Isobel Blackthorn's Blog, page 28

Call to Juno (A Tale of Ancient Rome Book 3) by Elisabeth Storrs

I am delighted to share my review of Elisabeth Storr’s Call to Juno, the third book in the Tales of Ancient Rome saga, which includes The Wedding Shroud and The Golden Dice. I haven’t read the first two in this series.

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“Four unforgettable characters are tested during a war between Rome and Etruscan Veii.

Caecilia has long been torn between her birthplace of Rome and her adopted city of Veii. Yet faced with mounting danger to her husband, children, and Etruscan freedoms, will her call to destroy Rome succeed?

Pinna has clawed her way from prostitute to the concubine of the Roman general Camillus. Deeply in love, can she exert her own power to survive the threat of exposure by those who know her sordid past?

Semni, a servant, seeks forgiveness for a past betrayal. Will she redeem herself so she can marry the man she loves?

Marcus, a Roman tribune, is tormented by unrequited love for another soldier. Can he find strength to choose between his cousin Caecilia and his fidelity to Rome?

Who will overcome the treachery of mortals and gods?”

My Review

Call to Juno opens on a simple domestic scene, a mother watching over her squabbling children. A scene universal and timeless, yet one that is situated firmly in an Etruscan court. All the indicators are present, in the richly described and meticulously accurate details of the setting, the reader left in no doubt that she has been transported back to ancient Roman times. In this fashion the third in Storr’s series is staged, as Caecilia, a Roman treaty bride, helps her husband Vel Mastarna prepare for an important ceremony.

The reader is led through the details of the previous titles in the series with finesse. If at first the various characters are confusing, the story soon settles in and the drama plays out. The battle scenes are depicted in fine detail, themes of love, betrayal, fate and destiny deftly handled, and the characters carefully crafted and believable.

It is refreshing to read of Roman times from a distinctly feminine perspective, one that captures the intimacy of motherhood and domesticity as much as it does the political horrors of war.  Storrs maintains narrative control throughout, displaying that necessary skill of the historical fiction author, a deep empathy with the times she has chosen to set her work.

This is a story for those who enjoy their historical fiction rich with fine and accurate detail. Call to Juno is intensely visual, bringing ancient Rome to life, composed by an author who clearly knows her subject.

You can buy Call to Juno at Book Depository
And catch up with Elisabeth Storrs at her website – https://www.elisabethstorrs.com/
I would like to thank the author for my review copy
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Ancient Rome, Call to Juno, Elisabeth Storrs, Historical fiction

A small collection of poems

A friend told me recently I should write poetry. I found these poems tucked away in my files. Some are nearly twenty years old! I make no pretensions when it comes to being a poet, but I do like this little offering. I hope you do too.
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Dreams

 

In the silence of the night

I dream

Waking dreams

Of whirling

In time so still

A vortex of tense nothingness.  (1998)

 

Wounds

 

We all have our wounds, kind sir

The willows weep

branches billow in fractured sunlight

My mother’s curse

 

Mary in yonder days

Scant eyes upon the widow’s peak

In the icicle cold ways of youth.  (May 1998)

Night

 

Eyes wide as shadows dance

Tantalising is the darkness

Enticing is the unbroken silence

Desirable the sweet chill of fear.

 

Distance Learning

 

He promised her biscuits and a TV

What was wrong with that?

She can watch the fighting at a distance

And feel apart from it

 

Friday saw another explosion

A few more thousand dead

It doesn’t touch her

Lying in her bed

 

Can’t she build a bomb inside the TV and blast it all away?

When heaven meant to call on him tomorrow

And sent him there today

 

She meant to tell him another story

But it got told by him instead

Jason’s burning up

Inside his big head

 

She thought love lived inside a freezer

Mary said she knew

Not much got done about her poor heart

Destiny blue her hue.

 

On spirituality

 

Make the journey safe

Sacrifice, your soul

Invent one crucial space

To murder moulded hands

In heavenly shroud

 

Mellow moods of knowing

Sparks and subtle glows

Never late to fabricate

Bugs in beds horror

 

Sharpen perceiving eyes

Looking both ways

Lover love reflection

Light look undercover

See trembling lies

 

Fellow mover over mountains

Finger to figure form

True to be a fated truth

Open petals fragrant

In thankful promise

 

in these things we treasure most

Resting beneath my breath

Cascades deep, river fresh.   (2003)

 

Trauma

 

Ankle deep in shattered hopes

Their shards dig deep wounds

Leave big holes

Where love should be

A barrier, a shield

 

Blame the dreams

That served to shelter

A tattered heart

That led to waking

To find the nightmare real. (July 2000)

 

 

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: dreams, poetry, Spirituality, trauma

Charles La Trobe and my visit to the State Library of Victoria

It’s funny, the places a writing project will take you, especially when the project is historical fiction. Last week I visited the State Library of Victoria. I wanted to view the building, explore the library and talk with librarians. I didn’t allow sufficient time. I needed a whole day.

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To start my little tour, I went to stand by the statue of Victoria’s first governor. Charles La Trobe is a member of the aristocratic La Trobe-Bateman family. He and his cousin, book illuminator and garden designer Edward La Trobe, both came to Australia in the 1800s, while the rest of the family remained in Britain. It was Charles La Trobe’s idea to have a public library built in Victoria. His statue depicts him in glorious fashion, the sculptor obviously wanting to appeal to the governor’s vanity. Other artists have been less kind, as can be seen on the front cover of his newly published biography, La Trobe: traveller, writer, governor,  composed by John Barnes, Professor of English at La Trobe University.

 

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From my vantage beside the statue I took in the library in all its grandeur. It’s impossible not to be impressed with the building, designed by Joseph Reed in Roman Revival style. It was officially opened in 1856, although not in its current form. The building is constructed from Tasmanian freestone, replete with rounded arched windows, and Ionic fluted columns on the portico. I admired the checkerboard tiled floor, which seemed to mirror the chess games being played, large scale, out on the grounds.

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Inside, the library was filled with readers. Most had their heads bent over a book. The cavernous room absorbed much of the sound but the room lacked the hushed quality I was looking for. I headed straight on through to admire the Redmond Barry Reading Room, a later addition to the original building. There too, every desk was occupied, but readers were more subdued and the magnificence and architectural uniformity of the mezzanine, and the glass-covered atrium, seemed to quieten the spirits. Here was not a room to rush around in, and my own footsteps on the polished wooden floor seemed overly loud!

 

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I went next to the La Trobe Reading Room, my final destination, and where I sat for quite a while. The room felt higher than it was wide. Octagonal in shape, all the desks radiate from a central podium like spokes of a wheel. There were far fewer people about. I wondered if that had anything to do with the more austere atmosphere and less comfortable seats.  My photos, taken on my phone with the permission of security, scarcely do the room justice. I took strange angles as I was after images I could later use for descriptive purposes. Besides, I am not a photographer.

I didn’t want to take photos. It felt wrong. Instead, I wanted to go up and explore the books on the balconies. I wanted to run about, my head appearing in all those arches. I wanted access to all the parts of the building closed off, sometimes padlocked as if to stress the point.

I reigned in my urges and went back to the information desk in the first room. There I introduced myself to the librarians. What a fine complement of staff the library has! I made some inquiries and was given vital information for my book. Now I have more questions. I might do a guided tour and see if that gives me access to some secret places. Whatever the case, I shall return.

You can visit their website to find out more. https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about-us/history-and-vision

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Charles La Trobe, Historical fiction, John Barnes, La Trobe biography, Librarians, Libraries, State Library of Victoria

Mayan Mendacity by L.J.M. Owen

[image error]Dr Elizabeth Pimms has a new puzzle.

What is the story behind the tiny skeletons discovered on a Guatemalan island? And how do they relate to an ancient Mayan queen?

The bones, along with other remains, are a gift for Elizabeth. But soon the giver reveals his true nature. An enraged colleague then questions Elizabeth’s family history. Elizabeth seeks DNA evidence to put all skeletons to rest.

A pregnant enemy, a crystal skull, a New York foodie, and an intruder in Elizabeth’s phrenic library variously aid or interrupt Elizabeth’s attempts to solve mysteries both ancient and personal.

 

 

 

My Review (written for Sisters in Crime)

Set in Canberra, and in the Mayan empire in what is now Guatemala, Mayan Mendacity is the second in L.J.M. Owen’s Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth series. It is a challenge setting up the next book in a series and Owen has done so with finesse. The narration is light, buoyant, playful at times, yet ever observant, the result, a most satisfying read.

The main plot is driven by protagonist Dr Elizabeth Pimm’s new volunteer project, given her by the exacting Dr Marsh. She must assess an archeological find, the remains of a cesnote in Guatemala, meeting a series of crushing deadlines. Elizabeth’s pursuit of answers to the mysteries of the find is continuously thwarted as a number of complications beset her. Obstacles and challenges come from all directions, enough to make the weak among us buckle, but not Dr Pimms.

Owen has created a convincingly flawed and utterly lovable protagonist. She’s determined, dedicated, thorough and loyal. She sallies forth with gung ho exuberance, never down for long, no matter what befalls her. Elizabeth’s attitude is probably best summed up when she confronts another disaster and asks herself, ‘What fresh new hell was this?’

Dr Pimms is supported by a cast of characters, all rounded out and believable. The reader is introduced to each in turn as the story unfolds and a secondary plot emerges, one that is deeply personal. Indeed, it is Dr Pimms’ own history that thwarts her investigation, yet ultimately leads her to mature and open her heart.

The story is thoroughly researched; the author clearly knows her themes and her setting. Technical details are provided in an engaging, easy to follow manner. This is especially evident when Owen opens a window on the fascinating world of the Mayan empire, making use of a parallel narrative to take the reader back to the time of Dr Pimms’ find.

Elizabeth’s phrenic library is an interesting addition to the narrative, a fascinating invention, one that creates a curious occult dimension to Owen’s series. This phrenic library is a personal and mundane version of the Akashic records, a metaphysical compendium of all that has ever occurred in human history, stored on the inner planes, according to Theosophical belief. As a device, Elizabeth’s inner library works well, granting her plausible, if esoteric, access to knowledge she would otherwise be hard pressed to gain.

In all, I found Mayan Mendacity difficult to put down. Owen has provided her readers with an entertaining story that also informs, without allowing exposition to put a brake on the narrative. Pulling off a story laden with this much technical detail and maintaining a fast pace is quite a feat.

With thanks to Sisters in Crime for my review copy
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: #AWW, Book review, cosy mystery, crime fiction, L.J.M. Owen, Mayan Mendacity, Sisters in Crime

Special announcement – Mawson bear reads The Drago Tree!

“Mawson: Lanzarote sounds like a magical place, Captain Angus.

Captain Angus: It’s real, Mawson. Look, pirates went there.”

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I am truly honoured that Mawson bear has picked up a copy of The Drago Tree, and he seems to be enjoying it too! Never underestimate the intelligence of a bear! Here’s what he has to say about my book:

“For readers who love layered levels of feeling and thought expressed in fine language, this is your novel.”

Aw, what a kind and thoughtful bear! You can read all of Mawson’s review here on Goodreads

Mawson is so bright, he even manages his own website. It is filled with his ponderings – https://baffledbearbooks.com/home/mawsonbowtie5-for-b3/

Thank you Mawson, for your kinds words. You have made my day.

Both The Drago Tree and Mawson’s book, It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In are available at all good booksellers.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Mawson, The Drago Tree

My 1980s Lanzarote journey in pictures

When I left Lanzarote in 1990, I didn’t take my possessions with me. I had every intention of going back. Heaven only knows what happened to all my books, records, photos, mementoes and my clothes! Here is a photo diary of that time.

It all started in 1988, in a basement flat in Exeter. I was Yvonne Rodgers back then. I was 26, studying for my degree, and very much into a hedonistic lifestyle.

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In January of that year, I went on holiday with my then partner, Dave, who took this photo. I call it my Marilyn Monroe shot.

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While we were there, we both fell in love with this ruin. It’s between 200-300 years old and is situated in Haría, in the island’s north.

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We bought it and turned it into this.

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It was my idyll, but I didn’t live there long. Just long enough to paint it white, in fact. I moved out and found myself the neighbour of this man.

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We’re a bit out of it, on account of the cake I made for his birthday. He’s Domingo Diaz Barrios, an indigenous artist. We became firm friends. He was living in his grandmother’s farmhouse, tucked behind César Manrique’s residence. It didn’t have running water, and the rooms were dark and small.

The place I was living in was a building site, and it wasn’t long before I moved on. Or rather, I was swept off my feet, scooped up and deposited in a fine old house in the same village, owned by the most charismatic man there ever was, the notorious adventurer, Miguel Medina Rodriguez. This is the interior courtyard of his house. Miguel was proud of his plants. Those stairs lead to an upstairs room. In it was a four poster bed, a rocking chair, and a casement window looking out over the village. Towards the end of my stay, I spent three months shut away in that room. Long story.

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We used to eat at this woman’s house. Her name was Inez. So her home eatery was known as ‘Casa Inez.’ Her food was delicious.

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Because Miguel’s father was a tailor, there was a room in the house devoted to making clothes, with a huge table in its centre. It was in there that I created the pants in the photo above. I hand painted the fabric using sponges and rollers and stencils Domingo made for me. I then sewed the clothes, mostly by hand. I sold my clothes at the market in Teguise. I also made these,

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and these.

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I had myself a little piece of paradise. I was living in the house rent free. But it was all so bohemian and really rather dangerous. So I left…

I went back in 2016. Miguel’s house in Calle Cruz de Ferrer is currently shut up and uninhabited. Domingo moved out of his grandmother’s farmhouse, buying another house in the same street, where he has a studio and a small shop selling his wares. The ruin can be rented as holiday accommodation.

I keep writing books about the island, because somehow I am still bonded to the place. Maybe my things are still in Miguel’s house. It wouldn’t surprise me. Maybe one day I’ll find out. I’m planning another trip, in March 2019. It feels like an awfully long time to wait. Meanwhile…

The Drago Tree will be released in Spanish this September. Its sequel, La Mareta, comes out in April 2018. 
You can buy my books anywhere on line. Here’s a Book Depository link.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 1980s, Calle Cruz de Ferrer, Canary Islands, Cesar Manrique, Domingo Diaz Barrios, Haria, Lanzarote, Lovesick, The Drago Tree, Travel fiction

Booklovers Festival at Mill Park Library

I’m delighted to be participating in the Booklovers Festival at Mill Park Library on this Saturday 22nd July, 2017, from 11 -3.

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All participating authors will be introducing themselves and their work, and, of course, selling their books. I’ll be sharing a table with some fine authors from Odyssey Books. Come along and meet Elizabeth Jane Corbett, whose debut novel, The Tides Between, is coming out in October and is high on my reading list; Rachel Nightingale, whose debut novel, Harlequin’s Riddle, is currently a 1# bestseller on Amazon; and Laura E. Goodin whose action and adventure novel, Mud and Glass, is receiving stunning reviews and word has it, has been flying out the door!

If you live in Melbourne, I hope to see you there.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Booklovers, Debut Day, Elizabeth Jane Corbett, Laura E Goodin, Mill Park Library, Odyssey Books, Rachel Nightingale

The Cabin Sessions signed to HellBound Books!

As a novelist it doesn’t do to have favourites. Any more than a mother confesses her favourite child. I treasure each one of my literary babies. If I don’t, who will? After all, I gave birth to them, I did all the hard labour. And each book is special in its own way. Even that dark one with the brooding eyes, standing in the corner where the sun never shines.

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I wrote The Cabin Sessions in 2015. The story possessed me, haunted me, disturbed me. I could scarcely believe the words appearing on the page. It also made me laugh. It’s as much psychological thriller as horror and will appeal to readers of both genres. Think Deliverance meets Twin Peaks.

HellBound Books  will be releasing The Cabin Sessions in December. My disturbed child will be immortalised between the covers, and I know this will make her and me very satisfied. “The Cabin Sessions – Are you ready to be entertained?”

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: debut horror, HellBound Books, horror, psychological thriller, The Cabin Sessions

Asylum book launch review!

Celebrating the two year anniversary of my debut novel! Asylum, with its searing critique of Australian refugee policy, its bitter irony, reads like historical fiction. I wrote it in 2013 and things for asylum seekers are much much worse today. I wrote the novel to help raise awareness. I decided there weren’t enough stories out there tackling this issue. That is still the case today. Asylum is semi-autobiographical too. I was a British-born visa overstayer back in 1990 and I had to jump through a lot of hoops to stay here. The only reason I was not deported – I did get a deportation order. I was 6 months pregnant with twins at the time – was because I got married.

Read more about Asylum here.

Grab a copy from Amazon and all good online booksellers.

ISOBEL BLACKTHORN

I’m reposting this fabulous review featured in the July 2015 edition of The Triangle community newspaper.

“Saturday, 20 June saw a wonderful gathering at the Well Thumbed Bookshop, Cobargo NSW, for the launch of Isobel Blackthorn’s latest book, Asylum. Starting the proceedings, Dr Heather O’Connor talked about our most wonderful and recently departed local, Neilma Ganter, found of Four Winds, Mumbulla Foundation and hundreds of other local organisations, who had learned from her father that money was meant to be spent on community, establishing a path of philanthropy in his family.

Dr Rosemary Beaumont then talked about the duality of meaning for the word asylum: a sanctuary, and a prison for the unwanted, along with the fact that 90% of Australians have come from migrant families, from poverty, or have come here to escape unbearable political situations. The movement of people has increased substantially, making the issue of refugees a worldwide issue.

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Filed under: Uncategorized

Today I’m Incredibly Excited To Be Interviewing Isobel Blackthorn Author of The Drago Tree.

Many thanks for the Q&A, Katie!

Source: Today I’m Incredibly Excited To Be Interviewing Isobel Blackthorn Author of The Drago Tree.

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