Katherine Nabity's Blog, page 189
May 9, 2015
Deal Me In, Week 19 ~ “The Transformation”
Hosted by Jay @ Bibliophilopolis
“The Transformation” by Mary Shelley
Card picked: Four of Spades
From: Available online at Columbia.edu. This is another story inspire by a Women in Horror post by Paula Cappa.
Thoughts: Published in 1830, set during the reign of Charles VI, this is a cautionary tale about a timeless problem: debt. Supposedly, there are only seven basic plots for stories, or maybe it’s nine, or three… I don’t know; I can’t list them. But I should imagine that falling into and recovering from debt must be one of them. Debt often involves a heady mix of greed and pride that’s hard to beat for character incitement.
And debt is how Guido comes to make a deal with a magical dwarf on a beach. Guido il Cortese is a promising young man who blows his entire inheritance on a few years of fine living and being a cad. When it comes time to marry his childhood sweetheart Juliet (whose honor he defended years ago from an older guy when she was eight, ew…), his best plan is to kidnap her. Some of her father’s servants are injured in the fray and Guido is forced to go on the run. With no money and now no prospects, he contemplates revenge when a storm at sea washes a dwarf and a treasure chest on to the shore. The dwarf offers Guido all the riches in return for a three day body switch.�� Is the dwarf an evil sorcerer? Or an angel in disguise?
About the Author: After having previously only read Frankenstein, this is the second Mary Shelley short story I’ve read in just over a month. The text note at Columbia.edu attributes this story to a volume of The Keepsake. Wikipedia expands: “…The Keepsake, which was aimed at middle-class women and bound in silk, with gilt-edged pages. Mary Shelley’s work in this genre has been described as that of a ‘hack writer’…” I’m guessing that the only thing that makes a story about a devilish dwarf in a gift-anthology marketed toward middle-class women a “hack” job is that the pay was good…
May 5, 2015
Review ~ Help for the Haunted
This book was provided to me by the author!
Help for the Haunted by Tim Prasil
Long before Houdini and Conan Doyle feuded over spiritualism, a journalist by the name of Vera Van Slyke attended and upended a s��ance led by one Lida Prasilova.
The results of this fortuitous meeting would be the formation of a lifelong friendship centered upon the exploration and explanation of when ghosts are not real, but also when they are!
Vera and Lida���s many adventures are documented here, in this wonderful collection of stories that will bring about as many smiles as hairs standing upon the back of one���s neck.
Join Vera and Lida as they prowl lonely mansions, bustling theatres, and underground train tunnels to unravel that fine line between everyday life and the spirit world and provide HELP FOR THE HAUNTED. (via Goodreads)
For a good while now, I’ve been slowly expanding my knowledge of spiritualism, focusing especially between 1850-ish to 1930-ish. Since I might write about a fraudulent medium debunker in the future, I’ve been reading both fiction and non-fiction and enjoying both. I don’t quite remember now whether I stumbled on Tim Prasil’s Vera Van Slyke stories while internet searching or through Nina’s Multo(Ghost) blog, but whatever the case, I’m glad I did.
Vera Van Slyke is a journalist and a debunker of fraudulent spirit mediums, but with an open mind about the possible reality of spirits. In fact, she has a theory connecting guilt and ghosts that is continually tested throughout Help for the Haunted. Lida Prasilova is a former medium,�� one that Vera debunked in fact. She a smart young woman and, after going straight, is employed by Vera as an assistant. The first couple stories set up the premise behind Vera’s theory and lead us on investigations that could, while fun, become repetitive. But gradually, the stories widen in scope and become as much about the characters of Vera and Lida as the ghostbusting. I had previously read the first five stories as stand-alones, but I reread them as part of��Help for the Haunted. I wanted to see them as a continual narrative. As a complete book, they work.
The stories have a lot of humor, but have chilling moments too. The ghosts of “An Unanchored Man” are always going to stand out for me. Can all creatures with *sentience* have ghosts? Think for a moment about what non-human creatures on our planet might have human level intelligence and self-awareness…*
It’s hard for me to talk about this investigative duo and not mention Holmes and Watson. Vera and Lida are NOT Holmes and Watson. That’s perfectly okay; we have enough H&W. Vera is intelligent, but also absent minded (exceptionally terrible with names) and maybe a tad oblivious when it comes to certain things. To me, she feels more like a field scientist, out testing her theory in the wild, where we mostly see Holmes relying on brute knowledge to get him through. Plus, she has an appreciation for beer and lunch. If I were given the opportunity to hang out with Sherlock Holmes or Vera Van Slyke, I’d choose Vera.
Never let the shadows of ghost hunting darken a radiant lunch!
Lida, our narrator, is not a nearly invisible teller of tales like Watson. Before becoming Vera’s assistant and friend, Lida moves to Chicago on her own, to make her own way. Vera eventually moves to Chicago too after the two are involved in a couple successful investigations. It’s also refreshing to see two female characters who are really friends. They tease each other, but when the chips down they’re supportive of each other, even when it’s not in their best interests.
I don’t like to get on fiction’s case for what it does and doesn’t have, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:�� it���s nice to see two women *doing things* in fiction.
Publishing info, my copy: Kindle edition, Emby Press, 2015
Acquired: Compliments of the author, Tim Prasil. There’s a monthly “haunting” available at the Vera Van Slyke site and lots of great posts on historical occult detectives at�� Tim’s blog.
Genre: Mystery/Horror
* SeaWorld, you’re so screwed.
May 3, 2015
Deal Me In, Lunar Extra ~ “The Ensouled Violin”
Hosted by Jay @ Bibliophilopolis
“The Ensouled Violin”��by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Card picked: A Queen
From: Available online at Gaslight. My first exposure to this story was at Paula Cappa’s blog.
Thoughts: There’s something about the violin. It mimics the sound of a voice, whether human or animal, maybe too well. I can’t think of an instrument that is wrapped in so much superstition. Mme. Blavatsky reminds us of the story of Tartini to whom the Devil came in a dream and played what would become Tartini’s “The Devil’s Trill.” Similar stories also sprung up around Paganini when he came on the scene. His techniques were unorthodox and he coaxed sounds from the violin that were new to the audience. Was his success based on talent and ability? Or had Paganini made other darker deals?
That’s the atmosphere in Paris when Franz Stenio and his teacher, Samuel Klaus, arrive. Franz is a very talented player and has a good share of adoration. He dreams of the muses and nymphs and Orpheus, and Mme. Blavatsky name-checks just about every personage from Greek myth that is applicable. Under Klaus’s tutelage and encouragement, there is no doubt that Franz could impress in Paris. If not for Paganini. In an effort to comfort Franz, Klaus decides that Paganini must have done something unnatural to gain his talent, and you can’t feel bad about not being able to compete with that, can you? Klaus’s theory is that Paganini uses human intestines for his strings…and Franz starts to wonder if he can’t tap into the mysticism he believes in to gain advantage.
I won’t give away the ending, but after some rather long passages of sometimes dry history, the last few paragraphs are a pretty nasty piece of work. (And I mean that in a good way.)
The final showdown between Paganini and Franz Stenio involves Paganini’s “The Witches Dance.” This video is not of that, but I couldn’t resist a clip from a movie about Paganini starring German violinist rockstar David Garrett. Supposedly, Paganini inspired fangirl shrieking and fainting long before The Beatles.
About the Author: From Mrs. Oliphant yesterday to Mme. Blavatsky today. I’m glad woman have been allowed to use their first names. (Don’t get me started on the Mrs. Husband’s-First-Name Last-Name thing. The only thing worse than researching a Mr. John Smith is researching a Mrs. John Smith…) I’m more familiar with Mme. Blavatsky as a spiritualist. I had no idea she wrote fiction.
Extra Diabolic Violin Showdown
One of my favorite bits of country music storytelling.
ROW 80 ~ Sunday Update, 5/3
So, here’s what happened in April (or rather, the period spanning 3/30 to5/2) : 3 weeks of writing, 2 weeks of dithering about rewriting and editing the words written in the first three weeks. The thing is, this hasn’t just happened in April. This has happened month after month recently. After some troubleshooting by Eric, the plan to counteract this is to start setting aside Saturdays as clean up day. Write fresh during the week, use Saturday (a low productivity day anyway) to fix things. At least, that will be the plan after this week.
This week, I’m handing In Need of Luck over to Eric to read, edit, rewrite, etc. I’m not finished with In Need of Luck, but I’m sick of fiddling around with it. I’m going to finish up some notes today and then it’s all Eric’s. I’m shifting goals where appropriate.
Complicating factors this week: Web set up for summer frisbee league. Play starts Tuesday and I don’t have info on teams or the exact schedule yet. I also have league games on possibly Tuesday *and* Thursday nights.
Goals
Writing
For May/June ��� Scene rewrites for PHYSICa.
For May/June ��� Transcribe free write bits that might be useful to Abbott project.
Daily free write. – Did on Thurs & Fri. Didn’t on Saturday. Might start using prompts. Also thinking about flash submissions for The Pedestal Magazine.
1000 words/day average on In Need of Luck in April or until done.
Reading, related to writing
Finish reading River City Empire (related to next possible writing project) by the end of April. – Still 100 pages left. Been reading fiction.
For May/June – Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands
by Michael Chabon.
For May/June ��� The Call of Stories by Robert Coles.
Publishing
May 13th – Take a look at Luck for Hire‘s meta data (ahead of May 16th promo).
Added 5/3 – Look for new promo options.
List of reviewer contacts. – No movement.
Added 5/3 – EntangledContinua.com – Better mobile design.
Added 5/3 – EntangledContinua.com – Add excerpts. How do I not have excerpts?
And other duties. – Author data at Smashwords is sorted!
New descriptions/categories/tags for Weordan books. (April 15th)
ROW 80 is a blog hop!
Please, check out how other Round of Words participants are doing with their goals.
May 2, 2015
Deal Me In, Week 18 ~ “The Secret Chamber”
Hosted by Jay @ Bibliophilopolis
“The Secret Chamber” by Margaret Oliphant
Card picked: Five of Spades – Spades are my “clean-up” suit and there was room for more women of horror. And a good thing too!
From: Available at Gaslight; I found it via Paula Cappa’s blog.
Thoughts: Some tales are just…juicy.
“The Secret Chamber” is chock-full of gothic goodness.�� Our setting is Castle Gowrie, full of labyrinths, hidden stairways, long mysterious passages, and, of course, a secret chamber. The chamber is connected to a family secret.
…there are hundreds who are interested in a family secret, and this the house of Randolph possessed in perfection. It was a mystery which piqued the imagination and excited the interest of the entire country. The story went, that somewhere hid amid the massive walls and tortuous passages there was a secret chamber in Gowrie Castle. Everybody knew of its existence; but save the earl, his heir, and one other person, not of the family, but filling a confidential post in their service, no mortal knew where this mysterious hiding-place was.
After a great teasing introduction, Oliphant gets to the meat of the story. John Randolph, a.k.a. Lord Lindores, is coming of age and his father must share with him the secret of the chamber. Lindores isn’t an impressive specimen of a man, but he is smart and curious. The family and community, aside from his father, have high hopes for him. The Randolphs have never really gotten very far in life despite occasions of early promise. Lindores’ father knows why. What is housed in the secret chamber is the family curse. Even by the end of the story, it remains to be seen whether Lindores will be able escape the influence that held back his father and the entire Randolph line for centuries.
This may be the first “gothic” story I’ve read (this year, at least) that involved no female characters or servants. Often, it’s been the women, the daughters especially, on the receiving end of bad circumstances. In this case, the disenfranchised party is a rather mediocre landed family.
About the Author: Margaret Oliphant (or, Mrs. Oliphant) was an incredibly prolific writer. She had to be. Her brief marriage left her with three children to support and later she took in her sister-in-law and her brother’s children. It is no surprise that she was successful. While I’m sure not all her domestic and historical novels have the same slightly gleeful phantasmagoria about them, I can’t imagine them being any less well-written. “The Secret Chamber” was published near the middle of her career, but after a number of tragedies had befallen her and her family. I wonder if Mrs. Oliphant thought her line cursed…
May 1, 2015
May Reading List
Finish River City Empire by Orville D. Menard
Finish Help for the Haunted by Tim Prasil
The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma
Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands by Michael Chabon
Year of the Dunk: A Modest Defiance of Gravity by Asher Price – DNF
Beauty and Chaos: Slices and Morsels of Tokyo Life by Michael Pronko
“The Secret Chamber” by Margaret Oliphant – Deal Me In Week 18
“The Ensouled Violin” by Mme. Blavatsky – Deal Me In Lunar Extra
“Transformation” by Mary Shelley
Pinned: May Reading List
Finish River City Empire by Orville D. Menard
Finish Help for the Haunted by Tim Prasil
The Map of Time by F��lix J. Palma
Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands
by Michael Chabon
Year of the Dunk: A Modest Defiance of Gravity
by Asher Price
Beauty and Chaos: Slices and Morsels of Tokyo Life
by Michael Pronko
“The Secret Chamber” by Margaret Oliphant – Deal Me In Week 18
“The Ensouled Violin” by Mme. Blavatsky – Deal Me In Lunar Extra
April 29, 2015
ROW 80 ~ Wednesday Update, 4/29
Writing
1000 words/day average on In Need of Luck in April or until done. – Still rewriting and reorganizing. Haven’t gotten as much done as I should have. Suffering from end of the month slow-down.
Daily free write. – Check
For May/June ��� Scene rewrites for PHYSICa.
For May/June ��� Transcribe free write bits that might be useful to Abbott project.
Reading, related to writing
Finish reading River City Empire (related to next possible writing project) by the end of April. – About 100 pages left.
For May/June – Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands
by Michael Chabon.
For May/June ��� The Call of Stories by Robert Coles.
Publishing
New descriptions/categories/tags for Weordan books. (April 15th)
Brainstorm alternate tags for books already published. – Luck for Hire is the only book we haven’t taken a look at yet.
List of reviewer contacts. – No movement.
And other duties. – Fixing multi-authorship issues at Smashwords.
ROW 80 is a blog hop!
Please, check out how other Round of Words participants are doing with their goals.
April 28, 2015
Review ~ “Don’t Look Now”
A married couple on holiday in Venice are caught up in a sinister series of events. (via Goodreads)
I am super glad that A.) I have a fairly bad memory and B.) I’m incredibly tolerant of spoilers. Electric Lit’s comment on this story and its literary monster completely gives away the twist.
Earlier this month, I finished du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca. It was, to my recollection, the first of her works that I’d read. Honestly, I wasn’t that impressed with the story, but I had an inkling that I might like her other works. She definitely has a flair for setting and atmosphere which go a long way with me. As my reading plans would have it, I had two du Maurier stories on my slate: “The Birds” (a Lunar extra selection) and “Don’t Look Now” from the Obscure Literary Monster’s list. Since I was eager to follow-up, I picked “Don’t Look Now” as part of my Readathon festivities. (*And* Jay had just read it from his Deal Me In list, which also whetted my appetite.)
John and Laura are a couple on holiday in Venice. They have recently suffered a loss; their young daughter Christine died of meningitis, and John desperately wants everything to go back to normal. The vacation really isn’t working until they encounter a strange set of twins. The twins are older ladies, one of them blind and reportedly a psychic. Laura is comforted by the blind twin “seeing” Christine happy. John, a skeptic, is not a fan of the sisters. For him, their message is more dire: he has some psychic ability himself, and he and Laura should leave Venice immediately. If only people in Twilight Zone-esque stories would heed the blind psychic… Since I didn’t remember the spoiler at all, I had no idea exactly how this story was going to end, but I figured there would be more to it than Laura leaving Venice to tend to their ailing son.
Great story and I’m looking forward to “The Birds”.
Publishing info, my copy: from Don’t Look Now, hardback, Doubleday, 1974
Acquired: PaperbackSwap
April 26, 2015
ROW 80 ~ Sunday Update, 4/26
Not a great week word-count wise. I had some VOTS web stuff get in my way on Weds/Thurs as well as 24-hour Readathon and VOTS league finals yesterday. I *did* print out the last bunch of scenes to picked them apart and edit them by hand. Sometimes that’s the best way of doing things for me. Fairly happy with where I am at the moment. I’m not going to get to 30K by the end of April, but maybe 20K. Finished or not, I’m going to hand In Need of Luck over to Eric on Friday for a read-through.
Goals
Writing
1000 words/day average on In Need of Luck in April or until done. – Wrote +2229 so far this week (Mon-Sat). I want to even that out to 3000 by end of day today.
Daily free write. – Every day except yesterday, which was Readathon & VOTS finals.
For May/June ��� Scene rewrites for PHYSICa.
For May/June ��� Transcribe free write bits that might be useful to Abbott project.
Reading, related to writing
Finish reading River City Empire (related to next possible writing project) by the end of April. – I got about 125 pages left.
For May/June – Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands
by Michael Chabon.
For May/June ��� The Call of Stories by Robert Coles.
Publishing
New descriptions/categories/tags for Weordan books. (April 15th)
Brainstorm alternate tags for books already published. – We’ll probably take a look at tags for PHYSIC this week ahead of its promo.
List of reviewer contacts. – No movement.
ROW 80 is a blog hop!
Please, check out how other Round of Words participants are doing with their goals.
