Megan Chance's Blog, page 24

New at the Author's Blog

Today's blog: On A Game Breathlessly Played.

New Release Date!

Well it looks as if it's official! The release date for inamorata has been moved from September to July 8th of this year--which is only a month after the release of the first book in my young adult trilogy, The Shadows. It looks like it's going to be a very busy summer for me.

I'm expecting covers for both books any day now, so watch this space!

Book Review: Burial Rites

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Set in the 19th C., Burial Rites is the fictionalized story of the last woman beheaded for murder in Iceland. Because you know at the start that she's not going to survive this, the tension in the tale is in the telling of it--what is the truth of what happened? Her story unfolds as she tells the story of her life (as well as the circumstances leading up to the murder she is accused of committing, along with two other people) to the young and inexperienced priest who is to manage her redemption, and as you see her fall more deeply into something that seems inevitable given her history and her status (a fostered orphan who can count only on marriage to elevate her status as a servant), one is struck with a sense of impending doom and sorrow. An excellent study of class structure and the relationship between servants and masters, as well as a beautiful casting of Iceland. The country is another character in the book, and Kent does an exceptionally good job of bringing the landscape alive, and having it inform each of the characters, as well as the situation. It's an unusual setting and a fascinating one. Well worth reading.



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Book Review: The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I almost did not read this book. Though I LOVED The Secret History, I was so disappointed by Tartt's second book, The Little Friend (as well as the flurry of positive trade reviews that clearly were more influenced by Tartt's literary reputation than the actual story), I vowed not to read her again unless someone I knew personally and respected recommended her. This was a particularly difficult vow to keep because everything about The Goldfinch interested me from the outset. Art, museums, drug abuse, messed up psyches, a stolen painting... Still, I resisted.

Well, I got the recommendation (3 of them, actually), and so I kept the promise I'd made to myself and reluctantly set out to read.

I was captivated from the first sentence, and though the book is long, I could not put it down. I inhaled it. The characterizations are first rate, the atmosphere compelling, the tension inescapable from the very start. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it and wanting to get back to it.

Though I think the last few pages (probably the last ten or so, the summing up), are a bit heavy-handed for a book that was, to that point, so beautifully deft, it is a small quibble. This is certain to be one of my favorite books of the year, and it has inspired me to go back to read The Secret History again (I will not, however, be revisiting The Little Friend :)) An excellent read. Highly recommended.



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News and New Blog!

Happy New Year to all of you! On New Year's Eve (which happens to be my birthday), I got the very wonderful gift of the cover ideas for Inamorata, and I have to tell you that I am REALLY looking forward to seeing this final cover. It's beautiful so far! Then, just after the New Year, the copyedit for inamorata came in, and so I've been busy with that. It also looks as if the release date for the book might be moved up, but I'll let you know that when it's all finalized. I'm expecting to see the cover for The Shadows (Book 1 of the Fianna Trilogy, June, 2014) any day now, which I'm also excited for. It looks like 2014 is going to be a busy year for Megan Chance releases.

As soon as the copyedit is done, I'll post my list of my favorite books of last year (I'm currently almost finished with Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, which I am LOVING).

In the meantime, I've got a new blog up at the Author's blog, called On Being a Storyteller.

Bone River Special Deal

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! In the interest of continuing the holiday cheer, today Bone River is a Kindle Daily Deal for $1.99.
Here's the link

Christmas Cheer!

I've been in bed for the last two days with some nasty stomach thing, which caught me smack in the middle of Christmas preparations (what? You're cleaning and cooking for twelve people on Christmas day? Oh really...). Feeling a bit better today, though not quite up to snuff, and so tomorrow will be spent feverishly making up for lost time. All this is to say: I'll be offline for the next couple of days, but I wanted to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! May it be everything you've dreamed.

New at the Author's Blog

Today there's a new blog up at Author Magazine Online: On Being in the Right Place.

Have fun reading! I, on the other hand, am in Hell--also known as "Christmas Shopping."

Back to work. Sort of.

The final edits for inamorata are in, the cover for The Shadows is underway, and I'm back to work on the new manuscript--which I am having to read through because it's been so long I've forgotten where I am. And in the meantime, I had a Christmas party to attend last night, which was a potluck, and this is what I brought:


Baba au Rhum, Caneles, and pretzel rolls.
Clearly, I am seriously in love with my new oven.

Now, back to work!

New at the Author's Blog

I've got a new blog up today at Author Magazine Online: On Originality. The link is here.