration). I would have started writing in my teens, but the French literature teachers at secondary school had this thing for dead white European authors, while I liked Asimov’s robots and space battles.
The two SF books I saw in those formative years were depressing dystopias (1984 and Brave New World) which I didn’t fully appreciate at that early age. So, no writing SF novels for me. I studied sciences, and started drawing comics. Only much later did I discover the Quebec SF community, and started tentative short-stories in French.
LS: Your focus in writing is hard science fiction, and I’m curious as to what acts as your muse in that regard.
ML: There’s no muse, there’s just a lot of events and scientific discoveries that elicit a reaction from me, wonder or indignation. It is my own instinct to check the solidity of the boards before getting on a bridge. Let’s say it is a reflex to any genre.
For instance, you read about a hardboiled detective chasing a suspect. He jumps from one building, but he misses, and falls five-stories down on the concrete. If the detective gets back up unharmed and starts running to catch the perp, your mind will tell you something’s wrong with the story. It has stopped being a detective mystery novel, and is something else entirely. Maybe set on the Moon with one sixth of the Earth’s gravity.
LS: How many novels have you written?
ML: Almost 20 in French published through traditional houses, and more than 60 short-stories in semi-pro and pro mags. Eighty are waiting, doing the rounds. I published under my imprint two novels in English, both ecological contemporary romances set in a small coastal town. A third is in the works. Not science fiction, but the science is there.
LS: You have also established your own imprint. What inspired you to do that?
ML: Traditional publishing houses are like those rope bridges in adventure movies: they fall behind me along with their distribution channels. So, I have currently 13 orphan YA novels. I established my indie publishing house to offer my backlist of novels, and reprint already published short-stories. The same goes for all my comic books, now in the wild.
My Echofiction imprint does publish original stories, for people with a short attention span or adults learning a new language. The shorter format allows them to read a complete, satisfying story. Cardboard Boy and the Lady Bird series of ornithological adventures are booklets that would be too expensive for a traditional publisher to distribute. Échofictions makes very short print runs, about 25 books each time, so I am not bankrupt, and I can carry the books to the public at events close to my home.
It is my conviction that I do not need a billion readers, but that my voice and brand of fiction can comfort my readers, help them escape sad thoughts, provide food for reflection, and raise their spirits. A few hundred faithful fans would be enough for me to make a living.
LS: I know from discussion with you you’re a very disciplined writer, dedicating a specific portion of your day to work, with an attendant word count. Have you always worked that way? Is that something you had to discipline yourself to?
ML: Yes. It depends on the project. I do lose less time on research, contrary to my first forays in writing.
These days, I am lagging behind my planned word count because I am working on a graphic novel, and adding news pages, and translating the dialogue takes some time.
During this hot summer, I get in my cool basement office seven days a week.
Morning is my usual go-to write time. I do my best to start before 9:30, because otherwise I feel I have lost my morning. In the afternoon I do non fiction (blogs and my newsletter) or promotional work. Of course, I spend more hours on weekends than on weekdays.
LS: You’re also a bilingual writer, a skill which I find quite astonishing, little say humbling. As a francophone, are you ever frustrated with the anglophone publishing industry?
ML: I don’t have enough direct relations with those publishers to be frustrated. Except Tor Books, who never, ever replied to my submissions. It’s like a black hole. Not even a simple “Sorry, your submission does not fit our editorial line.”
The French language publishers often want extensive rewrites. It is stressful, especially when the editor is NOT well-acquainted with science-fiction. One replaced “a magnetic sweep” by a “simple hand-brush over clothes” because she did not want the word magnetic repeated!
LS: As an indie author, what difficulties do you encounter, and how do you work around those?
ML: Right now, my biggest hurdle is to get my indie-published books discovered without paying a fortune in advertising.
And there is that thing that (some) readers do, buying the e-book then returning it, asking for a refund. I didn’t happen to me because my sales are low. Selling a piece to Asimov’s and Analog pays me more than the reading platforms, and gives me name recognition. Even my interviews with the CBC-Toronto French branch do not make a blip on the radar.
Another hurdle is that the schools won’t buy Echofictions titles because of the politics of buying only from established libraries, and at the moment no libraries carry my indie titles. It is fortunate that I still have four trad-pub books in circulation. Some schools where I visit can buy directly from me.
The most arduous hurdle is self-doubt: I am ALWAYS on a roller coaster between bouncing enthusiasm and abyssal self-doubt. In the comic field, I am at the bottom of a deep well. In the SF field, I am barely visible, and sensitive when a writer I admire disses either my work, my favorite genre, or stories I love. (It happened yesterday, and it crushed my afternoon of work.)
I am always questioning the value of my contribution as an artist.
LS: Now that COVID restrictions have lifted, I understand you’re attending more in-person conventions and venues. Where might readers find you this year?
ML: Very difficult this year.
I’m trying to get in the Mississauga Comic Book Show in October 2022. But, alas, one of their conditions for a local author is the size of your social media following. So not many public events this year, but more next year, like the Toronto French Book Fair in March 2023.
LS: It’s my understanding your novels are available in trade paperback and ebook. Are you looking to releasing in audiobook in the future?
ML: I wanted to, I even enlisted a well-meaning person to do the voice, but it did not pan out. I don’t have the time to do it myself properly. I hope to narrate some of my short-stories, but I would prefer hiring someone else. And the proprietary platforms, too, are a problem.
LS: Where can readers purchase your novels?
ML: Electronic versions of my books are available on all platforms, but the paper copies can be obtained only via Amazon, or signed editions directly from me, adding postage. For signed paperbacks, contact me through my site: michele-laframboise.com, Echofictions.com with the subject heading “signed book”
I am working to get a few Toronto-based bookshops to carry my books.
Electronic: on all the usual platforms: Amazon, Kobo, Apple… and soon, Google.
Paperback: Amazon
I do my best to raise other writer’s profiles, too, mainly on Goodreads and on my blogs. I buy their books, even if it takes me forever to read them.
I should really blog more, but my objective is writing and publishing new books.
However, I do NOT critique books from fellow authors: I share my reading pleasure. I never say anything negative or diss another’s writing, even if I disliked the story. If a book really stinks (to my taste), I don’t talk about it, I don’t even slam a one-star evaluation.
I can’t physically stop wars, clean pollution or remove corrupted backward-leaning politicians, but I can enrich the mental ground with stories and characters and new memes. I like reading enthralling stories that prod me to create new works of wonder.
