Jules Jones's Blog, page 16
March 5, 2016
book log 2015: 13) Sarah Pinborough -- The Death House
13) Sarah Pinborough -- The Death House
This is my nominee for the 2015 novel Hugo.
Yes, I liked it that much. I bought this YA speculative fiction novel when I saw Gollancz tweet an opening day offer, because I'd greatly enjoyed one of Pinborough's tie-in novels and wanted to read more by her. I started reading it that day, and was bowled over. It is a stunning portrayal of life, love and growing up under the shadow of death; a bittersweet coming-of-age novel about children and teenagers who know they will never do so.
It's set in a near future very much like our present, save for one thing - there is an illness so terrible that all children are tested for the signs that they are carriers. If they test positive, they are taken to the Death House. There they will be cared for and given as normal a life as possible, right up until the time the sickness activates. It may be a few months, it may be years, but one thing is certain - they will die. And they will never be allowed to leave, or have contact with anyone other than each other and the staff assigned to care for them.
Toby has been in the House for long enough to have found ways to cope with the separation from his family and the knowledge of what awaits him, but the arrival of a new girl disrupts both the interactions between the Death House inmates, and Toby's coping mechanisms. Through his eyes we see the different ways the children deal with what their lives have become; all the emotions of a lifetime compressed into a few short years, with the teenagers like Toby finding themselves being surrogate parent figures for the younger children. There's a mystery plot as well; and the whole is a slow-burning build to a resolution where the older children decide exactly what is worth fighting for with their foreshortened lives.
Moving and beautifully written, this was one of the best things I read all year.
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Kobo
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/309305.html, where it has received
comments.
This is my nominee for the 2015 novel Hugo.
Yes, I liked it that much. I bought this YA speculative fiction novel when I saw Gollancz tweet an opening day offer, because I'd greatly enjoyed one of Pinborough's tie-in novels and wanted to read more by her. I started reading it that day, and was bowled over. It is a stunning portrayal of life, love and growing up under the shadow of death; a bittersweet coming-of-age novel about children and teenagers who know they will never do so.
It's set in a near future very much like our present, save for one thing - there is an illness so terrible that all children are tested for the signs that they are carriers. If they test positive, they are taken to the Death House. There they will be cared for and given as normal a life as possible, right up until the time the sickness activates. It may be a few months, it may be years, but one thing is certain - they will die. And they will never be allowed to leave, or have contact with anyone other than each other and the staff assigned to care for them.
Toby has been in the House for long enough to have found ways to cope with the separation from his family and the knowledge of what awaits him, but the arrival of a new girl disrupts both the interactions between the Death House inmates, and Toby's coping mechanisms. Through his eyes we see the different ways the children deal with what their lives have become; all the emotions of a lifetime compressed into a few short years, with the teenagers like Toby finding themselves being surrogate parent figures for the younger children. There's a mystery plot as well; and the whole is a slow-burning build to a resolution where the older children decide exactly what is worth fighting for with their foreshortened lives.
Moving and beautifully written, this was one of the best things I read all year.
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Kobo
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/309305.html, where it has received
comments.
February 27, 2016
Samhain Publishing is closing
Woke up this morning to the news that Samhain Publishing is closing its doors. Neatly and tidily, and will be open for some time to come - but anything not ready to go will be released back to the author, and as contracts expire they will not be renewed. If you would like to buy any of their books, it would be a good idea to make it sooner rather than later. But not today, because I've seen something on Twitter this morning about a 40% off sale on Monday for purchases direct from their website.
I never submitted to them, in large part because I was reluctant to submit to a start-up with a 7 year contract term until they'd demonstrated they could stick around long enough to justify that contract length, and by the time they'd done that I wasn't writing because my health had dropped off a cliff. They've had a couple of wobbles over the years (the metadata copyright thing comes to mind), but in general have treated their authors and staff well, and I had some material in the pipeline I wanted to submit to them. I'm not surprised they're doing the classy thing, and planning to wind down the company in a way that maximises everyone's income, and the chances of the authors getting their rights back intact.
I've already seen some comments from the "self-pub rules, trad-pub sucks" corner of the internet about how evil Samhain is for not just letting the authors go immediately and going into bankruptcy, so that the authors can self-pub. That's not the way US bankruptcy law works, kids. The bankruptcy court can go after any assets deemed to have been transferred prior to the bankruptcy to avoid being seized as part of the assets, and that includes the book contracts - they are, after all, the primary asset of a publisher. It doesn't matter if you have a parachute clause stating all the rights revert back to you on bankruptcy - those aren't worth the electrons they're written on. The court can and does quash asset transfers going back months before the actual bankruptcy.
Oh, and as KJ Charles noted in Twitter this morning, any publisher gloating over Samhain's demise is a publisher you do not want to touch with a bargepole. They're demonstrating how they'll treat *you*.
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/308526.html, where it has received
comments.
I never submitted to them, in large part because I was reluctant to submit to a start-up with a 7 year contract term until they'd demonstrated they could stick around long enough to justify that contract length, and by the time they'd done that I wasn't writing because my health had dropped off a cliff. They've had a couple of wobbles over the years (the metadata copyright thing comes to mind), but in general have treated their authors and staff well, and I had some material in the pipeline I wanted to submit to them. I'm not surprised they're doing the classy thing, and planning to wind down the company in a way that maximises everyone's income, and the chances of the authors getting their rights back intact.
I've already seen some comments from the "self-pub rules, trad-pub sucks" corner of the internet about how evil Samhain is for not just letting the authors go immediately and going into bankruptcy, so that the authors can self-pub. That's not the way US bankruptcy law works, kids. The bankruptcy court can go after any assets deemed to have been transferred prior to the bankruptcy to avoid being seized as part of the assets, and that includes the book contracts - they are, after all, the primary asset of a publisher. It doesn't matter if you have a parachute clause stating all the rights revert back to you on bankruptcy - those aren't worth the electrons they're written on. The court can and does quash asset transfers going back months before the actual bankruptcy.
Oh, and as KJ Charles noted in Twitter this morning, any publisher gloating over Samhain's demise is a publisher you do not want to touch with a bargepole. They're demonstrating how they'll treat *you*.
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/308526.html, where it has received
comments.
February 14, 2016
coupon for new edition of One Size Fits All
I put my short story One Size Fits All on Smashwords and Amazon with a placeholder cover I made myself just to get the thing off a webpage and into modern ebook file formats. That was... two years ago. I've finally done something about improving the cover, and while I was at it I reformatted the text and added some backmatter. Which means that it's coupon time. :-)I would much appreciate it if people would go along to SmashWords and download a copy in the file format of your choice, and report back any weirdnesses in the file (I've already seen one, I have no idea how to fix it, and I'm wondering if it will bother people). The book is priced at 99p, but coupon code NR46R gives a 100% discount, making it free at checkout. The coupon's valid for the next week.
While I'm at it - thoughts on the new cover? It's a cheap-n-cheerful job from a Fiverr artist, and looks it; but I hope it indicates that There Be Smut In These Here Parts.
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Valentine's Day rebate at All Romance eBooks
All Romance eBooks are having a 50% rebate day in honour of Valentine's Day. You have to pay full price, but you get the rebate back in the form of store credit to spend on your next purchase. Yes, that includes all of my titles available on the site. :-)
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Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/307981.html, where it has received
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Buildup: Mindscan going out of print, and sale today only
Heads-up: I'm not renewing the Loose Id contract for Buildup: Mindscan, so their edition will be removed from the Loose Id catalogue and third party resellers over the next month or two. I'll republish in a new edition at some point, but that won't be for several months at minimum. If you'd like to read my BDSM romance set in a dystopian future anytime soon and you don't already have a copy, go and get one now, direct from Loose Id, or from Amazon US, Amazon UK, All Romance eBooks, Google Play, iTunes, Kobo etc.
Note that today only there's a Valentine's Day 50% rebate at ARe for this and other books - it works in the form of a credit against future purchases.
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/307758.html, where it has received
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Note that today only there's a Valentine's Day 50% rebate at ARe for this and other books - it works in the form of a credit against future purchases.
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/307758.html, where it has received
comments.
January 13, 2016
meme
Going round my friends at the moment:
Rules: go to page 7 of your WIP, skip to the 7th line, share 7 sentences, and tag 7 more writers to continue the challenge.
You're supposed to tag another 7 writers. I don't do that part of memesheepage, being averse to that sort of chain letter emotional blackmail.
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Rules: go to page 7 of your WIP, skip to the 7th line, share 7 sentences, and tag 7 more writers to continue the challenge.
Nick, on the other hand, was now consciously aware of where that stray thought in the toilet had come from.
_Don't go there, Browne._
He was being entirely practical in his next question. "Are you living in?" Nothing to do with wondering which bedroom Ben might be using.
"Yes. It was by far the most practical option, as commuting certainly _wasn't_ a practical option."
You're supposed to tag another 7 writers. I don't do that part of memesheepage, being averse to that sort of chain letter emotional blackmail.
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/307136.html, where it has received
comments.
January 1, 2016
Happy New Year
Slightly later than most of my flist, since I was otherwise engaged with phone calls at midnight. :-) A safe and happy new year to you all, and my thoughts and love are with those of you who have not had a good week.
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/306525.html, where it has received
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Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/306525.html, where it has received
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December 31, 2015
book log 2015 - February
Yes, I am slow at my book log, which is why some of these have only brief comments...
7) Cecilia Tan -- The Siren and the Sword
Previously reviewed. I liked it a lot, enough to buy the series box set when it came out recently.
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon Canada
Kobo
8) Doranna Durgin - Barrenlands
Reviewed earlier this week. A short fantasy novel offering an enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/barrenlands/
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/barrenlands
9) Helena Newbury - Dance for Me
Natasha's a ballet student who uses dance as one of her ways of coping with her demons, not always successfully. Darrell's an engineering genius who designs weapon delivery systems as a way of coping with _his_ demons. Darrell's stuck on his latest design, and then finds inspiration in watching a ballerina dance - so much so that he hires Natasha to dance for him privately at his workshop. They fall for one another, but they're very damaged people and the road will be hard, even without someone deliberately trying to break the relationship up before it really gets started. Cue much angst before the happy ending. That happy ending acknowledges that True Love doesn't magically fix everything, and Natasha and Darrell have a long way to go before their demons are vanquished. That the characters recognise this make it much more believable that they really will make it work in the long run.
This wasn't a bad read, but it did need rather a lot of willing suspension of disbelief regarding a lone genius being allowed to work on a a secret defence contract in his garage. It also leans heavily on the Evil Brit trope for the plot's antagonist; which doubtless appeals to many not-British readers, but was merely irritating to me. I'm glad I read it and would happily read the next, but I'm not desperate to rush out and buy it.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
10) Mindy Klasky - Perfect Pitch (The Diamond Brides series Book 1)
Contemporary romance starting with a baseball star who is unwise enough to publicly sneer at the local beauty queen, only to find that a) this is bad PR with the team's supporters and his manager is not amused, b) the beauty queen is no dumb blonde, and she's not amused either. They soon realise there's more to both of them than meets the public eye, but they're also very much in the public eye, and Samantha's contest contract includes a morality clause...
A pleasant enough read. Currently on offer as a start-of-series freebie.
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/perfect-pitch/
Amazon US
Amazon UK
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/perfect-pitch-1
11) Margery Allingham - A Cargo of Eagles (audiobook)
Abridged audiobook of the last Campion novel, read by Phillip Franks. Enjoyable, and as usual with this series of Hachette abridged CD sets, can be enjoyed even if you aren't already familair with the novel.
Amazon UK
12) Ashley Gardner -- The Hanover Square Affair
First in a Regency-set mystery series. Excellent historical mystery, and on my list of series to pursue when I've made some headway on Mount TBR. Currently free as a series promo.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-hanover-square-affair
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/306189.html, where it has received
comments.
7) Cecilia Tan -- The Siren and the Sword
Previously reviewed. I liked it a lot, enough to buy the series box set when it came out recently.
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon Canada
Kobo
8) Doranna Durgin - Barrenlands
Reviewed earlier this week. A short fantasy novel offering an enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/barrenlands/
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/barrenlands
9) Helena Newbury - Dance for Me
Natasha's a ballet student who uses dance as one of her ways of coping with her demons, not always successfully. Darrell's an engineering genius who designs weapon delivery systems as a way of coping with _his_ demons. Darrell's stuck on his latest design, and then finds inspiration in watching a ballerina dance - so much so that he hires Natasha to dance for him privately at his workshop. They fall for one another, but they're very damaged people and the road will be hard, even without someone deliberately trying to break the relationship up before it really gets started. Cue much angst before the happy ending. That happy ending acknowledges that True Love doesn't magically fix everything, and Natasha and Darrell have a long way to go before their demons are vanquished. That the characters recognise this make it much more believable that they really will make it work in the long run.
This wasn't a bad read, but it did need rather a lot of willing suspension of disbelief regarding a lone genius being allowed to work on a a secret defence contract in his garage. It also leans heavily on the Evil Brit trope for the plot's antagonist; which doubtless appeals to many not-British readers, but was merely irritating to me. I'm glad I read it and would happily read the next, but I'm not desperate to rush out and buy it.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
10) Mindy Klasky - Perfect Pitch (The Diamond Brides series Book 1)
Contemporary romance starting with a baseball star who is unwise enough to publicly sneer at the local beauty queen, only to find that a) this is bad PR with the team's supporters and his manager is not amused, b) the beauty queen is no dumb blonde, and she's not amused either. They soon realise there's more to both of them than meets the public eye, but they're also very much in the public eye, and Samantha's contest contract includes a morality clause...
A pleasant enough read. Currently on offer as a start-of-series freebie.
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/perfect-pitch/
Amazon US
Amazon UK
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/perfect-pitch-1
11) Margery Allingham - A Cargo of Eagles (audiobook)
Abridged audiobook of the last Campion novel, read by Phillip Franks. Enjoyable, and as usual with this series of Hachette abridged CD sets, can be enjoyed even if you aren't already familair with the novel.
Amazon UK
12) Ashley Gardner -- The Hanover Square Affair
First in a Regency-set mystery series. Excellent historical mystery, and on my list of series to pursue when I've made some headway on Mount TBR. Currently free as a series promo.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-hanover-square-affair
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/306189.html, where it has received
comments.
Deals from Courtney Milan
BookBub alerted me to the fact that Courtney Milan has a 99c/99p deal on the first book in her Turner series, so I wandered over to Amazon to have a look, and found a number of other deals on her books. In particular, the Brothers Sinister series is in an enhanced box set for £6.50. This is the Victorian romance series I was raving about last year, because it features strong women characters, many of whom are scientists, without handwaving away the problems they would have faced. If you understand why I was Kermit-flailing when I read the dedication to Rosalind Franklin in one of the later books, you'll probably enjoy these. It's m/f, but there is an acknowledgement of m/m and f/f (and again, historically realistic about the need for secrecy, rather than pure fantasy), with one of the background romances for a secondary character in a later book being f/f. One of the side-story novellas is an interracial romance between an Irishman and a Black British woman. And alphole heroes are Not Welcome.
Book 1 in the Brothers Sinister series is currently free (it's isn't always, but Milan does regular introductory deals for her series).
Books 1 and 3 in the Turner series are currently 95p at Amazon UK, and the box set is around £4.70. Given how much I enjoyed the Brothers Sinister, I'm just going to go for the boxed set rather than trying the starter first.
Amazon UK:
The Brothers Sinister: The Complete Boxed Set
The Duchess War (The Brothers Sinister Book 1)
Unveiled (A Turner Series Book 1)
The Turner Series (An Enhanced Box Set)
author page
Author page at Amazon US:
Courtney Milan at Amazon US
Amazon Australia (hi, SallyMN :-)
http://www.amazon.com.au/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=courtney+milan
Author page at Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=Courtney%20Milan%20&ac=1&acp=courtney%20mil
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/306079.html, where it has received
comments.
Book 1 in the Brothers Sinister series is currently free (it's isn't always, but Milan does regular introductory deals for her series).
Books 1 and 3 in the Turner series are currently 95p at Amazon UK, and the box set is around £4.70. Given how much I enjoyed the Brothers Sinister, I'm just going to go for the boxed set rather than trying the starter first.
Amazon UK:
The Brothers Sinister: The Complete Boxed Set
The Duchess War (The Brothers Sinister Book 1)
Unveiled (A Turner Series Book 1)
The Turner Series (An Enhanced Box Set)
author page
Author page at Amazon US:
Courtney Milan at Amazon US
Amazon Australia (hi, SallyMN :-)
http://www.amazon.com.au/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=courtney+milan
Author page at Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=Courtney%20Milan%20&ac=1&acp=courtney%20mil
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/306079.html, where it has received
comments.
December 30, 2015
Book log 2015: 9) Helena Newbury - Dance for Me
Natasha's a ballet student who uses dance as one of her ways of coping with her demons, not always successfully. Darrell's an engineering genius who designs weapon delivery systems as a way of coping with _his_ demons. Darrell's stuck on his latest design, and then finds inspiration in watching a ballerina dance - so much so that he hires Natasha to dance for him privately at his workshop. They fall for one another, but they're very damaged people and the road will be hard, even without someone deliberately trying to break the relationship up before it really gets started. Cue much angst before the happy ending. That happy ending acknowledges that True Love doesn't magically fix everything, and Natasha and Darrell have a long way to go before their demons are vanquished. That the characters recognise this make it much more believable that they really will make it work in the long run.
This wasn't a bad read, but it did need rather a lot of willing suspension of disbelief regarding a lone genius being allowed to work on a a secret defence contract in his garage. It also leans heavily on the Evil Brit trope for the plot's antagonist; which doubtless appeals to many not-British readers, but was merely irritating to me. I'm glad I read it and would happily read the next, but I'm not desperate to rush out and buy it.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/305722.html, where it has received
comments.
This wasn't a bad read, but it did need rather a lot of willing suspension of disbelief regarding a lone genius being allowed to work on a a secret defence contract in his garage. It also leans heavily on the Evil Brit trope for the plot's antagonist; which doubtless appeals to many not-British readers, but was merely irritating to me. I'm glad I read it and would happily read the next, but I'm not desperate to rush out and buy it.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/305722.html, where it has received
comments.
