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    Sunday, September 26, 2010

    Review: Breathless by Anne Stuart

    ISBN-13: 978-0778328506

    Source: Net Galley

    Lady Miranda Rohan committed Society’s ultimate crime. After allowing herself to be abducted and deflowered by a fortune hunter, she neither married him nor pined away in decent obscurity. Instead, she adapted to her new life and thrived…except for an occasional spot of boredom. Unfortunately, boredom is a Rohan’s Achilles heel. It’s only a matter of time before her risk-taking nature reasserts itself, playing into the schemes of Lucien de Malheur, the notorious Earl of Rochdale.

    Lucien isn’t called the Scorpion simply because he used to keep one as a pet. He’s almost a caricature of Ms. Stuart’s trademark Scorpio heroes: literally scarred and twisted, the light inherent in his name all but extinguished by his experiences. Seeking a cruel poetic justice for his dead half-sister, he will stop at nothing to achieve his vengeance against the Rohans, including relative innocents like Miranda.

    As we discover in his first scene, Lucien was the true, if hidden, architect of her ruin. I could accept that. What I found difficult to swallow was the scenario he devised, one which couldn’t help but lead to the 19th century equivalent of date rape. At some level, a man as intelligent as Lucien must’ve known and accepted this outcome. Turning a man capable of that into hero material presents an almost insuperable challenge. Ms. Stuart just about pulls it off.

    With the story of Lucien and Miranda, she returns to her favorite theme: the redemption of the not-quite-damned. Lucien excels at mind sex, seducing by the force of his personality and playing on the sunny Miranda’s inevitable curiosity about his shadow life. He claims she wants him to play her Caliban, but he takes his cues from Shakespeare’s Richard III.

    Not to mention Hades. Ruthless, the first book in the House of Rohan series, teased the reader with allusions to the abduction of Persephone. Here we see the myth played out, minus the crazy mother-in-law as Deus ex Machina. Miranda-as-Persephone is more than a match for her Dark Lord, especially given her Shakespearean skill set. I loved, loved, loved the strategy she used to wear him down—and the insight Ms. Stuart gives into its cost. The banter and smashing climax (Of the plot! Geez, some people—you know Ms. Stuart always delivers more than one of those) provide everything a fan could ask.

    But a part of me still hesitates. It’s one thing to say fiction need only answer to itself and the truth of its characters. It’s quite another to accept it when a hero’s truth contradicts a deep-seated conviction. Heroes don’t hurt heroines, even by proxy. My daddy taught me that, and my mamma reinforced it by teaching me Frying Pan Kung Fu a very early age. It’s to Ms. Stuart’s credit that I enjoyed this book so much in spite of it.

    Verdict: Two thumbs up for the writing, but with reservations.

    Review: Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

    ISBN: 978-0778328209

    Source: Net Galley

    One thing must be said about large families: they don’t let you get bored. Lady Julia and her favorite husband, enquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane, were closing in on eight months of honeymoon when her siblings Portia and Plum cornered them in Shepheard’s Hotel in old Cairo.

    Portia’s former lover Jane unexpectedly found herself widowed on the brink of becoming a mother. The disposition of her late husband’s estate (a tea plantation outside of Darjeeling, India) depends on the gender of Jane’s unborn child, and based on hints in Jane’s letters, Portia suspects Jane’s husband was murdered. Jane or, worse yet, her child could be next. Portia convinces Lady Julia and her somewhat reluctant husband to accompany her and Plum (Portia’s chaperone—the Lady Julia Grey mysteries revel in their late 19th century setting, after all) to the estate.

    The trip is arduous, complicated by family peccadilloes and newlywed strife. The marriage of two personalities as decisive as Nicholas and Lady Julia is guaranteed to be volatile, which is exactly how Ms. Raybourn’s fans want it. Romantic mystery series don’t survive on their sleuth’s deductive prowess. They thrive on tension and conflict, ideally sizzling between the principals at all times in all places—the more exotic the better.

    And what could be more exotic than the zenith of the British Raj? There is a full measure of deceit, skullduggery and death awaiting our intrepid aristocrats at the tea plantation known as The Peacocks. But that’s only part of the novel’s allure. Like Elizabeth Peters’ classic Amelia Peabody mysteries, Ms. Rayburn’s lush prose invites readers to become tourists of the mind, exploring some of the most evocative locales in history through the fictional experiences of her likeable, passionate and privileged protagonists. The fact that those experiences resonate in the reality beyond the covers of Ms. Peters’ and Ms. Raybourn’s books is a credit to their skill and in no way diminishes their value as entertainment and escape.

    Although the fourth in the series, Dark Road to Darjeeling works well as a standalone mystery. In fact, the relatively small number of family members in the cast may make it easier for new readers than earlier volumes in the Lady Julia Grey series. Ms. Raybourn’s sly, sexy wit shimmers through the pages, and the story is punctuated with the historical equivalent of Easter eggs. Chances are you won’t catch all of them. I know I didn’t. Fortunately, they’re too subtle to qualify as in-jokes, and missing them in no way detracts from the reading experience. But the pop of recognition when you catch one makes it doubly gratifying, like Ms. Raybourn’s tip of the hat to one of the most famous rooms in America. I’ve always loved that room, and I can’t think of a better setting for characters I adore.

    Verdict: Two thumbs up.

    Thursday, September 23, 2010

    My 2010 Dragon*Con Images Are Live


    The Cruxshadows Dancers at the band's September 5 Dragon*Con performance.

    I've posted a Thursday Thirteen of pictures for my monthly blog at Beyond the Veil. But be warned, those shots are just the teaser. To see the rest of the photos you'll need to follow the link at the end of the article. Enjoy!

    Friday, September 17, 2010

    Review: Reckless by Anne Stuart

    ISBN-13: 978-0778328490
    Source: Net Galley

    Miss Charlotte Spencer wants to become a woman of the world without experiencing the messy situations the condition normally entails. But nothing works quite the way she planned. She can’t even curse properly—except when she stumbles blindly into her secret crush, Adrian Rohan, cub of the devilish Marquess of Haverstoke (hero of Ruthless, the first volume in Anne Stuart’s House of Rohan series).

    Fortunately for Charlotte, contrariness is bred to the Rohans’ bones. Being too tall, too strong-minded and too original for Society’s taste merely adds to Charlotte allure. Far from viewing her as an “antidote” in the sense of 19th century slant—an unattractive spinster firmly on the shelf—Adrian sees her as the true antidote to his growing boredom with the rakish life style. He fights the impulse to claim her, ably assisted by his suave older cousin, the Comte de Giverney. But when Charlotte’s quest for second-hand sensation takes her into one of the unsafe areas of a Heavenly Host orgy, Adrian rushes to her rescue. Sort of. Let’s just say Charlotte’s in for an education of the most sensual kind.

    Like all of Ms. Stuart’s heroes, Adrian qualifies as mad, bad and dangerous to know—though not necessarily for the reason you might suspect. He does debauchery with the best (or worst) of them. He’s beautiful, demanding, sarcastic and high-handed. But he isn’t an all-out rotter. He can’t be. Ms. Stuart doesn’t cheat on her previous books’ endings. His father, the marquess, earned his happily ever after, and Ms. Stuart follows the HEA to its inevitable conclusion: a happy, stable home life for his children. This smoothes Adrian’s hard edges and changes the central romantic question from “Will he give in?” to “Will she?” Most of the obstacles arise from Charlotte’s actions and choices, which helps distinguish this entry from books one and three of the House of Rohan entries.

    As does the theme. Most of Ms. Stuart’s books revolve around the themes of predation and redemption. Here the story hinges on the characters’ sense of duty, most often expressed in protectiveness. The admirable characters rush to each other’s rescue, heedless of image or their own self-interest, and invariably wind up butting heads as a result. It’s a wickedly devious plot device, complicating their lives far more effectively than any villain ever could.

    Which isn’t to say Reckless fails to deliver ample servings of the tension, wit, lush writing and, yes, sex Ms. Stuart’s fans expect and crave. There’s danger, a high-tension secondary romance and a charmingly roguish matchmaker. Recurring characters, suitably adjusted for their respective experiences, play out the roles sketched for them in Ruthless, but as with Devil’s Cub (Georgette Heyer’s romance about the son of a notorious rake and a cit’s daughter) you don’t need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy the second.

    Or, in the case of this trilogy, eagerly anticipate the third.

    Verdict: Two thumbs up.

    Monday, September 13, 2010

    Con Report: ReConStruction 2010

    It was the opposite of Dragon*Con. ReConStruction, the tenth occasional North American Science Fiction Convention held in Raleigh August 5-8, was the definition of low-key. Preliminary counts put attendance at only a little over six hundred. But that only meant a glorious lack of queues.

    There were no lines for Raleigh’s famous rickshaw taxis when Jana Oliver and I strolled out of our hotel the day before the con. Or for the restaurants or the small museums which dotted downtown Raleigh. Or the panels and exhibits, which sometime seemed dwarfed by their facilities. This gave the proceedings a very relaxed feel and, as Lee Martindale pointed out in her entry “Con Trails”, encouraged folks to make things work in spite of glitches and unexpected hotel issues.


    Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, Raleigh, NC (photo by Jean Marie Ward)

    Lots of stand-out memories remain, even after the six weeks it took me to post this. Ada Milenkovic Brown organized the con’s Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading and a pre-reading get together at the appropriately named Flying Saucer bar. The saucers, though, had more to do with beer than little green men. The saucers lining the walls were awarded for drinking a thousand beers at the bar. While we were there, a gentleman was awarded his third. Hmm, maybe little green men were involved after all…riding to the rescue on pink elephants.

    My panels included a one-on-one with con toastmaster and Baen editor Toni Weiskopf (“Urban Fantasy make-over”), and Susan and Clay Griffith, the husband and wife writing team whose The Greyfriar will be released in early November (“Writing with someone close to you”). Fan guest of honor Juanita Coulson recounted the most wonderful stories about collaborating in SF’s Golden Age on the Writing in Collaboration panel with Chuck Gannon and me. But “Worst panel ever” will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only did my fellow panelists (Michael D’Ambrosio, Chris Garcia, James Daniel Ross and Lawrence M. Schoen) reduce me to tears of laughter, but a member of the audience later greeted me with the words: “Worst Panel Ever—best panel ever!” Music to this panel moderator’s ears.

    The RFR boasted a large audience and eight accomplished writers. Everyone read at their best, too. Afterwards, most of us decamped to the party of the con: the launch party for Mary Robinette Kowal’s Shades of Milk and Honey. The party featured the author in picture perfect Regency dress, scented fan souvenirs and a musical performance by Mary’s father Ken Harrison on the saw. Yes, you read that right. He played the saw, the same carpentry implement most of us use to cut wood, and he made it sing. Mary called it “an analog theremin”, and that’s a very good description of the sound. The eerie vibrato tone lent a special magic to the selection of traditional tunes he played. Unfortunately, your reporter neglected to pack her notebook to record the titles, but I did get pictures.


    Ken Harrison (left) and Mary Robinette Kowal at the launch party
    for Mary's Shades of Milk and Honey. (photo by Jean Marie Ward)

    Regular roomies (Jana and Gail, I am looking at you) know that I can’t go to a new city without cruising the restaurants. Jana and I stumbled on bu*ku, an elegant bistro specializing in “global street food” after our rickshaw ride, and we ate more than one meal at Sitti, a friendly but sophisticated Lebanese café. The city saved its most unique dining experience for last, however—with a little help from fellow “Broad” and Samhain author Marcia Colette.

    Marcia brought me to Spize, a café run by a friend and colleague. Imagine divine Asian fusion sandwiches on the best baguettes you ever ate. The owner, an IT superstar who founded the café during a brief sabbatical, has the bread flown in from New York. Yet the café is both unpretentious and green. There’s something decidedly fantastical about that, too.

    (Glutton for pun--er, want more? Click here for the rest of my ReConStruction photos.)

    Sunday, September 12, 2010

    Cover dance of glee for Hellebore & Rue

    Remember my little ugly duckling of a story that no one loved because my heroine happened to be lesbian...and a sorceress...and totally unapologetic about any of it? Well, it's official, "Personal Demons" has turned into a swan, thanks to the kind offices of editors Catherine Lundoff and JoSelle Vanderhooft and the good folks at Drollerie Press. Look at the line-up "Personal Demons" will be sharing page space with. Heck, look at the cover. Even Greg, who's an artist in his own right, is in awe. Con crud? What con crud? Watch me dance! ;-)

    A little bit of Intervention


    Michael "Mookie" Terracciano, creator of the fantasy
    webcomic "Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire", mugs
    for your pestilential reporter.

    It may seem backwards to post my photos of Intervention Con, the brand new Washington DC-area webcomics convention, first but it's only fair. Although I was pencilled into the program for two days, the horrors of Con Crud (my first-ever unwelcome souvenir of Dragon*Con) will keep me from playing on today's panels. I only hope I didn't spread my plague to the other attendees.

    There was a lot to like at Intervention 2010. The organizers were friendly and helpful, and the attendees were thrilled at the chance to promote an artform they love to DC and the world. Guest Relations Chair Gloria Chapa deserves special thanks for dealing with my unexpectedly diminished schedule. But everyone I dealt with, from PR maven Brian Lynch to hotel liaison Colette Fozard (of the fabulous cat ears) to the dread photographer/videographers Wes Mason and Isaiah Beard, were first-rate folks.

    Another special shout-out needs to go to Chris "Kilika" Malone (New Jersey's premier surfer and creator of Blue and Blond) and fellow DC Area Storyteller Anthony Stevens for helping to make Greg's (aka the Spouse Person and IV Caffeine's chief squirrel wrangler) first ever con as vendor and guest a success. Thanks guys! My only regret is I was too spacey to get Chris's picture. My reportorial instincts were obviously out to lunch all day long.

    Oh well, with any luck they'll do it again next year. I'll be better then. Promise!

    Saturday, September 11, 2010

    Review: Ruthless by Anne Stuart



    ISBN-13: 978-0778328483
    Source: Purchased

    Yes, it’s true. I’ve succumbed to the siren lure of Net Galley, which means I’m back in the reviewing business—at least for books I actually want to read.

    And I always want to read Anne Stuart. Even when I rage at her for forgetting to describe a major character (not a problem in Ruthless) or the vagaries of her copyeditor (ALWAYS a problem), I would read her grocery lists if somebody let me.

    Fortunately for you, they only let me read her books. Ruthless (which I bought in anticipation of reviewing the other books in the series) ranks as a vintage Stuart historical.

    Impoverished 18th century gentlewoman Elinor Harriman storms the gates of hell—aka, the country estate of dissolute but dangerously gorgeous Viscount Rohan, leader of a Paris-based version of the Hellfire Club known as the Heavenly Host—to prevent her demented syphilitic mother from gambling away their little family’s last centime. Elinor fails, but something about her interesting (if not conventionally beautiful) looks, her vulnerable pride and tart tongue piques Rohan’s “curiosity”. He thinks his jaded appetites have finally up with him. Any dedicated Stuart reader (heck, any romance reader) knows better.

    Along the way to the happy ending (for crying out loud, the book’s labeled romance; it’s absolutely no spoiler to say there’s a happy ending), the reader finds finger-sizzling sexual tension, beaucoup witty dialogue, a murderous villain, and a darling secondary romance.

    Rohan slinks. Stuart, like Georgette Heyer, possesses the enviable ability to create truly feline heroes—predatory, lethal, graceful, beautiful, image-obsessed men who somehow remain entirely masculine. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, it’s damn near impossible. My forebrain, trained in the ways of masculinity by my career Army father and years of working with warriors of every stripe, laughs at the very notion. Yet Stuart and Heyer always manage to slide past my preconceptions, usually by letting the hero’s act slip just a little and following up with the one-two punch of a killer back story.

    Ruthless doesn’t explode any preconceived notions of Stuart’s style or her favorite plot devices. I knew who the hidden bad guy was at the second assault. But I didn’t hate the characters for failing to keep up, because they either lacked the necessary background or were, um, otherwise engaged at the moment. Stuart writes too smart for that.

    She writes beautifully, too, and when I wasn’t wishing I could’ve given the manuscript one final proofing, her words and emotions propelled me through the pages. Lifting this book to a higher level were Stuart’s playful allusions to Heyer, specifically Heyer’s These Old Shades and Faro’s Daughter (one of this redhead’s very favorite books ever). Meanwhile she rings the changes on the Persephone myth with a variation as juicy as the pomegranate seeds that spelled Persephone’s doom.

    Or her salvation. That’s the beauty of Stuart’s tales of dangerous men. She never breaks them. Over the course of the novel, her hero and her heroine grow into a delicious accommodation which ultimately respects both parties—something my forebrain loves as much as good writing, and that’s saying a lot.

    Now to dive into the next two books of the House of Rohan series, Reckless and Breathless. Like I said, Net Galley has a lot to answer for.

    Verdict: Two thumbs up.

    Thursday, September 9, 2010

    Intervention Schedule


    No, not that kind of intervention. This is Intervention capitalized, a very new webcomic convention gracing the Hilton DC/Rockville, Maryland, September 10-12. Yes, the con starts tomorrow, and yes, I do have panels. So does Greg, the darling spouse and squirrel wrangler of Intravenous Caffeine. This will be Greg's first con as a participating artist and guest, so come on by and show him some con love. Our schedule is:

    Friday, September 10
    1 p.m.
    Okay, I Finished My Story. What Happens Next?
    How does your story get from your keyboard to into a reader’s hands? What’s the editorial process? Why does it take so long?
    Panelists: Elaine Corvidae, Jean Marie Ward

    7 p.m
    Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Publishing, But Didn’t Know You Had to Ask.
    Writers at all points in the publishing food chain share their experiences, good and bad. Panelists will discuss the various advantages of NY publishers, small press and self-publishing. Along the way you’ll learn what publishers really look for in a book, how to get your project noticed in a good way, and how to spot potential warning signs of trouble. (I had hoped to lure Ben Bova into this one, but alas, he had the flu and had to cancel. But trust me, Elaine and I have lots of experiences to share, good, bad, our own and others’.)
    Panelists: Elaine Corvidae, Jean Marie Ward

    9 p.m.
    Free Is a Good Place to Start.
    Do you have big dreams, but a minuscule budget? Never fear; our panelists can show you the path to Freedonia. This panel is a short seminar with hand-outs highlighting free word processing, graphics, audio and video programs, and free web site templates. (This is Greg’s first panel ever. Drop by and show him some con love.)
    Panelists: Anthony Stevens, Chris Impink, Ryan Thompson, Greg Uchrin, Jean Marie Ward

    10 p.m.
    The Economies of Small Scale.
    Just because your dreams are big doesn’t mean that you’ll be forced to break the bank. This panel deals with posting a comic on the cheap, a word about copyright, and the real costs of self-publishing in ink and paper.
    Panelists: Anthony Stevens, Greg Uchrin

    Sunday, September 12
    11 a.m.
    How to Use Social Media Without Inadvertently Seeming like a Jerk.
    Social Media has changed the industry dramatically. Gone are the days when creators had little to no contact with their fans. Which services are worth using? How do we use them? What are some common mistakes? What are some creative promotional techniques?
    Panelists: Chris Flick, Illya Kuryakin, Christiann MacAuley, Ben McCormick, Jean Marie Ward

    1 p.m.
    Creating Three-Dimensional Characters.
    When writing an adventure or a story, having characters that the readers can get into is half the battle. If the readers or players become intrigued by the characters, then the rest of the story will fall into place. Join our panelists as they discuss creating characters that are non-flat and can intrigue.
    Panelists: Pete Abrams, Chezhnian Angelus, Garth Graham, Michael Terracciano, Jean Marie Ward

    And that’s just our panels. The con boasts three full-time tracks, workshops, a club (with dances) and a video room. You’ll even get the chance to meet fellow DC Area Storyteller Anthony Stevens. See you there!