Cora Buhlert's Blog, page 45
February 14, 2021
Masks and Murder 2021 – A Round-up of Indie Mardi Gras Mysteries
Our monthly round-ups of new speculative fiction and new crime fiction releases by indie authors are a perennially popular feature. Therefore, we now offer you a round-up of our favourite Mardi Gras mysteries, crime novels and thrillers by indie and small press authors.
The holiday mysteries cover the broad spectrum of crime fiction. We have cozy mysteries, hardboiled mysteries, small town mysteries, big city mysteries, paranormal mysteries, historical mysteries, crime thrillers, legal thrillers, psychological thrillers, medical thrillers, paranormal thrillers, YA thrillers, private investigators, amateur sleuths, ghost whisperers, crime-busting nuns, crime-busting beauty queens, lawyers, serial killers, missing children, murdered fathers, missing mothers, missing masks, faked suicides, cursed doubloons, poisoned king cakes and much more. But one thing unites all of those very different books. They’re all set on or around Mardi Gras.
As always with my round-up posts, this round-up of the best indie holiday mysteries is also crossposted to the Indie Crime Scene, a group blog which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things crime fiction several times per week.
As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.
And now on to the books without further ado:
Mardi Gras, 1975 by Frank W. Butterfield:
Tuesday, February 11, 1975
Nick and Carter are in New Orleans, the Big Easy, for their first trip to Mardi Gras!
When Nick first opens his eyes that morning, he realizes he has a big hangover and no memory of what happened the night before.
Over a breakfast of coffee and grease, Miss Wanna Man, a local drag queen in the French Quarter, swings by to give Nick the Tea and let him know to watch his back. Apparently, he’s insulted Mr. Reginald Beauregard Jackson, III, who lives in the Garden District and that could mean bad news for Nick.
It’s an adventurous Fat Tuesday for Nick and Carter as they are confronted by the past and help a new friend embrace his future as only someone under Nick’s matchmaking spell really can.
As they say down in New Orleans, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
Krewe of Souls by Elaine Calloway:
Mardi Gras, Mayhem, and Murder…
Tristan Pleasance is a ghost whisperer extraordinaire, but talking to his living father is another story. Family conflict prompts Tristan to bolt from his lifelong home in St. Francisville, Louisiana, to make a new life in New Orleans. But six months later, a family tragedy forces him to return home and he is thrust into a murder investigation where his past and future will collide.
Grace Lansing is a New Orleans columnist who yearns to write feature articles rather than puff pieces. To prove herself to her editor, she travels to the quaint town of St. Francisville to research their big Mardi Gras Krewe competition. But what seems an innocent cultural practice quickly turns into a web of intrigue—and getting too close to the handsome Tristan puts her in danger of becoming collateral damage.
Together, Tristan and Grace must find out who is responsible for the murders—before the Krewe of Souls is trapped forever.
The Secret of the Other Mother by Laura Cayouette:
It’s late 2009 and the Saints are undefeated on their way to the Super Bowl. Fresh off the Los Angeles red carpet of the movie she produced and starred in, vivacious Charlotte Reade heads to her family home in New Orleans for the funeral of Sassy, the woman who helped raise her mother.
When Sassy’s “adopted” twin daughters ask brainy and tenacious Charlotte to help them find their birth mother, she heads down a path that starts in a laundromat in the 1950’s and winds through costume experts and a burlesque tour before landing her on the infamous Bourbon Street.
Along the way, Charlotte reconnects to her own family history, uncovering clues to a family secret and the ghost who’s said to protect it. As her funeral trip extends through the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, Charlotte struggles with her dedication to the career she worked so hard for and the intoxicating draw of the culture, romance and soul of the city she’s always wanted to call home.
Izzy Rio’s Wild and Pretty by Stacey L. Cooley:
When I was five years old, my father was murdered on Lundi Gras Day in New Orleans, Louisiana. That moment in time began a journey that changed my life forever. After that devastating day, my mother could not bear to live in New Orleans anymore. Against my grandfather’s wishes, she took me away with her to live in Rio de Janeiro with my father’s family. For ten years, we traveled together around the Caribbean, Central and South America visiting the Carnival People and trying to forget what we lost. My mother was looking for clues and a reason for my father’s unexpected death.
Just when you thought you knew New Orleans, I am back!
They say Mardi Gras Day is a time to forget all of your troubles.
Here is what happened on my Mardi Gras Day:
I lost the person that was closer to me than anyone else.
I was supposed to mask for the first time as a Mardi Gras Indian Princess . . .
But, I ended up on the run and fighting for my life.
I learned more about the Backstreet Carnival Culture than I ever wanted to know.
In order to survive, I must train and learn the art of being a Mardi Gras Indian.
Welcome to Carnival Time.
You will never be young again!
I AM IZZY RIO.
Bullets and Beads by Jana DeLeon:
Let the good times roll?
It’s Mardi Gras time and Fortune is looking forward to seeing the spectacle firsthand, but when a visitor to Sinful is murdered during the celebration there, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t help but wonder what happened. As they start looking into the woman and the family in Sinful she came to visit, their investigation sends them to New Orleans, right at the height of the Mardi Gras celebration. But instead of relaxing a little and enjoying the festivities, Fortune can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched.
When she catches sight of her father in the Mardi Gras crowd, she knows why.
Unfortunately, her father’s presence in Louisiana has brought with it a host of terrorists, all with only one thing in mind—locate and terminate Dwight Redding. Can Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie manage to evade the killers long enough to figure out why Dwight has returned from the dead? And will knowing the answer make things worse or better?
Street kids are disappearing, but how do you report that to the police when, from their standpoint, the missing people didn’t exist to begin with? Hustle is certain that something bad has happened to his friend Jinx, and the only person he can turn to for help is private investigator Shaye Archer. Because Hustle helped the young PI while she was investigating her first case, Shaye has already formed an opinion as to his character and believes he’s telling the truth. As she digs deeper into Jinx’s disappearance, she discovers that Hustle’s friend isn’t the only one missing. As a frightening pattern emerges, Shaye wonders if she can find the missing kids…before it’s too late.
Ms. America and the Naughtiness in New Orleans by Diane Dempsey:
Who better than Ms. America Happy Pennington to grace Mardi Gras festivities in never-say-die New Orleans? She packs good looks, party moves, and sleuthing smarts—which come in handy when the king for an elite old-line krewe is bumped off during a Carnival parade.
All too soon Happy learns the centuries-old French Quarter is not all jazz, Creole cuisine, and cocktails: evil lurks there, too, even amid the pageantry of the Big Easy’s most gleeful season. Yet no ghost, vampire or even voodoo spirit will keep our scrappy beauty queen from nabbing the killer—not when the stakes are sky-high for someone near and dear to her heart.
Find out why readers call the Beauty Queen Mysteries “super-fun reads” they can’t put down until the last page is turned…
Shelter from the Storm by Tony Dunbar:
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE…ALSO CRIME
To out-of-town kingpin Willie LaRue, Mardi Gras seems the perfect time for a New Orleans heist – nobody, but nobody will be thinking about a single other thing. Parties, parades, chaos, alcohol – who could be concerned about a little thing like a bank job? Indeed, all might have gone well except for an out-of-season frog-flogger that threatens to flood the French Quarter – something even Hurricane Katrina couldn’t do.
Next thing you know the survivors – thieves and revelers alike – find themselves marooned together. As the LaRue gang plans its watery escape, raffish lawyer Tubby Dubonnet is obliged to take time out from his customary eating and loafing to thwart their murderous intentions. The body count rises as the tempest subsides, and Tubby finds himself fighting not only for his life, but (it seems to him) the very city itself.
A wry, compelling tale of The City That Care Forgot.
Dead Velvet Cheesecake by A. Gardner:
A hotel billionaire is dead, and Ember Greene is the prime suspect.
Misty Key’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations are approaching, and the Lunar Bakery is busier than ever cranking out beignets and King cakes. Ember is tasked with juggling her responsibilities at the family bakery with her newfound psychic duties which includes pet sitting a witch’s familiar named Whiskers.
But beads and baked goods fly when a body is found at the Crystal Grande Hotel, and a slice of the bakery’s red velvet cheesecake is to blame.
With an influx of tourists and religious protestors crowding the streets, Ember struggles to find the killer and clear her family name. After a parade float explodes, she discovers that the murderer has some unfinished business. Enlisting the help of her bloodhound Yogi, a pessimistic medium, and a troubled pet psychic leads her to one conclusion.
She’s been framed for murder.
Can Ember figure out who framed her before her family’s legacy is destroyed?
Mardi Gras Murder, edited by Sarah E. Glenn:
Thirteen tales of crime set during the bacchanalia that is Mardi Gras. Featuring stories from Harriette Sackler, Marian Allen, Debra H. Goldstein and Nathan Pettigrew. The mayhem of Mardi Gras is served with a healthy dose of Cajun dishes and an unhealthy number of deaths. Dig into Bourbon Street Lucifer, Voodoo Honeymoon, a dish of Red Beans and Ricin, and other deadly treats.
Mardi Gras Madness by Alison Golden and Honey Broussard:
A timid traveler. A New Orleans adventure. A Mardi Gras murder…
Roxy believed that life never gives you more than you can handle. But when she’s fired from her wage-slave job, bullied by her co-workers, and her boyfriend abandons her, she decides she’s handled quite enough. Eager for a change of scene, Roxy with her white Persian cat Nefertiti head off to New Orleans.
The exotic sights, smells, and food of Mardi Gras coax the shy young woman out of her shell. Booking a room at a rundown guesthouse, Roxy is surrounded by a colorful cast of local characters. From tattooed waitresses to mystical tarot card readers, she quickly makes new friends and leaves her old life behind.
But she soon discovers that the Big Easy isn’t all beignets and jambalaya. A wealthy developer is eager to buy the guesthouse where Roxy lives and tear it down… until he turns up dead as a doornail! Before she can say ‘Mon Dieu!’, Roxy is caught up in a diabolical murder mystery… and her new friends are the prime suspects!
Roxy is determined to protect her pals, and save her new home. But is this anxious adventurer up to the challenge of solving a murder? Or will she become the killer’s next victim…
The Mardi Gras Murder by Jackie Griffey:
Like bananas, Sheriff Cas Larkin’s troubles are ripening in bunches.
A fully dressed woman is found drowned in the lake. He has a citizen no one can find, but hasn’t been reported as missing and all of her known acquaintances are standing in the way of Cas’s investigation. Then Judge Carpenter’s fiancée lands in jail, accused of a bloody murder way down yonder in New Orleans!
Now Cas must pick up the pace and connect the dots… before he goes bananas himself.
The Hexorcist by Lily Harper Hart
Ofelia Archer has a full life … which only gets fuller when a dead body lands in her backyard.
As owner of New Orleans’ premier supernatural speakeasy, Ofelia is always in the thick of things when the witch hits the fan. That’s no exception now … even when the local police start breathing down her neck.
Zach Sully has a colorful background. As a panther shifter, he keeps his true origins secret while walking the colorful streets of the French Quarter keeping law and order. A tourist murder draws him into new and uncharted territory, and a feisty witch is at the center of it.
Sully and Ofelia circle one another … warily … as they both try to solve a mystery that revolves around an outsider who somehow had ties to their little corner of the world. Eventually, they’re going to have to join forces … and it’s not exactly a comfortable meeting of the minds.
Chemistry is one thing. Trust is another. Ofelia and Sully will be forced to get over their inner misgivings and unite if they want to solve the crime … and stay alive in the process.
Welcome to a magical world, where the characters are colorful, the magic is fantastical, and the drinks are poured strong.
It’s Bourbon Street, baby, and you’ll never be the same again.
Murder at the Mardi Gras by V. Hurst:
The Bryans and the Flannerys from ‘Murder at the JC’ and ‘Murder on the Cruise Ship’ take a vacation in New Orleans during Mardi Gras Season. They are soon recruited by their old friend FBI Special Agent Don Hobbs to search for a serial killer who murders a young woman each Mardi Gras for her kidneys. Clues lead the foursome to the killer and to a huge twist at the end of the story.
Murder at the Mardi Gras by Linda P. Kozar:
When an esteemed professor of Louisiana history is found face down in a King Cake, young detective Annie Fournier suspects foul play and begins an investigation to find the person responsible. Her partner has little patience for Annie’s inexperience or gender and seems to enjoy mocking her at every opportunity. And to top that off, the crazy melee of Mardi Gras seems to hamper their progress at every turn. Will they weigh in on the identity of the murderer before Fat Tuesday ends, and will Annie prove that she has what it takes to be a detective?
My name is Eugene Doyle Babineaux, Krewe to my friends. I’m a private investigator in Sacramento, California. My life is unassuming, and I like it that way. Things changed when I received a call from my brother. My mom was dead–suicide, he says. I didn’t believe it for a minute. So, I returned home to New Iberia, a small town in southern Louisiana, to look into Mom’s death. Once there, I reunited with old friends and foes alike. It seemed there were nefarious forces who did not want me poking around into Mom’s death. Rich people who keep company with bad people and who would stop at nothing to keep their plans hidden. What do Mardi Gras krewes, sugarcane production, and mob enforcers have to do with my mom’s death? I was about to find out, and things would never be the same.
Voodoo Dreams by Alana Lorens:
When her big trial goes bad, corporate attorney Brianna Ward can’t wait to get out of Pittsburgh. The Big Easy seems like the perfect place to rest, relax, and forget about the legal business. Too bad an obnoxious–but handsome–lawyer from a rival firm is checking into the same bed and breakfast.
Attorney Evan Farrell has Mardi Gras vacation plans too. When he encounters fiery and attractive Brianna, however, he puts the Bourbon Street party on hold. He’d much rather devote himself to her–especially when a mysterious riddle appears in her bag, seeming to threaten danger.
Strangely compelled to follow the riddle’s clues, Brianna is pulled deeper into the twisted schemes of a voodoo priest bent on revenge. To escape his poisonous web, she must work with Evan to solve the curse. But is the growing love they feel for each other real? Or just a voodoo dream?
A Masquerade of Saints by Nicole Loughan:
In the third installment in the best-selling Saints Mystery Series small town Cajun, Fanchon, finds herself in some hot water, along with a few nasty crayfish. The heat gets turned up when she receives an invitation to join New Orleans high society. She’s ready to party until she receives a puzzling message from her favorite psychic to stay alert and wash her hands all night. When the warning seems all but forgotten the phone rings and Fanchon learns she should have been more careful. This adventure takes Fanchon from the bayou to the top of the floats at Mardi Gras with new characters and old friends to help along the way.
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center by Judith Lucci:
A New Orleans Attorney’s Mardi Gras Takes A Bloody Turn
Alex wanted a new life, but that often seemed out of reach as long as she was still tied to the same hospital as her ex-husband. Mardi Gras Season brought a welcome change in pace, and her upcoming date to the Mardi Gras Ball with art historian, Mitch Landry, was a step in the right direction. However, when she is called to a grisly scene at the hospital her plans are upended.
A Chilling Scene That Leads Deep Into New Orleans’ Underworld
The Wife of Louisiana’s Governor is discovered unconscious and covered with blood. This shocking scene leads Alex deep into unexpected circles of New Orleans, such as the local criminal underworld and the Voodoo culture.
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center is a gripping Medical Thriller that will chill and surprise at every turn. You won’t want to put it down!
The Gay Mardi Gras Murders by Sylvia Massara:
Mia Ferrari, smartarse, older chick, super sleuth, is back in her 2nd murder mystery and this time, she is up to her neck in drag queens, a rare diamond with a curse and murder most foul against the backdrop of Sydney’s world famous Gay Mardi Gras.
A female impersonator is found dead in her hotel suite bathtub and a rare diamond worth twenty million dollars is gone. The Gay Mardi Gras is fast approaching and Mia Ferrari, senior duty manager of the exclusive Rourke International Hotel Sydney, has to juggle a bunch of drag queens, a number of fabulously handsome gay men, a transsexual with a dark mystery, a young cop with sex on his mind, a close friend from the UK who is having marital problems and a mounting body count.
As Mia pits her investigative skills against her archenemy, Detective Sergeant Phil Smythe to solve the case, she not only becomes embroiled in the life of the people around her, but it looks like she is the next target for a serial killer with a grudge against gay men.
Mardi Gras Madness by Ken Mask:
While trying to free a lawyer friend convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, New Orleans private investigator Luke Jacobs is drawn into an international web of real estate fraud, pharmaceutical corporation misdealing and murder. Mardi Gras may have to be put on hold.
Mardi Gras Gris Gris by A.C. Mason:
Susan Foret is thrust into a murder scene when one of the town’s wealthiest citizens dies near her as the local Krewe’s parade is ending. A gris-gris bag containing tarot cards and several other fetish items is left dangling from the knife in his chest.
Rescued by a Kiss by Colleen Mooney:
All the fun of Mardi Gras—without the hangover!
New Orleans is a big, small town where everybody knows someone you know. They will see what you do and talk about it. It’s hard to steal a kiss at Mardi Gras and not be the topic of local gossip, especially if the man you kissed got shot at the end of the parade…
Colleen Mooney’s humorous, romantic, delightfully meandering cozy mysteries gua-ran-tee you gon’ have a authentic N’ Awlins experience, dawlin’! And a wild ride into the bargain.
Brandy Alexander’s the real deal–yes, that’s her real name and she’s not even a stripper, she’s an amateur sleuth, although her best friend Julia is.
Quirky characters are the norm in a town like New Orleans where anything can happen.
Living up to the family name comes with a price.
When Felix is told his big brother committed suicide by throwing himself under a train, his gut screams foul play. But as the Mardi Gras season descends on the Big Easy, no one is interested in the conspiracy theories of a drug-addled rich kid.
Except, perhaps, one Carnival organization in particular…
A krewe that hasn’t been heard from in decades.
Felix will need the help of a police detective long past his prime, the family’s honor-obsessed butler, and a massive pork fortune, all in order to find justice for his big brother.
His name, his family, and his very life may hang in the balance.
Burgundy Doubloons by T.J. Spencer Jacques:
You caught a doubloon at a Mardi Gras Parade – that was a bad thing.
Trent McGowan is going home. Home to his ailing mother. Home to the city of his childhood. Home to New Orleans. As Trent deals with the peculiar circumstances surrounding his mother’s illness, his family gets swept up in the excitement of Mardi Gras and all of the festivities of that intoxicating day. The jubilant crowds, breathtaking carnival floats, and oh yes, the throws! His youngest daughter Zoe catches one of those throws, a sparkling red doubloon, and that is where the story ends and begins.
Burgundy Doubloons is more than just a suspense thriller, it is everything that makes New Orleans the party capital of the world: only bloodier and darker.
For those who love a parade, Burgundy Doubloon answers a terrifying question: What if your child simultaneously caught a bead, and a murderous spirit? In this heart-palpating novel, you will meet the entire McGowan family, and the people determined to destroy them.
Finally, a paranormal thriller that takes place in New Orleans – as told by a native son who knows where the bodies are buried.
The Mysterious Masks of Mardi Gras by Connie Trapp:
A 2.5 million dollar Harlequin Mask has been stolen right under everyone’s noses!
It was never out of sight—how could this have happened? The auction was invitation-only, which means only one thing: the thief is among them.
The New Orleans police are on the case, the room where the auction was being held is in lockdown, and no one can leave—not even the Mayor and his wife. Everyone there is a high roller and everyone there is a suspect.
Yet before the police can even begin their investigation, they already have their sights set on a prime suspect…the insider responsible for the distraction that allowed the thief to steal the mask without anyone even noticing. One Jane Dough, of Little Rock…
How in the world did JD get herself into this mess? Follow along as JD struggles to prove her innocence and uncover the real thief…
Mardi Gras Marathon Murders by Diane L. Twilley:
Mardi Gras has come to Galveston Texas, and with it the excitement of a new event, the first ever Mardi Gras Marathon. Gina Malloy, a young journalist, is very involved in the planning of the event. When she enlists the help of her aunt, Sister Catherine Malloy, she is delighted to discover that Sister Catherine’s friend, Martin Iberson, is the agent of one of the big stars of marathon events, Billy Champion. Gina is eager to meet Martin Iberson and his family, and perhaps get a chance to meet and interview Billy Champion.
All goes well, until evil shows its face, and two of the marathon runners are killed. With the help of their friend, police lieutenant Richard Tierney, the nun and her niece embark on the task of finding out who murdered the runners, and as things progress, they find their lives in danger as well. But from whom? And why?
Things become even more somber as they realize that the culprit could be someone they know. Eventually Sister Catherine deduces that to solve the murders she must understand the character of the killer, and she finally comes up with the shocking solution to the Mardi Gras murders.
The Mardi Gras Two Step by Barry M. Vass:
A series of young girls, strippers, are found mutilated and abandoned in the streets and byways of the French Quarter in early 1972. As more bodies turn up, at first in the Mississippi River, and then across the river in Algiers, the detectives assigned to the case are baffled: what sort of deviant could be responsible for such horrific behavior? And then, as the chaos of Mardi Gras crashes in like a wave around them, they begin to suspect that the killer they’re looking for might not even be human…
February 13, 2021
WandaVision Offer Up an “All-New Halloween Spooktacular”
It’s time for the latest installment of my episode by episode reviews of WandaVision, Marvel’s new sitcom parody/Dickian faux reality paranoia. Previous installments may be found here. Also, may I remind you that Disney is still not paying Alan Dean Foster and others.
Warning: Spoilers and pretty significant ones at that behind the cut!
It’s Halloween in Westview, but the cracks in the facade of Wanda’s little sitcom paradise are becoming too big to ignore. Wanda needs to “reset” Vision ever second line or so. The twins haven’t grown any further, but they are becoming inquisitive and also developing superpowers. As in the comics, Tommy has inherited Pietro’s superspeed and Billy has inherited Wanda’s abilities. And talking of Pietro, he’s still played by Even Peters rather than Aaron Taylor-Johnson (whom we see getting killed in the “Previously on…” segment), he’s still sleeping on Wanda and Vision’s couch and apart from Wanda, he’s also the only person who seems to be aware of what’s really going on in Westview, though he’s not complaining, because it beats being dead.
The time seems to have advanced to the 1990s by now, though this episode seems to be modelled after Malcolm in the Middle, which aired from 2000 to 2006 and starred a pre-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston . At any rate, the intro is copied almost exactly from Malcolm in the Middle, complete with quick cuts, shaky cam and scratchy fonts, which only served to remind me how really awful those aesthetics were. Though they were on their way out by the turn of the millennium, when Malcolm in the Middle premiered. The twins occasionally breaking the fourth wall and directly addressing the camera is another thing that WandaVision has borrowed from Malcolm in the Middle.
AV-Club reviewer Stephen Robinson suggests that the reason WandaVision skips the 1990s and models itself after a show that premiered in 2000 is that the 1990s didn’t offer any suburban family sitcoms. My reaction to this was, “But the 1990s were full of stupid family sitcoms.” And indeed, there were several. However, Roseanne is hampered by the fact that its star turned out to be a racist and antisemitic far right jerk, so everybody would rather forget that one. Home Improvement has similar issues, I think, though I don’t recall Tim Allen doing anything even remotely as awful as what Roseanne Barr did. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air would work, except that the family has the wrong skin colour. The Simpsons are obviously the ultimate 1990s family sitcom (and now belong to Disney via the Fox acquisition) and they have a Halloween episode every year, but they’re also animated. Party of Five apparently doesn’t count as a sitcom, but then I always got it confused with Full House, since both are about large families with too many children. Married With Children was running well into the 1990s, but since they didn’t riff of that in the previous episode, they probably wouldn’t do so in this episode either. The Nanny would be another possibility (and one I’ve actually seen, because it ran for years just before a show I used to watch), but the set-up is wrong. However, one thing that “All-New Halloween Spectacular” has in common with shows like Roseanne, The Simpsons, Married With Children or The Simpsons is that it no longer offers a falsely idyllic view of family life like older sitcoms did.
The episode opens with Tommy and Billy traipsing around Pietro, who’s asleep on the sofa, wondering whether he’s secretly a vampire (no, he isn’t, but he’s a not-so-secret superhero and also dead). Pietro finally wakes up and chases them around the house, perfectly playing the part of the slacker uncle. Wanda appears, dressed for the first time in a pretty close approximation of her iconic Jack Kirby designed costume from the comics. Interestingly, she manages to look both gorgeous and like a cosplayer at San Diego Comic Con. Vision also wears his classic costume from the comics (though unlike Wanda’s, his regular costume is a closer approximation to the one from the comics), though he manages to look dorky rather than cool. But then, Vision has one of the silliest costumes in comics. Even Billy and Tommy show up in approximations of their comic costumes as Young Avengers. It’s the sort of attention to detail that makes this comic geek smile. Not to mention that I wanted to see what Wanda’s classic costume looks like in live action, even if noted fake feminist Joss Whedon supposedly told Elizabeth Olsen she’d never wear it on screen.
Wanda and Vision pass off their respective costumes as “Sokovian fortune teller” and “Mexican Wrestler”. However, there is trouble in paradise, for Vision does not want to go out trick or treating with Wanda and the twins. Instead, he insists that he has to go on patrol with the nieghbourhood watch. Wanda tries to reset him, but this time around, Vision won’t budge. Luckily, Pietro is there and offers to go trick or treating with Wanda and the twins. He even whizzes up a grungier version of his classic comic costume with a matching outfit for Tommy, who considered himself too cool for Halloween costumes, until his idol Uncle Pietro deigned to wear one. I really love the “my first cosplay” aesthetics of the superhero costumes in this episode.
The denizens of Westview may have been stripped of free will and agency, but they do seem to be enjoying Halloween. Homes, lawns and the small city center have been decorated and there are costumes adults – and more importantly, kids – running around. Considering that Vision noted last episode that there were no kids in Westview other than Tommy and Billy, it’s notable that Westview now seems to be full of kids.
Pietro shamelessly abuses his powers to steal candy, mess up decorations and spray people with silly string, until Wanda makes him and the twins give all the candy back. Wanda and Pietro also have a heart to heart. They reminisce about their childhood in Sokovia, where they went trick or treating and were only given a mangy looking fish “to share” from a witchy looking old woman. Now Halloween wasn’t celebrated in continental Europe until the 1990s/2000s, though many countries did and continue to have native trick or treating traditions. St. Nicholas Day on December 6 is the traditional trick or treating day in my part of Germany, though St. Martin’s Day a.k.a. Martinsmas on November 11 and Epiphany Day on January 6 play that role in other regions. So did Sokovia have a native trick or treating tradition? Probably, though it’s unlikely to have been on Halloween. And even if Halloween slowly became more popular as the 1990s progressed, it’s unlike that the idea would have caught on in Sokovia so quickly, which is poor and a warzone. Of course, Sokovia is fictional, so if Marvel insists that they celebrated Halloween in the late 1990s or that Sokovian fortune tellers dress like Scarlet Witch from the comics, who am I to argue? That said, I’ve absolutely encountered variations of the old lady with the mangy fish during my own St. Nicholas Day trick or treating expeditions. Though in our case, the old lady (and it’s always an old lady) usually gave you a single way past its sell-by date apple or tangerine – to share, if there was more than one of you.
Pietro also admits that he remembers his life up to the moment he was shot in Age of Ultron, though he insists that “he was shot like a chump in the street”, even though he sacrificed himself to save the lives of Hawkeye and a Sokovian kid. Of course, it depends on your view of Hawkeye whether getting yourself shot to save him makes you a chump. Afterwards, Pietro remembers nothing, until Wanda called for him and he came. He’s also aware that he looks different now, though he has no idea why. And of course, it’s notable that the life he remembers is that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Pietro rather than that of the Fox X-Men Pietro, whose body he now inhabits. Of course, it’s also possible that Pietro is lying and is someone else altogether, some malicious being that’s egging Wanda on. Plus, he refer to Billy and Tommy as “hellspawn”, which might be a reference to the fact that in the comics, Wanda created Billy and Tommy from a shred of the soul of Mephisto, so the poor kids were literally spawns of hell.
At any rate, Pietro is aware of what Wanda is doing and doesn’t exactly disapprove. After all, creating a fake reality, holding a whole town hostage and bringing Vision (and Pietro, for that matter) back to life is a big step up from shooting “red wiggly-woos” from her finger tips and manipulating the minds of the Avengers. Also, we learn that Wanda has kept couples together, given most people better jobs than what they had in reality and that the children are apparently kept asleep, unless needed as set dressing. Pietro isn’t entirely sure whether the faux suburban idyll of Westview is really his thing, though he’s sure that his and Wanda’s dead parents would have loved it. Wanda, meanwhile, admits that she has no idea how she’s doing what she does. She just felt so terribly alone and then Vision was suddenly back and they were playing sitcom in Westview. At one point, she also seens Pietro dead and with bullet holes in his chest.
The town square with the vintage cinema looks like one of those backlot town squares you’ve seen in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years. In fact, I’m pretty sure that this exact town square with the cinema did show up on some other TV show, likely more than one, though I can’t for the life of me remember which one. Camestros Felapton points out in his review that the marquee of the cinema announces the 2004 Pixar film The Incredibles, which is about a family of superheroes, and The Parent Trap, which is the US title of Erich Kästner’s classic and much adapted children’s book Das doppelte Lottchen, in which twin – girls in this case – switch places to bring their divorced parents back together. Das doppelte Lottchen has been adapted a whopping fourteen times between 1950 and 2017. Two of these adaptations from 1961 and 1998 were called The Parent Trap. Going by the timeline, the movie advertised on the marquee is likely the 1998 version, which starred a young Lindsay Lohan in a double role. Interestingly, there also was a US-adaptation of Das doppelte Lottchen called It Take Two in 1995, which starred Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, twins and the real life sisters of Elizabeth Olsen who plays Wanda.
Other media and movie references in this episode include Kick-Ass, a 2010 superhero movie in which both actors who would go on to play Quicksilver, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Evan Peters, appeared together, and Godzilla. Now there are lots of Godzilla movies, but the otherwise forgettable 2014 version starred both Marvel’s Quicksilver to be Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as his wife as well as Bryan Cranston, who played the father in Malcolm in the Middle, the soap opera that was the model for this episode, as Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s father and Elizabeth Olsen’s father-in-law. It’s all connected.
At one point during their trick or treating expedition, Wanda runs into a member of the neighbourhood watch – Herb, I think. At any rate, the portly black guy. Herb is very eager to please Wanda and asks if she wants anything changed, but Wanda says that everything is just perfect. But when Wanda asks about Vision, Herb mentions that he’s not on duty that night, So Vision lied to Wanda about where he was going.
As for what Vision is doing, he is determined to get to the bottom of the Westview mystery himself. And so he travels to the edge of town, where he finds groups of people who seem to be frozen or stuck, repeating the same motions over and over again, such as a woman who is hanging up Halloween decorations or trying to. Vision tries to talk to those frozen people, but they don’t respond. Once more, WandaVision segues seemlessly from not-so-idyllic suburban family sitcom (though that noxious laugh track is notably absent this episode) into horror. Camestros Felapton notes that atmosphere reminded him of the original Twilight Zone as well as of certain Doctor Who episodes featuring isolated and deserted English villages. Come to think of it, The Avengers (John Steed and Emma Peel, not the Marvel version) had such episodes as well.
One of the people Vision finds stuck at the edge of town is none other than Agnes, dressed up like a witch. Agnes admits that she took a wrong turn and got lost and now she can’t get back. Vision is confused by this, because Agnes has allegedly lived in Westview all her life, so how can she get lost. Of course, Agnes seemed more aware of what’s really going on in Westview from the start than the other characters. And the witch costume does hint at Marvel character Agatha Harkness. Though I still suspect that Agatha is the missign witness Agent Woo was sent to find and that’s why she doesn’t know her way around town.
Vision frees the trapped Agnes from Wanda’s spell. “Are you here to save us?”, Agnes asks, because she recognises Vision as a member of the Avengers. However, Vision has no idea who or what the Avengers are. So he really remembers nothing of his life before Westview. A nigh hysterical Agnes then asks, if she’s dead. Vision assures her that she’s not dead and why would she think such a thing, whereupon Agatha blurts out that Vision is dead. Oops.
Because Agnes is completely hysterical by now, Vision resets her and she turns around her car and drives away, once against under Wanda’s control. Vision then flies into the air and realises that Westview is surrounded by an energy field. He decides to go and explore what lies beyond Westview. This turns out to be not a good idea.
Meanwhile, at the S.W.O.R.D. compound, Hayward is continuing to give us his best “minor X-Men villain” routine. He really, really doesn’t like people with superpowers and basically wants to storm Westview and take Wanda out. Darcy points out that Wanda almost caused Hayward to get shot by his own murder squad. Monica Rambeau adds that Wanda has them outgunned and that they also have no idea what will happen to the people of Westview, if Wanda gets killed.
Alas, Hayward doesn’t want to listen to reason, especially not when said reason is spoken by women. And so he says mean things to Monica such as that her mother would be disappointed in her, that he knows about her connection to Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel, but that Carol never came back, and also that people like Monica who were snapped out of existence by Thanos have no idea what those left behind had to deal with. Then Haywood kicks out Monica, Agent Woo and Darcy.
However, Monica and Agent Woo won’t abandon the playing field so easily to Hayward. And so they knock out the S.W.O.R.D. operatives supposed to escort them out of the base (“Why didn’t anybody tell me that was the plan?” Darcy complains), steal their ugly rain ponchos (honestly, those rain ponchos are terrible. They look just like the rain poncho my mother tried to make me wear to school, the one I always ditched as soon as I was around the corner, because I’d rather get wet than wear that) and sneak back into the base.
Darcy hacks into the computer to see what Hayward is up to. She realises that Haywood can somehow scan through the barrier and that he is tracking Vision or rather the vibranium in his body. Darcy also notes that the people at the edge of the anomaly are barely moving, which matches with what Vision has seen inside.
Monica is determined to go back into Westview and talk to Wanda, but Darcy tells her she can’t go in, because passing through the barrier twice has altered her cells. Monica, whose mother died of cancer after all, interprets this as “I’m getting cancer”, but those of us who’ve read the comics know that Monica is likely developing a bout of superpowers. And if crossing the barrier into Westview or being trapped inside changes and mutates humans cells, that’s also the perfect way for Marvel to introduced mutants into the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe. Yes, Wanda has done it again.
Nonetheless, Monica and Agent Woo are determined to contact Wanda. Darcy, however, stays behind, because she suspects that Hayward is hiding something else. But just when she’s found it, an alarm goes off, because Vision is attempting to break through the barrier. Darcy races out to the barrier with half the S.W.O.R.D. staff just in time to see Vision breaking through and promptly decaying and falling apart (well, his body was in pieces, when Wanda stole it), because it’s quite possible he can’t survive outside Westview. “Help him”, Darcy shouts and gets herself arrested and handcuffed to a S.W.O.R.D. SUV.
Inside Westview, a distraught Billy runs up to Wanda and tells her that he senses that his Dad is in danger. Pietro jokes that there isn’t much of a rush, because Wanda’s dead husband can’t possibly die twice, whereupon Wanda hurls him halfway across the town square (well, he had it comic). Wanda then questions Billy what exactly he sees and Billy says something about soldiers. Now Wanda knows exactly where Vision is. She freezes the entire town, her eyes begin to glow red, as she causes the barriers of “the Hex”, as Darcy has called it, to expand outwards.
Vision is gobble up again and hopefully restored. But the Hex still keeps expanding. The S.W.O.R.D. troops run, abandoning Darcy who gets sucked in. The Hex proceeds to swallow up the S.W.O.R.D. compound, which is turned into a circus with the soldiers turned into clowns, which made me chuckle. Haywards escapes in a car, as do Monica and Agent Woo. Cue credits.
The faux commercial this time is a striking but nasty piece of Claymation work for a faux product called Yo-Magic yoghurt, which seems to be a Fruchtzwerge like kiddie yoghurt. A Claymation kid is stranded on a desert island and about to starve, when a shark drops by to deliver a package of Yo-Magic yoghurt. Alas, the kid can’t open the yoghurt and withers away to turn into a skeleton, which is just mean.
WandaVision continues to be an edge-of-your-seat tense and also very, very strange show. We still have more theories about what’s going on than actual clues. WandaVision is certainly good at keeping us speculating and I think every powerful semi-supernatural being in the Marvel Universe has come under suspicion by now (personally, my money is on Fin Fang Foom).
Will the pay-off be worth it? In three episodes, we’ll know.
Love Through Space and Time 2021 – A Round-up of Indie Valentine’s Day Speculative Fiction
Our monthly round-ups of new speculative fiction and new crime fiction releases by indie authors are a perennially popular feature. Therefore, we now offer you a round-up of our favourite Valentine’s Day science fiction, fantasy and horror by indie authors.
These Valentine’s Day stories cover the broad spectrum of speculative fiction. We have urban fantasy, a lot of paranormal romance, paranormal mysteries, science fiction mysteries, science fiction romance, space opera, space colonisation, horror, alternate history, time travel, dragons, werewolves, wizards, ghosts, demons, aliens, robots, magical greeting card writers, crime-fighting witches, crime-fighting ghosts, Viking ghosts, dinners with demons, grumpy cupids, love potions, Valentine’s Day in space and much more. But one thing unites all of those very different books. They’re all set on or around Valentine’s Day.
As always with my round-up posts, this round-up of the best indie holiday speculative fiction is also crossposted to the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a group blog which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things speculative fiction several times per week.
As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.
And now on to the books without further ado:
Dinner With a Demon: It’s Valentine’s Day After All by Iokasti Argiriou
Apparently it’s Valentine’s day. A day dedicated to love? What in Aphrodite’s name is happening?
Anath – or Leda to Persa as she always refuses to call her by her demonic name – approaches Persa after all this time and she chooses this specific day. Is it a coinsidence? And then, out of the blue, the strangest thing happens. She asks Persa out on a date. A real date.
Ok, it was Persa’s suggestion, actually, but she never thought that Leda would go along with it. Now Persa cannot bow out and…she really hopes that this Valentine dude knows what he’s doing. Please, don’t let him be a sham!
She is an alien with silver-blue skin and a sexy tail, he is human and sometimes she doesn’t quite understand his customs. Like that strange human event of Valentine’s Day. He has something special planned for that day and it involves Zero G. But maybe he hasn’t quite thought this through. Sex in Zero G has some unique challenges.
This short story has previously been published in 2017 as part of the “Red Hots” anthology, which has been unpublished.
Valentine’s Day: A Charlie The Cupid Short Story by Zack Brooks:
Meet Charles Vefflin. A cupid stuck as a drone within a corporate company run by the Fates in Boston, he is doomed to cause people to fall in love with their soulmates for all of eternity. He hates his job and most people of the world. But a job is a job, and he isn’t going to let a little thing like people ruin the few pleasures in his life.
Join Charlie on the worst day of the year, Valentine’s Day, where he must make a young couple fall in love at a most unconventional party. See him deal with the idiocy of his co-workers, the lunacy of humans, and even run into a perverted old god. But, one thing’s for sure, he’ll see the job through. Even if it takes some liquid courage just to get through the night.
Valentine’s day is short story, about 6,500 words or 22 printed pages
Ballroom Blitz by Cora Buhlert:
Anjali and Mikhail go on a Valentine’s Day date. Trouble ensues.
Once, Anjali Patel and Mikhail Grikov were soldiers on opposing sides of an intergalactic war. They met, fell in love and decided to go on the run together.
Now Anjali and Mikhail are trying to eke out a living on the independent worlds of the galactic rim, while attempting to stay under the radar of those pursuing them.
It’s Valentine’s Day and so Mikhail and Anjali enjoy a well-deserved romantic dinner. But their date is rudely interrupted, when they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a turf war between two rival gangsters.
This is a Valentine’s Day novella of 23200 words or approximately 78 print pages in the “In Love and War” series by Hugo finalist Cora Buhlert, but may be read as a standalone.
Valentine’s Day on Iago Prime by Cora Buhlert:
Kai and Maisie are about the celebrate their first Valentine’s Day on the planet Iago Prime. However, the holiday traditions they established back on Earth such as celebrating Valentine’s Day with a picnic on the beach are impossible to maintain in the hostile environment of their new home. But in spite of the many limitations imposed by living on Iago Prime, Kai pulls out all the stops to give Maisie an unforgettable Valentine’s Day.
This is a science fictional Valentine’s Day story of 2200 words or approx. 10 print pages.
As a Cupid, Orel has plenty of experience helping other people find love, even if he’s unlucky in that department. But when he ends up covering for another Cupid at a speed dating event for singles in the leadup to Valentine’s Day, he dares to hope.
Can a lonely Cupid find love?
Or will he fall victim to the Cupid curse, too?
A Viking Ghost for Valentine’s Day by Jo-Ann Carson:
To feed her three children, Widow Abigail Jenkins takes the only job available in Sunset Cove: night cleaner in the notorious, haunted tea-house. She figures the wild, supernatural rumors about the place are pure fiction. After all, ghosts don’t exist.
Eric Eklund a sexy spirit from Sweden is over a thousand years old. Having missed his chance at Valhalla, the Viking spends his time roaming the world and gambling. That is until he sees Abby whose feisty earthly-spirit turns his ghostly world upside down.
When the two meet sparks fly, but their romance is interrupted by a poltergeist hunting children.
What happens when you mix a naughty, Viking ghost built like a Norse god, a strong woman who suffers no fools and a nasty poltergeist? Answer: another fun, Gambling Ghost story.
A Viking Ghost for Valentine’s is a lighthearted novella filled with love, laughter and just enough ghouliness to thrill and chill you to the bone.
Quill Me Now by Jordan Castillo Price:
What if the words you wrote came true?
Spellcraft isn’t exactly a respectable business, but it does pay the bills. At least, it should. Unfortunately, Dixon Penn failed his Spellcraft initiation. Instead of working in his family’s shop, he’s stuck delivering takeout orders in his uncle’s beat-up Buick.
Winning a Valentine’s Day contest at the largest greeting card company in the tri-state area would be just the thing to get his life back on track—but something at Precious Greetings just doesn’t add up. And despite numerous warnings to quit pestering them about his contest entry, he simply can’t stop himself from coming back again and again.
It doesn’t hurt that the head of security is such a hottie. If Dixon had any common sense, he’d be scared of the big, mysterious, tattooed Russian.
To be fair, no one ever accused him of being too smart….
A Werewolf’s Valentine by Zoe Chant:
Curvy cat shifter McKenzi Enkel gave up on love after one too many heartbreaks. What’s more, she declared war on Valentine’s Day. But then a handsome, whiskey-voiced stranger comes to town.
Sexy singer West, a lone wolf who lost his pack as a child, never stopped searching for his missing family. He sings when he can, fights when he must, and always moves on—until he meets the scorching hot McKenzi in the diner she reluctantly decorated for Valentine’s Day.
In a small town of shifters where anyone can find a refuge, West and McKenzi still feel alone. But as they begin to open their hearts to each other, he can’t make himself leave… and she can’t let him go. With Valentine’s Day approaching, can West and McKenzi forge a new pack… and find a love even they can’t deny?
My Maggie Valentine by Kate Danley:
Valentine’s Day is terrible. Especially when you’re Maggie MacKay and tasked with chaperoning the local high school Valentine’s dance. Join Maggie and Killian on a holiday, short story adventure. Sometimes you wrestle with demons. And sometimes they just want to cuddle…
A part of the Maggie MacKay: Holiday Special short story series. This stands independently from the main Magical Tracker series and can be read at any time and in any order.
WARNING: This adventure contains cussing, brawling, and unladylike behavior. Proceed with caution.
Love Potion Sold Seperately by Nicole DragonBeck:
Maggie Baker can’t think of anyone to ask to wear her corsage at this year’s First Days Celebration. After a visit from her fairy godmother, Maggie concocts her own Prince Charming, but when Charle arrives, things get more complicated than she bargained for.
Vintage Valentine by Cat Gardiner:
Romance and time-travel meet Pride and Prejudice in this utterly romantic modern story. Step back in time to WWII-era for a sweet Valentine’s Day.
What begins as a begrudging visit to Time & Again antique shop turns into so much more than discovering trinkets from the past. The unexpected happens! Love and lessons await Lizzy Bennet when she leaves her mobile device in the future. Travel with her through a portal to timeless romance back in 1943 where she’s looking up into the eyes of one dashing G.I. at U.S.O dance.
An 8,500 word sweet paranormal romance.
The Dragon’s Valentine by C.D. Gorri:
“She’s given up on love, but he’s just begun…”
After five hundred years of servitude, Dragon Shifter, Callius Falk and his three brothers are finally freed from their bonds. Callius has one mission, to find his true mate.
Winifred Castillo spends her nights tending bar at The Thirsty Dog, a local favorite in Maccon City, New Jersey. After her boyfriend skips town with her rent money, she’s sworn off men. For good!
But what’s a Werewolf to do when a dark-haired stranger with golden eyes and rippling muscles claims her as his mate?
The Ghost of Valentine Past by Bobbi Holmes:
A romantic weekend at Marlow House Bed and Breakfast turns deadly when Earthbound Spirits founder, Peter Morris, is murdered. Plenty of people had a reason to want the man dead—especially Danielle’s current guests.
But it isn’t Morris’ ghost distracting Danielle on this deadly Valentine’s Day weekend, it’s her late husband Lucas. She has her hands full with suitors coming from all directions—both living and dead—while she tries to figure out if there’s a killer in Marlow House.
Ghoul You Be My Valentine? by Olivia Jaymes:
It’s time for another Ravenmist Whodunnit! A tiny Midwestern town with charming covered bridges, quirky residents, delightful antique shops, and more than their share of haunted activity.
Tedi has another packed inn of people for the Ravenmist Valentine’s Day Ball. The evening was a complete success until she and Jack find a dead body on the back patio with a Cupid’s arrow through his heart. There’s no shortage of suspects for his murder either. Jack will have his hands full paring down the list.
And Tedi? She’s staying out of this. No way is she going to be pulled into it. Not after last time. She has her own investigation. She and her friend Missy are trying to find why the town has suddenly been infused with paranormal energy. Ghosts are literally getting up and dancing around. It’s all going well too. That is until the investigation starts to hit just a little bit too close to home.
Hop into your ghostmobile and take a ride with Tedi as she meets a spirit who doesn’t think he’s dead, two ghosts in love, and a hard partying specter who just might have witnessed the murder. It’s a hauntingly good time in the little town of Ravenmist and you’re invited to the party.
Bear Valley Valentine by T.S. Joyce:
Colin Cross is a lone bear shifter living on the outskirts of Bear Valley. He likes his reclusive lifestyle, but when he musters the nerve to talk to the woman he has feelings for, being alone just doesn’t seem like enough anymore. When he finds Hadley on an online dating site, it’s the perfect way to build a relationship with her without dragging her into his dark past. Hadley is human, and humans don’t belong in his world, but a little online flirting never hurt anyone.
Hadley Bennett has had it with dating local townies. Determined to cast her net a little wider, she enters the chaotic world of online dating. When she finally secures a face-to-face date with the elusive Bearman28, it’ll be a Valentine’s Day to remember.
And if Hadley can handle his real identity, they just might find what they’ve both been searching for.
Bear Valley Valentine is a 20,000 word story with heart pounding romance, a thoughtful alpha bear, and spicy Valentine’s Day surprises.
For the Love of Cupidity by Raven Kennedy:
First comes love, then comes mating, then comes the baby and some cupid training.
Cupidville is overrun with new cupid recruits, and it’s up to me to train them in time for Valentine’s Day. Too bad I have four mates who keep insisting that it’s time for me to take a break.
Juggling my role as the cupid boss, being a mate, and handling motherhood isn’t always easy, but it’s sure as hearts worth it. Let’s just hope I can get these cupid flunkies trained in time.
Author’s Note: This is a Heart Hassle novella just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Love Potion, edited by Graceley Knox and D.D. Miers:
A valentines day charity anthology featuring 8 exclusive stories from your favorite bestselling Paranormal and Fantasy romance authors! All proceeds will be donated to Room to Read!
How to Capture a Demon’s Heart – Graceley Knox & D.D. Miers
A Demon’s Plaything (The Elite Guards) – Amelia Hutchins
Deep Blue Sea – Pippa DaCosta
The Hellhound’s Legion: A Kit Davenport Novella – Tate James
The Heart Cantrip: a Family Spells Novella – C.M. Stunich
Eternal Hearts – A Forsaken Gods Series Novella – G. Bailey & Coralee June
A Damsel and a Demigod (The Guild Codex: Spellbound) – Annette Marie
The Fox and the Wolf – Clara Hartley
An Immortal Valentine’s Day by Monica La Porta:
Once a playboy, Alexander Drako is now the happy father of three and eager to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special party held on Friday night to accommodate his nocturnal vampire friends. Everything is ready except for a small detail. Alexander has forgotten to buy the roses and orchids for his beloved Ravenna. Unable to disappoint her, and accompanied by his loyal friends, Marcus and Samuel, he sets out for Wolf’s Haven, a rehab center for paranormals, hoping to find some flowers left for sale in their greenhouse.
After a honeymoon around the world that lasted half a year, Peter and Ophelia have just landed back in Rome. While he would like to relax in their apartment, Ophelia is eager to see her friends. Most of all, she can’t wait to hug Quintilius, her adoptive father.
Ophelia’s call reaches Quintilius at Wolf’s Haven, where he’s volunteering, and he rejoices at finally seeing her again. However, he isn’t thrilled to see Peter, the man who stole the heart of his little princess. A sudden crisis at the rehab center forces Quintilius to focus his thoughts and energies on looking for Luisa, a girl who’s run away with a dangerous gang member.
By fate’s design, all the friends have reunited at Wolf’s Haven and agreed to help Quintilius in his quest. Will they be able to save the girl and return to their loved ones in time to celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Moonshine Valentine by Tegan Maher:
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Noelle has no idea what to get for Hunter. While she’s getting her hair cut and tossing around gift ideas, Coralee’s long-term boyfriend pops in and declares his undying love via a marriage proposal, breaking rule numero uno of their relationship clause.
He’s only the first to fall, though. When the men of Keyhole Lake start acting like lovesick lunatics, Noelle and Rae have to put their heads together to figure out what happened before the whole town goes loopy in love, or someone ends up in jail.
This story falls in between book 4, Murder and Mayhem, and Book 5, Murder and Marinade, in the Witches of Keyhole Lake Mystery Series.
When Smelling Roses, Watch Out for the Thorns
Strange things are happening in Armstrong City right before St. Valentine’s Day. Several women who found roses on their doorstep passed out inexplicably. Carolyn and Mike must figure out how this happened, who is doing it, and why?
A fun little mystery for the holiday of love.
Valentines Day: Time Patrol by Bob Mayer:
“The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared prosperity—or it will move apart.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
What does it take to change history and destroy our reality? Change events on the same date, 14 February, in six different years. The Time Patrol must send an agent back to each day, with just 24 hours for each to defeat the Shadow’s plan to disrupt our time-line, creating a time tsunami and wiping our present out.
Ivar: 1929. Gunmen massacre seven people in the infamous St. Valentines Day Massacre. Al Capone is consolidating his grip on the Outfit in Chicago. But what if it turns out very differently?
Eagle: 1945. President Roosevelt, heading home from the Yalta Conference, stops on the Great Bitter Lake to meet King Idn Saud of Saudi Arabia to discuss a relatively new topic: Arab oil. And a Jewish homeland.
Roland: 1779. Captain Cook, famed explorer of the Pacific, meets his fate in Hawaii.
Scout: 278. Saint Valentine is beheaded near the Milvian Bridge.
Doc: 1945. The Dresden Firebombing. Kurt Vonnegut is in a slaughterhouse as the first bombers appear overheard.
Moms: 1946. The ENIAC computer, programmed by six women, is unveiled to the public. The press thinks the women are simply models.
The mission, as always for the Time Patrol, seems straight-forward: keep history intact. No matter the cost.
But this time, things go very differently than in previous missions and one of the team members must make the ultimate sacrifice.
Rainbow Bouquet, edited by Farah Mendlesohn:
Authors featured are Harry Robertson, Edward Ahern, Victoria Zammit, Erin Horáková, Cheryl Morgan, Sarah Ash, Kathleen Jowitt, Sean Robinson, Garrick Jones and MJ Logue, and the settings vary from a mediaeval monastery to the ‘final frontier’, give or take the odd supernatural realm along the way. Stories of love in the past, present and future – all as fascinating in their variety as love itself.
My Bloodiest Valentine, edited by K.A. Morse:
Roses are red. So is your blood. It’s Valentine’s Day, and we’ve brought you something good. Abandon the chocolates, forget flowers and wine. Because these authors stories are bloody divine. Demons from Hell or a vampires kiss, this collection of stories you don’t want to miss.
What my fellow countrymen do not realize is that the tales are true. From the leprechauns to the fairies, the banshees to the pooka, the merrow to the kelpie, the changelings to the far darrig, they all exist.
There are many more creatures; some of them are good and stand by us in the fight to keep the evil ones at bay. The others, the dark ones, try to destroy everything that is good in the world.
Now there is a new threat, one that I have never seen before. Thankfully, Tiamat sent word through the portals to warn me of what is coming.
It’s time to bring my forces together for the battle of a lifetime. It looks like it’s going to be one hell of a Bloody Valentine’s Day.
You would think I was living a fairy tale life. I live in my ancestral home high up in the mountains, and I am heir to the Ice Dragon throne. With the standard court drama and Prince’s trying to court me that don’t measure up to the man in my dreams, life can be quite stressful at times. But in the darkness, an old evil lurks, one we thought my mother Aurora had extinguished long ago. Villagers start going missing by my father Klaus’s pack lands, and all signs point to the Strigoi. Time to help mom and get my talons dirty; this will be one bloody Valentines Day.
“The day I met Derrick while playing my violin in the park was magical. Unfortunately, magic and love together don’t always mix.”
Oliver met Derrick while busking in the park, and they hit it off from the start. At first, Derrick’s “mysterious magician” vibe was intriguing, but after two botched dates, Oliver was ready to call it quits.
Fearing he lost his chance with Oliver, Derrick makes a last-ditch effort to win Oliver’s heart with a romantic Valentine’s date. But when love and magic collide, things tend to go awry. Will these two guys make it through the date unscathed?
Validated by Valentine’s by Joynell Schultz:
Ivory has the perfect man, from his microchip processor to his flesh-like exterior.
Ivory hated that she loved her Christmas gift this year. Her sister gave her the perfect humanoid companion, but there’s just one problem: he’ll never be able to say he loves her, no matter how much Ivory falls in love with him.
Was her dream man a present or a curse?
But when Ethan (Ivory’s Dream Droid) looks at her with those sweet blue eyes and secretly earns enough money to enter her in the city-wide bake-off, she realizes she doesn’t care. He’s hers. And that’s the best gift of all.
Ivory’s perfect world falls apart the closer she gets to the bake-off. It starts with a lost entry and Ethan having a few programming malfunctions, then she discovers someone’s deliberately sabotaging her. What started out to be a dream Valentine’s day, begins to turn into a nightmare. A large supportive family, a caring artificial companion, and the best cupcake recipe in the world might not be enough to uncover who’s setting Ivory up to fail.
My Wicked Valentine by Lotta Smith:
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner… Love is in the air and so are the ghosts!
When Rick’s old friend, up-and-coming celeb psychic Brian Powers is accused of murdering an esthetician at a luxe gentlemen-only spa, Mandy’s cozy afternoon at home goes from cookie-baking to crime solving.
With baby Sophie and ghost-pal Jackie in tow, Mandy and Rick take to haunting the spa where the facials are fab and the intrigue is high-end.
Every suspect has a secret, but who’s willing to kill to keep theirs under wraps? [Seaweed wraps, that is.] Find out in this dangerously funny installment of the Manhattan Mystery series.
Dragon’s First Valentine by Emily Martha Sorensen:
There’s a new dragon visiting from Chicago, and she’s green, like Virgil! Unfortunately, this might cause a few small problems nobody anticipated.
As well as a few revelations and surprises.
And all while Rose is trying to figure out what to give her husband for Valentine’s Day.
The Dread Arrow by Grigor Weeks:
Dark Space is strange, and so are the hitmen who live there. Strap in sweetheart. Love never hurt so good.
February 12, 2021
Love and Crime 2021 – A Round-up of Indie Valentine’s Day Mysteries and Crime Fiction
Our monthly round-ups of new speculative fiction and new crime fiction releases by indie authors are a perennially popular feature. Therefore, we now offer you a round-up of our favourite Valentine’s Day mysteries by indie and small press authors.
The holiday mysteries cover the broad spectrum of crime fiction. We have plenty of cozy mysteries, small town mysteries, culinary mysteries, animal mysteries, paranormal mysteries, historical mysteries, jazz age mysteries, police procedurals, crime thrillers, legal thrillers, amateur sleuths, crime-fighting witches, crime-fighting bakers, crime-fighting socialites, crime-fighting ghosts, crime-fighting dogs, masked vigilantes, missing children, kidnappings, jewel thefts, sleazy lawyers, serial killers, assassins and much more. But one thing unites all of those very different books. They’re all set on or around Valentine’s Day.
As always with my round-up posts, this round-up of the best indie holiday mysteries is also crossposted to the Indie Crime Scene, a group blog which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things crime fiction several times per week.
As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.
And now on to the books without further ado:
Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris by Jennifer S. Alderson:
Paris—the city of love, lights … and murder? Join tour guide Lana Hansen as she escorts five couples on an unforgettable Valentine-themed vacation to France! Unfortunately it will be the last trip for one passenger…
Lana Hansen’s future is looking bright. She has money in her bank account, a babysitter for her cat, and even a boyfriend. Regrettably she won’t get to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her new beau, Chad. Instead, she will be leading a lovers-only tour in France. Luckily for Lana, her best friend, Willow, and her partner, Jane, will be joining her.
Things go downhill when Lana’s new boyfriend shows up in Paris for her tour—with his wife. Chad is not the website developer he claimed to be, but a famous restaurant critic whose love of women rivals his passion for food.
After Chad drops dead during a picnic under the Eiffel Tower, a persistent French detective becomes convinced that he was poisoned. And the inspector’s sights are set on several members of the tour—including Lana!
While escorting her group through the cobblestone streets of Montmartre, the grand gardens of Versailles, and the historic Marché des Enfants Rouges market, Lana must figure out who really killed Chad before she has to say bonjour to prison and adieu to her freedom.
Introducing Lana Hansen, tour guide, reluctant amateur sleuth, and star of the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series. Join Lana as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that, unfortunately for Lana, often turn deadly.
Valentine’s Day is Murder by Carolyn Arnold:
Cupid’s arrow may have missed its mark…
Jimmy finally takes a vacation–and a chance on love–only to be abducted. His female companion originally thinks he had cold feet about their relationship, but Sean and Sara know there’s more to it. Jimmy isn’t the type to just up and disappear, let alone leave a lady stranded.
Setting out on their private jet, Sean and Sara reach the tropical paradise of Ocho Rios, Jamaica with sightseeing as the last thing on their minds.
With a gold coin being their initial tie to Jimmy’s kidnapper, Sean and Sara even speculate about the involvement of pirates. Yet as the hours pass, and there’s no word from Jimmy’s captors, Sean and Sara will need to figure out the real motive before it’s too late.
With help from their friend, Adam, back in Albany, the pieces come together and not a moment too soon.
A Valentine for the Silencer by Cora Buhlert:
Valentine’s Day 1938: All Richard Blakemore a.k.a. the masked crimefighter known only as the Silencer wants is to have a romantic dinner with his beautiful fiancée Constance Allen.
But on his way to his date, Richard happens upon a mugging in progress. Can he save the victim and make sure that young Thomas Walden has the chance to propose to his girlfriend? And will he make it to dinner with Constance on time?
This is a short Valentine’s Day story of 7200 words or approx. 24 print pages in the Silencer series, but may be read as a standalone.
He never brings me flowers… by Cora Buhlert
He never brings me flowers…
Waiting for your boyfriend to finally come home from work can be hell, especially if it’s your anniversary and you suspect he forgot – again. But does the ringing of the doorbell promise roses and sex and the long overdue proposal or something far more sinister?
Lovers’ Ridge
A foundling, a newborn, abandoned and left to die. But tonight, he will have his revenge on the parents who deserted him. Tonight, they will pay, at the very place where the story once began, at Lovers’ Ridge…
This is a bumper edition containing two short crime stories of 3200 words altogether. Both stories are also available as part of the collection Murder in the Family.
Ballroom Blitz by Cora Buhlert:
Anjali and Mikhail go on a Valentine’s Day date. Trouble ensues.
Once, Anjali Patel and Mikhail Grikov were soldiers on opposing sides of an intergalactic war. They met, fell in love and decided to go on the run together.
Now Anjali and Mikhail are trying to eke out a living on the independent worlds of the galactic rim, while attempting to stay under the radar of those pursuing them.
It’s Valentine’s Day and so Mikhail and Anjali enjoy a well-deserved romantic dinner. But their date is rudely interrupted, when they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a turf war between two rival gangsters.
This is a Valentine’s Day novella of 23200 words or approximately 78 print pages in the “In Love and War” series by Hugo finalist Cora Buhlert, but may be read as a standalone.
Valentine’s Day, 1951 by Frank W. Butterfield:
Tuesday, February 13, 1951
What does the man who can buy anything get the man who doesn’t want anything?
That’s the mystery Nick Williams is trying to solve.
He’s a small-time private dick in San Francisco with a big-time trust he inherited from a rich uncle during the war.
With the help of his new secretary, Marnie Wilson, Nick is hoping he can come up with something that will let Carter Jones, the fireman he shares a house and a bed with, know how much he really loves him.
With a little luck, and some help from both friends and family, Valentine’s Day of 1951 might just be one they’ll both remember for a long, long time.
Valentine’s Madness: A 1920s Historical Mystery Anthology, edited by Beth Byers:
Welcome to a very flapper Valentine’s Day!
Are you ready for the roaring twenties? For spunky young women crafting their own lives? If so, you’ll love Violet, Julia, Abigail, Evelyn, and Rosemary.
Inside, you’ll find four short Valentine’s day adventures, 1920s style including roses, chocolates, kisses, and cocktails. With stories from The Violet Carlyle Mysteries, the Piccadilly Ladies Club Mysteries, the Abigail Dutcher Mysteries, the Jazz & Gin Cozy Mysteries, and The Lillywhite Mysteries.
Mystery on Valentine’s Day by Beth Byers and Lee Strauss:
The worlds of Ginger Gold and Violet Carlyle collide in this fun Valentine Mystery short story by bestselling authors Lee Strauss and Beth Byers.
While both Ginger and Violet had plans for a romantic evening of dinner and dancing to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their husbands, something goes terribly awry. One by one, female patrons discover that they are missing jewelry.
In this closed room mystery filled with a brigade of colorful characters, Violet and Ginger join forces to put their skills of deduction to work. Can they unveil the culprit and solve the mystery in time for dessert?
Don’t miss this delectable bite-sized tale. Pairs perfectly with a box of chocolate and a comfy chair!
The St. Valentine’s Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree:
It’s Valentine’s Day in quiet, cozy Hatter’s Cove, Florida and food columnist, Kat Archer, has been assigned the event of the year, the grand opening of Miss Dolly’s Cookie Jar and Sweets Emporium.
What begins as a run of the mill, albeit tasty, assignment turns into something much more dangerous when one of the Cookie Jar’s employees is poisoned.
Now Kat is chasing the biggest story of her life, while trying to catch the eye of her handsome editor and avoid becoming the killer’s next victim.
A cozy novella: approximately 44,000 words
Murder on Valentine’s Day by P. Creeden:
It’s Valentine’s Day and 20-year-old Emma Wright just wants her crush to take notice of her. But Colby Davidson, the K9 search and rescue deputy only thinks of her as a kid sister. How will she get him to take her seriously?
When her veterinarian boss calls her to pick up a cat at a potential crime scene, she finds herself at the house of the richest woman in Ridgeway. Her father—the sheriff—and Colby are there. They both dismiss the untimely death as a heart attack, but Emma finds clues that it might be something more. Did the software billionaire die of natural causes, or was it murder?
The Valentine Mystery by Kathi Daley:
If you love small towns, endearing relationships, food, animals, and a touch of murder, you will love this new mystery series by Kathi Daley, author of the popular Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery Series.
It is Valentine’s Day in White Eagle Montana and Tess and Tilly are busier than ever delivering Valentine Cards along with the daily mail. Of course it wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day in White Eagle without a mystery to solve or a holiday adoption party to prepare for.
When Tess happens upon a vehicle accident where one man dies, she gets pulled into a mystery with roots into the past. With Tony’s help she not only tracks down a killer but she looks into the occurrence of a missing person as well.
Tony is still looking into the case of Tess’s father’s disappearance, meanwhile Tess and Tilly team up with Brady to make sure that every animal shelter resident finds their perfect match in time for Valentine’s Day.
A Valentine Murder by Steven Demaree
In this delightful combination of a whodunit mixed with humor, a woman, who has been celebrating her birthday and Valentine’s Day, is rushed to the hospital complaining of stomach pains and nausea. She grabs the doctor and tells him she has been poisoned, but before she can tell him any more, she dies. When Lt. Dekker and Sgt. Murdock investigate, they find out that no one liked her, with the possible exception of her husband.
Valentine’s Day by Liz Dodwell:
Valentine’s Day, a pet pig and smugglers just don’t go together
It’s happened again, pet-sitter Polly Parrett is embroiled in another mystery. The romantic Valentine’s Day weekend she’s been looking forward to with her number one guy turns into a fiasco. There’s a body of course, characters who may or may not be trusted, danger and snow – lots of snow.
Then something happens that causes the usually mild-mannered Polly to find her inner tigress, and woe betide the person she turns her claws on.
Corridor Man: Valentine by Mark Faricy:
BETTER CHANGE THE LOCKS. BOBBY DID.
Disbarred attorney Bobby Custer continues to use his main skill set; murder, treachery and perversion in an ongoing effort to increase his personal gains.
Ever the charmer, Bobby provides Emily with an unforgettable valentine that up until now she could only dream about . . . or maybe it was a nightmare. Together they forever mark the day with a memorable secret. Psychotic, sociopathic, always charming– and you thought he was here to help.
The Heartless Valentine by Kacey Gene:
Roses are red; violets are blue
Is a lover from the dead here to kill you?
Valentine’s Day. 2020. Middlebridge, Wisconsin. When the quick-witted second grade teacher and amateur sleuth, Jennifer Hunter, receives a gift from a secret admirer on Valentine’s Day, she heartily investigates who her cupid could be. When she opens the box, though, she doesn’t find chocolates; she finds a human heart wrapped in red tissue paper.
And that’s not all. Her admirer has written a note confessing their desire to watch Jennifer die. That’s when Jennifer’s best friend and Middlebridge’s Police Lieutenant, Jake Hollow, steps in.
Jake and Jennifer put their dynamic duo focus on finding Jennifer’s deranged valentine, and that leads them to the recently deceased body of David Bird IV. He looks like an average dead guy except for one fact — his heart has been removed. Jennifer must investigate this heartless valencrime; otherwise, she fears she’ll be the next victim. Yet, her attempt to protect her own heart leads her to a set of love letters that tell the story of broken hearts from the past.
Valentine’s Day. 1910. Salem, Massachusetts. Clay Trunkett, a twenty year old hard-working journalist, is scheduled to hang for assaulting a man. His accuser? David Bird II, son of the wealthiest man in Salem. Clay’s true crime? Falling in love with Meghan White, the woman David has his heart set on marrying.
The love triangle of 1910 holds the clues Jennifer needs to find the heart snatcher of 2020, but with her own crazed valentine delivering threatening messages and bits of heart like they’re candy, Jennifer struggles to piece together this crime of passion from 1910.
And, Jennifer’s own passions get in the way when she discovers that her best friend, Jake, has a girlfriend — one that he’s been hiding from Jennifer for months. Betrayal runs high as masquerade parties, craft sales, murder mystery dinners, and a strange encounter at the local diner all distract Jennifer from her one mission: To find out who’s making her Valentine’s Day the most horrifyingly heart-filled in history. The problem is, Jennifer’s discoveries may end her friendship with Jake, and that’s a heartbreak she can’t take.
This clean cozy mystery will keep reader’s hearts pounding as they flip through love letters from the past and the alternating stories of Jennifer Hunter and Clay Trunkett. Jennifer’s down-to-earth and lovable personality plunges into new territory as she must assess her relationship with Jake and the type of love she wants in her life. She goes on crochet benders; she attends parties where she gets to be someone other than herself; and all the time she’s piecing together a crime that makes this Valentine’s Day anything but sweet.
A respectable, middle-aged housewife. An ambitious young lawyer. A student burlesque dancer. Three women with nothing in common – except for the fact that someone has sent them a macabre Valentine’s Day gift; a pig’s heart pierced by an arrow.
Is this a case of serious harm intended? Or just a malicious prank? Detective Inspector Olbeck thinks there might be something more sinister behind it but his colleague Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is too busy mourning the departure of her partner Tin to New York to worry too much about the case. Until one of the women receives a death threat…
Valentine is a novella in the best-selling Kate Redman Mystery series by crime writer Celina Grace.
The Ghost of Valentine Past by Bobbi Holmes:
A romantic weekend at Marlow House Bed and Breakfast turns deadly when Earthbound Spirits founder, Peter Morris, is murdered. Plenty of people had a reason to want the man dead—especially Danielle’s current guests.
But it isn’t Morris’ ghost distracting Danielle on this deadly Valentine’s Day weekend, it’s her late husband Lucas. She has her hands full with suitors coming from all directions—both living and dead—while she tries to figure out if there’s a killer in Marlow House.
Ghoul You Be My Valentine? by Olivia Jaymes:
It’s time for another Ravenmist Whodunnit! A tiny Midwestern town with charming covered bridges, quirky residents, delightful antique shops, and more than their share of haunted activity.
Tedi has another packed inn of people for the Ravenmist Valentine’s Day Ball. The evening was a complete success until she and Jack find a dead body on the back patio with a Cupid’s arrow through his heart. There’s no shortage of suspects for his murder either. Jack will have his hands full paring down the list.
And Tedi? She’s staying out of this. No way is she going to be pulled into it. Not after last time. She has her own investigation. She and her friend Missy are trying to find why the town has suddenly been infused with paranormal energy. Ghosts are literally getting up and dancing around. It’s all going well too. That is until the investigation starts to hit just a little bit too close to home.
Hop into your ghostmobile and take a ride with Tedi as she meets a spirit who doesn’t think he’s dead, two ghosts in love, and a hard partying specter who just might have witnessed the murder. It’s a hauntingly good time in the little town of Ravenmist and you’re invited to the party.
Valentine’s Day: Kiss of Death by Charlot King:
The quintessentially English Professor Elizabeth Green is not herself, shut in her bedroom she doesn’t even have time for her grandson, Godric, whom she adores. As the director of the student play, Godric, meanwhile, attends a College Valentine’s Banquet with some of his troupe. Soon after, he is one actor down, a body is found.
Meanwhile, Inspector Abley’s messy divorce has brought him alone up to Grantchester, as Sergeant Lemon steps in to lend support. With mystery after mystery building up, will Professor Green open her door to help?
Hugely popular author makes this beautiful historic city of Cambridge, England, leap off the page, with the eccentric Professor of poisons. Join the fast-growing number of readers of these page-turning whodunnits in the tradition of Agatha Christie, Colin Dexter, and grab a murder mystery fuelled by poison in the dark alleys of Cambridge!
Lady Rample and Cupid’s Kiss by Shéa MacLeod:
Just when Lady Rample has given up on love, a former flame reappears, bringing with him all sorts of emotions she thought buried. Unfortunately, that flame comes with one very aggressive and rather angry almost-ex-wife. The ensuing catfight is almost worth the price of admission.
When the ex-wife is found dead in Hyde Park, stabbed with a hatpin in the shape of a heart, the police naturally assume the killer is the husband. Our intrepid heroine is not about to allow her love to go down for a crime he didn’t commit. Unfortunately, proving him innocent may put her own neck on the line.
Never one to shirk from danger, Lady R—with the help of her eccentric Aunt Butty—will need all her wits about her if she’s to solve the crimes of the Cupid Killer.
Enjoy the glitz and glamor of the 1930s with the sixth book in the popular 1930s historical mystery series, Lady Rample Mysteries.
Moonshine Valentine by Tegan Maher:
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Noelle has no idea what to get for Hunter. While she’s getting her hair cut and tossing around gift ideas, Coralee’s long-term boyfriend pops in and declares his undying love via a marriage proposal, breaking rule numero uno of their relationship clause.
He’s only the first to fall, though. When the men of Keyhole Lake start acting like lovesick lunatics, Noelle and Rae have to put their heads together to figure out what happened before the whole town goes loopy in love, or someone ends up in jail.
This story falls in between book 4, Murder and Mayhem, and Book 5, Murder and Marinade, in the Witches of Keyhole Lake Mystery Series.
When Smelling Roses, Watch Out for the Thorns
Strange things are happening in Armstrong City right before St. Valentine’s Day. Several women who found roses on their doorstep passed out inexplicably. Carolyn and Mike must figure out how this happened, who is doing it, and why?
A fun little mystery for the holiday of love.
Valentines & Victims by Donna Muse:
After being snowbound for much of the winter, amateur detective duo Geneva Pomolo and Iris Reeves are looking forward to a Valentine’s Day getaway with a few older friends at Bittersweet Lodge, a ski resort in the chilly foothills of southern Indiana. Both women are looking forward to a weekend of dance contests, luaus, roasted pigs, and toboggan scavenger hunts. Tensions mount when one of their friends comes down with a sudden illness. Geneva fears the worst: someone is poisoning the lodge’s guests.
The case takes a deadly swerve when Horace Weatherspoon—millionaire head of a railroad empire—dies in a toboggan accident. The old man had been deathly afraid of toboggans and Geneva knows there is malice at work: one of their fellow guests is a murderer. As Iris and Geneva begin to investigate, they uncover a trail of secrets leading back more than thirty years, and one person will kill again to keep those secrets buried.
Be My Valencrime by Amy M. Reade:
It’s Valentine’s Day in Juniper Junction and love is in the air. Or is that just a dark cloud?
Lilly’s shop assistant, Harry, is about to pop the question to his girlfriend, Alice Davenport. He’s got the ring, he’s planned a romantic dinner, and he’s even thought of a gracious escape if Alice says no.
The only thing missing is…Alice.
Lilly wants to do all she can to help find Alice, even if that means interfering with a police investigation. But as she begins to learn more about Harry’s sweet, unassuming girlfriend, she discovers that Alice is hiding a shocking secret that will complicate everything.
And when Lilly suffers a lapse in judgment, the consequences are swift and painful. Can she pull herself together enough to help her daughter through a tunnel of teenage angst, deal with her mother’s dementia-related wanderings, and still help Harry find his Happily Ever After?
The Valentine’s Day Murders by Kendall Scott:
It has been nine months since Constance Aberfield “retired” from her crime solving ways and she is loving every minute of it. That’s what she is telling herself anyway. Besides, with Valentine’s Day week descending upon the small town of Modest Peak, Constance is flat out too busy to even think of doing anything non-hotel related. Even if she wanted to work a case, she would not have the time.
Constance is so dedicated to her retirement in fact, that when she is alerted to a serial killer known as the St. Valentine Killer, operating in Denver, she refuses to take the case. Even Sheriff Nevil, begging for her help for a change, isn’t enough to get her back in the game. She really is done with that life.
But when the St. Valentine Killer makes his way to Modest Peak, and begins to target people close to Constance, she will have to ask herself if her self-imposed retirement is worth it. This is especially true when it becomes increasingly clear that only she possesses the skills required to put the killer behind bars once and for all.
Sweet Heart by Connie Shelton:
Will there be Valentine wedding bells for Samantha Sweet and Beau Cardwell? (introduced in this mystery series opener Sweet Masterpiece) Sam’s bakery, Sweet’s Sweets is busier than ever this Valentine week, as she struggles to replicate the magical chocolate-making techniques of the enigmatic chocolatier who boosted her winter holiday sales into the stratosphere. However, candy classes take second place to a new mystery, when Sam meets a woman whose missing son’s case seems to have been dropped by the authorities. Marla Fresques learns that she is dying and needs for her son to come home and raise the daughter he left behind. Sam agrees to help, hoping that Sheriff Beau’s inside connections will bring about a quick and happy resolution.
But what about Sam’s and Beau’s own wedding plans? They may be in jeopardy when an entirely new development appears in the form of Beau’s ex-girlfriend who is determined to win him back.
With the familiar mix of mystery, romance and a touch of magic that has enchanted readers of this series, Sweet Hearts draws the reader even further into the captivating world of Samantha Sweet.
My Wicked Valentine by Lotta Smith:
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner… Love is in the air and so are the ghosts!
When Rick’s old friend, up-and-coming celeb psychic Brian Powers is accused of murdering an esthetician at a luxe gentlemen-only spa, Mandy’s cozy afternoon at home goes from cookie-baking to crime solving.
With baby Sophie and ghost-pal Jackie in tow, Mandy and Rick take to haunting the spa where the facials are fab and the intrigue is high-end.
Every suspect has a secret, but who’s willing to kill to keep theirs under wraps? [Seaweed wraps, that is.] Find out in this dangerously funny installment of the Manhattan Mystery series.
A Murderous Valentine by Beverley Watts:
Admiral Charles Shackleford’s retirement isn’t going quite according to plan. Having been instrumental in improving the lives of so many (his words – others might be inclined to call it something slightly different), he’s struggling to reignite the spark in his own love life with the feisty Mabel.
Short on ideas, he decides to gatecrash his much put upon best friend Jimmy Noon’s Valentine idea and ends up in the middle of a murder mystery weekend where real murder is on someone else’s script.
As the weather closes in, the guests are stranded in a hotel harbouring an unknown killer. With no possibility of the police arriving any time soon, the Admiral and Jimmy have no option but to join forces in an attempt to uncover the Murderous Valentine.
The unstoppable duo may be not quite be Holmes and Watson, but can they catch a murderer…?
This humorous cozy mystery is the first in The Admiral Shackleford Mysteries.
The Dread Arrow by Grigor Weeks:
Dark Space is strange, and so are the hitmen who live there. Strap in sweetheart. Love never hurt so good.
Valentine’s Bizzard Mystery by Linnea West:
When a minor celebrity staying at the Shady Lake Bed and Breakfast dies of an allergic reaction during a blizzard, it doesn’t seem like it could get much worse. But was it really an accident?
Jake Crawford is a D list celebrity who loves to come back to Shady Lake to be the big fish in a small pond. This time, he brought his new wife back to Shady Lake for his honeymoon and they are staying at the bed and breakfast that Tessa Schmidt helps her family run. Jake is kind of a jerk, but then a blizzard hits and he dies of an allergic reaction. It seems like things couldn’t get any worse for a Valentine’s Day weekend. But Tessa is starting to suspect that the allergic reaction isn’t the horrible accident she had assumed.
As the blizzard stretches on and on, secrets keep coming out. It seems like almost everyone has a motive to kill Jake. Can Tessa figure out who wanted to kill Jake Crawford before the killer strikes again?
February 11, 2021
Fancast Spotlight: Women at Warp
It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.
I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.
So today, I’m pleased to feature Women at Warp, a great podcast examining Star Trek from a feminist and intersectional perspective.
Therefore, I’m happy to welcome the team of Women at Warp to my blog today:
Tell us about your podcast or YouTube channel.
Women at Warp is a groundbreaking bi-weekly podcast committed to examining Star Trek from a feminist perspective, exploring Intersectional Diversity in Infinite Combinations with a rotating crew of seven hosts. Tune in for everything from episode and character analysis to history of women behind the scenes and in fan culture to discussion of larger themes and messages throughout the franchise.
Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?
In alphabetical order, with Twitter handles:
Aliza Pearl (@AlizaPearl)Andi (@FirstTimeTrek)Grace (@bonecrusherjenk)Jarrah (@jarrahpenguin)Kennedy (@thatmikeychick)Sarah (@sarahmiyoko)Sue (@spaltor)Why did you decide to start your podcast or channel?
Way back in 2014, Andi was live-tweeting her first time through Star Trek, Grace was podcasting on All Things Trek, Jarrah was blogging at Trekkie Feminist, and Sue was podcasting and blogging at Anomaly Podcast. At different points in time, Andi, Jarrah, and Sue had all been guests with Grace on All Things Trek on TrekRadio – sometimes with each other, sometimes individually. Having been connected through podcasting, and with that show coming to a close, Andi proposed that we start our own. After much planning, Women at Warp launched as an independent podcast in 2015.
It was during STLV50 that the crew began working with Roddenberry Entertainment and in April 2017, the Roddenberry Podcast Network was formally announced, with Mission Log, Priority One, and Women at Warp as founding shows. Now known as Roddenberry Podcasts, the network has added Mission Log Live, The Trek Files, Daily Star Trek News, and Shabam! to the lineup. We expect that the network will continue to grow and expand its reach beyond Star Trek fandom.
In August 2020, Aliza, Kennedy, and Sarah joined the crew. All three women had been previous guests on the podcast and co-panelists at conventions. The addition of more hosts with varied backgrounds and experiences serves to make our content stronger and more inclusive. It was during this crew expansion that we also more clearly defined our mission: To explore Intersectional Diversity in Infinite Combinations. We’re still waiting for the day that all seven hosts will be in the same room.
To the best of our knowledge, when we began the show back in 2015, Women at Warp was the only Star Trek-specific fan podcast with an all-woman team, and the only one that made it a mission to explore feminist themes in the franchise. Since then, so many more women and non-binary folx have joined the Trek podcasting space, and we couldn’t be happier to see this community grow. Since the 1960s, women have been the driving force of Star Trek fandom, and that tradition will continue long into the future.
The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?
We recently published a non-comprehensive list of diverse Star Trek podcasts on our blog. The full post is available at https://www.womenatwarp.com/infinite-podcasts-in-infinite-combinations/, but here is the list itself for convenience:
BIPOC Trek podcasts:
The 7th Rule – Two men (one Black, one white)All the Asians on Star Trek – One Asian manBlack Tribbles – Eight Black hosts (five men, three women)I Quit Star Trek – Two Black hosts (one woman, one man)SyFy Sistas – Five Black womenYour Away Team – Two Black hosts (one woman, one man)LGBT+ Trek Podcasts:
Deep Space Gay – Two queer white womenDeep Space Pride – Two gay men (one Asian, one white)Diverse Trek-and-Other-SF Podcasts:
Métis in Space – Two Indigenous Canadian womenOut of Orbit Podcast – Small horde of young LGBT+ hostsHonorable Mention to DisVisibility, which is not specifically Trek or sci-fi, but which discusses politics, culture, and media from a disability perspective.
Where can people find you?
Our website is at https://www.womenatwarp.com/, and we’re @womenatwarp on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Our Teepublic store is located at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/womenatwarp. We also have a Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/womenatwarp that includes perks such as bonus content, watchalongs, and Patreon-exclusive merchandise.
Thank you, Aliza Pearl, Andi, Grace, Jarrah, Kennedy, Sarah and Sue, for stopping by and answering my questions.
Do check out Women at Warp, cause it’s a great fancast.
***
Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.
February 10, 2021
Fancast Spotlight: Hugo and Nebula Readership Podcast
It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.
I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.
So today, I’m pleased to feature the Hugo and Nebula Readership Podcast, in which sisters Alice Baker and Ann Spangler have set themselves the goal of reading and discussing all Hugo and Nebula winning novels.
Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Alice and Ann of the Hugo and Nebula Readership Podcast to my blog.
Tell us about your podcast or channel.
Alice: We’re a book chat podcast where two sisters are reading their way through the Hugo and Nebula award winners in chronological order.
Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?
Alice: It is just myself and my older sister Ann. We both read the books and host the podcast and I do the editing.
Why did you decide to start your podcast or channel?
Alice: For me, it was because I was looking for a way to connect with my sister who I do not often get to see in person. We both have a love of the genre (although Ann likes Fantasy more), and since we were going to be discussing it anyway, I thought we should record them. I have some previous experience on the Educating Geeks podcast. Also, I find it difficult to read for hours like I used so I am trying to retrain myself.
Ann: Alice has always been able to talk me into new and interesting projects and this one wasn’t a hard ask because I really do enjoy SF/F. The podcasting bit has been a learning curve for me, fortunately Alice has been able to talk me through most of the technical aspects. Once we got started I found that reading the foundations of SF classics has been incredibly informative. One of the goals I set for myself at the beginning was to be able to improve my ability to discuss the books I’ve read; slowly but surely this skill is improving.
What format do you use for your podcast or channel and why did you choose this format?
Alice: Our standard segments for the podcast are the history lesson (brought to you by sister Ann), the general discussion, and then our 4 questions segment where we always answer: 4 Questions
1. The turn of phrase you found most appealing.
2. The most interesting word you had to look up, if at all
3. Does it make you want to read more by the author?
4. What was your favorite thing about the experience of reading the book?
Ann: There is some history to our format; the history lesson is my bailiwick because as a library geek I cannot resist a research project, the interesting word or phrase is in honor of our mother who used to keep little notebooks of interesting words she found while she was reading, and the favorite thing experience is a part of the natural growth and learning from doing the podcast itself.
The fan categories at the Hugos were there at the very beginning, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines, fancasts and other fan projects are important?
Alice: I think one of the things that has happened in the later half of the 21st century is the realization that we have not done a good job ensuring diversity in the voices heard/seen/read. Fan created material is one of the areas where that can happen more. The issue is always finding your tribe — locating those voices.
Money is always a factor. Publishing fees, web hosting costs, equipment costs, marketing costs. It is very challenging to get diverse voices heard/seen/read. When access to money is along racial, and other divides. Even in 2021 the amateur podcast community still feels very white cis male.
I also think Fan material is important because it is not “groomed” content. When it is fan voices, there usually isn’t the influence of a large marketing organization controlling the narrative. I think that is important. I also think it is just good in general for people to be recognized for putting in the effort and being brave enough to put something out in the world to be judged by others. The amount of talent in the world is amazing.
Ann: I spend a lot of time looking backwards, doing the research into the backgrounds of the authors and books we are reading, and have come to realize that most of them began their careers as fans. Almost all of their life stories start with how they were fans of the genre, they had favorite authors, hung out in libraries reading everything they could get their hands on and sometimes, when we read a re-issued copy of a classic, the book will have an introduction in the front where a modern author retells the story of how this particular book started them on their path to becoming an author. And so the cycle continues. We are all fans.
In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online and fancasts have sprung up. What do you think the future of fan media looks like?
Alice: I don’t think fanzines will ever go away entirely. Back before the COVID times, I was in Berlin and happened upon an indie comic fest and picked up a handful of fanzines. But yes, the future is mostly online – early to reach a bunch of people and maybe easier to find your tribe.
I am not a great futurist. I think there will continue to be a banding together of “fringe” things much like the old BBS will keep popping up. I think Discord is the new BBS.
Ann: I am not as up-to-date as Alice, clearly, as I have no idea what Discord is, but I agree with the idea that things seem to be moving to online formats. My teenagers are avid subscribers of comics/anime online, but still regards one of their artists getting published in a traditional format as “moving on up”
The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?
Best Fanzine:
Alice: I assume blogs are today’s Zines. I enjoy Jim’s SciFi Blog. I often go there to read his reviews. (https://jimsscifi.blogspot.com/)
Best Fancast:
Alice: In addition to the other two Hugo podcasts I follow, Hugos There Podcast and Hugo, Girl! I really enjoy The Most Excellent 80s Movie Podcast.
Best Fan Writer:
Alice: I don’t have one in this category
Best Fan Artist
Alice: All of the amazing Critter (as they call themselves) created fan art for the Critical Role DnD live play program.
Ann: Wow, Alice is much more in touch with ‘Happening World’ than I am! (We just finished Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner)
Where can people find you?
We are hosted on Libsyn at https://hugonebulareadership.libsyn.com/ but we’re also available on many of the standard podcast applications via RSS feed.
The twitter for the podcast is @nebulahugo
The email for the podcast is hugoandnebulareadership@gmail.com
Thank you, Alice and Ann, for stopping by and answering my questions.
Do check out the Hugo and Nebula Readership Podcast, cause it’s a great fancast.
***
Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.
February 9, 2021
Fanzine Spotlight: The Full Lid
It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines featured by clicking here.
Today’s featured fanzine is The Full Lid, a newsletter edited by two time Hugo finalist for Best Fan Writer Alasdair Stuart.
So I’m thrilled to welcome Alasdair Stuart to my blog.
Tell us about your site or zine
The Full Lid is a weekly pop culture newsletter. It goes out at 5pm UK time every Friday, so that folks can have something nice in their inbox at the end of the week. Rocking up as we are on a year in near-lockdown, that release date now works as well as a means of marking the passage of time.
I cover the full range of pop culture: movies, games, TV shows, RPGs, podcasts, music, concerts (when those were a thing), radio shows, food. The one proviso is it has to be something I encountered and enjoyed in the last week.
Who are the people behind your site or zine?
I’m the writer, but always happy to have guests join in. Past folks include Andrew Reid, Hugo award winning Matt Wallace, Dark Crystal (AND OCTONAUTS!) writer Margaret Dunlap, and amazing editor and writer Chloe Yates. Editing is by Marguerite Kenner, my partner in all things who is both amazing and has the power to make my words look amazing.
Why did you decide to start your site or zine?
I had it gently and affectionately pointed out to me that there was no reason not to. I’d had a lot of frustrations with freelance projects at that point (multiple projects paid years late, another company going insolvent, etc). So one day I made a joke about what my newsletter would be and 50 ‘I’d read that’ emails later I realised I had an audience if I wanted to do it. And I did. I took Matt Wallace’s words about building your own platform to heart and started building mine.
The other point I want to make here is that I wanted to build something I couldn’t — and wouldn’t — monetize. I was going to write these pieces as much for me as anyone else, but I didn’t want to put myself under financial pressure. Which is a good thing – we all know the ridiculously complex knot that is ‘fan writing’ and ‘compensation’.
What format do you use for your site or zine (blog, email newsletter, PDF zine, paper zine) and why did you choose this format?
I use Mailchimp, which is easy to put together, flexible enough for the types of media I like to share, and forgiving in terms of cost. I also run a paid supplement, Full Lid Plus, which at the moment, is on Substack but will be relaunching later this year on a different platform. The goal with Full Lid Plus is to earn enough in subscriptions to cover the costs of the (seemingly ever growing number of) streaming services I use to source my reviews.
The fanzine category at the Hugos is one of the oldest, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines and sites are important?
Comic writer Kieron Gillen once described UK conventions like Nine Worlds and Thought Bubble as the petri dishes where the future is made. That perfectly reflects the best about the fan categories: an incredible, never-ending parade of amazingly talented and diverse writers taking risks. It’s an innovation engine, and in 2020 we learned how much hope and escapism those categories can provide.
In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online. What do you think the future of fanzines looks like?
I think we’re on the cusp off something really lovely there. The newsletter and email bump we;ve seen over the last couple of years is going to continue and I’m seeing early signs of print finding new avenues too. Services like itch,io enable indie press creators to realise physical editions of their games and once that sort of functionality steps across to zines (Which just takes someone to do it) the fanzine is going to be what it always needed to be in the 21st century; simultaneously a nice thing to own and the physical part of a larger, digital/physical hybrid publication.
The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Do you have any recommendations for any of the fan categories?
Good grief do I ever!
Fanzines: Most of my picks here are my fellow newsletter writers: Aidan Moher, Andrew Liptak and Kameron Hurley have all been doing excellent work in the field for a while. Jason Sanford’s Genre Grapevine is great. Sarah Gailey’s pivoting of Stone Soup into a community as much as a newsletter is absolutely brilliant and deserving of wider recognition. Regarding publications with teams, I’d say Nerds of a Feather have been doing some amazing work for some time and I have nothing but love for SciFI Bulletin too.
Writers: Adri Joy, Aidan Moher, Paul Weimer, Xalavier Nelson Junior, SpaceSquid, Maria Haskins, Charles Payseur, I could fill pages here, they’re all so good! Adri Joy is a relentless campaigner for positive change in the field. Likewise Aidan Moher, whose video game work is exceptionally good. Paul Weimer is a pillar in the fan writing community, and he’s suffered at times for it. Maria Haskins and Charles Payseur do exceptional work in reviewing. Finally, Ciaran ‘Zalia’ Roberts is another one of those incredible dedicated individuals who quietly build and sustain communities. She’s best known for her work with Six To Start and in the Rusty Quill community, but has been instrumental in organizing and maintaining all sorts of fan communities. Sooner or later someone in fandom is going to notice what Ciaran can do and give her a budget and then we’ll see something truly amazing I’m sure.
Artists: I’m less well versed here but an artist whose work I’ve really enjoyed lately is Andrew Mercator, part of the Neighbourly Podcast team.
Fancasts: Breaking the Glass Slipper, Claire Rousseau’s various projects, and Brave New Words top my list. I’ve only listened to a few Tales from the Trunk but I loved them.
Where can people find you?
The best all-in-one for links is my Carrd — https://alasdairstuart.carrd.co/. I’m on Twitter the most (@AlasdairStuart), daily on TikTok, weekly on Twitch and of course The Full Lid. The other good hub is my website — www.alasdairstuart.com.
Thanks for having me!
Thanks, Alasdair, for stopping by and answering my questions.
Do subscribe to The Full Lid, cause it’s a great newsletter.
***
Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.
February 8, 2021
Fancast Spotlight: If This Goes On (Don’t Panic)!
It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.
I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.
So today, I’m pleased to feature If This Goes On (Don’t Panic)!, a newish podcast focussed on the hopepunk movement, which was created by Alan Bailey and Nebula winner Cat Rambo.
Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Alan Bailey of If This Goes On (Don’t Panic)! to my blog.
Tell us about your podcast or YouTube channel.
On our podcast we like to explore how narrative helps people to envision and achieve a better future. In turn, we like to talk to writers, editors, activists, gamers, and anyone else who helps us imagine those worlds. We consider our podcast to be linked thematically with HopePunk. Our interpretation of HopePunk takes a stance of hope through resistance to the current norms. Emphasis on the PUNK. Any given podcast discussion can range from a specific novel or story, to a guest’s career, politics, religion, music, writing tips, and ttrpgs. Guests often include editors, traditionally published writers, and Indie writers.
Some other previous guests have included folks like Bill Campbell, Tobius Buckell, Malka Older, P. Djeli Clark, and James Morrow, Janet Forbes (founder of the world building platform World Anvil), and Graeme Barber (writer and ttrpg critic).
Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?
Alan Bailey (that’s me) – cohost, editor, and creator
Cat Rambo – cohost and creator
Diane Morrison – cohost and webmaster
Rachel Renee – producer and occasional cohost
Why did you decide to start your podcast or channel?
When my last podcast, Alan & Jeremy VS Science Fiction, broke up I started floating ideas to people I knew to test the waters. One of those people happened to be Cat and one of my ideas happened to be a Hopepunk podcast. I wanted a way to mix my belief in progressive political activism with one of my favorite hobbies, reading genre. Cat, being a well known progressive herself, liked the idea. So after meeting up and talking through the idea we agreed that we wanted to encourage writers to imagine a better future. After a few months it became apparent that Cat wouldn’t be able to do interviews as often as we’d like and we brought in Diane and Rachel to help out.
What format do you use for your podcast or channel and why did you choose this format?
We use two different formats on our podcast. Initially, we only used a pre-recorded, edited format. But after Coronavirus happened, we decided to do some extra episodes streaming live on Twitch. We then recorded those and put them out nearly unedited. The purpose was to help people fill up their time. It also helped us to add a few extra episodes without the work of editing.
In our pre-recorded format, which I would consider to be our primary format, we decided to go with two interviewers. The reason being that I just didn’t feel prepared to always be the one and only reviewer. I have three children, two of which are very young, and a day job. It’s hard to always be on top of your game with those kinds of time commitments, so having two people there allows some flexibility for us. I also think it adds some unpredictability into the mix. We don’t coordinate with each other before the interview, so no one knows what the other person has in mind.
The fanzine category at the Hugos is one of the oldest, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines, fancasts and other fan projects are important?
This is a great question. I think there are a number of reasons why fan projects are important.
While there are small communities everywhere, and even large communities in places like Reddit and Facebook, fan projects help to drive those conversations.Fan projects amplify fan voices. For example, I think the increased diversification of SFF we’ve seen in the last few years has been driven, in part, by fan projects. So not only do we help drive the small conversations, but we help drive the conversations editors and publishers are having with each other.Fan projects add value and validity to the art. There needs to be a place for critique and discussion that doesn’t border on academic. In this way we add value to genre by tying it to the context of everyday people who don’t devote themselves to writing.It’s DIY and punk rock – meaning anyone can have a voice. Everyone’s voice is important and everyone should have a say about what they like.In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online and fancasts sprang up. What do you think the future of fan media looks like?
It’s honestly hard to imagine what comes next (one reason I admire SF writers). The number of fancasts will continue to increase. I have little doubt of that. I learn of new podcasts regularly these days. I want to say things will somehow become more interactive, but I have no idea how that would work.
The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?
Sadly, I am also guilty of not knowing many fan writers, fanzines, or fan artists. I do look forward to hearing the answers to this. Maybe we’ll have some of them on the podcast. However, I can certainly recommend some of my favorite fancasts:
Breaking the Glass Slipper – a great podcast focusing on feminism in SFF.Imaginary Worlds – Think NPR for SFF. Very professionally done.The Skiffy and Fanty Show – Probably the standard for interview podcasts in genre.The Coode Street Podcast – A couple of long-time SFF pros (Jonathan Strahan and Gary Wolf) give their opinions about everything genre.Aurelia: A Storytelling Podcast – A new podcast focusing on Disabled, Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and other Storytellers of Color. I realize this last one has Storytelling in the title, but they also do interviews and reviews.Where can people find you?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/If-This-Goes-On-144679452728639
Twitter: @if_this_goes_on
Websites: https://itgodp.libsyn.com/ This takes you directly to the podcast episodes.
https://itgodp.wordpress.com/ This is our more general website where you can learn more about us.
Thank you, Alan, for stopping by and answering my questions.
Do check out If This Goes On (Don’t Panic)!, cause it’s a great fancast.
***
Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.
February 7, 2021
Fancast Spotlight: The Journey Show
It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines featured by clicking here.
I have also decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.
So today, I’m pleased to feature the first fancast, namely The Journey Show. The Journey Show is a new fancast, which only started up last year as an outgrowth of the three-time Best Fanzine Hugo finalist Galactic Journey and just started its second season yesterday. Like I said, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous.
Therefore, I’m pleased to welcome Gideon Marcus of The Journey Show.
Tell us about your broadcast.
The Journey Show is an outgrowth of Galactic Journey, our time machine to 55 years ago in fact and fiction. That site has been around since 1958…er…2013, and the conceit is that we are all fans living in the past, day by day, reviewing all the works of the time in the context of their time.
While Galactic Journey is a primarily text-based experience, we’ve frequently gone to conventions and other physical venues to do our Come Time Travel with Me show, in which we dress up in our vintage duds and talk about various SFnal topics. They’re always popular and a lot of fun.
The Journey Show is our way of bringing that experience to people all over the world through the magic of broadcast technology!
Topics have ranged far and wide, from discussing the Hugo Ballot of 1965 to the modern trends in art and architecture. The state of the art of wargames to the growing corps of classic women science fiction writers; Gemini in space to the new genre of Japanese animation. Plus fun musical guests and a pair of back to back doodling episodes featuring some really great illustrators.
Each show was an exciting new experience, and that’s why I couldn’t wait to bring back The Journey Show for a second season!
Who are the people behind your broadcast?
The only constant in the Journey Show is its host, Gideon Marcus. We try to have a different set of guests every time, though we have our repeat favorites, of course!
We’ve had so many wonderful celebrity guests, it’s kind of incredible. They include:
Dr. Lisa Yaszek, Georgia Tech Science Fiction professor and editor of The Future is Female Anthology
Alyssa Winans, Hugo Finalist cover artist
Tom Purdom, Hugo Finalist author
Lew Pulsipher, famed wargame designer
Gabriela Hernandez, CEO of Besamé Cosmetics
Erica Friedman, Founder of Yuricon, ALC Publishing and Yurikon LLC
Marie Vibbert, laureled SFF author
And then, of course, there are the folks associated with the Journey in one way or another, many of whom are Big Names in their own right:
Kerrie Dougherty, OAM, Space Historian
Gwyn Conaway, Design Guild Member
Jason Sacks, comic books historian
Cora Buhlert, Hugo Finalist fan writer
Kris Vyas-Myall, UK correspondent
Lorelei Marcus, singer-songwriter/illustrator
Acacia Weber, professional flautist
Jimmy Purcell, comic strip artist
Erica Frank, historian of the obscure
And many many more. You’ll see all of these faces plus a lot of new ones in Season Two.
Why did you decide to start your broadcast?
When the lockdowns started in March of last year, since we couldn’t do in-person events, we thought we might try doing a live broadcast in the style of the variety shows of the mid-60s. The first show was such a success that we kept it up every two weeks through October with a special charity fundraising episode in December. I like to think it helped keep spirits up — ours and that of the viewers! With so many of us stuck at home, this was a way to connect, and also to travel to a complete other time, forgetting the troubles of our current time for a moment.
What format do you use for your broadcast and why did you choose this format?
I use a software called WebinarJam, which seats up to six panelists and broadcasts to an infinite audience. I like it better than Zoom because it doesn’t require the viewer to download anything, and it’s got a lot of built-in features like automatic reminders, the ability to easily drop in video or polls or slideshows, etc.
We do our best to make it feel like an classic TV show, something like a cross between That Was The Week That Was and Jack Benny. So lots of musical bits, a news segment, and themed episodes. Since I “live” in the past, it’s pretty easy for me to stay in character the whole time.
The fanzine category at the Hugos is one of the oldest, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines and sites are important?
Fancasts offer a chance for fans to get together and share their love of things SFnal without regard for geography or demography. At every Journey Show, our chat room is jumping, and after each show, we repair to Galactic Journey’s “Portal 55” Discord server, where we continue the fun. It’s the same experience on YT and Twitch channels, too.
Fannish interaction has always been important. It’s never been just about the professional creations but the genre as a whole and all of its contributors: the occasional costumer, the prodigious fanfic writer, the earnest reviewer, the folks who just want other folks who want to interact with those who share their passions.
Without fanzines, fancasts, conventions, and other fannish endeavors, art becomes a one-way, commercial endeavor. That way likes sterility and death.
In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online. What do you think the future of fanzines and fancasts looks like?
In the old days, if you wanted to reach your fellow fen, you had to meet them in person at conventions or other gatherings. Maybe you exchanged letters (some of us still do!) The recent developments in broadcast software make it so easy to produce your own show, and it’s great. There’s now tons of content on a variety of channels — one doesn’t need cable anymore! 
The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Do you have any recommendations for any of the fan categories?
Cora Buhlert, James Nicoll and Alasdair Stuart are great Fan Writers. I’ve always enjoyed Nerds of a Feather and Journey Planet. Of course, File 770 is a titan. There are so many great fan artists out there. If you watch the Doodle episodes of The Journey Show, you’ll see some of them.
Where can people find you?
Galactic Journey
The Journey Show
The Journey Show at Anchor FM
The Journey Show on YouTube
The folks who do Galactic Journey
Galactic Journey on Twitter
Galactic Journey on Facebook
Thanks, Gideon, for stopping by and answering my questions.
Do check out The Journey Show, cause it’s a great fancast.
***
Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.
February 6, 2021
WandaVision Introduces a Surprise Guest Star “On a Very Special Episode”
It’s time for the latest installment of my episode by episode reviews of WandaVision, Marvel’s new sitcom parody/Dickian faux reality paranoia. Previous installments may be found here. Also, may I remind you that Disney is still not paying Alan Dean Foster and others.
Warning: Spoilers and pretty significant ones at that behind the cut!
In Westview – or rather the Westview anomaly a.k.a. the Maximoff anomaly – time has advanced to the late 1980s or early 1990s, judging by wardrobe and hairstyles, but Wanda and Vision are still dealing with the troubles of parenthood. More precisely, the twins refuse to sleep or stop crying and neither Wanda’s magic nor pacifiers can help.
The titles sequence is clearly modelled on the title sequence for the US sitcom Family Ties, which ran from 1982 to 1989 and gave the world Michael J. Fox. The family portrait, the type face, the sappy theme music, it’s almost a one on one copy, though the bit with the photos of the cast members at different ages was borrowed from the intro of another US sitcom called Growing Pains, which aired from 1985 to 1992. Courtney Enlow breaks down the title sequence and traces the influences at io9 and also finds a scene inspired by Full House, another 1980s family sitcom, which is notable for starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the real life sisters of Elizabeth Olsen (who plays Wanda), as the requisite cute sitcom kid. Talking of influences, I’m surprised that WandaVision didn’t riff on Married with Children, which dates from the same period and was hugely popular, though maybe not idyllic enough. I do understand why they didn’t riff on The Cosby Show, because I guess everybody would rather forget that show ever existed and that Bill Cosby had a lengthy career in spite of being a sex offender.
But while WandaVision borrows the visuals, it does not borrow the central conflict of Family Ties, which contrasts the 1960s hippies parents (though they do look terribly conservative in the footage I’ve seen) with their Reagan-voting would-be yuppie son Michael J. Fox and shallow airhead of an older daughter. I’m glad that WandaVision eschews that central trope, because it sounds absolutely terrible. I’m also glad that I never saw the show (which did air in Germany, but at a time when there was much more exciting fare such as US action shows like The A-Team or Knight Rider available), because it would have made me dislike Michael J. Fox, who’s actually an amazingly likeable actor. Also, speaking as someone who actually was a teen during the 1980s, that show looks about as far removed from my actual life at the time and that of my friends as a TV show from an alien planet. Were there shallow jerks like Michael J. Fox’s character? Of course, there were. But everybody hated them.
Once more, the 1980s fashions and interior design are pitch perfect, though the episode remains in widescreen, whereas a real 1980s sitcom would have been in 4:3 ratio. Even the hairstyles are right for the period, which is quite a feat, because not only are 1980s hairstyles incredibly ugly seen through 2020 eyes (though I also found them ugly back in the day and refused to have anything like that done to my poor hair), but they’re also very difficult to recreate, because 1980s hairstyling products contained a lot of harmful substances that have since been banned, with the result that period hairstyles never hold for long, when receated with modern, gentler products. That said, both Wanda and Agnes are dressed period accurate – I wore that pants and vest combo a lot in the 1980s and I also had that plaid blouse – but a lot more fashionable than real 1980s sitcom Moms. Look at the mother characters in the clips linked throughout this post and compare them to Wanda and Agnes. What Wanda and Agnes are wearing are young women’s styles, closer to what the daughters in those shows are wearing. And even the daughters are dressed frumpier in many scenes.
Luckily for Wanda and Vision, Agnes drops by in full 1980s aerobic get-up and offers to babysit. For some reason, Agnes is not at all bothered by Wanda’s superfast pregnancy. Vision is wary about letting Agnes babysit, since he’s clearly suffering from the New Dad jitters. Maybe Vision and Din Djarin could form a New Dad support group, since they both have a bad case of the New Dad jitters with regard to letting other people watch their young ones.
Wanda eventually convinces Vision to let Agnes have a go, when two very strange things happen. The first is that Agnes fluffs a line and asks Wanda, if she wants her to redo the take, much to the confusion of Vision. This and subsequent events suggest that Agnes is aware that she’s living in a sitcom, even if Vision still has no idea (though he, too, is waking up). This also reinforces that question: Just who exactly is Agnes? Clearly, she’s just not another mindcontrolled citizen of Westview, but who or what is she? And why do we never see her husband Ralph? Does Ralph even exist? Also, what became of the missing witness Agent Woo was looking for in Westview? Is Agnes maybe that witness? And what exactly did she witness?
More alarming is what happens when Agnes finally succeeds in getting the kids to sleep. Wanda and Vision suddenly realise that the incessant crying has stopped and go check on the cribs, only to find them empty. Instead, Billy and Tommy are standing right there, aged approximately five.
Now rapid aging of child characters was apparently a thing on US TV for a long time, both to avoid the legal issues and restrictions of working with child actors and to allow for more exciting storylines than changing nappies. Though I mainly recall rapid aging from soap operas, where a kid who’d only just been born was suddenly a teenager with teen storylines barely a year later. Initially, I chalked those phenomena down to having missed a lot of episodes (as a teen, I could only watch US soap operas during school holidays, so I naturally missed a lot of episodes), but I couldn’t possibly have missed ten years or more worth of episodes, especially since all the other characters still looked the same. However, kids on US sitcoms mostly seemed to age in real time to the point that a sitcom family would inevitably adopt a younger kid (often a peviously unseen niece or nephew), once the youngest kids of the family had aged out of the “cute” stage. This happened on The Brady Bunch, The Cosby Show and others as well. Even the Family Ties show that the intro is modelled after added a younger kid (who was rapidly aged between seasons) in response to the real life pregnancy of the actress who played the mother, while the Growing Pains show mentioned also included a surprise pregnancy for the mother which resulted in another cute kid for the family.
Wanda and Vision are as surprised about the rapidly aging twins as everybody, which suggests this isn’t Wanda’s doing, at least not consciously. Agnes, meanwhile, is remarkably blasé about it all. “Oh, they grow up so fast.”
The next scene shows Billy and Tommy clearly attempting to hide something from Wanda in the kitchen sink. That something turns out to be a cute little dog. Tommy and Billy of course want to keep the dog. Wanda doesn’t want them to, because taking care of a living thing is a huge responsibility (yeah, Wanda should know considering she’s kidnapped a whole town). Agnes, who drops by once again, thinks the kids should keep the dog. Vision finally tells the boys that they’re not allowed to have a pet until they’re ten, whereupon Billy and Tommy age up by another five years. Wanda seems genuinely surprised, suggesting that this wasn’t her doing, but rather that of the boys who seem to have inherited their Mom’s abilities. Come to think of it, Wanda seems genuinely surprised at the dog as well. And of course, Billy and Tommy get to keep the dog whom they name Sparky. Meanwhile, Agnes is once more not at all fazed at what’s happening right in front of her eyes. Honestly, what does it take to faze that woman?
If Billy and Tommy keep growing up at the rate they are, they should be ready to join the Young Avengers by the end of the show, which is also what they did in the comics. For those keeping track at home, in the comics Billy – that’s the twin dressed in red with the shorter hair – is gay and in a longterm committed relationship with Hulkling. Tommy – the twin in blue with the longer hair – is straight and had a complictaed relationship with Kate Bishop, who has been confirmed to be popping up in the upcoming Hawkeye show.
Unlike previous episodes, this episode skips between the sitcom reality and the real world outside Westview. And so we see Monica Rambeau being debriefed and given a medical examination, after Wanda forcibly ejected her from Westview. Monica turns out to be fine, though her CT scans are messed up, suggesting that maybe she’s about to experience a bout of superpower development. Monica also confirms that Wanda was controlling her and that it was painful. However, she also thinks that Wanda is not actively hostile and that she actually protected Monica from getting killed, as she was ejected from Westview. Finally, Monica also confirms that the twins really are Wanda’s children – after all, she helped to deliver them.
Meanwhile, Hayward, the S.W.O.R.D. director and Monica’s boss, proves himself to be a complete and utter arsehole. Unlike Monica, he is completely sure of what is going on in Westview and that it’s all Wanda’s fault. Hayward also offers us a recap of Wanda’s career in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, that she and twin brother Pietro were orphaned young and later radicalised, that they got their powers from Hydra and initially used them against the Avengers in service to Ultron, before changing sides. Hayward also digs up some other less than stellar moments from Wanda’s Avengers career such as Wanda accidentally blowing up the wrong building during an Avengers mission in Lagos, Nigeria, also referenced in this week’s fake commercial, which is for Lagos brand paper towels, which mop up every mess you can possibly make. Also note that the liquid used in the demonstration is bright red, when it’s always blue in real commercials, because red looks like blood and yellow like pee. Finally, the actors in the fake commercial are the same actors as in previous fake commercials.
However, Hayward makes the same mistake that plenty of people make, when he claims that the airport trashing fight that Wanda was involved in along with pretty much every other Avenger past and present took place in West Berlin. First of all, West Berlin hasn’t been a thing since 1990, it’s just Berlin now and has been for thirty years. Secondly, the airport fight doesn’t actually take place at any of Berlin’s airports (it had up to three at one point with a fourth that opened last year), but at the airport Halle-Leipzig in the town of Schkeuditz approx. 175 kilometres south of Berlin. They don’t even make any attempt to disguise this – gangways and air bridges emblazoned with “Airport Halle-Leipzig” are clearly visible in several shots. The surrounding area doesn’t fit Berlin either – after all, War Machine crashes and break his spin on a potato field outside Schkeuditz, which again is very visibly there. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve driven past that very field, when visiting my great-aunt in Schkeuditz. Coincidentally, the movie where all this happens, Captain American: Civil War, is known as “The Avengers in Schkeuditz” in this house, though it’s still my least favourite of all Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and the only one I’ve never rewatched (I’ve even rewatched the not very good Hulk movie). The fact that part of it was shot in Schkeuditz is the only good thing about it (okay, and it introduced Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, whom we lost much too soon) and even there I’m not a fan of the large-scale property destruction (“If you must wreck an airport, Avengers, wreck fucking Atlanta!”) nor of the fact that they shot in Schkeuditz only to completely erase the town. Honestly, I think Captain America: Civil War would have been a better movie, if it had just been the Avengers sitting in my great-aunt’s parlour in Schkeuditz (or rather in the courtyard of her apartment building, since the parlour is too small for several Avengers, particularly oversized ones like Hulk, Thor and Giant Man. I’m also not sure if Aunt Metel’s furniture would have survived Iron Man and War Machine in full armour), chatting and having coffee or barbecue.
Finally, Hayward also reports that Wanda broke into a S.W.O.R.D. facility to steal Vision’s dismembered body, against Vision’s explicit wishes (he did not want to be reanimated for fears of being turned into a weapon) and in defiance of the Sakovia Accords, which forbid reanimating people. Of course, if the Avengers had followed the Sakovia Accords, none of the people Thanos killed – half of the population of the entire universe – would have come back to life. Never mind that I’m pretty sure that Vision did not want S.W.O.R.D. to dismember his remnants either. And what precisely does S.W.O.R.D., an agency we’ve never heard of before, want with Vision’s body? And why did they dismember him, when Vision was in one piece – minus mindstone – in Avengers Infinity War and Endgame? Finally – and that’s probably the most disturbing thing about this scene – we now know that the Vision walking around in Westview is a reanimated and stitched together corpse. He’s basically a zombie.
Agent Woo points out that Hayward’s summary of Wanda’s superhero career is way too simplified and Monica remarks that she’s pretty sure that Wanda has no political motive and doesn’t meant to harm anybody, so she’s hardly a terrorist, whereupon Hayward reminds Monica – complete with live footage – that Wanda turned her into a blaxploitation cliché. Darcy sums it up best when she says that Hayward is an arsehole. Coincidentally, Hayward is also very reminiscing of all of those politicians and suit wearers who wanted to outlaw or imprison the X-Men throughout decades of comics. Apparently, when Disney bought back the X-Men rights along with all of 20th Century Fox, they also purchased anti-mutant prejudice along with it.
However, Wanda not just changed Monica into a blaxploitation cliché, it also turns out that Monica’s groovy 1970s ensemble is bulletproof, because Wanda physically changed Monica’s clothes – which included a bulletproof vest – to suit the setting. This gives Darcy, Monica and Jimmy Woo an idea. Maybe, if they send in something that fits the 1980s setting, like an old drone, they can outwit Wanda and make contact. We also learn that Monica is not happy when Agent Woo accidentally mentions Captain Marvel, probably because she hasn’t seen Carol in 25 years or so.
Meanwhile, inside the Westview anomaly – or the Hex, as Darcy calls it – Wanda’s little sitcom paradise is slowly unravelling. Sparky has gone missing and Vision has gone to work, even though – as the twins point out – it’s Saturday. We do get another scene set in Vision’s office – the first since episode 1 – and the 1980s have also arrived there in the form of clunky Commodore computers and e-mail. It’s interesting that the jokes in the office segment – Do we need a letter opener for the e-mail? Do we need a stamp? – are jokes that are squarely aimed at a contemporary audience. No genuine 1980s sitcom would have made those jokes, because a lot of people wouldn’t have gotten them. The e-mail that Vision, Norm and everybody else in the office receives turns out to be a message from Darcy Lewis about the Westview anomaly, which everybody is reciting in almost hypnotic fashion. It’s not clear whether the e-mail was another attempt by Darcy to contact someone inside Westview or whether it was an accident. Vision now clearly realises that something is very wrong and shortcircuits Norm, briefly shocking him awake. “Norm” is frantic, because he’s worried about his father and sister. He also begs Vision to make “her” (presumably Wanda) stop, because it hurts. Vision finally resets Norm and heads home to confront Wanda.
Meanwhile, Wanda and the twins are searching for the missing Sparky, when Wanda spots the drone and glares up at it. Monica tries to use the drone to communicate with Wanda, but once again Hayward has tricked her and the drone is armed. He orders the drone to fire on Wanda – never mind that the ten-year-old twins are standing right there next to her – and the screen goes to static. At the same time, an alarm goes off in the S.W.O.R.D. compound outside Westview. Something or rather someone is breaching the barrier that cuts Westview off from the rest of the world. Everybody hastens outside and who emerges from the barrier but Wanda – dressed in her regular MCU superhero costume (she has never worn her iconic comic costume on screen) – dragging the trashed drone behind her. She also has her Sakovian accent, which was absent in the sitcom scenes, back. Wanda is seriously pissed off and boy, you won’t like her when she’s angry. Wanda basically tells Hayward and S.W.O.R.D. to go away and leave her alone and never bother her again. She also causes the various S.W.O.R.D operatives to point their guns at Hayward instead of at her. Monica tries to argue with Wanda and also tells her that she had no idea the drone was armed, but Wanda isn’t having any of it. She doesn’t want to argue, she wants to be left alone.
So far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t really done much with Wanda, who’s after all one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe proper. However, WandaVision in general and this scene in particular show the Wanda I remember from the comics, a Wanda who’s very screwed up, very powerful and very dangerous. Also – and maybe that’s wrong of me – I cheered when Wanda told off Hayward and the other S.W.O.R.D. agents.
That said, what Wanda is doing – roping innocent people into her little sitcom universe – is clearly wrong. I don’t think anybody would mind Wanda playing happy family with Vision and the twins, but she did kidnap a whole town to do so. If Wanda truly is the one in charge here, which isn’t entirely clear either.
Back in Westview, tragedy strikes. For when Wanda and the twins finally find Sparky, the poor little fellow has expired after eating Azalea leaves in Agnes’ garden. Yes, WandaVision just killed a dog, which is supposedly a huge taboo in US popular culture, particularly lighter fare such as sitcoms. The kids are heartbroken and even Agnes the unfazable seems genuinely shocked. “Make it right, Mom”, the boys beg Wanda, “Bring him back”, which suggests that the twins know very well what their Mom is capable of. “You can do that?” a genuinely surprised Agnes asks Wanda. Wanda says that she can’t bring back the dead (though she did bring back Vision), because death is forever, and that the boys will get over the loss in time, though this doesn’t mean they should quick age again. “But you said family is forever, Mom”, one of the twins says. You can almost see something clicking inside Wanda’s head, though she’ll bring back something or rather someone far bigger and more important than Sparky the cute dog.
But first Wanda has to deal with Vision who’s home and wants to know what’s up. Vision point blank tells Wanda that he knows that she’s controlling everything and keeps rearranging the sets and the town overnight. He also tells her that she must stop, because she’s hurting real people like “Norm”. Wanda counters that the idea that she is controlling a whole town and everybody inside is ridiculous. Then Vision drops another bombshell. “Why are there no children other than the twins in Westview?” he asks. This made me frantically think of the past few episodes, but unless I’m mistaken, we really haven’t seen any children in Westview, even though it’s exactly the sort of place where families with children would live. Which makes the benefit performance “For the Children” in episode 2 even more creepy than it already was.
Wanda doesn’t want to argue with Vision and just lets the credits roll. However, her control is slipping and so we get a Wanda versus Vision confrontation – complete with flying and powers flaring – in the living room over the credits. “You never were like this before…” Wanda says and you know she almost would have blurted out, “Before you died.” Vision, meanwhile, reveals that he does not remember his life before Westview, none of it. And Wanda reveals that she doesn’t know how the whole Westview thing started. So even if Wanda is controlling everybody, is she herself being controlled? And by whom?
The argument is interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Vision thinks that Wanda is rearranging the plot again to suit her purposes, only that this time he’s having none of that. “That’s not my doing”, Wanda says and opens the door, only to find herself face to face with her twin brother Pietro, who’s very much dead. Only that this isn’t the Pietro we encountered in Age of Ultron, who was played by Aaron Taylor Johnson, but the Pietro from Fox’s X-Men movies, played by Evan Peters, and looking like the typical 1980s cool dude comic relief character.
“She recast Pietro”, Darcy exclaims, referring to the many instances in various US TV shows, where characters have been recast with different actors. Even the MCU has done it, replacing Terrence Howard’s Jim Rhodes in the first Iron Man movie with Don Cheadle in all subsequent appearances of the character, replacing Edward Norton’s Hulk in the not very good Hulk movie (which is still part of the MCU continuity) with Mark Ruffalo and also replacing the blonde one of the Warriors Three in the Thor films. However, Wanda didn’t just recast Pietro (and she seems as surprised as anybody else to see him), she happened to recast Pietro with his counterpart from the Fox X-Men movies. So did she plug Pietro from another universe? And is this a way to explain away discrepancies between the Fox X-Men movies and potential future Marvel/Disney X-Men movies as “Well, it’s a different universe?” as well as to allow other recastings and bringing back characters from the dead? Whatever, this was a genuinely surprising development.
In addition to the title sequence, another thing that WandaVision borrowed from Family Ties (and other sitcoms of the period) is the awkward juxtaposition of comedy moments, complete with laugh track, and serious moments. Here’s is an example from YouTube where Michael J. Fox is dealing with a bad case of survivor’s guilt after a friend died in a car crash, while the daughter tries to cheer him with not particularly helpful remarks and that bloody laugh track is still playing in the background, while Michael J. Fox is breaking down from grief. Honestly, look at that clip. It seems as if Michael J. Fox isn’t even in the same show as the woman who plays his sister. Though characters dying in car crashes seems to have been a thing in 1980s US sitcoms. Here is a clip from Growing Pains where a friend of the daughter has just died in hospital following a car crash. Though at least here the laugh track shuts up, once the brother delivers the bad news. Meanwhile, here’s another example of misplaced laugh tracks: Michael J. Fox is developing a drug problem, his parents are remarkably supportive (well, they were 1960s hippies and probably had drug experiences themselves) and that stupid laugh track is playing in the background over a dramatic scene. Truly, the US sitcom is a very strange form of entertainment. Though watching those clips, it’s not difficult to see why Michael J. Fox became a huge star, since he’s acting his heart out there. However, he still doesn’t even seem to be in the same show as the rest of the cast.
Coincidentally, those sitcom episodes with more serious moments, often involving the death of a supporting character or drugs as well as a neat moral lesson, were often labeled as “A Very Special Episode”, which is echoed in the title of this episode of WandaVision. We do have a death in this episode, that of Sparky the cute little dog (Rest in Peace), as well as not one but two deaths undone, Vision’s and Pietro’s. And while all WandaVision episodes to date had their share of creepy and serious moments, this episode fully alternates between comedic and serious moments, often within the same scene. And it’s just as awkward as in the 1980s sitcom clips I linked above. One of the things WandaVision is doing very well is highlighting what a very strange and artificial form of entertainment the US sitcom is.
In his review, Camestros Felapton says that WandaVision is difficult to evaluate episode by episode, because it’s a very strange show, which shifts from episode to episode, and we’re not quite sure if the pay-off will live up to the build up. And indeed, these reviews often end up being more plot summary than reviews, though I usually find more than enough to write about – as well as look up some truly terrible looking vintage sitcoms on YouTube – even though the actual plot is usually quite slight.
We’re one episode past the halfway point, so it’s still too early to tell just where WandaVision is going. However, so far the ride has been intriguing enough that I want to keep watching and that’s all that matters. Will the pay-off eventually live up to the build-up? We’ll see.
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