Series Rec: C. J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake Mysteries

I'm partway through C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake Mysteries. They're set in England during Henry VIII's reign, and feature historical characters like Thomas Cromwell.

I'm loving these so far. Matthew Shardlake is a London lawyer who begins as an ardent Reformer but starts going through a crisis of faith as he sees that Cromwell is just as corrupt (and spilling just as much blood) as the Catholics in power before him.

Matthew solves murders with a loyal but uncouth rogue named Jack Barak, a patralineal descendant of converso Jews. Jack isn't much religious, but he has a sentimental (and potentially dangerous) attachment to his Jewish heritage.

I adore Jack and his relationship with Matthew. (Is it a bromantic friendship? More father-son? Maybe it's a bit of both.) Sadly, Jack doesn't come in till the second book, but the first one is worth reading anyway.

I love mysteries, history and religious issues, so these books are perfect for me. Overall, I think Sansom does a brilliant job of bringing the Tudor period to life. The mysteries themselves are so-so, but since I love the characters and setting, I'm ok with that.

My Goodreads Review of Dissolution: short and to the point!

My Goodreads Review of Dark Fire: more in depth!

My Goodreads Review of Sovereign: also in depth!

How not to promote your book!

Check out Josh Lanyon's article on Reviews by Jessewave to avoid dirty--not to mention pathetic--tricks: Nice Guys Finish Last. 

My First Blog Award!

Sticky Notes Stories honored this blog with the "I'm Sticking Around!" award. Read about it here.

February Writing Goals

I'm carrying two of my goals over from January--but since I didn't make the 2,000 words per day, I'm changing it to a more modest 500 words per day:

1. Write a minimum of 500 words per day.
2. Finish first draft of Not So Safe.
3. Finish one Halcrest Fantasy story.

First Paragraph Contest!

Nathan Bransford is hosting The Fourth Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge.The idea is to submit the opening paragraph of one of your works-in-progress. It closes tomorrow (Thursday) at 4 PM Pacific Time. Check the post for information on the prizes and rules.

I just submitted my entry, from a WIP that still doesn't have an official title:

The only thing worse than visiting a graveyard is paying your respects to the man you put there. No, I didn’t murder Cam—I’m not that far gone—but it was my fault his bones were rotting beneath that dull, gray slab. 

Good luck to everyone who enters!

A Good Reason for my Absence

I haven't been on the blog of late--but that's partly due to the fact that I've been writing my ass off! I've been working alternately on Not So Safe and a fantasy story. So I'm pausing to pat myself on the back before watching the Jets take on the Steelers--and I fully intend to break out the keyboard during half-time!

For Martin Luther King Jr. Day

I've always loved this song, Abraham, Martin & John, by Dion. It's about the deaths of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. It seems especially appropriate today. 

Youtube also has the full version of King's I Have a Dream speech available.

Joyce on Writing

"Writing in English is the most ingenious torture ever devised for sins committed in previous lives. The English reading public explains the reason why."

(Thanks to T.N. Tobias's post, in which I found this quote!)

Inspiring Interview with M. R. Mathias

M. R. Mathias

I just found this interview with M.R. Mathias, who wrote his first books while serving time in prison. I've never read Mr. Mathias's books--in fact, this is the first time I've heard of him--but I have to tip my hat to someone who made such excellent use of such a rough period in his life.

He talks about his books, his writing style, his learning curve and his success as a self-published author in this interview. Definitely worth a read, and I'll be adding one of his books to my TBR list.

Meanwhile, many thanks to the James Mason Community Book Club at Goodreads for finding this interview and pointing it out!

More on Self-Publishing Controversies

I'll admit this up front: I'm attracted to the idea of self-publishing. This article in Writer Beware contains some caveats, but it's worth reading. Better yet, there are comments on both sides of the argument.

Josh Lanyon Interviews Jake Riordan

So this is what a character interview should look like! Josh Lanyon captures the agony of Jake's conflicted feelings about Adrien and about his marriage in just a few understated lines.

Ow--Headache.

I've just re-written the same scene of Not So Safe eleven times. Oy. (Thank heavens for a patient writing buddy! I've lost track of how many times she's read the scene now . . .)

Books I've Read in 2011

Here's a place for me to keep track of all the books I start and finish reading this year. Each title links to my review of the book on my book review blog or on Goodreads.

Ok, here's my list:

1. Convincing Arthur by Ava March (4 out of 5 stars)
2. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (4 out of 5 stars)
3. Adrien English Mystery #3: The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon (5 out of 5 stars)
4. Adrien English Mystery #4: Death of a Pirate King by Josh Lanyon (5 out of 5 stars)
5. Adrien English Mystery#5 The Dark Tide by Josh Lanyon (5 out of 5 stars)
6. The Good Thief by James Buchanan (4 out of 5 stars)
7. Duck by Kim Dare (3 out of 5 stars)
8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (5 out of 5 stars)
9. I Spy Something Bloody by Josh Lanyon (5 out of 5 stars)
10. (Matthew Shardlake Mystery #1) Dissolution by C. J. Sansom (4 out of 5 stars)
11. In a Dark Wood by Josh Lanyon (5 out of 5 stars)
12. A Limited Engagement by Josh Lanyon (4 out of 5 stars)
13. (Matthew Shardlake Mystery #2) Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom (4 out of 5 stars)
14. (Matthew Shardlake Mystery #3) Sovereign by C. J. Sansom (4 out of 5 stars)
15. The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon (3 out of 5 stars)
16. The French Have a Word for It by Josh Lanyon (4 out of 5 stars)
17. I Spy Something Wicked by Josh Lanyon (5 out of 5 stars)
18. Love Ahead: Expect Delays (4 out of 5 stars)
19. Saviour by Jade Falconer (3 out of 5 stars)
20. Strapless by Honoria Ravena (2 out of 5 stars)
21. Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan (5 out of 5 stars)
22.
23.
24.
25.

My January Writing Goals

1. Finish the first draft of Not So Safe
2. Finish the next Craig and David short story: Aftermath
3. Average a minimum of 2,000 words a day--that means 62,000 words in total for the month!

Creative Draw of the Day: The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man seems perfect for New Years Eve, when the old year dies and the new year is born. It's a Major Arcana card, so it carries extra weight for a character. Better yet, it represents a period of intense withdrawal from the every-day world, when the character undergoes an ordeal that leads her to re-evaluate her life, emerging with more insight and wisdom than before.

I've always thought this ordeal should be voluntary--but I changed my mind after seeing The Fighter. Dicky is forced to undergo a withdrawal from the world, and the subsequent re-evaluation seems to work for him.

This card conjures up the mythology of Odin--the Norse deity who hung from the branches of Yggdrasil, the world tree, to learn the secrets of the Runes. Take a look at this post, which gives a Pagan perspective of  Odin's story and how it relates to this card.

Whatever a character's religion or mythos, the ordeal represented by The Hanged Man may leave her shaken or even shattered--but it will leave her stronger too.

Christian Bale as Dicky in The Fighter

Need a plot twist?

T. N. Tobias's 10 Ways to Create a Plot Twist is an excellent article on the subject!

Calvin on the purpose of writing:

Patting Myself on the Back

I've been writing my ass off these past two days! I've worked on Not So Safe, a new Craig and David story, plus a new fantasy-mystery. (More on that later.)

I wanted to work only on Not So Safe--at least until I finished the first draft. But that turned out to be counter-productive. Words flow more easily for me when I allow myself to jump around.

Any thoughts on that? What works for you?

Free Read: Like a Sparrow Through the Heart

M / M romance fans, take note. I found this free story via Goodreads and left a review:

Like a Sparrow Through the Heart by Aggy Bird

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun, snarky and often hilarious story. Talon (the shape-shifting griffin with anger-management issues) and Flit (the shape-shifting sparrow-therapist) make for an absorbing couple, and Aggy Bird's world will suck you right in.

But one caveat: there's a lot of casual violence in this story. Talon starts off as a bully, and though he arguably improves--well, read it for yourself and see.

View all my reviews

You can find the story here on Aggie Bird's LiveJournal.

To all who celebrate: Merry Christmas!

Although Chanukah is my winter holiday, many of my family members celebrate Christmas, so I get both holidays. (Life is good)

Wishing everyone who celebrates a warm and wonderful Christmas!

What was I thinking?

In addition to the two challenges I mentioned in this post, I also signed up for a challenge called 100 books in 2011. I'm not sure if the any of the challenges are allowed to overlap. I may be aiming for 136 books in 2011! That will keep my Kindle busy . . .

Need to learn more about your characters?

The Mother of All Character Questionnaires is designed for roleplayers, but I'm betting writers will find it useful to! (And not just fantasy writers, mind. There's something here for everyone.)

Two Reading Challenges for 2011

Georgette Heyer

I've committed to two separate reading challenges this year. The first one is on Goodreads' M/M Romance group (which is an 18 and over group due to some explicit content.) The challenge is to read 26 M/M books, each with a hero whose first or last name starts with a separate letter of the alphabet. For example, I'm going to read one of Josh Lanyon's Adrien English books for the letter 'A.'

The second challenge is courtesy of the Books are a Girl's Best Friend blog: it's a challenge to be "captivated" by Georgette Heyer by reading ten of her books. (You can find this challenge on Goodreads as well, in the Georgette Heyer Fans group.)

I have a love-hate relationship with Georgette Heyer, the woman who more-or-less created the Regency romance. (She had a little help from Jane Austen.) I love her books, but I could live without her antisemitism. (Her most blatant offense, as far as I know, is that horrific chapter in The Grand Sophy. And yes, I'd feel this way even if I weren't Jewish.) But when she's not talking about Jews I adore her.

So that's 36 books to complete my two challenges. I'm starting to line up the M/M books already; it will be harder to choose ten Georgette Heyer books, because I've read so many. But I'm sure I can find ten more that are new to me.

So here's to at least thirty-six enjoyable reads in 2011!

Moriah Jovan on Self Publishing

Great article on one author's experience--and she started self-publishing before we had all the options we do now. Check it out here.

The Snowflake Method

If you don't want to write by the seat of your pants, but you're not an outline-freak, this method may be the way to go . . .

Dumped and Dangerous

Author: J. Rosemary Moss (originally published under my pen name: Shoshana M. Moshe)
Pairing: pre-poly (Jonathan/Melinda/Kevin)
Warning: Non-consensual adult spanking
Summary: Kevin learns that not everyone will tolerate a drunken tirade . . .


Dumped and Dangerous by J. Rosemary Moss is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The link to Dumped and Dangerous will take you to my Sassy Romance blog, due to some adult material.

Hanukkah Maccabeats parody of Taio Cruz's song "Dynamite"

Reality check for a would be novelist

I saw this on both Nathan Bransford's blog and The Coffee-Stained Writer. Enjoy!

No Writing For Me!

Not a single word so far today--too busy working and preparing for a Shabbat dinner/Chanukah party with my family tonight.

Sigh . . . but at least I have a good excuse!

Happy Chanukah!