Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 22

My February/March Reading Log

I’m finally caught up!!!

Fiction:
Mind Magic (Lupi Book 12) by Eileen Wilks introduces a new character, a teenager named Demi who has Asperger’s. She was involved in an illegal government project to boost the power of Gifted kids until she figured out the leader, Mr. Smith, was not to be trusted. Her plotline eventually intersects with Rule Turner and Lily Yu’s seemingly separate plots, which involve a strike against the magical enforcement Unit 12 and a murder in Ohio, respectively. And ther...

My December and January Reading Log

Fiction:
I breezed through Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts). This series isn’t getting any better, but offers the comfort of familiar characters and plot patterns. A new character was introduced, a deputy from out of state, who I thought might be a spinoff character. Either that or he was just there to make up wordcount.

Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb felt really familiar at times, at least in the mystery part; she must have written a similar plot at some point earlier in this...

My October and November Reading Log

Fiction:
I bought a bunch of Barbara Hambly short stories electronically that I hadn’t previously read. Zenobie (Windrose Chronicles) is a ghost story that takes place while Antryg and Joanna are living in our world. I love that Antryg is still a wizard in a world without magic; he’s one of my favorites of all Hambly’s characters.

A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson is novella-length, set in a science fictional world with fantasy novel trappings; there’s some science that might as well be...

My September Reading Log

Fiction:
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee is space opera fantasy. From the plot description, I was expecting it to be a difficult read, but in fact the complex, fascinating, and unusual worldbuilding is really clearly presented, so I followed it without any trouble. I don’t read a lot of books of Ideas any more, so this, too, is refreshing.

Bodyguard Bear (Protection, Inc. Book 1) by Zoe Chant is a freebie novella or maybe novelette with a standard plot of Hero Bodyguards Heroine Who Witnessed a...

Arisia 2017 Schedule

I’ll be at Arisia January 13-16, 2017, in Boston, Massachusetts.

My schedule:

Saturday, 11:30 am, Hale
Reading
Victoria Janssen, Hildy Silverman, Sonya Taaffe

Sunday, 10:00 am, Marina 2
“Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make Fantasy”
Victoria Sandbrook-Flynn [moderator], Esther Friesner, Victoria Janssen, Randee Dawn, Ariela Housman, Henry White
From Susan Pevensie’s lipstick to fan-hate for Sansa Stark, feminine characters often get shortchanged by fantasy authors and fans alike, losing out in comp...

A gift for Tuphlos.

My Philcon 2016 Schedule

This weekend, I’ll be at Philcon 2016 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. You can find me on the following panels.

Sat 11:00 AM, Plaza II
“Slooow Books”
Victoria Janssen (mod), L.E. Modesitt Jr., Ty Drago, Tom Purdom
What makes a book slow? Is it as much reader expectation as anything else? Can a slow book be a rewarding read? And is the an emphasis on fast-paced action in storytelling a result of how quickly things seem to move in the real world these days…or a contributing factor?

Sat 1:00 PM, Plaz...

“Preparations For Victory,” Edmund Blunden

Preparations For Victory

My soul, dread not the pestilence that hags
The valley; flinch not you, my body young.
At these great shouting smokes and snarling jags
Of fiery iron; as yet may not be flung
The dice that claims you. Manly move among
These ruins, and what you must do, do well;
Look, here are gardens, there mossed boughs are hung
With apples who bright cheeks none might excel,
And there’s a house as yet unshattered by a shell.

“I’ll do my best,” the soul makes sad reply,
“And I will m...

My July and August Reading Log

Nonfiction:
Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim is what it says on the tin. I highly recommend this if you like intelligent, crunchy, critical close readings. I strongly suspect you do not have to like or even have read the Harry Potter books to enjoy it. I definitely appreciated the books more after I read it.

My vacation reading included G.I.: The American Soldier in World War II by Lee Kennett. I read a bit more than half on my flight, then finished up the remaining few chapters over...

CapClave 2016 Schedule

CapClave 2016 will be held October 7-9, 2016 in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

My schedule:

The Portal Story
Martin Berman-Gorvine [moderator], Elektra Hammond, Victoria Janssen, Sarah Pinsker
Saturday 11:00 am, Frederick
The portal story, where the protagonist travels to another place, world, or universe, has a long history and is a mainstay in genre literature. Panelists will discuss the best and the worst tales, as well as portal stories that defy the trope yet still stays true to the sub-genre.

...