Alexandra Wolfe's Blog, page 37

Lethal Affairs

DETAILS

Title: LETHAL AFFAIRS

Author: Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou

Publisher: Bold Strokes Books

ISBN: 1-60282-022-8

Genre: Lesbian Fiction | Thriller

BACKCOVER BLURB

Elite operative Domino is no stranger to peril and impossible situations. Trained all her life to be just as comfortable fighting terrorists as mixing with the gala crowd, she is proficient at playing any role necessary to accomplish her objective and believes the cause sanctifies the means. But her latest assignment to investigate journalist Hayley Ward will test more than her skills, ingenuity and courage, because this time she faces the ultimate dilemma: a choice between loyalty and love.

WHAT I THOUGHT

To quote off the back cover: “Love is never more lethal!” is a fun way to sum up this fast-paced, action-packed thriller and first outing for newcomer, Xenia Alexiou, writing with her seasoned partner, Kim Baldwin. Who, if you read a great deal of lesbian fiction, has several action-packed novels already under her belt.

Lethal Affairs is an excellent first outing for this pair of long-distance writers, collaborating on a new series that looks like it will offer up a great deal of fun, fast reads.

This one isn’t without its flaws, no first book ever is, but minor, and I stress, minor plot holes and considerations aside, Lethal Affairs holds up well, so well I read it twice within a matter of weeks. Something I don’t do often. What keeps this one together is the deft writing well grounded in a sense of reality, the fully fleshed out corpulent characters (even the minor characters) including their personal foibles and weaknesses. And a story that (for the most part) hauls you along at such a well-constructed pace, that you just have to turn the page over and read the next chapter.

My only quibble, and it’s a personal one, was that I would have liked a bit more depth to both the love-interest, Hayley Ward, and the antagonist of the piece, Senator Terrence Burrows. Other than that, I think Kim and Xenia did a fantastic job of pulling all the strands together, and giving us, the reader, a thoroughly credible thriller, laced with enough innuendo and romance to heat up all the action.

Over all, this one is up there with the best of them.

Immaculate Connection

DETAILS

Title: IMMACULATE CONNECTION

Author: Michelle Sawyer

Publisher: Alsyon Books, 2007

ISBN: 1593500203

Genre: Lesbian Fiction | Romantic Comedy

BACKCOVER BLURB

Readers asked for it, and now Macy Delongchamp, our favourite Manhattan lipstick lesbian, returns for another wild, wicked adventure, only to discover that commitment to your one true love isn’t a walk off into the sunset. Mayhem ensues as high-strung Macy is faced with parenthood, sobriety, and life as a California girl!

WHAT I THOUGHT

Immaculate Connection, from Michelle Sawyer, is the follow up to the Lambda Literary Award-nominated, and oh so drolly-written, They Say She Tastes Like Honey, the novel that introduced us to the irrepressible lipstick-lesbian, Macy (Marcella) Delongchamp.

Drug addict, self-confessed sex-addict and habitual alcoholic, Macy has seen the light all in the name of love, and now trends a tenuous path toward both sobriety and abstinence in order to please her new wife, Faith. But Macy is, well, Macy, wonderfully flawed, and all too human. She’s vain, funny, crude, droll, irritating, tragic, witty, and just the sort of character you root for despite all her failings and root for because of all her failings.

Let’s face it, Michelle Sawyer has written this character so well you are left feeling you know her, or have a friend who knows someone living in New York, who actually knows Macy. For me, Sawyer has nailed Macy so well that I breezed through Immaculate Connection in one head shaking, laughter filled sitting. You can’t help but laugh, you can’t help but roll your eyes, and more, you cannot help but sympathize with Sawyer’s Macy and her polyester descent into Hell.

This novel isn’t without it’s flaws, the uneven tempo for one, and visitations of dead step-mother, Vi (who, btw, is a great character) but it’s important to remember Macy is not only working hard at sobriety, leaving off the drugs, and suffering withdrawal in the worse way possible. She’s also hit the change; one that adds extra strain to every facts of Macy’s life so that you know it’s just a matter of time before Macy goes off the rails. And she does, big time!

Despite what others have written about Sawyer’s novel, and Macy in particular, denigrating this as a ho-hum outing I think they missed the point: Macy is in serious trouble, loosing her mind, and paranoid about loosing the two things in her life that make life, well, worth living: Faith and her son, Banky.

Personally, I think Sawyer kept true to her character, vulgarity and all, and in doing so bucks convention, and brings us a very satisfying read with an ending that is, well, just typically Macy!

Blinded By The Light

DETAILS

Title: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

Author: Morgan Hunt

Publisher: Alyson Books, Aug 2008

ISBN: 1593500858

Genre: Lesbian Fiction | Murder-Mystery

BACKCOVER BLURB

“When Tess’ work takes her to Albuquerque for a temp assignment, she decides to visit the Lightning Field, an earthworks art piece constructed of 400 lightning rods arranged in an intriguing way out in the New Mexican desert. The remote locale is disrupted when a fellow visitor is apparently killed by lightning. Tess knows it was no accident, and how she solves this crime is quite a shocker!”

WHAT I THOUGHT

One of the most important things I’ve taken away from reading Morgan Hunt’s Tess Camillo trilogy of books is, do not take anything for granted. Nothing, as everything can often be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don’t waste it. You may never get another chance. That’s just how Hunt’s eloquently, light-hearted, wryly and deftly written prose gets you.

Morgan Hunt dearly loves words as I love words, and it shows in every wonderfully crafted sentence she writes. Not only does Hunt know how to wrangle them, but use them to good effect. From her opening paragraph to her parting shot at the end of each chapter, she has you thumbing pages at such a rate with her droll, snarky humour and social commentary that you are, yes, almost blinded by her wit.

In this, her third outing, amateur sleuth, Tess Camillo is once again in the thick of murder. This time we are out in the deserts of New Mexico at a place called the Lightning Field. An experimental artwork where one of the guests is found dead, supposedly by a lightning strike from the previous night’s storm, but like Tess, we know different. And, not to give away too much and spoil the read, you just know that Hunt will have Tess come at this suspicious death in her own unusual way, to solve a murder. Which, as always, is done with a great deal of light-hearted humour and with the observational wit a great many of us have come to love.

The other pleasant thing about Hunt’s work is, that you don’t have to have read book one (or even, book two) to enjoy and appreciate this third novel featuring Tess. Hunt fleshes out her characters with plenty of foibles and flaws, gives just the right amount of background to bring you up to speed, and then pulls you along with a clever blend of action and romance, giving the reader a fun ride.

I love Tess; I love her almost as much as I love her author, Morgan Hunt. Both are emotional, intelligent, and yes, flawed women who have a great deal in common, both have survived breast-cancer.

Go have a read, and you too might thoroughly enjoy Hunt’s devilish wit.

They Say She Tastes Like Honey

DETAILS

Title: THEY SAY SHE TASTES LIKE HONEY

Author: Michelle Sawyer

Publisher: Alyson Books, 200316

ISBN: 1-55583-811-1

Genre: Lesbian Fiction | Romantic Comedy

BACKCOVER BLURB

Ohio was hardly ready for its prized Piqua Peach Queen to come bopping out of the closet, so in her early 20s Macy Delongchamp moved to Greenwich Village and started her own successful travel agency. But Macy is now in her early 40s (or late 30s, depending on whom she’s talking to) and finds herself adrift in her own seemingly charmed life. First, there are the nightmares, then the nagging cough, and finally, after yet another night of tequila swigging, she trips down a flight of stairs and finds herself hobbling the streets of Manhattan.

In bawdy, hilarious style we follow Macy through one self-induced misadventure after another on her path to realizing that she has been running from herself and home has always been waiting.

WHAT I THOUGHT

This has to be one of the funniest books I’ve read in years. I read it almost in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. I also nearly ended up in hospital laughing so hard I had a coughing fit that had me bent over and cracking my head open on the solid wood coffee table. Yep, better believe it. It was, however, worth the headache.

The dry, off-the-wall humour is spot on, as are the host of eccentric characters, especially the wise-cracking Macy Delongchamp. Having spent several years living and working in New York, I’m convinced I met Macy during the 80s—oh, no, wait, I did. Gaby, was Macy modelled on you?

I recommend this book for someone looking for a great romp and an afternoon’s escape. Go on, you know you want to break a leg.

Storytelling

Or, learning the subtle and not so subtle art of telling stories.

I am trying to perfect my skill with each and every story I write, but one thing I have learnt over the years is, this is an ongoing process. One that will continue till they hammer the last nail into my coffin with me still yelling, “but I’m not finished editing!”

No matter how many books I’ve written over the years (about 26 and counting) the process is—at its heart—basically the same, you just have to sit down and write. How it gets finished though is another matter. It’s an ongoing process of writing, editing, cutting, tweaking, editing again, then writing some more till (a) you either fall off your chair, (b) your fingers bleed, or (c) your brain explodes … or you arrive at the point where you know, to go on, is suicide.

At this point your story is as finished as it’s going to be—it’s time to hand your manuscript over to your editor (or beta reader) in the hopes that they will spot all your mistakes. And then? It is on to round 2.

In there, somewhere, you hope you’ve managed to craft a story, create three dimensional characters who readers will identify with, over coming tough situations, in a manner that transforms them, and maybe, along the way, the reader as well … and maybe, you get it right and then? You know you are on the road to becoming a credible storyteller.

Welcome to the road and seeing where it goes next!

FictionMe eZine

I’ve edited and polished to the point where I am as happy as I can be without tarnishing the shine. So now I’m releasing my short story anthology, the FictionMe eZine, out into the reading public with the hope that not only will you enjoy the free read, but be kind in your comments. If you do spot an error, mistake or typo (and yes, they do happen even after extensive edits) they are my fault and not that of my Beta Readers, who have helped in putting this issue together. My sincere thanks go to them for all their diligent comments and observations. Your nitpicking was heroic.

Now, go download yourself a free copy of the FictionMe eZine!

Serial Commas

And here is why you should care about the serial or Oxford comma. The New Yorker’s resident punctuation expert explains:

Comma Queen: The Strippers, J.F.K. and Stalin—or, the Importan…Our resident punctuation expert explains why you should care about the Oxford comma. Watch: http://nyer.cm/2GE6FrV

Posted by The New Yorker on Wednesday, 3 February 2016

Going Aberrant

My great friend UK-based artist, Martyn Rotherham, with the fab Birmingham-based Geeky Comics have launched a Kickstarter campaign for Martyn’s twisted horror comic, ABERRANT #1.

Check it out now!

On Defining Genre

A Guest Post by comic-book writer and SF author, Mark J. Howard

THIS WOULD SEEM TO BE A THORNY SUBJECT. I think that, historically, when one attempts to begin categorizing fiction one finds oneself on a rather slippery and treacherous slope. I would say it is best to keep it simple and so suggest the following three basic categories.

1. SCIENCE FICTION

Stories set in our reality, one very similar to it or a possible future. If your protagonist is a clone, an alien or a hologram then you’re writing science fiction. Science fiction deals with rational possibilities; things that can be built or achieved through science and/or engineering of some sort with at least a tenuous basis in real life. You can have as many elves, orcs, unicorns, dragons, werewolves and mermaids as you want in science fiction, so long as they’re artificially created or naturally occurring aliens.

The best science fiction writers are the ones who take a keen interest in the scientific achievements and advances, of the day, and use this as a springboard for speculation as to how a particular advance or discovery might develop in the future and how it might affect society or even a single protagonist. 

Examples of Science Fiction:

2001: A Space Odyssey. Independence Day. I, Robot. Twelve Monkeys. Star Trek. Terminator. Alien. The Abyss.

2. FANTASY

Stories set in realities different and separate from our own. If your protagonist is a naturally occurring sentient animal, can do magic or commune with the gods, then you’re writing fantasy. Fantasy deals with irrational possibilities; things that can be built or achieved through magical or unbelievable means with no basis in reality. You can have as many robots, clones, computers, starships and alien planets as you want in fantasy, so long as they have little or no basis in reality.

Writing fantasy gives a lot more scope than writing science fiction, because you don’t have to go into physics or chemistry to power a spacecraft or destroy a city, you can just use a magic crystal or a cursed feather.

The best fantasy writers take a keen interest in the pantheons, mythologies and folk tales of the world and imagine the impact things like magic, gods and monsters would have on the world if they were real. A fantasy world is a world apart from our own world where normal physical rules need not apply.

Examples of Fantasy:

The Lord of the Rings. Star Wars. Conan the Barbarian. Excalibur. Fatherland. Sin City. Watchmen. Stardust. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

3. SUPERNATURAL

Stories set in the real world but with fantastical elements. If your protagonist is a psychic manifestation, a ghost or a demon, then you’re writing supernatural. Supernatural stories can also be true stories, or at least one interpretation of a true story.

Supernatural stories are about the natural world and the unexplained or folkloric elements within it such as ghosts, spirits, demons, angels or vampires. If you put an angel in Middle Earth, you’re writing fantasy; if you put your angel in a tomb on Mars to be discovered by a Martian rover, you’re writing science fiction; if you put your angel in an actual Central London sewer, you’re writing supernatural.

Examples of Supernatural Stories:

The Exorcist. Dracula. The Blair Witch Project. The Sixth Sense. Ghostbusters. Angel Heart. The Omen. A Christmas Carol. Interview with the Vampire. The X Files.

4. HOWEVER!

These three basic categories, in my humble, are all we need. Things are, however, not quite so straightforward. For example, where would one place a movie such as Spider-Man? It’s set in a real city and based on science, isn’t it? So, it’s science fiction, right? Well, yes and no. The science it’s based on, that Peter Parker’s being is altered due to the bite of a genetically enhanced spider, is pseudo-science at best.

The New York of the movies isn’t quite the same as our New York and contains many pseudo-scientific wonders (mechanical arms, fusion generators, flying sleds and incredible weaponry to name but a few). I would, therefore, class Spider-Man as fantasy, although some might call it science-fantasy.

Films like Constantine and Day Watch likewise might confuse – are they supernatural or fantasy? I would lean towards fantasy in these two cases simply through the scope of the stories and their impact on what is portrayed as the ‘real world’ in them and also because these stories are told from within, as it were.

Constantine, as do the protagonists in Day Watch, inhabits a fantasy world supposedly hidden within the real world and, although many of their obstacles are traditional supernatural ones, the impact of their adventures on the Real World are widespread.

Supernatural stories tend only to affect a handful of people and a few specific locations, so my inclusion of Ghostbusters in the Supernatural Story examples is probably incorrect. Ghostbusters too should probably be under Fantasy. Stories submitted to us should fall under one of the above main headings. If you’re not sure what type of story you’ve written, then submit it as Fantasy.

5. BUT I’VE WRITTEN A HORROR STORY?

Well, bully for you. Horror, as far as I am concerned, is a sub-genre. For example, Alien could be described as a horror story. In this case, I would submit Alien as a Science Fiction story with the sub-heading of Horror. Let’s take Alien, for argument’s sake, and look at how I would submit that story to the website (if only I’d thought of it to begin with! *sigh*).

Title: Alien

Genre: Science Fiction (Horror)

Synopsis: The crew of a commercial spacecraft detect an unknown transmission and are contractually obligated to investigate. What they find is a savage and unstoppable alien creature that none of them is prepared for and, one by one, the crewmembers are slaughtered. Cut off and alone, the crew of the Nostromo find themselves in a primeval struggle for survival with no hope of rescue. In space, no one can hear you scream.

Or something similar. Similarly, you may have written a love story, an adventure story, a comedy or a tragedy but, depending on the main genre, any of these is simply a sub-genre in this case. For example; I, Robot is a Science Fiction (Adventure); Stardust is Fantasy (Love) and so on. The most important thing to convey in submitting your work is which of the basic three genres it falls under; Science Fiction, Fantasy or Supernatural.

6. RULES, SCHMULES! WHO CARES?

Of course, everything I’ve written above is pure guff. The fact is that most people have at least a vague idea of what it is they’re writing, and to be honest it’s not something you should think about until your work is ready for submission.

These genre distinctions are mainly for our benefit and for the benefit of our readers, so that they can better locate the genre of stories that interests them. You might think that the above three genres limit our scope, and to some extent this is true. These three genres embody the main areas of fiction that we are interested in, the type of fiction that is about the eerie and uncanny, the fantastic or the impossible, the speculative or outrageous. This is, I’m sure you’ll agree, a pretty big area.

If you’ve written a Victorian romance about a lamplighter’s daughter falling in love with the Duke of Manchester, then your story probably isn’t for us, but if you’ve written a Victorian romance about a lamplighter’s daughter falling in love with the Duke of Hell, you’d better email it to us immediately.

7. BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY

We all like stories, that’s why we’re here, but maybe you’ve written a story that you don’t know how to classify properly but are pretty sure is our kind of thing. As I said earlier, if you’re not sure then bung it in under Fantasy.

James Bond, Indiana Jones, Jason Bourne, Mission: Impossible, Magnolia, Vanilla Sky and Donnie Darko are all fantasies, and I’m sure you can think of many more.

So, that’s about it for genres for now. I’m sure there are people out there who will disagree with me. If so, write in and let me know what you think or, better still, write us a story…

© Mark J. Howard

EDITORIAL NOTE:

Mark, as a huge SF film buff, realizes this is a web site squarely centred around the written word and spec-fiction. So he apologizes for using movies as his examples rather than books. But when he wrote this article he was, as he tells me, sat facing his rather large DVD collection, not his bookcases.

GUEST AUTHOR BIO:

British-born author Mark J. Howard’s first novel, Tempting Fate, is just the sort of thing you expect Robert Rankin to have written while smoking something mind-altering. Mark is also becoming well known for his comic work, writing for such established titles as Judge Dread and AD 2000.

Alan Rickman, RIP

ALAN RICKMAN, 1947-2016

I have no words. But Daniel Radcliffe says it most eloquently.

Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most …

Posted by Daniel Jacob Radcliffe on Thursday, 14 January 2016