M.A. Dunham's Blog, page 3

Latest Reads: Spirit Thief, A Letter of Mary and Shadow Prey

Hello, fellow readers! I’ve been in the beautiful, internet-challenged area that is Northern Michigan (not the UP, for you Michiganders, but the Mackinac City area), and as such, I’ve been too busy eating, jabbering, and doing puzzles with my grandmother to search out wi-fi and update.

Having finally escaped to the nearby bar and grill, I’m now capable of updating on my latest reads. I should have a whole new slew once I leave here, as I read a lot in my downtime.

Ahem. Onto today’s selection!

I’ve continued on two series I’ve mentioned previously with Shadow Prey and A Letter of Mary.

Shadow Prey is the second book in John Sandford’s Davenport series. This book started out so great, and with such promise. Then it just… flopped. (Sorry, Mr. Sandford.)

Who’s really the bad guy here? No idea, because it’s so cut off at the end. Boo.

The premise behind the story was a great idea, Native Americans with a serious and understandable grudge against the powers who use their law enforcement status to abuse their people, but it was clear there were changes (and the comments from Sandford hint at the publisher’s asking for these changes) which changed what was a really great premise and left it trailing off into a sporadic oddity. In the end, I felt like while part of the case had been solved, we had no resolution as to whether the Indians effect change or even awareness in the (sometimes incredibly obtuse) police. There’s a disconnect between each side, Davenport’s and the Indians, and in the end, the story dribbles off because of it.

Also, I find myself increasingly impatient with male leads who cheat and never seem to have repercussions from it. Or maybe it’s the lack of character growth from it so far. Still, I’m already reading book three, because despite these dislikes, there are many likes which outbalance the annoyances for me as a reader.

I don’t need to love a main character in totality, but I need a reason to love them. In Davenport’s case, he’s still bringing in the baddies.

So, with the thrill of a good mystery and the unsurety of a main character behind me, I proceeded onto the latest Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell book, third in the series, A Letter of Mary.

This is almost the polar opposite of Shadow Prey. Here we have an extremely intelligent female detective working with her now-husband, the greatest detective of his time, Holmes. And despite the developing changes in Mary, and the respective changes of Holmes, this book is incredibly rich in setting/language style and in character. This book follows Mary determining to solve a case tossed into her lap by the death of a woman she respects, and using her skills in intrigue and disguise to determine the murderer.

I have to admit, I have a special love for the whodunit’s – the old time mysteries which leave us with only a detective’s wits and the barest amount of scientific help to solve a crime. And Russell is so damn good at what she does – which she does with and sometimes in spite of her husband, and the entire effect of reading about England…

Ok, going fangirl here. In short, if you love the historical setting of England in the 1920′s, just read the damn book already.

And to be fair – if you don’t like books which meander before they get to the point, then skip this entire series. The whole point of reading a Holmes story is the struggle maintained in the forward, ‘new science’ ways of their deducing as compared to the brutish and often uncomprehending rest of the current world. This means a certain amount of  red herrings and other paths before getting to the right path. These sort of books aren’t streamlined, which is a large part of their charm.

While I love mysteries, my biggest love is a well-done fantasy (and sometimes, the dessert type of fantasy, but that’s a topic for another day). A series which I’d been meaning to read, but only lately had taken the time to purchase, and the first three novels went on sale as a trilogy, is the Legend of Eli Monpress series. The Spirit Thief, the first book in the series, is my latest read.

The premise for The Spirit Thief is great – the story of a young thief who can talk to and get all sort of spirits to do his bidding, simply by charming the results out of them. I love stories with a positive, fun vibe, and this has all the earmarks of Robin Hood meets spirit magician. I went into the story with much cheer and hope.

And while the story continued to please me, I did find myself disappointed by two things: 1) The POV shifting is a bit frequent for my liking, and 2) While I’m all for holding out on specific details to keep story flow, not getting a chance to ‘pierce the veil’ on Eli’s abilities and how they work was disappointing. Not every details has to be laid out, but as a reader, I felt almost like not knowing what he can do is a plot device used to further the mystery of Eli. Yet as a reader, I’m supposed to be privy to his innermost workings.

Having said that, my two minor contention points are still that – minor. Despite these, I still enjoyed the story and world, and do plan on reading the rest of the series to see what happens. I love Eli a lot, I just wish there was more of him directly.

Random Fun Bits! Our Media Consumption is Changing, Banned Books, and Plurality

One of the many reasons I keep up with journalism news is because I learn so much publishing industry news that book people may never talk about. This article, discussing how and when we consume news is rapidly changing, is exactly why I do so.  Neiman Lab has the best news for the journalism forefront. I can’t recommend it enough.

This week is Banned Books Week – and if you care about free speech and free press, do consider picking up a banned book and reading it. You can find lists of challenged books by year, classics, and so on. Readouts happen all across the US, and you can find a list of events on the webpages I linked to above. I was interested to find out one of my favorite books, Brave New World, is listed on almost every yearly challenge for the 21st Century list.

And although I’m a huge book junkie, I have a deep love for sci-fi/fantasy everything. A friend of mine showed me this short film, Plurality, made by a tiny indie company. The production value is high class, and the film is good – I’ve LOVE to see this as a full-length feature! As it is, I feel like this film is a tease.

Have a look – these guys have worked hard for it.

Balancing Work and Life

As I’ve spent the past few weeks in the US, spending time with family and friends, catching up with my loved ones, and delving into the awesome food options (Who thought of frosted chocolate mini-wheats?! So good), working has taken a backseat to spending time with people I only get to see about every two years.

A backseat, but it’s still there.

Working for myself has taught me that creating a work schedule that I stick to is ultimately up to myself. It’s not easy, and the basis behind having enough time to work and live is to remember my priorities.

We work to live, not live to work. With that in my mind, I schedule myself so family and health comes before work. It’s not easy to do, and sometimes, I mess up, like anyone else, but if I don’t make these priorities, no one else will for me.

What does this mean? In practical terms, it means I schedule specific time off every week and set it aside for family, and for my health. And I set aside specific time for work.

And then I stick with it. Finding how to stick with it is harder than a schedule given to you, and for myself, involves a lot of tricks such as writing at a non-internet computer. And not allowing myself to read books first thing in the morning, or play games.

All of these things are my triggers, things which I know will lead me into not adhering to my work schedule. So I just say no. If I don’t start the temptation, then I don’t continue down the path of lazy.

My updates are semi-sporadic as I continue to travel in the US, but I will do my best to keep up with weekly updates and book reviews.

My latest article, titled “Are You Homesick, or Nostalgic?” is out over at inloveabroad.com. Feel free to check it out.

Latest Read: A Monstrous Regiment of Women

I read Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories when I was in 6th grade. I’ve been in love with them ever since, and I love the time period. It’s such a rich time in history, and I have a longtime childhood love of books set in England – or characters steeped in British history.

About a year ago, a good friend of mine enthused about The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, a story about a woman who becomes Holmes’s apprentice, set just after Doyle’s work. I was intrigued, and after picking it up, I was hooked.

Love the stained glass window covers they used on the reissue.

This book, A Monstrous Regiment of Women, is the second in the Mary Russell series. I feel bad having put this book off as long as I did to read it, but I was hesitant to spend $10 per ebook on backlist for a book I hadn’t read yet. I’ve been burned too many times by a searing good first book followed by a lukewarm second book.

Fear not. This book is great, and definitely worth the $10 if you’re desperate to read the second book. The old style writing is still intact, leaving a sense of being in the 1920s, through phrasing and through the evocative setting. Mary Russell is still an independent, tough woman, who, despite realizing she has feelings for Holmes, doesn’t lose that sense of being herself despite the feelings.

Russell, coming into her independence as her inheritance is turned over to her, is drawn into a puzzling series of events at the New Temple of God, a not-quite-church run by a passionate suffragette and mystic named Margery, who keeps receiving large sums of money willed to her by deceased members. When Russell’s old college friend is almost killed, Russell and Holmes go deeper into the Temple world to discover who exactly is behind the murders.

And, of course, the classical intrigue and bizarrely fascinating detective methods used by Holmes and Russell remain intact.

I worried for a long time any romance between the two would completely ruin the books – because really, that’s what generally happens with most series.

I needn’t have feared. The charming, intelligent Russell remains. This is not a romance. It’s a mystery/suspense.

And I’ve already ordered the next three books. Reading research books right now is hard because I want to read these ones. Hurry up, Mr. Postman!

 

Latest Read: Rules of Prey

I’ve never read Sandford’s work, and on the recommendation of a friend, I picked up his first book in this series, Rules of Prey.

In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered – no, wait a minute…

Quick review: Self-styled rogue cop meets serial killer who thinks taking people is a game. Not the best written story I’ve read, but the story itself is quite good. Occasional non-important narrative rambling, but I hear it gets better after this one. It was good enough that I’ll read the next, despite disliking how this one ended. There was enough character evolution to have me interested in seeing if he changes, or stays the same. I’m not a huge fan of rogue cops, but Davenport’s attitude left me enjoying him despite my initial misgivings.

Sometimes it’s just nice to read a good mystery/thriller/procedural with no expectation of character development. Other times, it’s a real turn-off. It just depends on my mood.

I’ve got the next book queued up, so when I get to it, I’ll follow up on how the world progresses.

Surprise!

After some hard work and a few CSS growing pains, I’m happy to show off my updated website!

I’ll be adding more stuff and updating quite a bit, so I hope you enjoy the new ‘do.

Are you an Entrepreneur, or an Employee?

There has been a consistent cry against people who choose to publish their work through means other than traditional publishing houses.

“There is no quality,” they say. “Why would you put something out that is less than your best?”

Or, “Getting a publishing contract is prestigious. It’s a mark of quality and professionalism.”

Which really, both of those comments are tied into one another. And both of them show people who don’t realize their writing is an independent business, one where the writer wears all the hats. And where all of their decisions directly impact their business.

I don’t have to actually reply to either of these comments. Instead, I can show evidence written from many other writers, people who’ve been well published or who have received awards from their books. Writers who take their independent business and ALL of the decisions within it seriously. People like Kameron Hurley, who details her experience and the many pitfalls associated with her contract. Or Kiana Davenport. Or how about David Farland, who has published quite a few books both traditionally and self-published waxing on about the loss of control of his book’s covers, something which can make or break people’s purchasing decisions?

The number of people I’ve heard say poor covers are the reason they don’t buy self-pubbed books makes me wonder if they’ve taken a look at some of the covers traditional publishing has produced. Here’s a whole blog dedicated to the very topic!

As for well-written self-published books, you only have to look at the likes of Hugh Howey to see well-written and excellent stories can come from indie books.

I’m not saying all indie books are amazing. Let me be clear: there are plenty of stinkers, both in self-published and traditional publishing. No side to publishing is free of poor quality, or poor decisions.

Generally speaking, there’s a sliding scale when it comes to praising traditional publishers. The higher up the money chain, the more pro-big publishers comes out. The most complaints about how traditional publishers work come from the mid-listers, those who seem to consistently not receive the benefits/options award winners or bestsellers receive. Or enough money to make a living.

And while we’re on the subject: keep in mind all of the book data about sales for all sides are severely hampered by what distributors are on the sales list. We don’t have clear and accurate statistics about either traditional publishing figures OR ebook sales. There’s always someone excluded when it comes to sales.

Back on topic.

What concerns me about these comments is the unspoken message about a writer’s business. As an entrepreneur, we have a duty to keep up with the publishing business, and all of the avenues there-in. Some will work for us. Some won’t. But bashing one side or the other without an understanding of what each type of publishing brings to the table is limited thinking. Ultimately, the health and longevity of your career should drive these decisions, not what we’ve been spoon fed by any one side.

As an entrepreneur, you’re in control of your business. An employee is someone who gives up their control in return for something – money, benefits, etc.

So which are you – an entrepreneur, or an employee?

Having a writing career is a choice. A choice to have your own business, and be as engaged in your work as you desire. When you choose to sell your rights to a publishing house (yes, I said rights, because that’s what you’re selling when you sign that contract), that is YOUR business decision. Is it the best decision for your business? Is it worth the time and money to get a good editor, make a good cover, and do your own advertising?

Only you know the answer.