Jamie Thornton's Blog, page 8
October 14, 2013
Rhinoceros Summer is Published
Rhinoceros Summer is published! If you can’t wait to read it, buy Rhinoceros Summer in paperback or ebook on Amazon now. Worldwide release set for January 1st. In the meantime, enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a free trade paperback of Rhinoceros Summer. Giveaway ends November 1, 2013.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Rhinoceros Summer
by Jamie Thornton
Giveaway ends November 01, 2013.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
November 26, 2012
Need to Escape Work? Find a Portal.
You may have found a portal if…
It’s a wardrobe closet (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)
A many-eyed, flying orb knocks on your door (Wrinkle in Time)
You are at a Train Station (Harry Potter)
You’re sent a Golden Ticket in the mail (Charlie and the Chocolate factory)
You fall down a rabbit hole (Alice in Wonderland)
My definition for a portal: there is a “real” world to return to even if you don’t know how to get back.
These are some portal-stories that still stick with me longer after reading them. What are your favorite portal-stories?
November 18, 2012
The Magic Thought-bowl
Journaling helps me silence my inner editor and warms me up for other writing.
Like Dumbledore’s thought-sieve; he uses his wand to twirl out a thought from his head and capture it in a magic bowl for awhile.
November 14, 2012
Yolkswagen
Creativity flourishes during hard times.
November 11, 2012
October Sunrise in Auburn, CA
One of those cloud mornings that makes me glad to be alive and writing.
July 12, 2012
Wish-flowers published in The Quotable: Issue 6
The Quotable has published my short story, “Wish-flowers,” in their Issue 6: Time. You can read “Wish-flowers” for free online, or purchase a pdf or print version:
Go here to read Wish-flowers for free online
Go here to read all of The Quotable’s Issue 6: Time
Go here to purchase either a pdf or print copy of Issue 6: Time
July 2, 2012
The Quotable – Kill Your To Do List
The Quotable is publishing “Wish-flowers,” a short story of mine, later this summer. Check out this blog post I wrote for The Quotable about killing your writing To Do list. Because why write stories if writing is a chore?
June 10, 2012
Boxcar Blues
I took a road trip to Death Valley a few years ago. While exploring a few of the nearby ghost towns, I discovered this abandoned boxcar. HDR photography brought out the still brilliant blues and reds and hints of green and yellow, as well as the high desert landscape seen through the far opening.
How fantastic this boxcar must have looked freshly painted. I wonder what it was used for—a circus? A ladies dining car? A traveling snake oil salesman’s display car? Why is there an old mattress spring on the floor? Was this a sleeping car?
May 29, 2012
The Brief History of the Dead
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier is a lyrical, literary, speculative fiction story about the end of the world. As a deadly virus sweeps through the world, the dead are transferred to The City, an in-between place. The story alternates between happenings in The City and Laura Byrd’s struggle for survival on an Antartica expedition gone wrong.
It’s soon clear that Laura is the last surviving human being on Earth. While I figured out early on how the story was likely to end, this did not lessen my enjoyment. The writing is lyrical, the characters are thoughtfully and compassionately written, the story is fantastical, and the conclusion is satisfying.
The Brief History of the Dead left me with a lot of the good sort of questions about what happened and what it all means. This is not a fast, action-packed book that held me on the edge of my seat, but found the characters, the world(s) and the story compelling. If you are looking for a well-done, literary sf story, I recommend checking this one out. I loved it.
A Favorite Quote (there are many to choose from):
“The living carry us inside them like pearls. We survive only so long as they remember us.”
― Kevin Brockmeier, The Brief History of the Dead
