Fiona Ingram's Blog, page 27

Book Spotlight: The Silver Box

In The Silver Box, the final Enchantment Lake mystery, Francie’s search for the truth about her mother—and herself—plunges her into danger during a North Woods winter. 

When she wakes in her aunts’ cold cabin on the shore of Enchantment Lake, Francie remembers: everything about her life has changed. Or is about to. Or just might. Everything depends on the small, engraved silver box that she now possesses—if only she can follow its cryptic clues to the whereabouts of her missing mother and understand, finally, just maybe, the truth about who she really is. 

Francie, it turns out, has a lot to learn, and this time the lessons could be deadly. Her search for answers takes her and her best friends Raven and Jay as far afield as an abandoned ranch in Arizona and as close to home as a sketchy plant collector’s conservatory and a musty old museum where shadows lurk around every display case. At the heart of it all is a crime that touches her own adopted North Woods: thieves dig up fragile lady’s slippers, peel bark from birches, strip moss off trees, cut down entire forests of saplings to sell for home décor. But Francie is up against no ordinary plant theft. One ominous clue after another reveal that she possesses something so rare and so valuable that some people are willing to do anything to get it. When Francie’s investigation leads her into the treacherously cold and snowy North Woods, she finds out that she too is being pursued. 

Image by Leslie Pleser

Margi Preus is the author of the Newbery Honor book Heart of a Samurai and other books for young readers, including the Minnesota Book Award winning West of the Moon, and the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award book The Clue in the Trees. Her books have won multiple awards, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, been honored as ALA/ALSC Notables, selected as an NPR Backseat Book Club pick, chosen for community reads, and translated into several languages. New titles in 2020 include Village of Scoundrels, The Littlest Voyageur, and The Silver Box, part of the Enchantment Lake mystery series. 

 

Movie Review: Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar

I was a little disappointed with the quality of production, being used to the usual high-quality Christie fare. The plot of Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar was disjointed and choppy and the whole premise not very well outlined. I also found Lyndsey Marshall a bland and not very appealing Agatha. The script was confusing, and it was hard to work out why everyone was in the grand house in the first place. The actors - some familiar faces - did their best but floundered in places. 

However, there were some good moments, for example Agatha's altercation with her publishers who do not want romance novels; they want more of the Belgian detective. I also learned a few things I did not know about Agatha Christie. She is the best-selling novelist of all time! Viewers who are not avid and hawk-eyed Christie fans, and those just wanting a relaxing murder mystery will enjoy it.  3/5

 

TV Series Review: Queens of Mystery

Do not miss Queens of Mystery! I nearly passed this series over because the title and the cover said nothing startling. However, it is absolutely brilliant. Quiet dry humour and witty understated narration by Juliet Stevenson, plus a cast of familiar faces (everyone is in it!) plus mysteries that will confound your detecting skills make this a must-watch. In a world filled with conflagration and the tearing down of all things familiar, this series takes one back to a quiet moment in the English countryside, with lots of murder to tease the little grey cells. 

I found the main character a bit bland to start with, but she is surrounded by overpoweringly flamboyant characters that milk every scene for what it is worth, so this is understandable. Some of the characters are screamingly funny and this is testimony to their expertise. The style is familiar and, although well-worn, offers the comfort of knowing you are in good hands. Relax and enjoy. 5/5

 

Book Feature: Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert

Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is the true story of a young white woman, Erica Elliott, who comes to the Navajo Reservation in 1971 as a newly minted schoolteacher, knowing nothing about her students or their culture. After several blunders and misunderstandings, and beset by loneliness and despair, Erica makes a determined effort to overcome the barriers of language and culture. From the moment she begins learning the Navajo language, the people open their hearts and homes to her, inviting her into a world that will profoundly impact the rest of her life.

Erica falls in love with her Navajo students—along with their enchanting land, healing ceremonies, and rich traditions. She witnesses many miracles during this time and experiences her own miracle when the elders pray for her healing. She survives fearsome encounters with a mountain lion and a shapeshifting “skin walker.” She learns how to herd and butcher sheep, make fry bread, weave traditional rugs, and more.

Erica returns years later to serve the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an under-funded and under-staffed clinic, where she treats myriad ailments, delivers countless babies, and performs emergency procedures. When a medicine man offers to thank her with a ceremony, more miracles unfold.
About the Author: Erica Elliott is a medical doctor with a busy private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A true adventurer, she has lived and worked around the world. She served as a teacher for Indigenous children on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and in the mountains of Ecuador. In 1976, she was one of the first American women to climb Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere. She taught rock climbing and mountaineering for Outward Bound and, after her first year of medical school, she led an all-women’s expedition to the top of Denali in Alaska. In 1993, Erica helped found The Commons, a cohousing community in Santa Fe where she continues to live. She gave a TEDx talk about living in cohousing. Referred to affectionately as “the Health Detective,” she treats patients who come to her from all parts of the country with mysterious and difficult-to-diagnose illnesses. Erica is a frequent radio guest and has given workshops at various venues, including Esalen and Omega Institute.
Find out more about Erica at https://www.medicineandmiraclesinthehighdesert.com/

Secret Messages in Historical Fiction

Please welcome Pamela Taylor, author of the historical fiction novel, Pestilence. Pamela Taylor brings her love of history to the art of storytelling in the Second Son Chronicles. An avid reader of historical fact and fiction, she finds the past offers rich sources for character, ambiance, and plot that allow readers to escape into a world totally unlike their daily lives. She shares her home with two Corgis who frequently reminder her that a dog walk is the best way to find inspiration for that next chapter. Pamela very kindly divulges the secrets behind the coding of messages, always important in dangerous and uncertain times. But how many methods could one use?

Secret Messages in Historical Fiction Secrets are as old as time. As soon as humans realized they could gain an advantage by keeping others from finding out what they knew, they started devising methods to protect their knowledge. And when they needed to share that knowledge with an ally, they began developing techniques to transmit it in secret. Among the earliest were pictographic techniques – either hidden in graphical representation of language or in drawings. Eventually, men developed locks and keys. Secrets could be protected in locked chests or boxes. Over time, the locks and keys grew ever more complex and often included booby traps that could harm anyone trying to break into them. Puzzles could also hide secrets (think complex puzzle boxes that could contain hidden messages or contraband). Karen Brooks’ historical novel The Locksmith’s Daughter includes some nice depictions of these methods.
But boxes and chests and paintings and physical things are bulky. What if one needed to send a message that could be easily concealed by the messenger but not easily read if it was intercepted? Invisible writing – using citrus juice or milk as ink – could hide a message which would be revealed only when the paper was heated. Citrus juice or milk might not always be close at hand, though. That’s where coded messages come into play. Encryption (encoding a message) goes back as far as Julius Caesar, who used simple alphabetic substitution. His trusted allies knew that he always used an offset of three, meaning that the letter “D” would be substituted for “A,” so they could decode the message easily while his enemies, presumably, would remain confused.

In the Second Son Chronicles, Alfred (the protagonist) and his grandfather are both students of Roman history, so they know about Caesar’s method. When, in Second Son, Alfred needs to send an urgent message to his grandfather in secret, he encodes it as Caesar would have:Vxqgdb qhaw. Dwwdfn hduob pruqlqj dv phq dzdnh. Wzhoyh phq lq jdqj. Udqxoi, vrqv, vla qhz lq jdqj, Urqdq dqg vtxluh. Doiuhg

He knows his grandfather will recognize the garbled message for what it is and will know how to make sense of it. But what other precautions does he take to make sure his message isn’t intercepted. In Pestilence,Alfred faces an entirely different impediment to communicating with his friends while avoiding the prying eyes of his brother’s spies. His solution may surprise you. As the series progresses, Alfred’s lifelong interest in books and learning will lead him to new discoveries about secret communications. He finds a book from the ninth century by an Arabic mathematician that introduces the idea of polyalphabetic substitution. This concept uses a table like this: 
The sender would pick a row and make that the first letter of the message. So if the king wanted to tell all his commanders “Attack at dawn,” he could encode it as: Mmffmow mf pmiz.

The recipient would know that the first letter represents the row or column to be used for decoding – in this case, “M.”  Throw away the first letter and then decode the rest of the message. The lovely thing about this method is that is doesn’t matter if either the sender or the recipient chooses a row or a column for the encoding and decoding.  The results come out the same either way.  And, just like the Caesar cipher, the sender or recipient can construct the code table when they need it and doesn’t have to carry anything with them that might fall into the wrong hands.
 Follow the series to learn how Alfred puts that new knowledge to use and who he shares it with.

Seeker: A Sea Odyssey

I’m delighted to welcome intrepid traveler Rita Pomade to my blog today. I get queasy just looking at the sea and have been known to get sick sitting in a boat, so Rita’s journey was, to me, absolutely eye-opening. Rita shares some thoughts on her sea odyssey and what she did not do and could have done! Rita, an intrepid nomad originally from New York, now lives and writes in Montreal. Her work has appeared in literary magazines and poetry reviews, and her monologue for auditioning actors was selected for inclusion in the Monologue Bank. An excerpt from her forthcoming memoir Seeker: A Sea Odyssey was included in two travel anthologies.  How I Could Have Enriched My Sea Journey

“Will I drown at sea?” I needed reassurance before I left with my family on our sea odyssey that would take us half-way around the world. Surely, Donatian Gravel, astrologer to Pierre Trudeau, Canada’s 15th Prime Minster, couldn’t be wrong. A friend who was sure Mr. Gravel was on Trudeau’s payroll recommended him. It seemed like a good referral. “How about my kids?” Mr. Gravel studied the symbols scribbled on the chart between us. “You’ll all be fine,” he said. My other preparation was a Sunday sail on Lake Chaplain under a light breeze where I spent the afternoon drinking Chardonnay wine and gorging on tasty snacks. That was it. That’s all I knew of sailing. My focus was on the adventure, the countries, the excitement of travel where I could experience cultures without a timeline.
I didn’t bother to read books on sailing. I didn’t even think it necessary to take a course. I figured I’d learn on the way. But once I was in the thick of it, I didn’t have time on my side. I wasn’t a natural sailor and would have needed an instructor to take me through the steps in a protected environment—away from the worry of pirates, squalls, and rough seas. Fortunately, I could follow instructions and learned that I didn’t panic in danger. And I was fortunate to have a mate who was a consummate sailor. But I had no idea what to do if anything happened to him. If he fell overboard or became too ill to handle the yacht, I’d float on an endless sea, rudderless. I couldn’t read charts. I couldn’t use a sexton. I wasn’t even sure when to tack or reef without his telling me.

In short, whatever the sail, I couldn’t lose that undercurrent of anxiety. When the yacht heeled and flew effortlessly on a strong wind, my mate was in his element. I was afraid we’d topple over. When he jumped into a vast, empty sea to free our log line from the prop, I worried if he’d come up safe. But I also worried about what I’d do if he didn’t come up at all. I loved the adventure—meeting people from diverse cultures, experiencing new foods, learning how accommodate to new situations. But my lack of confidence in handling the yacht brought an edge of discomfort each time we were at sea—and we were often many days out there before landfall. I also regret not having educated myself about the history and culture of the more than twenty countries we travelled through. I gained a lot because of the luxury of no time frame, but I’d have learned a lot more if I’d have had more background. I found myself catching up after the journey was over. I wanted to learn more about the places where I had been, and I did. But had I done that before our adventure, the journey would have been richer.

For old sea dogs looking for more sea stories or for those who want to try an exciting around the world trip, Rita’s book is available on Amazon.

Save the Cat! (And How to Do It!)

Who hasn’t heard of the Save the Cat method of writing? I had, of course. However, being old school and a mix of a plotter and a pantser, I was happy with my loose sheets of paper (for the plot/scenes), my big A4 notebook (now falling apart) with sections for each novel in my Middle Grade adventure series, The Chronicles of the Stone. I must say it has become harder to keep track of things with each book, and I have screeds of notes on recurring themes, ‘breadcrumbs’ for each plot that link the books, and what people said in Book One that might be relevant to Book Five (which is where I am now in a 7-part series). I am generally skeptical of new-fangled computer systems of making notes and keeping track. Nothing beats physical notebooks for me. However, knowing about Save the Cat! as a tried and tested (by others) method, I thought it might be interesting to try.
Save the Cat! provides writers with the resources they need to develop their screenplays and novels based on a series of best-selling books, primarily written by Blake Snyder (1957- 2009). Blake’s method is based on 10 distinctive genres and his 15 story beats (the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet). The books, workshops, story structure software, apps, and story coaching teach you everything you need to unlock the fundamentals and mechanics of plot and character transformation.Save the Cat! Story Structure Software is adapted from the Save the Cat! methodology to help screenwriters and novelists unlock the fundamentals of plot and character transformation. The Story Structure Software is a virtual writer board with digital index cards to help map out your story against the 15 beats or plot points to your story. The software enables writers to track emotional shifts of characters from scene to scene, develop profiles and edit and change your story with ease.

 The system starts with a logline to help you define what your story is about. Then the 10 genres which help define the story even further. You’d be amazed at how many writers who mislabel their stories. My series fits into ‘The Golden Fleece.’ Beat sheets enable the writer to create their own plot and character analysis. There are examples and a free blank beat sheet for you to test drive things a tad, in case you don’t want to jump in boots and all. But finally, the board, which is the piece de resistance. This is laid out for the author in such a way that they cannot fail to produce a great story plan, with each scene having emotional change and conflict. But lest you think this is a ‘paint by numbers’ approach that reduces your creativity, think again and give it a try. The website offers so much information to both answer your questions and give you food for thought. I'm going to give it a try! Visit www.savethecat.com.

Book Review: The Shadow of the Witchfinder

The tenth adventure in the Shadows of the Past series, The Shadow of the Witchfinder finds Max, the talking Tonkinese cat, and the Lancelot twins Jemima and  Joe with best friend Charlie transported back to the 17thcentury, a terrible time in history dominated by a man with murderous intent: Matthew Hopkins aka The Witchfinder General! Hopkins’s mission is to eradicate all women suspected of being witches by burning them at the stake. Alas, many innocent women perished in his reign of terror. It is up to Max and his team to save Goodwife Clowes’ sister, imprisoned by Hopkins, along with several other women, awaiting what can only be called a sham trial before being consigned to the flames. Having returned through a time vortex at an uncomfortably dizzying speed, Max has the details. Now it’s up to the team to use their magic book to take them back into the pages of history. But first they need to read up all they can on the sinister Matthew Hopkins. Max isn’t all that keen on returning to Mistley Thorn, but innocent people’s lives are at stake. Plus, Charlie and Jemima have put together a kit including all kinds of potentially useful things. Max was annoyed that the list did not include a few sachets of yummy cat food, which he would most certainly label as an ‘essential item.’
 Using the book, Jemima’s necklace, and the poem as before, the trio plus Max find themselves whisked off to Mistley Thorn, and what a cold, misty scary place it is too! Magic and mayhem start right away because Goody Clowes might be more than just an innocent old lady who likes to sweep the place clean with her broom. Remembering his last encounter in Mistley Thorn, Max is definitely not up to any incredible feats of bravery that might be required. This is the first time that the kids have taken modern day items back into history and these spark off a chain of suspenseful and at times hilarious reactions as they try to rescue the imprisoned women. Harry Potter fans will just love the references and the reactions of the villagers to scenes of ‘wizardry,’ although not everything goes according to plan…  The author has created some very clever plot twists around this angle. If Max thought he was going to wriggle out of confrontations, he is wrong as Goody Clowes announces he must do battle with the Witchfinder himself. Why is it always me, he wonders…. He didn’t want to be a hero, just an ordinary cat. Alas, Max has had greatness thrust upon him and there’s no escaping destiny. Can he turn the tables on the Witchfinder and make sure Hopkins gets his just deserts? 
Once again Wendy Leighton-Porter incudes excellent extras at the end of the story for young readers interested in Max’s genealogy, which is truly magical, and details of the Witchfinder’s rule of fear and his untimely end. The author does not gloss over the sad fate of the many women who were accused of witchcraft when, in fact, many were just skilled in herb lore and basic healing. Halloween and its origins are also explained, and this gives a good overview for readers who did not know the story behind the celebration. The author includes details of the next adventures so fans of the series (myself included) can get ready for more reading pleasure!  
  

About: The Beginner’s Guide to Winning an Election

In The Beginner’s Guide to Winning an Election by Michael French, the year is 2025. The United States is afflicted with global cyber-attacks, economic crashes, foreign wars, and lots of anxiety. State budgets for public schools are hit hard. In a student body president race in a small city Indiana high school, popular, charismatic Matthew has his own consultants, bloggers, oppo researchers, and funds from an unidentified source that have helped him win every election since ninth grade.
 
Over-achieving, introverted Britain is a novice to elections, but as a history wonk, politics fascinate her. She also has a crush on Matthew. After she joins his SBP team, someone hacks Matthew’s website, leaking stories that the candidate is far from the Eagle Scout he pretends to be. Matthew and his team of 15 call the stories “spineless lies.” Britain is stunned when she’s scapegoated by Matthew as the mystery hacker. Kids dump on her for betraying the school leader. Her reputation in shreds, she decides to enter the presidential race to clear her name. No one gives the novice a chance, but that only makes Britain more determined to find a way to win.     
 
With the help of her three good friends, “No more secrets” becomes Team Britain’s slogan. For a while she stumbles in her campaign, until the anonymous hacker begins leaving notes in Britain’s locker, telling her which rocks to look under if she wants to beat odds-on favorite Matthew. She puzzles over who exactly is helping her—her favorite history teacher, an apostate on Team Matthew, or one of the many “undecideds” that impact any election? Every mystery solved leads Brit to face a more complicated challenge, some threatening her existence…
About the Author: Michael R. Frenchgraduated from Stanford University where he was an English major, focusing on creative writing, and studied under Wallace Stegner. He received a Master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He later served in the United States Army before marrying Patricia Goodkind, an educator and entrepreneur, and starting a family. In addition to publishing over twenty titles, including award-winning young adult fiction, adult fiction, biographies ad self-help books, he has written or co-written a half-dozen screenplays, including Intersection, which has won awards in over twenty film festivals. French’s work, which includes several best-sellers, has been warmly reviewed in the New York Times and been honored with a number of literary prizes.

Book Review: I, Claudia

I, Claudia: A Novel of the Ancient World by Lin Wilder is the story of Claudia Procula and Lucius Pontius Pilate. A Tribune at 28, after success in battle in Germania, Lucius Pontius Pilate was appointed Prelate of Judea, to rule over the Jews. They were considered to be a fractious, unruly people that answered only to a god who’d given them very specific rules of behaviour, diet and morality. A troublesome bunch, they fought among themselves in various factions, united only against a common enemy: Rome. Judea was a powder keg of trouble and the least spark could set it off. Not only that, a troublemaker called the Baptizer was turning people’s minds and a prophet called Jesus of Nazareth was drawing crowds with his talk of spiritual matters. This is the background for a wonderful love story between Claudia Procula, intelligent and well-educated daughter of the last of the Oracles of Pythia, and Lucius Pontius Pilate, a Roman soldier and hero.
History has defined the real Lucius Pontius Pilate as being the man who allowed Jesus to be crucified. However, the truth of the matter is that the situation was alarmingly more complex and volatile. Caught between the rock of the Sanhedrin and the hard place of Rome’s authority, Pilate was unable to deal with the festering political and religious issues of the time. Compromise was the only answer. And was that compromise somehow all part of God’s grand plan, even if it entailed the sacrifice of His only son? Such interesting questions are raised here that will intrigue both Christian readers and those of other faiths. Reading this story brings to life a tale well known to many Bible students.
The author cleverly incorporates enough ancient historical detail into the narrative to inform the reader while maintaining the flow of the story. The dramatic unfolding of events is told in short alternating chapters between Claudia and Lucius, and in this way, her maturing and the development of her powers as an oracle, and both of them falling in love with each other come across beautifully. Their emotional love story is set against the backdrop of a tumultuous chain of events which we see as both Claudia and Lucius are affected by the man people called the Messiah. Quotes from Cicero, Seneca, Plato, Socrates and other renowned writers and thinkers of the ancient world add extra food for thought and give insight into the mindset of the characters.
The pace is measured and in line with historical events. The region and the era saw its fair share of political turbulence and I liked how the author conveyed this throughout the narrative. The descriptions also evoke vivid imagery of the past, the setting, and social customs and behavior. This is a well-written and researched story that will satisfy fans of historical fiction as well as romance. The story itself encompasses themes and ideas which go far deeper than a review can adequately portray. Being a fan of ancient and biblical history, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author includes an afterword and a bibliography, both of which I found enlightening and useful.