Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 30
July 15, 2013
To Love and To Cherish, Patricia Gaffney
Liz at Something More mentioned that she was planning to read Patricia Gaffney’s Wyckerley trilogy and post about it; I’d only read the middle book, To Have and to Hold, so I decided it would be fun to join in, and also post about my experience, in a rambling way. Spoilers ahead! Many of them!
To Love and to Cherish is first in the Wyckerley trilogy.
Here’s the summary: He is a local vicar, whose handsome, noble features resemble those of an angel. And with his golden-haired good looks and...
July 8, 2013
Readercon 2013 Schedule
I’ll be at Readercon this weekend, July 11 – 14.
You can find me on the following program items:
Saturday July 13, 9:00 AM, RHODE ISLAND
“The Works of Patricia A. McKillip.”
Brian Attebery, Shira Daemon (moderator), Victoria Janssen, Faye Ringel.
In a long and lauded career Patricia A. McKillip has questioned the shapes of genre stories, taking an egalitarian and polyphonic approach to point of view. In harmony with this questioning has been her thoughtful examination of identity, land, and t...
June 24, 2013
The Angle of Jeopardy – Vintage Erotica Covers
I found it very interesting that all of these covers present the female figure at the same angle; two are posed virtually the same. All of them show women in some sort of jeopardy at the hands of a man, physical in two cases, almost physical in a third (she’s being menaced by his shadow as he approaches). One appears to be emotional jeopardy, instead (the man’s back is turned; she’s been rejected).
June 3, 2013
Recent Guest Blog Posts
I was reminded of my post Mary Balogh’s Tangled: An Erotic Romance? recently, and thought I would give it a plug here.
Preview of A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn, a romantic mystery (or romance with mystery elements) set in colonized 1920s Kenya.
Preview of Nicholas by Grace Burrowes, a historical romance.
Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin, a supernatural YA rewrite of Rebecca. Sort of.
Every Contact Leaves a Trace by Elanor Dymott, a contemporary mystery that leans toward the literary...
May 27, 2013
“Princeton May, 1917,” Alfred Noyes
Princeton May 1917
Here Freedom stood by slaughtered friend and foe,
And, ere the wrath paled or that sunset died,
Looked through the ages; then, with eyes aglow,
Laid them to wait that future, side by side.
(Lines for a monument to the American and British soldiers of the Revolutionary War who fell on the Princeton battlefield and were buried in one grave.)
Now lamp-lit gardens in the blue dusk shine
Through dogwood, red and white;
And round the grey quadrangles, line by line,
The windows...
May 20, 2013
Wolves in Fantasy – Read This!
Terrific essay from Foz Meadows on The Truth Of Wolves, Or: The Alpha Problem.
I think/have thought about some of the issues she raises quite a lot, but not as insightfully. Below are some of my own posts relating to shapeshifters in romance and urban fantasy.
May 13, 2013
The Xenogenesis Trilogy by Octavia Butler – Many Thoughts
In May, I’ll be attending WisCon. One of the panels I’ll be participating in is a discussion of Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis Trilogy. Rather than delve into the depths of my collection to unearth my original mass market paperbacks, I purchased a Kindle version that compiled all three books: Lilith’s Brood: Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago. The electronic edition meant it was much easier for me to highlight quotes I thought might be relevant to the discussion. I didn’t realize I would end...
May 6, 2013
Janelle Monáe – Q.U.E.E.N.
Her new album, Electric Lady, is out this fall! This is the first track released. Note the Philip K. Dick reference near the end. I love so much than she’s a geek as well as an incredible artist.
Janelle Monáe – Q.U.E.E.N. featuring Erykah Badu [Official Video]
April 29, 2013
“Jimmy Doane,” Rowland Thirlmere
Jimmy Doane
Often I think of you, Jimmy Doane,—
You who, light-heartedly, came to my house
Three autumns, to shoot and to eat a grouse!
As I sat apart in this quiet room,
My mind was full of the horror of war
And not with the hope of a visitor.
I had dined on food that had lost its taste;
My soul was cold and I wished you were here,
When, all in a moment, I knew you were near.
Placing that chair where you used to sit,
I looked at my book:—Three years to-day
Since you laughed in that seat and I heard...
April 22, 2013
More Preview Posts, Fantasy for Romance Readers
A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashlyn Macnamara, a historical romance.
What Darkness Brings by C.S. Harris, a historical mystery (Regency period).
Dark Tide by Elizabeth Haynes, a contemporary mystery, with houseboats and pole dancers.
The Jezebel by Saskia Walker, a historical erotic romance.
Lord of Secrets by Alyssa Everett, a historical romance.
Darius by Grace Burrowes, a historical romance.
Sinner’s Heart by Zoe Archer, a historical paranormal romance.
Headed for Trouble, a collection of s...
