Cynthianna's Blog, page 16

Book Review: Abraham Lincoln-Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Should anyone mess with a historical personage to the point of creating a "history" that never happened? Do we owe our idols some loyalty in keeping their reputations clean and their hands free from blood? Seth Grahame-Smith does a very good job of researching Lincoln's formative years growing up in Indiana and his early years in Illinois politics. He creates a credible world in which vampires might have lived and gives plausible situations in which Lincoln might have interacted with bloodsuckers. The one point where the whole conceit falls down, I believe, is with the title character. Do most Americans see our beloved Lincoln as a blood-thirsty killer or as the savior of the republic? Possibly creating an original character living in the time period of the Civil War fighting off the evil vampires in league with southern slave owners would have worked just as well without the unpleasant aftertaste of the betrayal of a cultural icon... Still, it is a very well written book, with the caveat that it's not possibly to everyone's tastes.

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Peace on Earth. Please?

Editor's note: I wanted to write a beautiful and inspiring blog to celebrate Christmas and send it to all my friends and family members in lieu of sending cards this year... But current circumstances in the world sort of eclipsed my earlier idea of writing about the holidays in Jolly Ol' England. How can anyone write about "jolly" when there is so much pain in the world?

I'm not talking about my own pain, although my personal journey this past year has been a very rough road by anyone's account. And I realize that my publishers recommend that authors of romantic fiction choose only optimistic and entertaining subjects for our blogs. But sometimes a topic comes to mind and there's no way to put it out of your mind unless you write about it and share your thoughts. So here goes.



Peace on earth. Goodwill to all mankind.

We read these sentiments on Christmas cards, but do we ever truly understand what they mean or the costs involved in acting upon them? Sure, it's nice to wish someone peace and other good things, but if you do nothing to provide a way for your fellow man to live in peace and experience happiness or goodwill, how are you helping the situation? Short answer: You're not. Your actions (or lack-of-action) could actually be part of the problem, too.

Some Americans cry and whine about their rights to bear arms being infringed if there is any talk of gun control. In the wake of recent events it's obvious the gun problem still remains. If you're not a hunter who uses your deer rifle to eat the game you shoot, why would you need to own semi-automatic assault weapons or thousands of hand guns unless you want to use them against your neighbors? Short answer: You don't need to own them. Weapons meant to mow down soldiers in short order are weapons of a potential mass murderer, not a tool to be used by a game hunter trying to feed his or her family. Deer and people are not one in the same.

How can you wish your neighbor "peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind" if you are secretly plotting to kill him or her by stockpiling weapons you don't need in the first place? Short answer: You can't.  Stop the whining about gun control and take a hard look in the mirror. Like what you see?




"Goodwill to all mankind" includes wanting what is best for our neighbor. When we allow our neighbors to go without proper health care--up to and including mental health care--how are we showing them we wish them all things "good"? Short answer: We're not. If we deny good things to our neighbors, then we really don't want to wish them "peace and goodwill" do we? We're telling them that we don't care about their plight. It's plain and simple. We're lying. Look in the mirror again. Do you trust this person?

At Christmas, a season known for its emphasis on compassion, how would you describe people who hoard all the good things in life, up to allowing their neighbors to go without proper health care? How would you describe those who are willing to "protect" their material possessions through extreme measures that include possibly using assault weapons against their neighbors? Selfish maybe?


Peace on earth. Goodwill to all mankind.

This Christmas I pray that everyone will think hard about what those words mean. Stop thinking that you exist in a vacuum. Start practicing compassion and stop thinking your neighbor's well-being doesn't matter. It does. Because if we don't start making some changes in our society, it could be you or your beloved child or grandchild who is lying in a coffin with a bullet hole come next year. That is, if a serious illness or accident without access to health care doesn't put you or your loved one in the grave first.

Even the most selfish of us should be able to see that compassion for all benefits us all in the grand scheme of things, right?


Merry Christmas! And as the angels at Bethlehem sang on that special night long ago, "Peace on earth... goodwill to all mankind."

Thanks for reading this far. May your new year be blessed, healthy and happy. Cindy :)

Book Review: State of Change

Doctor Who: State of Change by Christopher Bulis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There were never enough stories featuring the sixth Doctor and Peri, in my humble opinion, so the chance of reading one of their "missing adventures" is something I couldn't pass up. I enjoyed most of STATE OF CHANGE and really give kudos to Christopher Bulis for his expert research in ancient Rome. The apparent "Roman world" that the Doctor and Peri find themselves transported to is very realistic, and the mortal peril they encounter is well presented. My one complaint is that I never felt that the Doctor and Peri were that important in the scheme of things... There are many, many characters--all of them interesting in their own right--but I longed for more pages featuring interactions with Peri and the brightly dressed Doctor alone. Still, on the whole, a very well written novel that is sure to please fans of the classic series.

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The eX/Devine Destines Books Xmas Parties are coming!

We'll be traveling this week, but handsome hubby and I will do our best to show up at the first party. We'll attend the second party for certain. So drop by the chat room and chat with some wild and crazy authors. Your name will be included in the drawing to win some fantastic prizes--including a Kindle e-reader. The parties will be held at http://www.extasychat.com


Ho, ho, ho! Santa's little helpers are certainly alive and well at eX/Devine Destinies Books. :)

Lots for Vampire Fans to be Thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving all you vampire romance lovers! And man-oh-man, do you have a lot to be thankful for in the next few weeks...

 I'll be blogging and doing an ebook giveaway of my latest Celine Chatillon release Blood Bond on December 3 at the V Spot Blog, but first I'll be hanging out with fellow Vampire Realm writers on November 30 at the Coffeetime Romance Latte Lounge.  Please join us then for more prizes and giveaways and good ol' fashioned non-sparkling vampire romance fun. ;)

NaNoWriMo On the Road!

November is the month for NaNoWriMo--that's the "write a novel in a month challenge" for those not familiar with the program. I successfully wrote a novel (or a series of novelettes) a few years back in my first NaNoWriMo, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to at least start and finish a proposed novella I've had in mind for a few weeks now this coming November.

The added challenge to my "novel challenge" is that we'll be on the road for the next few months quite a bit. 

Yet I still think it's a doable feat. Why? Well, for one thing I won't be able to access the Internet quite as often as I can now. I'm one of those dinosaurs who don't access the Internet via my mobile phone. (My cell phone is not "smart".  It only lets me talk and listen on it. I prefer it that way.) So while we're traveling, I'll be without Internet distractions. I hope this means I'll be able to concentrate on developing my story and finishing it before the end of November. 

I have two story ideas actually, but my best bet this NaNoWriMo is the next story in the continuing tale of the young vampire Edwin Carstairs, first introduced in my Celine Chatillon novella, Blood Bond. I had a dream that Edwin survives and thrives as a vampire and 35 years later, at the onset of World War II, he is recruited to find a rogue vampire in league with a Nazi scientist... none other than his former lover, Ophelia Jones. The tentative title is Blood in Berlin.

If that story idea doesn't get the creative juice flowing, then I have a romantic-comedy idea about two lonely people who watch each other from afar and dream what life would be like if they were together. But will they ever get together in reality? That's the rub! 

Hey, why don't I let the readers decide? You tell me which one of these story ideas strike you as one you'd like to read in the comments below. Thanks and Happy NaNoWriMo to us all! :)

 

See you at Archon

We're off to Archon tomorrow morning. My first panel is at the noon hour, so I hope there will be some folks able to get off work early enough to keep us on the panel company! But seriously, I'm looking forward to seeing the many folks that I only get to see in person once a year. So, please come by and shake my hand and chat when you spot me in the halls. If I'm running in the halls--well, I'm probably late for a panel or I drank too much bottled water, so you might want to wait and shake my hand later. ;)

I will have promo bookmarks and brochures to pass out. Dig my cover design (still in the preliminary stages) above for the upcoming sequel to my romantic-comedy Loving Who, the aptly named Leaving Who. My handsome and talented artist/author hubby, AJ Matthews, created it.

To quote the great Matt Smith: "Fezes are cool." And so are my readers. See you soon!

The Fixer-Uppers now available!

  At long last, my contemporary romance novel, The Fixer-Uppers has come again! The real irony is that I wrote the first draft of this story many years ago (and have since updated it and it's been through several edits, so it's better than ever), but today I find myself in a similar situation as the main characters! 
The crux of the story is two hard-working Americans (definitely the 99%) trying to get by and finding love in the process. The hero even suffers an eviction from his apartment. Talk about life imitating art! I now can fully sympathize with Mike having his worldly goods tossed out on the street. Luckily for him, the heroine Cassie takes him in and gives him a room in her home, and a happy ending is assured.
If you have a Kindle or other e-reader and enjoy good ol' fashion romantic comedies, then you'll enjoy this book. You can even feel safe giving it to a loved one as a birthday/Christmas gift, too. Just think--you'll be helping a struggling author out by buying her book, so you can feel it was worth the couple of bucks you spent. 
The Fixer-Uppers by Cynthianna
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers

Can a single mom find happiness on a blind date--or at least dinner with a male who can cut up his own food? Cassie and Mike believe they're "in like" not "in love." But when down-on-his-luck Mike is evicted, Cassie takes him into her home. Mike starts fixing everything from window screens to little boys' broken hearts. Will Cassie let him fix hers?
An excerpt: Mike teaches Cassie how to act out her frustration at her ex by throwing darts at a picture on a dartboard.
He smells of paint and newsprint—and male. Cassie closed her eyes. She could feel the overpowering warmth and strength of Mike’s muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt as she stood entranced next to him. What if she turned around this instant and pulled him into her arms instead?Her sluggish mind was wandering she realized. She blinked and shook her head to clear the cobwebs.
“Oh—kay. I’m ready.”“Then let ‘er rip.”The dart hit the imprint of Mike’s pinkie.He grinned. “Not bad. Now give Jack a stab right in the heart. Aim for the middle.”Cassie screwed both eyes shut and sent the dart flying with a passionate fling. A loud thump broke the silence.“Oh, no—can I open my eyes now? Did I break something?” she asked timidly.Mike let out a long whistle. “Look what you did.”She cautiously opened one eye. The dart had hit dead center.“Yippee!” Cassie jumped up and down. She gave Mike an impulsive bear hug, almost knocking the breath out of him. “Let’s do it again!”Mike’s gaze fixed on her mouth. “Yes, let’s do—” 

The Fixer-Uppers is now available in all e-book formats at Devine Destinies Books:
 
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers Another 50 Shades of Great(ness) promotion. Support Mid-list authors! Buy and read their works!

50 Shades of Mr. Grey! More Midlist Author Greatness!

Why read the rest when you can have the best?


http://www.lsbooks.com/mr-grey-and-the-hotel-ghosts-p403.php
You never know when you're going to run into a famous author... This past month I discovered I'd been living with him!

Believe it or not, I'm living with the author of the original Mr. Grey series! I know what you're thinking: "You can't be married to the author of the 50 Shades of Grey...well, at least not in the state where you currently reside." You're right on both parts, but I'm not talking about the fan-fiction-based, pseudo BDSM story that's been in the news lately. I'm talking about the original Mr. Grey series--the one written by A J Matthews.



http://www.lsbooks.com/mr-grey-and-the-spirit-from-the-sky-p404.php
 Martin Grey in A J's series is a ghosthunter, a very sexy ghosthunter whose job is to help people rid themselves of obnoxious haunting spirits. Think of Ghostbusters meets a very sexy David Tennant or Ryan Reynolds (or whoever your current crush happens to be). The storylines are filled with suspense and intrigue, and the cover art is romantic and uplifting--not boring, sterile gray in color.



http://www.lsbooks.com/lady-in-white-p336.php
 Definitely this is an e-book series worth downloading on your Kindle or Nook this Halloween season. What could be better than hot, erotic-romance with the sexy Martin Grey while he solves a few mysteries and rids the world of a few bothersome ghosts?


http://www.extasybooks.com/rebel-hearts-2/
What's even better is that there are currently four books in the Mr. Grey series. A J penned a fascinating historical "prequel" to the Mr. Grey series, Rebel Hearts. In this story you can meet some of the people who will later haunt the contemporary stories. Very cool! Once again, A J's fascinating novel has been blessed with gorgeous cover art. It was even nominated for an EPIC Award this past year.

Can't figure out what the fuss is about in ebook-land over a poorly written fan-fic? Me neither! A J Matthew's Mr. Grey, Ghosthunter series is head and shoulders above that other series. Romance and action galore in well-written novels that you can be proud to tell your friends about! (Available at LSB Books, eXtasy Books and at Amazon.)


Part of the 50 Shades of Great(ness) Promotion.Support midlist authors--buy and read their excellent fiction!

Review of Solar Lottery

Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whenever you open a Phillip K. Dick novel you should prepare yourself to climb onto a roller coaster of ups, downs, chills, spills and psychedelic wonders. Solar Lottery (1955) surprisingly does not show its age. If possible, its characters and storyline seem even more relevant in the 21st century. The "serfs" are forced to serve their rich corporate fat cat masters who own their bodies and souls. The seemingly randomness of appointing the Quizmaster, who rules the known universe for a set time, mirrors the capriciousness of Wall Street brokers. Dick paints a future human civilization with strong echoes of 2012.

To quote protagonist Ted Benteley:

"...What are you supposed to do in a society that's corrupt? Are you supposed to obey corrupt laws? Is it a crime to break a law that's a rotten law, or an oath that's rotten?"

"It's a crime," Cartwright admitted slowly. "But it may be the right thing to do."

"In a society of criminals," Shaeffer offered, "the innocent man goes to jail."



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