Sunday Post – 31st December 2017

This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.

I didn’t post last week as I simply didn’t get the time to write the post, with my son staying over and my sister also visiting overnight.

Christmas Day was lovely, if quiet, with Himself, my son and my sister joining us in a vegetarian meal of chestnut en croute with all the seasonal trimmings (except the sausagemeat stuffing, of course!). After a scrumptious meal, we opened up our presents and then spent the evening playing Game of Thrones monopoly… never mind about Winter coming – we were vanquished by Rob who ended up bankrupting the lot of us.

We had Boxing Day to slump and generally relax, before J returned to work and the following day, Rob made the journey back to Cambridge. As he is travelling to the States in January, I’m not sure when I’ll see him next, so I was sad to see him go. He always manages to fill the house with life and laughter… In contrast, my poor daughter and her family spent Christmas coping with the norovirus, so had to cancel their visitors – she was due to be cooking for 12 on Christmas Day – and declare their house off-limits. I’m hoping to catch up with the grandchildren tomorrow now that they have recovered.

On Friday, my writing buddy Mhairi came over for the day and we spent the time reflecting on our 2017 Shoot for the Moon goals, discussing our successes and failures, before setting the crazily ambitious targets for our 2018 Shoot for the Moon Challenge. Today I’m going to be busy organising our meal when we’ll be joined by the grandchildren who will spend New Year’s Eve with us, which is a lovely treat as I haven’t seen them since the first week in December.

This week I have read:

Shadow Weaver – Book 1 of the Shadow Weaver series by MarcyKate Connolly
Emmeline has grown up with a gift. Since the time she was a baby she has been able to control shadows. And her only friend and companion is her own shadow, Dar.

This was a dark-edged, surprisingly gritty read that I really enjoyed. Emmeline is a fascinating protagonist who spends her time listening to conversations she isn’t supposed to hear and playing tricks on the servants, who are afraid of her. But when everything changes, she is forced to go on the run where she meets people who seem to genuinely like her – and suddenly the things she used to do don’t seem so appropriate.

 

Alien Love Story by A.K. Dawson
Life is a headache for 15-year-old Dan. This isn’t some kind of metaphor. Dan suffers from migraines that make just about everything he does unbearable. Added to that he’s lost almost everyone he cares about. So he feels lonelier than the last puppy in a pet shop. But one day he sees a mysterious girl digging in the rubbish bins behind his house. Just by being near her, he finds that all his pain goes away. So he wants to see her again, of course. And get to know her. But she’s a bit strange. And her big eyes make her look, well, like an alien. Does she really exist? Or is she just a figment of an overactive, under-loved imagination?

This one started really strongly, but I was a bit taken aback at the sexual content in a book I thought initially was aimed at the tween/young teen market. There were some enjoyable scenes and I found Dan mostly likeable, though the relentless non-stop pace and Dan’s rather manic efforts to get closer to this girl had me wondering whether it was supposed to be a farce or a romance.

 

Killbox – Book 4 of the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre
Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best—by mouthing off and kicking butt.

It’s been far too long since I read the third book in this entertaining space opera series, so I was delighted to be able to tuck into this next slice of the adventure. Sirantha Jax is every bit as enjoyable as I recalled, while facing some daunting odds – I won’t be leaving it so long before tracking down the next book, Aftermath.

 

My posts last week:

Christmas Quiz 2017

Teaser Tuesday featuring Killbox – Book 4 of the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre
AND
The Daily Waffle features an extract from Dying for Space where Elizabeth is out of her comfort zone…

Can’t-Wait Wednesday featuring WaR: Wizards and Robots by Will.i.am and Brian David Johnson
AND
A Bohemian Mind At Work features Dying for Space

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of The Frequency of Aliens – Book 2 of the Sorrow Falls series by Gene Doucette
AND
Just Books features an extract from Dying for Space as well as an article by yours truly about a very awkward conversation I had that led to my changing the setting of the Sunblinded trilogy just days before I released Running Out of Space
AND
Hywela Lyn features another excerpt from Dying for Space in which Elizabeth is on the wrong side of Sarge. Again…
AND
Comfy Chair Books has posted another slice of Dying for Space in which Elizabeth is finding it difficult to cope at one of her father’s fancy banquets – who can she trust? In addition, there is an article about how I used food and dining as part of the worldbuilding in this book.

Friday Face-off – If music be the food of love, play on – featuring The Future Falls – Book 3 of the Enchantment Emporium series by Tanya Huff
AND
La libreria di Beppe is featuring Dying for Space as part of the blog tour

Review of Year One – Book 1 of the Chronicles of The One by Nora Roberts
AND
The HufflepuffNerdette features an excerpt from Dying for Space, in addition to an article by me, listing my top ten favourite space heroines

 

Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:

Adventures in Science Fiction Cover Art: Philippe Curval’s 1950s Photo Collages, Part 1
https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2017/12/27/adventures-in-science-fiction-cover-art-philippe-curvals-1950s-photo-collages-part-i/ These are extraordinary and beautiful – do swing by and take a look…

This #NewYear Visit Old #Fiction To Renew Your #WritingLife https://jeanleesworld.com/2017/12/28/this-newyear-visit-old-fiction-to-renew-your-writing-life/ Jean always tells it like it is – and this is an insight into how she rediscovered a piece of work, sent it off and… read it. It’s worth it.

The Secret of Great Memoir: The Mature Self https://www.janefriedman.com/memoir-mature-self/ This excellent article gives some solid tips on how to convey deep emotion without getting caught up in the spray and flotsam

10 of the Best Poems about Walking https://interestingliterature.com/2017/12/27/10-of-the-best-poems-about-walking/ As we brave the stormy weather for a breath of fresh air during this seasonal holiday, here are some offerings from some poets on this most fundamental form of exercise.

Christmas Alphabet: T for Tom Waits – Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis https://theimmortaljukebox.com/2017/12/15/christmas-alphabet-t-for-tom-waits-christmas-card-from-a-hooker-in-minneapolis/ Thom spins tales when he tells us factoids about some of his favourite songs, providing shafts of poetry in his writing as he conveys his love and passion for the music he features…

Thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to visit, like and comment on my site. May you have a peaceful, healthy and successful 2018. And if, sadly, those aren’t options for you, may you have the courage and strength to prevail. Happy New Year.

Review of KINDLE Ebook Year One – Book 1 of the Chronicles of The One by Nora Roberts

I’d seen this one around, before reading the glowing review by The Tattooed Book Geek which encouraged me to get hold of it. Would I enjoy it too?

It began on New Year’s Eve. The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed—and more than half of the world’s population was decimated. Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river—or in the ones you know and love the most.

My first piece of advice would be to avoid reading the rest of the blurb which is far too chatty and gives away more plot than necessary. That said, this one doesn’t hang about, though the first section is grim as the world we know and enjoy falls apart. Amongst the swathe of characters that we meet only to watch them die, are a handful that keep going despite the odds. While Roberts doesn’t indulge in any gratuitous violence, there are inevitably some scenes where horrible things happen and as has been noted in other reviews, she doesn’t flinch from those events, either.

I particularly enjoyed the twist where a proportion of the survivors find they have a magical ability awakening. Max and Lana both have this ability and though Max has possessed a magical talent before the Doom strikes, his power becomes stronger. The storyline involving these two is the engine that powers the narrative arc forward as they are essentially the principle protagonists, although there are a few other characters in a supporting role. There is a price to pay – normal survivors are starting to turn on the Uncanny, as they are termed, and not without reason. Though there are many like Max and Lana who use their powers only to defend themselves and help others, there are others whose magical abilities are far darker. And without any law and order, they are running amok.

As might be expected by a storyteller with Roberts’ experience, the pacing and narrative are ably handled – I had more or less expected certain events to unspool in a particular way. But just when I was settling into the rhythm of what I thought would happen – Roberts throws a massive wrench into the story and it suddenly takes a left turn into a very different direction that left me scrambling to catch up – I love it when that happens. The ending is strong with Roberts tying up all the plotlines so the story arc has a satisfying conclusion, yet leaving a couple of dangling plot points waving in the wind so we want to return to discover what happens next. Which I certainly want to do as this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
9/10

 

ANNDDD…

The HufflepuffNerdette features an excerpt from Dying for Space and an article from me on my favourite space opera heroines

Friday Faceoff – If music be the food of love, play on

This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer and is currently hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog. This week the theme is a cover featuring a musical instrument, so I’ve selected a real gem – The Future Falls – Book 3 of The Enchantment Emporium series by Tanya Huff.

 

This cover, produced by Titan Books in November 2014 seems to be the default cover. I like it well enough – it’s classy with the gold on red. But it gives little hint of the naughty, sharp-edged fantasy story that lurks behind those thick red curtains…

 

This edition was produced by Daw in November 2014 and I far prefer it as it gives an idea of the story. Both the dragon and the musician feature heavily in the adventure and I think particularly like the fact we get to see only bits of the dragon – but what we do see lets us know that he is magnificent. There are only the two choices this week – which one is your favourite?

ANNDDD…

La libreria di Beppe is featuring Dying for Space as part of the blog tour

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of NETGALLEY arc The Frequency of Aliens Book 2 of the Sorrow Falls series by Gene Doucette

I really liked the cool cover and the blurb which sounds sharp and funny, if a tad chatty. I’ve only included part of it…

Becoming an overnight celebrity at age sixteen should have been a lot more fun. Yes, there were times when it was extremely cool, but when the newness of it all wore off, Annie Collins was left with a permanent security detail and the kind of constant scrutiny that makes the college experience especially awkward. Not helping matters: she’s the only kid in school with her own pet spaceship.

I found this one difficult to put down once I got used to the narrative. The story is pacey and due to the humour, feels quite different from, say, Fade Out, which I have also recently read and reviewed. This could so easily have been a grim tale of humanity facing a possible apocalyptic threat and while events are stacking up and there is a definite sense of unease, at no stage did the tone alter. I found it quite refreshing.

However, the catch with using any form of omniscient viewpoint – where the narrator is driving the story forward instead of the main characters – is the narrative can tip into being a mouthpiece for the author. So as I read on, I became aware that Doucette isn’t a fan of the military mindset, while feeling protectively admiring of isolated, rural settlements like Sorrow Falls.
Is this a major problem? It certainly wasn’t for hundreds of years, or for the likes of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. However the current fashion is for our protagonists to tell the story from their viewpoints within the story, on the grounds that no one has an overarching, ultimate view of what is happening – and that is exactly what is going on throughout this book. If Doucette wasn’t so deft with his humour, I think I would have had more of a problem with the viewpoint but because his wry irreverence permeates the story, he manages to pull this one off.

Other than that, the writing is slick and effective, while he keeps the pace rolling forward. All the main characters were reasonably appealing, although I did find the bloodthirsty survivalists a little unnerving and wondered if Doucette is playing too much with stereotypes in his characterisations. However, the denouement and ending was well handled and I enjoyed reading this sufficiently that I will be looking out for the first book in the series, The Space Ship Next Door.

8/10

 

ANNDDD…

Just Books features an extract from Dying for Space as well as an article by yours truly about a very awkward conversation I had that led to my changing the setting of the Sunblinded trilogy just days before I released Running Out of Space.

Hywela Lyn features another excerpt from Dying for Space in which Elizabeth is on the wrong side of Sarge. Again…

Comfy Chair Books has posted another slice of Dying for Space in which Elizabeth is finding herself right out of her comfort zone at one of her father’s fancy banquets. In addition, there is an article about how I used food and dining as part of the worldbuilding in this book.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday – 27th December, 2017

40276268 – vintage old pocket watch and book

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week’s Can’t-Wait offering – WaR: Wizards and Robots by Will.i.am and Brian David Johnson

#young adult/children’s #science fiction #fantasy #adventure

When a young man breaks into her home claiming her life is in danger, Ada Luring’s world changes forever. Geller is a wizard, on the run from his father’s hidden clan who want to kill Ada and her mother. Sara Luring is the scientist who will create the first robot, the wizards’ age-old foes.

But a robot has travelled back in time to find Ada, and will lay everything on the line to protect her, as she may just be the key to preventing the earth’s destruction in the future.

Ada, Geller and the robots must learn to work together to change the past and secure the future. But they don’t have much time before a mysterious enemy launches its attack on Earth…

This sounds like a mash-up where Terminator meets Ursula LeGuin’s Left Hand of Darkness. To be honest, it was the sheer weirdness of the blurb that had me requesting the arc of this offering – that and the fabulous cover. As well as the fact that the authors clearly know their history – Ada Lovelace, notable mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron and Luring, which sounds very similar to Alan Turing, genius and credited with breaking the crucial code that helped to bring WWII to an end. I like those kinds of word associations and appreciate it when authors play those types of games. I’m looking forward to tucking into this offering in due course…

 

ANNDDD…

 

A Bohemian Mind at Work is featuring Dying for Space as part of the blog tour

Teaser Tuesday – 26th December, 2017

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Killbox – Book 4 of the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre
2% Unfortunately, the rush is fleeting, and I need to carry us safely through. I focus on the beacons; they pulse as if in answer to my command. Here, I feel powerful, damn near invincible, however much a lie that proves to be. Jumpers almost never die old and grey.

BLURB: Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best—by mouthing off and kicking butt.

And her tactics are needed more than ever. Flesh-eating aliens are attacking stations on the outskirts of space, and for many people, the Conglomerate’s forces are arriving too late to serve and protect them.

Now, Jax must take matters into her own hands by recruiting a militia to defend the frontiers—out of the worst criminals, mercenaries, and raiders that ever traveled through grimspace…

I had some vouchers so treated myself to continuing to read this excellent series. As you can see, I’m right at the start – but so far it’s sounding very promising…

 

ANNDDD…

The Daily Waffle features an excerpt from Dying for Space where Elizabeth is waaay out of her comfort zone…

Friday Faceoff – ‘Oh, we loves games! Doesn’t we, precious?’

This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer and is currently hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog. This week the theme is a cover featuring a puzzle or game, so I’ve selected Cards on the Table – Book 15 of the Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie.

 

This cover, produced by Berkley in July 2005 looks as though it’s been knocked up on Publisher for a primary school project. A generic card image is given an orange wash, while the ghastly block featuring the title and the author doesn’t even justify its existence by being easy to read.

 

This edition was produced by HarperCollins Publishers in 2001 and is a far better effort. The tower of collapsing cards gives a sense of movement and drama, with the pale blue background and white font that successfully creates a period feel. I like this cover – in fact it is my favourite by a long country mile.

 

Published in 2007 by Altın Kitaplar, this Turkish edition is another distressingly bad effort. The artwork is clumsy and obvious with the splashes of blood simply plonked over the image of the cards without any attempt to manipulate them to appear as if the cards have been spattered. Poor Agatha Christie!

 

This Romanian edition, published by RAO in November 2010 is another digitally generated cover. Although less dreadful than the previous two efforts thanks to the black background which is effective against the playing cards, it still feels amateurish.

 

This Arabic edition, produced by مكتبة جرير, is the best of the digital covers in my opinion. The wisp of cigar smoke against the black background produces an interesting effort and the grubby, twisted playing card gives a sense of wrongness that is evident in the HarperCollins collapsing card pyramid. Which is your favourite?

 

ANNDDD…

The Writer’s Inkwell has featured an article on General William Norman and an excerpt from Dying for Space.

ANNDDD…

The Genre Minx Book Reviews features another excerpt from Dying for Space.

Review of INDIE book The Long Way Home – Book 1 of the Sequoyah series by Sabrina Chase

Himself has been nagging me to read this one ever since he bought it – and when I finally managed to get to it, I’m so very glad I did…

Webspace pilot Moire Cameron is one of the best–but even she can’t fly her way out of a catastrophic drive failure that triggers a time-dilation bubble. Left suddenly eighty years out of date, she is on the run in a world she no longer knows, caught in the middle of a human-alien war while agents of Toren hunt her for the information only she has–the location of the pristine world of Sequoyah.

I’ve read a couple of science fiction books recently that have started in a fairly leisurely manner – this isn’t one of them. It hits the ground running and feeds information to the reader, who needs to catch up. I love it. It’s the reason why SFF is my go-to genre, no other fiction makes me think out of the box in quite the same way… Moire is scrambling to stay ahead of a ruthless corporation who want the information she has and isn’t fussy about how they’ll get it.

The worldbuilding is solidly convincing with all sorts of nice details that has Moire scratching her head as she struggles to catch up with the technology since she finds herself bounced into the future. I stayed up far later than I should have as this book refused to let me go until I’d finished it. We learn about all sorts of interesting places as she tries to keep a low profile in the less salubrious parts of space – think of an adrenaline-fuelled version of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. And no… the name of Chase’s book isn’t a rip-off, as it was published in 2012, well before Becky Chambers published her space opera best-seller.

As well as being an exciting chase, there are also some interesting plot twists – a couple I saw coming and one I didn’t – that also helped to keep the pages turning. The writing is accomplished and smooth, while Moire is a thoroughly likeable character who is doing her best to acclimatise herself in hard circumstances.

The story came to a suitable climax, though the ending leaves us with a lot more unanswered questions – however, for once I don’t care because I have Raven’s Children on my Kindle ready and waiting. I shan’t be leaving it long before I return to this thrilling world.
9/10

ANNDDD…

Laura from Fuonlyknew has written a 4 star review of Dying for Space which I’m delighted about. I’m still getting used to the buzz of people reading and enjoying my writing…

Shoot for the Moon 2017 Challenge – November Roundup

Mhairi Simpson, and I, once again, set ourselves a series of ambitious writing-related goals when 2017 was only a couple of days old. This has become something of a ritual, because over the past several years I have found it so very helpful to set out my targets for the year and then at the end of every month to hold myself accountable for these targets. Although that has slipped – due to being ill, I didn’t get around to writing my ‘Shoot for the Moon’ article for October.
How have I got on with my writing, reading and blogging targets now we are nearly through the year?

• Rewrite Miranda’s Tempest
Complete my rewrite of Miranda’s Tempest in response to some very detailed advice on how to improve it by an agent during the submission process.
If you’ve been following this one, you’ll know I sent Miranda’s Tempest back to the agent after a rewrite. She sent back more notes and helpful advice on how I could further improve it. This is such a help, but as I’ve been busy sorting out Dying for Space and working on the blog tour, I hope to be able to return to this during the Christmas holidays.

• Continue with the courses at Northbrook
Continue to run the Creative Writing courses at Northbrook Metropolitan College.
I have the course written for the coming term What Is the Time and Is It Raining? Setting and Why It Matters and have photocopied all the course notes. I just have to write up the Scheme of Work and lesson plans.

• Write at least 100 reviews for my blog during 2017
I hope to continue to read and review at least 100 books, with at least 24 being by women authors previously unknown to me as part of the Discovery Challenge, thanks to Joanne Hall’s post. I also would very much like to get more of my To Be Read pile read and reviewed, so will have another go at the Tackling my TBR Pile this year with the aim of reading at least 30 books during the year from this teetering stack.
During November, I read and reviewed 11 books. This brought my yearly total of books read by the end of the month to 164. Book of the month was Mother of Eden by Chris Beckett. I haven’t yet sat down and worked out exactly how many reviews I’ve written, but I know this target was achieved back in September.

• Continue teaching TW
Continue delivering the customised syllabus we have managed to find and devise in order to meet Tim’s specific learning requirements.
Last term was epic – we managed to complete the filming of Tim’s script Hoodwinked 3: This Time It’s Personal by the end of November, which was an amazing achievement considering the cast numbered 25 with 13 songs and locations ranged from the seafront and pier at Bognor, to the museum. Watching Tim rise to all the pressures and deadlines that came with such an ambitious project has been wonderful.

• Continue to improve my fitness
I attend weekly Fitstep and Pilates classes to improve my fitness and regain the strength and stamina I lost after a decade of chronic lower back pain.
And this has been a car crash! I’ve only attended three sessions in last term. Hopefully I’ll be able to return to the routine in the new year. Ditto going for walks with Himself – we simply haven’t had the time or inclination. Now that he is back on track, hopefully things will get back to normal…

Overall, November was a busy but successful month. I am aware that I have been feeling very tired and rather frayed, but the constant uncertainty and resulting insecurity also played its part in that. Now things are on a more stable footing, hopefully I’ll feel more energised and positive.

ANNDDD…

Between the Bindings is promoting Dying for Space…

ANNDDD…

Writers and Authors is publishing an article by yours truly entitled ‘My Protagonist and her Point of View’ about the issues I confronted while writing about my main character, who features in the Sunblinded series

Sunday Post – 17th December 2017

This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.

I’ve now broken up from Northbrook and got all my notes for next term’s course photocopied. I now only have the Scheme of Work and lesson plans to complete.

On Wednesday evening the writing group I belong to all went out for our Christmas jolly – to The Lamb in Angmering. The meal was absolutely delicious – vegetarian menus can be a bit hit and miss, but the mushroom tart tatin was utterly scrummy and of course, the company was great. We hadn’t managed to meet up throughout most of November so it was brilliant to catch up with everyone’s news

And on Thursday, I finally had the chance to be fully involved in the Launch Day for Dying for Space which was so much fun. Many, many thanks to those of you who sent messages of support, or retweeted about it. My lovely friend Mhairi came over, despite not feeling all that well and held my hand throughout the whole day – there is a solid reason why I dedicated Dying for Space to her… Though it was the second book I’ve released this year, the first time around I was in bed with flu.

On Friday, I woke up to the fact that Christmas is less than a fortnight away – eek! So got most of my cards written and sent and ordered a bunch of pressies online. Hopefully over the weekend I’ll be able to get the rest done.

This week I have read:

The Long Way Home – Book 1 of the Sequoyah series by Sabrina Chase
Webspace pilot Moire Cameron is one of the best–but even she can’t fly her way out of a catastrophic drive failure that triggers a time-dilation bubble. Left suddenly eighty years out of date, she is on the run in a world she no longer knows, caught in the middle of a human-alien war while agents of Toren hunt her for the information only she has–the location of the pristine world of Sequoyah.
Himself was on at me to read this one – and he was absolutely right. It’s excellent space opera – we start right in the middle of a space battle and the story just whips along with an intriguing, smart protagonist. Despite having a great deal on this week, this one proved to be impossible to put down until I’d finished it.

 

The Frequency of Aliens – Book 2 of the Sorrow Falls series by Gene Doucette
Becoming an overnight celebrity at age sixteen should have been a lot more fun. Yes, there were times when it was extremely cool, but when the newness of it all wore off, Annie Collins was left with a permanent security detail and the kind of constant scrutiny that makes the college experience especially awkward. Not helping matters: she’s the only kid in school with her own pet spaceship.
This is an enjoyable adventure around the spaceship that turned up in the first book in this series, which I haven’t yet read. Doucette manages to make the omniscient viewpoint work owing to his humorously wry take on the events that unfold around the hapless Annie. Review to follow after Christmas…

My posts last week:

Sunday Post – 10th December, 2017

Review of The Medusa’s Daughter – Book 1 of The Mask of Medusa series by T.O. Munro

Teaser Tuesday featuring The Frequency of Aliens – Book 2 of the Sorrow Falls series by Gene Doucette

Can’t-Wait Wednesday featuring The Shadow Weaver by MarcyKate Connolly

Launch of Dying for Space – IT’S HERE  …AND Pippa Jay featuring an excerpt from Dying for Space

Friday Face-off – Hubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble…featuring Strong Poison – Book 6 of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers
AND
Chuckles at Chuckles Book Cave promoting Running Out of Space and Dying for Space
AND
Mello & June, It’s a Book Thang featuring an excerpt from Dying for Space

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Fade Out by Patrick Tilley
AND
Bibliophile Ramblings featuring an excerpt from Dying for Space

Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:

Christmas During the American Civil War #Christmas #history @RichardBuxton65 http://maryanneyarde.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/christmas-during-american-civil-war.html?spref=tw This excellent article is penned by ex-student Richard Buxton, author of Whirligig which I reviewed here. Both are worth reading…

We Look Forward to Your Next Submission http://liminalstoriesmag.com/blog/2016/8/7/we-look-forward-to-your-next-submission The marvellous Steph Bianchini – @SPBianchini – brought this one to my attention – and it’s well worth passing on.

Is This Cigar-Shaped Asteroid Watching Us? http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2017/12/scientists_are_watching_oumuamua_an_asteroid_they_think_could_be_an_alien.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_top And just when you thought truth couldn’t get any more stranger than fiction…

10 Things Only People Who Read Ebooks Understand https://mccullum001.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/10-things-only-people-who-read-ebooks-understand/ These ten hilarious cartoons certainly cheered me up.

Give Your Answers in the Blog Comments, Please… https://blogging807.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/give-your-answers-in-the-blog-comments-please/ You’ve been kidnapped. You can call on one character from one book to come and rescue you. Who do you call?

Thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to visit, like and comment on my site and may you have a great week.