M.J. Scott's Blog, page 3

On book resistance and discoveries

I have a history of avoiding books I should buy. Or dithering about buying them.

Of picking them up and putting them down in book stores or seeing someone talk about them online and thinking “that sounds like me” and then not following them up. I have met some of my fave books this way. Sort of sidling up to them, becoming unconvinced and wandering off again before finally buying them and then kicking myself for putting it off for so long when they turn out to be awesome. I did this with Robin McKinley’s Sunshine (one of my all time fave books), with the Black Jewels books by Anne Bishop, with Cordelia’s Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. I think I even did it with Pratchett (and him I didn’t even buy initially, I had a friend with his books and borrowed them relentlessly until I started  set acquiring my own). Put off by odd covers or uninspiring blurbs or, these days, by lack of an e-book. I was probably better about taking a chance on books when I was a more regular library user (when I changed day jobs a few years back I left a day job location that was only a block from a library) and when there were more bookstores to wander into and browse.

Anyway this is a round about start to a bit of a book rave about the latest in my “why didn’t I buy this years ago book”. I have been aware of the existence of Tam Lin by Pamela Dean for a quite a long time. I mean, another of my all time fave books is Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones which is also a re-telling of Tam Lin and you often here the two mentioned in close proximity. Maybe that was part of the problem. It’s hard to believe you’d really like a second re-telling of a story when you like one version so much. Still Tam Lin is a book that has been brought to my attention many times. But it’s also a book that’s not easy to hunt down. I don’t think there’s a e-book version (at least not for Aussies) and I’ve never found the paperback in a bookstore.

But it came up in a conversation online a few weeks ago (I can’t remember exactly where, I suspect it may have been Kathleen Jennings aka TanAudel who is a lovely artist and writer who mentioned it. Or started the thread in which it was mentioned. So I decided to look again. For some reason, even though I knew it existed, it had never really registered with me that it was a book set in a college. I have a distinct soft spot for books set in schools or colleges (too much Enid Blyton and Susan Coolidge and L.M. Montgomery etc as a child and Guy Gavriel Kay and YA and Harry Potter as an adult). I also have a distinct soft spot for the kind of what I call old-fashioned semi-mythological/folklore-ish urban fantasy in the vein of Wynne Jones or early Charles de Lint or Susan Cooper where ordinary people get dragged into adventures and there are magical or mythological goings on that are sometimes hinted at more than fully explained and everything is a bit more gentle and slow-paced (as distinguished from the kick butt vampire slaying brand of UF which I also vastly enjoy). So this book seemed as though it should be right up my alley. So a few weeks ago I finally gave in and ordered it. It arrived last week and I devoured it happily and will be reading it again once it’s sunk into my brain a bit.

It did, as many of those books do, make me wish I’d had the sort of meandering liberal arts degree college experience that book characters often have have (I studied something practical…I’m not entirely sure that kind of liberal arts degree really exists in Australia anyway). Even though I know that the sort of literary analysis that such degrees involve often sets my teeth on edge in real life. I am the school of writer for whom overthinking it and trying to analyse every little detail of my story and worrying about themes etc will kill the story. There are writers who revel in such things and need it for their process and writers who don’t want to look to closely at how the sausage is made as long as it’s a tasty sausage in the end. But still, it would be nice to have studied mythology and faerie tales and old languages and literatures a bit more (though preferably not while having to fight off mythological creatures with evil intent). So, Tam Lin. Thumbs up from me. Must acquire Ms. Dean’s other books. Must remember to stop resisting books. Must get back to the library

Happy 2017!

Seeing as the blogging fell away a bit in the second half of last year due to Life Stuff TM, I thought I’d kick off the year with a modified version of one of my semi-regular State of the Mel posts. 2016 was, as it seemed to be for most people, a bit of a slog of a year. But even though it had its challenges, ending the year with a new tiny torti in residence to fill the gap left by the Fuzzy Girl (while still working on convincing the big torti that this is a Good Thing TM) and an ankle that is well on the mend post op means onwards and upward! So here’s to a 2017 filled with more good things than challenging ones and happiness and health and good reads for all. And for those who might be new around here or those who follow along…the rest is a bit about me and what I’m working on.

Who am I?

I’m Melanie Scott (most commonly answering to Mel). I write books. Specifically I write fantasy (dark and urban) as M.J. Scott and contemporary romance as Melanie Scott.

Selfies are good. Have a selfie. I’ve been growing my hair a little and my hairdresser go fancy. Note to self, learn how to curl own hair

A year in books #11

Well, 2016. That was a…year. But one in which I managed to read quite a few good books for the first time. (I think I read or re-read over 150 books again this year). I even took pics of a few. This year I think I read more contemporary romance, less historical romance and probably more non fiction in the form of art books but I don’t always remember to track my non fiction. Still listening to audiobooks though they largely continue to be re-listens (aka books I’ve read).

So in keeping with my tradition for the last cough-splutter-something years, here’s a list of some of my faves.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (well, really the whole series which I glommed in about four days). Great YA urban fantasy.

Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire. This is a lovely novella about what happens to the children who get sucked into fantasy adventures/worlds when they come back. Many feels. There’s another in this series coming in 2017 so hurray! PS Seanan’s Toby Daye UF series is another fave.

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Not sure how I hadn’t read this already but great Australian YA.

Kings Rising by CS Pacat – a great finish to her Captive Prince trilogy.

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold. If you read this blog, it’s not news that I love Bujold and the Vorkosigan series. This latest installment was surprising and charming. The audio version is probably my fave audiobook of the year. I also really enjoyed her two Penric novellas set in her Five Gods world.

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs. Mercy Thompson continues to be one of my fave UF heroines.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maass. Gotta love book 2 in a series that takes things in an unexpected direction. Looking forward to the next one.

The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston – UF that is kind of bonkers but also kind of cracktastic.

Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen – Loving this new series by Sarina who is one of my fave contemporary romance writers. All three True North books have been great.

I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes – If I’m not reading SFF or romance, I tend to read crime of some form. Though I have a feeling I’ve read less this year than last maybe. This was a really good thriller.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Really good YA SF in a epistolary/found record/graphic novel meets novel format that was both very good and kind of mind breaking from a ‘how the heck did they plan/plot/design this’ viewpoint.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn – I’ve been a Raybourn fan since Silent in the Grave. Her particular brand of historical mystery with wit and a dash of romance is just fab.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – Late to the Moriarty party but read a few while I was spending a week in bed post ankle surgery and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews – Remains my fave UF series. Also really like their Innkeeper series.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – I really like SF of the space opera variety and this is a fun, warm and thoroughly enjoyable one. Need to read Book 2.

Managed by Kristen Callihan – Another author I glommed this year. Her Game On series is also awesome but I think that Managed, which is book 2 of her VIP series is my fave so far.

The Trespasser by Tana French – another great instalment in her Dublin Murder Squad series.

Festive Deception by D.B. Tait – really enjoying this Aussie set crime series and this Christmas novella has bonus cool older ex spy lady.

Beard Science by Penny Reid – this series is just fun. Never thought I’d enjoy a bearded romance hero named Cletus but I did.

Dirty by Kylie Scott – which kicked off her new Dive Bar series and didn’t disappoint.

So there you have it. There were plenty of other great books I read this year but twenty is a long enough list to be going on with. Sometime next month when I get back into the swing of this blogging thing I’ll do a books I’m looking forward to in the first bit of 2017 to kick us into another year of good reading.

If you’d like to check out what I picked as faves in previous years, here’s the lists:

2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006.

Maybe you’ll find a new fave for yourself somewhere in there. If not, tell me one of your favorites you’ve read this year and I can add it to the never ending TBR list.

 

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Some 2016 faves

2016 has been a bit of an up and down year. Lost a kitty. Gained a kitten. Finalled in the RITA, had an ankle reconstruction. Lost a few idols, wrote a few books, read a few books. Now I traditionally wrap up the year with a fave books of 2016 post on New Year’s Eve but last year I also did a other favorite things of the year post and I thought that would be a good thing to continue as we all need a bit of a reminder that there’s still a lot of good stuff in the world. And here’s some of it that I enjoy.

Movies

Arrival

The Force Awakens

Rogue One

For The Love of Spock

Bridget Jones Baby

Captain America – Civil War

Florence Foster Jenkins

Spotlight

Ghostbusters

TV

Grey’s Anatomy

Mozart in the Jungle

Sherlock

Scandal

The Crown

Line of Duty

Jessica Jones

Longmire

Victoria

Lucifer

Elementary

Love Sick

Gilmore Girls – A Year in the Life (not perfect but nostalgic feels)

The Night Manager

Doctor Doctor

QI

Music

Adele – 25

Still all about the Taylor

And the Hamilton

And other than that many, many listens of various book soundtracks

Podcasts

Chat 10 Looks 3

Conversations with Richard Fidler

Ramblings

The Pen Addict

Undisclosed

No Such Thing As A Fish

Witch Please

The West Wing Weekly

Other things

Got back into embroidery

Kept doing the watercolour thing

Started playing with Copic Markers

Instagram

Fave cookbook of the year is Simply Nigella

Still bullet journalling

Ankle renovations have meant am slowly getting back to the walking and (shock horror) swimming.

What were some of your fave things this year?

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Hello again

I know things have been low on the blogging front recently. Sometimes life gets crazy. 3 weeks ago, in particular, I had an ankle reconstruction to fix a ligament that was borked when I broke my ankle five years ago. Let us not discuss why this was not diagnosed five years ago and move on. Surgery went well and I am recovering (and, as of yesterday, able to drive short distances) so hurrah. Now for the boring physiotherapy part.

Being laid up with ankle surgery has meant a lot of couch time (the picture demonstrates my view for a lot of the three weeks though the foot has progress from cast to ankle brace in that time).

and while the brain has not been fully co-operating on the writing front, there has been plenty of reading and TV to fill the well while I’ve been rested. So I thought I’d mention a few books and things I’ve enjoyed over the last few weeks.

Books

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (space opera! Which is probably my fave kind of SF. If you like Firefly, check it out. Bonus, book 2 has just been released).

Idol by Kristen Callihan (I am late to the Kristen Callihan party. No, I do not know why. I glommed this and the three books in her Game Plan series in about two days. She’s coming to the Australian Romance Readers Convention next year, so I will be able to squee at her.

The Summer Bride by Anne Gracie (actually I re-read the Autumn Bride and then read the other three books in the series as well which I had been saving up for just such a time. Anne does lovely happy feels regency romance).

Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews. If  you follow this blog, you’ll know this is my fave UF series. It’s still awesome.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. I read a couple of hers too but I think this was my fave. I’ll be interested to see what the TV version of Big Little Lies is like.

Other things

Crashing (on Aussie Netflix now) – UK comedy/drama of the “UK people awkwardly bumble through life and mess up their love lives spectacularly’ variety. I think another season is coming. Another one also on Netflix is Lovesick which is of a similar oeuvre though a bit sweeter than Crashing. Season 2 of this one is going to be a Netflix original in November (I think).

Glitch (also on Netflix) – I watched the first episode or two when it was on free to air but lost track of it somehow. Good creepy Aussie drama with a supernatural ish twist. Needs season 2.

Florence Foster Jenkins which was kind of charming actually.

The Night Manager – another one I’d started watching a while ago but had a few eps left. Tense. With Hiddleston looking hawt.

So there you go. I must be about due to a books I’m looking forward to post…stay tuned!

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Calling baseball romance fans

The season may be over but to tide you over I’ve teamed up with more than 25 fantastic baseball romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels, PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!

You can win a copy of PLAYING HARD, plus books from authors like Kasey Michaels and Alessandre Torre.

So if you want to load up on baseball romance…enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/baseball-romance

Good luck!

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Shadow Kin is on sale for US readers!

Hi everyone, the lovely peeps at Roc have put Shadow Kin, the first book in my Half-Light City series on sale. The e-book is just $1.99 for a limited time for US readers.

Grab your copy at:

iBooks

Amazon

Kobo

Nook

Google Play

If you’d like to know more about Shadow Kin and the rest of the Half-Light City series, head over to my website.

The post Shadow Kin is on sale for US readers! appeared first on Crossed Wires.

New covers, a sale price and a bookiversary!

Today is five years since Shadow Kin was published! So happy bookiversary to me. My thirteenth published novel came out last week, so it’s been a busy five years. Here’s to many more.

In fortunate timing, I have new covers for my urban fantasy trilogy, The Wild Side.

Aren’t they pretty?

To celebrate, I’ve put The Wolf Within on sale for USD 1.99 for a couple of days.

Some links for the US e-books (the lower price is already showing on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Smashwords. Barnes and Noble are doing something odd where they have the old version and the new version (so click on the old version, then click on all available formats and the new one should display with the sale price so you can buy that). Kobo is still in progress so keep checking until you see the 1.99 USD price (I’ll still make sure there are a couple of days to buy once it finally pops up).

Amazon.com (Kindle)

Google Play

iBooks

Nook

Kobo

Smashwords

Happy reading!

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Playing Fast is out today!

Playing Fast is out today!

Get your copy here.

Hope you enjoy reading Finn and Eva’s story! It’s the fifth book in The New York Saints series and was a lot of fun to write (got love a good bad boy redemption, right?).

If you want a chance at some giveaways and sneak peeks…sign up for my Melanie newsletter.

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Okay, it’s not Sunday but one last snippet!

Finn and Eva aka Playing Fast will be here tomorrow! Huzzah!

Still time to pre-order: links are here. And if you want a chance at some giveaways and sneak peeks…sign up for my Melanie newsletter!

The post Okay, it’s not Sunday but one last snippet! appeared first on Crossed Wires.