Alison DeLuca's Blog, page 20

Heart Search - A Review

I never read a book quite like Heart Search. At first it seems like a horror story, then a romance is mixed in, and then things go - sideways.

It begins with a creature hiding in wait. He attacks a man named Joshua, who is in the park thinking about Remy, the woman he is about to marry. What happens to him will change both their lives forever.

When Joshua comes home to Remy, he has obviously been changed drastically. After a few devastating scenes, Joshua takes off. He is disgusted with himself.

Remy decides to go after him, and at this point the book follows her search - her Heart Search - and Joshua's adventures with his new life. Her search takes her around the UK, exploring different towns and villages. 

The writer obviously knows the country inside and out, and it is fascinating to read about different areas of England. It's like a travelogue, with the added dimension of a travelogue of the heart. Remy searches the country, but she also searches that unexplored wilderness of her own soul.

Joshua, meanwhile, is experiencing a very different kind of adventure. He meets the others like him and  gets completely immersed in their world. 

At the same time, some very odd things begin to happen to Remy, leading her beyond the "woman's fiction" style of her half of the adventure.

The two plot threads are woven together nicely and I never lost track of what was going on. Furthermore, Carlie Cullen's writing style is very clear and professional, and she handles the two sets of characters beautifully.

There is a cliffhanger ending, but the story is resolved enough to make reading this book a very satisfactory experience. I really enjoyed Heart Search thanks to the writer's skill and characterization. Remy and Joshua came alive for me, as well as Becky, Remy's twin sister. 

The fantasy portion of the book is well-done, too; Cullen deals out the action and excitement adroitly and keeps the reader wanting more. 

Preparing for Sandy

About this time last year we were getting ready for Halloween when a freak storm piled inches of snow on top of us (it was to be the only snow storm of the year, as it turned out.) Months before that we had endured Hurricane Irene.
Oh, poop.
And now, one day before trick or treating, Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on us, bringing wind and rain in her wake. Sitting here at my kitchen table, I can see plenty of leaves on the sodden ground already. I have the feeling that soon large branches and, perhaps, some trees will join the mix.

We prepared by buying milk and toilet paper, of course, AKA the necessities of life. Also, Spaghettios in cans. Not that we ever ate them before, but they were the closest thing to an MRI in the grocery store. I figure Hubby can punch through the lid with a pen and we can spoon them out with sporks, should the situation grow dire.
Bring. It. On.There is one thing I forgot to buy, though - enough reading material. I'm coming to the end of 11-22-63 by King (it's excellent) so I really must go shopping. 

I certainly won't be driving anywhere, oh dear no. Instead I'll download some books for my iPad and have them for tonight and tomorrow:

Gone, Girl : Have been meaning to read this one for a while.

Heart Search (It's for those of you who heard all about Fifty Shades and didn't want to go quite that way - a WELL-WRITTEN love story and adventure.)

The Night Circus - Also been meaning to read this one for a long time but haven't had the chance. If I lose social media contact, that's my chance. NICE

The Body Wars - I loved Ednor Scardens, a book about coming-of-age in a Catholic neighborhood in Baltimore, so I can't wait to fire up this baby.


That should get me through the next thirty-six hours; if you don't hear from me tomorrow I'll be breaking into the Halloween candy (since trick-or-treating will, I fear, be a bust) and flipping the virtual pages.

Best of luck to my readers on the East Coast!

Kids' Movies

It's that time again - today I'm going to take my kid to a movie. I always put up a mental struggle in my head when this happens:

Me: OMG. This is going to be really bad. Despicable Me? Are you kidding me? And I have laundry to fold.

(30 minutes into movie) 

Me: Haw, haw, haw. This is pretty funny.

(At end of movie) 

Me: *SNIFF* I can't believe I'm crying at the ending. What an incredible movie!

I went through this with several films. I mean, who cries at the end of Toy Story 3? Any parent who (SPOILER ALERT) has pictured her kid going off to college, that's who.

I've been dragged unwillingly to the following flicks, and I ended up loving all of them:

Shorts: The Adventures of The Wishing Rock - First of all, great title (NOT.) And the trailers looked dumb. But I loved the character called Helvetica Black - wish I had thought of that name - as well as the way the stories were all linked by the wishing rock and the two kids having a staring contest. 

My recommendation: Pretty good, but do look away during the Mucus Monster scene.

Aliens in the Attic: I really protested at this one. First of all, it starred the actress who plays Shar-Pay in HIgh School Musical. Second, the aliens looked cheesy. Ditto special effects. 
See what I mean? Looks worse than Ninja turtles. Good movie, though.
Then Kevin Nealon and Tim Meadows turned on the heat. Meadows, in particular, was charming as a small town policeman who tangles with the kids and the aliens. 

Plus, the concept of being able to control an ex-boyfriend's body with an alien device is just really, really satisfactory. Not only did I enjoy this movie, I dragged my kid back to see it again. 

The Corpse Bride and Coraline: Got on my high horse about these. "This movie is too scary for my kid... blah blah blah..." Yeah, my kid LOVES them. She accepted the concept of the Bride as well as the Other Mother and never had nightmares. Tim Burton rocks. Plus, the music in Coraline is so lovely that I want to get the CD now. 

We ended up buying both DVD's.

Anime: I thought anything anime would be like Pokemon cartoons, with bad dialogue and terrible animation. Boy, was I wrong. When my friend introduced us to Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, I fell in love with Miyazake, an affair that lasts to this day. He is probably at his best in those two, but Arietty was amazing, and Spirited Away is one of the most beautifully animated films I've ever seen. Plus, that fantasy concept is breath-taking.

So, I may complain today as we head off to see Hotel Transylvania, but don't pay any attention to me. I'll be the one in the back, laughing and sniffling through the popcorn. Plus, it is a few hours that I get to spend with my daughter. Isn't that really what it is all about?

A Fine Hand

Image courtesy of the Queen's Table blogI am the first to admit that I have horrible handwriting. It's a big old bummer, because to my mind script can be an artform. I love artistic block capitals, copperplate, and calligraphy.

My parents had their own styles of writing. Dad wrote in fine Italics always with a fountain pen. Mum had a fine, British hand. Both reflected them in a way I can't describe - I instantly recall them when I see pages that they wrote by hand.

As a girl, I had a long-standing correspondence with my cousin in Ireland. We wrote long letters to each other. She was very artistic (still is) and had a lovely, sloping hand. I pitied her having to read my crabbed, sloppy script in return.

I always vowed that I would change my writing and make it nicer to look at - or legible at least. Alas, it never happened. Dad gave me a fountain pen and tried to teach me Italics. I understood the dynamics of it and learned the letters and strokes, but the thing was - it was too slow. There were words and phrases pressing to come out, and they couldn't wait for fine flourishes and lovely scrawls.

For that reason, when I attempted to write long works, I never succeeded. The sight of my scribbles on my page took away from what I tried to convey. So when my boyfriend (now my husband) gave me his old Apple IIe computer, it was a revelation.

Finally, I was able to write without worrying about what the words actually looked like on the page. It was as magic as an incantation or a spell.

Perhaps I reflected that subconsciously in my Crown Phoenix series. The Crown Phoenix is, after all, a quantum typewriter that can move time and space.

And in a way, my laptop does move time and space. When I sit down to my story, I am transported to an Edwardian world. I'm in a stone cell with a black-haired orphan, or the garret of a huge, country house, with a boy who cannot leave his room.

I wish I did have beautiful script, especially when I'm signing a book for readers. They deserve the best I have to offer. I don't think it will ever happen. However, that magic, the machine, the Crown PHoenix - for me, that is real.

Halloween Stuff I Love, Sugar-Free Version

I'm all about Halloween. Not obsessively so - I don't decorate the entire house, just plop out the same decorations (wreath kid made with spiders and bats, glowing eyeball lights in the bushes - really) and prod the husband to pick up a huge bag of candy at Costco.

But I do love the month of October. For one thing, the weather is so beautiful. Except for today, of course; the sky is grouchily covered with clouds as if to say, "You writin' about ME?"

And I love the food associated with Halloween and October. Candy of course, but ever since I - I can hardly bear to say it - gave up sugar - that is out for me. No candy corn, no fun size, no pumpkin pie. I can still have pumpkin soup and pumpkin raviolis though, right? Right.

Here is a list of other Halloween and October stuff I love:

1. American Horror Story, season 2 - Season 1 was good, although I was disappointed in the Rubber Man story arc. But Season 2 looks like it could be seriously scary and horrifying, with an asylum, aliens, and nuns. SWEET! I'm not a horror movie fan, by which I mean: I scream like a tween at a 1 Direction concert and head my head and stuff. Still, I love horror books, and this series serves up enough thrills for my wuss self. Plus, I tape it and watch it at noon. Feel free to mock.

2. Retro H'ween stuff:

3. Buying costumes for my kid - Since the catalogues start coming out in August now, that's when Kid and I start shopping around. This year she is a Bride of Frankenstein, a cute, little girl version. I wanted the Eskimo Girl costume, (for her I mean) but maybe next year.

4. Seasonal Microbrews - I don't drink them myself but I vicariously enjoy it when the Husband pops open a spiced ale or an Oktoberfest. It just sounds so autumn-ish.

5. Cool nights - Apparently, along with the switch that turned off my metabolism, my body got kicked into super heat mode. Now I can sleep at night, since the room is chilly and I can snuggle under flannel sheets.

6. Horror books - Yep, I'm a fan. Here are a few I want to read:


7. Writing horror - I have an idea on the back burner that has been itching at me for a while now. I've got a really scary villain and a concept. As soon as I'm done with The South Sea Bubble, I'll let my first draft marinate and write my horror story. YESSSSSS

8. Bonfires.

9. Homemade soup. Chicken noodle, vegetable, carrot, cheese-ale - all good.

10. Beer bread.

11. Honey-Crisp Apples.

See? you can have fun without sugar at Halloween, and even during the entire month of October.

Four Eyes

When I was I was in third grade, I sat at the back of the room. I think it was autumn when I realized I couldn't read what was written on the board. The teacher told us to copy the work, and I had no idea what it was.
Mine were complete with rhinestones. Lovely!
I remember squinting, pulling one eye and the other, trying to make out the meaningless hieroglyphics that were scrawled. I remember the feeling of shame - I was going to fail the lesson, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Perhaps some teachers would have ignored the struggling student in the back. Wonderful Mrs. Laige, however, stepped in and told my mother I needed glasses.

A few days later I was taken to the eye doctor. I chose a horrible pair of pointed plastic frames (this was the sixties, so you can just imagine the horror) and was given my first pair of glasses. Spectacles. Glazing cheats.
You can see the original here at deviant net. This perfectly captures my world before glasses.
The first time I put on my glasses, the world rushed up to smack me with clear focus. I couldn't believe the difference. To go from a fuzzy universe which, as a child, I thought was simply the norm, to crystal clear vision was a revelation. I could read the board. I could see the expressions on other kids' faces as they talked. I was able to go to the movies. 

Those with perfect vision cannot, perhaps, understand that moment. In a split second, I was given a new life. Yes, that sounds melodramatic, and yet - it was true. Not being able to see properly is murder on a very shy young girl.

The third book in my Crown Phoenix series is seen from the perspective of an older girl who goes through the same thing. She is very poor, and her Edwardian world offers no nice Mrs. Laige, no rescue from the shadows that surround her.

To write from Lizzie's perspective was a joyful challenge. She had to guess at what was going on or rely on constant updates from her sister, Ninna. I couldn't cheat and tell what was happening on the other side of the room - Lizzie wasn't able to see it.

When she is finally presented with a pair of eyeglasses - glazing cheats - by a boy called Toby, it is a miracle for her. She can't believe that she is able to see what is an entirely new world. 

I love my shortsighted, bespectacled heroine, and I related to her more than any other character, perhaps because we both went through the same "Passage" - that miraculous journey from fuzzy darkness to clear vision.

The Steampunk Version

I read once that steampunk is the future reinventing the past. I am fascinated by the possibilities of steam technology and what can happen in closets under the stairs, in dark studies, underground laboratories, and Victorian train stations. 

Much of our current technology has its "Steamy" counterpart. For example:

Emails - Steampunk replaces them with letters. Extra points if they are in a code or a special ink that self-immolates or grows visible under the light of a certain kind of candle. I picture sealing wax, loads of stamps, a long address written by a rusty nib, and a fat missive within.

Computers - Instead, use a Difference Engine or typewriters. My own preference is the Hansen Writing Ball or the Bar-Lock. Of course I added my own quantum element to the machine to create the Crown Phoenix.
Difference Engine
Lasers - I used pistols instead, but there are many weapons that are far more creative in steampunk novels out there. Rotating shooter cuffs, deadly assault hats, exploding corsets - why not?
Edwardian era pistol
Digital - Replaced with Analog, of course. Numbers rotate on dials instead of flickering on a screen. This requires some investigation into the physics and science behind clockworks, gears, and steam engines.
Electroshock therapy, Edwardian style. SWEET!
TaiKwando or Karate - (or any kind of fighting style) Replaced with Bartitsu, the Victorian counterpart used by Sherlock Holmes and still taught today. I love the movements and names of the various methods, such as "How to Assist a Gentleman Out of the Room." It includes a long study of how to use a cane as a weapon, I believe.

Planes or rockets - Of course airships are the travel method of choice. I would also include steam trains, steam ships, and my new favorite : bathyspheres.
Steampunk bathyspheres. I love these.
All of the above do, as I said, require research and some study. That can be very eye-opening and suggest entirely new plot points or, perhaps, other manuscripts.

Needful Things

I need to have several things in the house when I write:

1. A Fresh Pot of Tea, go figure.

2. Eclectic music. I like to listen to world cafe stuff, as well as classics.

3. Benedict Cumberbatch, in one form or another, as much as possible, please.

4. Books and more books, and while I'm at it may I just mention that I desperately need new bookshelves? Cause I'm in that phase where the volumes are double- and treble stacked. And I don't like it.

5. Pumpkin seeds - A seasonal phase, but a good one. Those things are delicious.

6. Fresh apples - Again, seasonal. Will be replaced by fresh oranges in the winter and peaches in the summer.

7. Comfy socks - I buy white ribbed ones from Target in brushed cotton. 

8, A workout - to keep the old ticker pumping.

9. A really good night's sleep - helped along with milk, calcium, and chamomile.
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10. Organic Lavender Spray - for my sheets, to also help along the sometimes elusive good night's sleep. 

There are other things I must have, like my husband's warm bulk next to me or my kid's sleepy head on my shoulder, but those are a given, a part of me, like a limb or a facial feature. All that other stuff I have to go and buy.

If you haven't entered my giveaway for a chance to win a Kindle Fire, steampunk jewelry, Amazon gift cards, and other swag, you may do so here.

Girlie Magazines

They used to come from Ireland - Jackies and Mandies, sent to us by our indefatigable grandfather from Sandycove. His gloriously crabbed writing addressed the envelope to my sister and me. He was also not above adding sly commentary on the magazines themselves. One particularly dreadful cover of David Essex, shown swimming with red-rimmed eyes, bore the words, "Old Nyuck."
Sweet shirt, and I just may have rocked this hairdo 
The Mandies were filled with stories of girls who had wonderful talents - they were dancers, singers, actors - and all of them lost their parents and had to go and live with dreadful stepparents who mistreated them shamefully. Or they had a way with animals that defied explanation. And there were the Valda series. Valda was a girl who was very mysterious. She needed light to refresh herself from time to time, and her heartbeat was very, very slow. 
All of the stories were told in beautifully drawn detail. Some of them were silly, but they held us in thrall.
Jackies were another breed altogether. The history of Jackie magazine is funny - it purported to be a cutting edge fashion mag for teens, and for a while it was the rage in the UK. It had posters in the center of every issue, of David Bowie and the Mael Brothers, of Gary Glitter and, yes, David Essex. There were gossip columns about the stars of Poldark and Doctor Who. The Amazing Valda!!!!!!
It also featured stories done as comics, but they were romance, of course. Some of them were humorous, and some were dolefully sad ("He Left Me for my Best Friend" etc etc)
Later, an editor for Jackie admitted that the magazine was developed and written in  a far corner of England, not on Fleet Street. The issues were mailed to London, to seem more cosmopolitan.  Stuff like this was always happening to Mandy. She was a crab magnet.
Alas, I suppose hiring artists to illustrate stories became too expensive. The comics were replaced by dreadful Photo Stories, featuring spotty youths which made the whole thing seem a bit ridiculous. Jackie died out soon after that.
My sister still has a huge pile of Mandy annuals that she has promised to lend to my daughter. I only hope she can the same enjoyment we derived from reading them every week.
If you didn't enter my huge giveaway yet, you can sign up for it here.

My Big Wonderful Blog Tour

Miriam, the heroine of the series. It feels like spring outside today, and how fitting that is. My Big Wonderful Blog Tour starts today, and it's kicking off at Book Vacations. (Four stars, yippee!)
Mana, the magic governess.
In order to celebrate the sparkly new release of my books, I am offering a giveaway of some cool stuff, if I do say so myself. You can win a Kindle Fire, big old Amazon gift cards, bling, signed books, and a bag full of swag. Entering is really easy, in the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the page.

My books are newly edited, with sparkly new covers by my dear friend Lisa Daly and maps (yay, maps!) designed by the very talented writer and cartographer, Ross Kitson. I do hope you will give the books a look, and of course you can always download a sample first from my author page, here.
Barbara, the beautiful villainess.
They are also available on Nook and Smashwords.


a Rafflecopter giveaway