They may not bring mayflowers here but at least they’ll wash away the left over snow.

Status

Marva Collins Series
School Days and Working Class are both available on Audible now. Hard Knocks is up for pre-order, if you celebrate those.

Shackleford House
My fountain pen and notebook habit is paying dividends in story building. I’m really liking what’s coming together even if it’s taking way longer than I usually spend. I think the end result will be worth it.

What Am I Reading?

I didn’t read enough science fiction last month. I’m finding it scarce on the ground these days. So many of the authors have gone with small presses and removed themselves from consideration. I’ve waded through so many samples that didn’t grab me enough to get the book since John Beresford’s Gatekeeper (which I recommended to my newsletter mid month). There’s a new Bob and Nikki (of course). So this month you get fantasy.

Awakening the Witch, Book 1, in Christina Garner’s Hollywood Lakes Magical Midife series.

Lemme preface this with obligatory disclaimers:

1. I know Christina Garner from an online community we both participate in. She hasn’t asked for this. I’m doing it for you, not her. Seriously, give it a shot.
2. Midlife magic (otherwise known as Paranormal Women’s Fiction) takes the magic out of puberty which speaks to the Tanyth Fairport in me. It’s worth a read.

The story features Shay Atwater, Hollywood agent to the undiscovered greats and heir to an inn located in a small town the hills somewhere around LA called Hollywood Lakes. Its claim to fame is where the stars went to get their whistles wet during prohibition. When Grammy Atwater shuffles off her mortal coil, she left some business unfinished with Shay. Business that has Shay playing with pixies and parlaying with the Fae. This deal-maker for the stars finds her negotiating talents getting a workout when she finally breaks away from the city and starts uncovering secrets in Hollywood Lakes.

As always it’s the characters. Shay and her squad had me grinning for days while I squaffed up all three novels and looked for the third. It’s up for pre-order and should drop in a few days. I’ll be heading back to Hollywood Hills when it does.

Maybe you should, too. Grab a sample and see what you think.

Looking Ahead

I’ve got to take some time to straighten out my web presence. I’ve put it off for too long and my hosting company has let me know they’re changing things up. It’s all good for now, but the last thing I need is for the site to disappear suddenly.

This site will remain, largely unchanged unless I get a bug in my ear to change the template to something that might work better on phones. None of the ones I’ve looked at actually work so, it’ll take some doing.

Some of my other sites will be merged into here or taken down. Look for the Solar Clipper Diary to become a link here like TOMMW. Tanyth Fairport’s website and the old indie review blog will likely go away all together. That will leave only a lot of tedious sorting through the detritus of botched installs, failed blogging attempts, and old installations of software I don’t use any more.

It’s nothing difficult. Just tedious and time consuming.

We all know how much I love those kinds of tasks.

Anyway, until next month, safe voyage.

I think things are coming together. It’s still slow, but there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Status

Marva Collins Series
School Days and Working Class are both available on Audible now. Rumor has it that Hard Knocks will be up for pre-order soon but I haven’t had any solid word from Podium on that yet.

Shackleford House
You know how in the springtime, everything’s cold and frozen? Then one day you step outside and there’s water dribbling in the gutters, that pesky patch of ice near the back stoop has melted, and you think maybe – just maybe – spring is on the way?

Yeah. That. Small trickles but I feel like the story might be thawing out a bit. Fingers crossed on that.

What Am I Reading?

Looking back over the last 4 weeks, I’ve read a lot of different things. More next books in a series, most of which I’ve already mentioned here. I tried some of James Haddock’s fantasy and really enjoyed Wizard’s Alley. Bruce Sentar’s Magic Mantle (book 1 of Ard’s Oath) is actually better than the cover would have me believe. For lack of a better description, I’ll go with “strong polyamory” content, so fair warning.

But Kristina McMullen’s Space Girl From Earth, book 1 in the Kyroibi Saga, hit all the right buttons. A really interesting space opera involving secrets and mysteries that Ellie has to deal with, often in the most frustrating ways possible, in order to figure out what the heck has gotten her mother’s knickers in a twist.

Honestly, I’ve been passing this over for weeks. It kept popping up in my recommendations but I always has something else ahead of it in the sample queue. I got to it the other day and I’m glad I did.

But don’t take my word for it. Maybe grab a sample and see if it works for you, too.

Looking Ahead

I’ve been bitten by the fountain pen bug and really enjoying the new experience of writing with pen and ink. I’m trying to improve my penmanship which means I’m doing a lot of hand writing drills, but I’m also doing a lot of writing. Organizing the story with pen and paper has given me some more insights and started me chipping away at the Cat’s frozen story.

The progress is slow, still, but I’m working with the idea of momentum. The writing engine has been all but frozen for the last six months but the words are starting to come back with the spring. The direction feels much better – more authentic, less forced.

Fingers crossed that this new sense of fun and some warmer weather will thaw out my brain and get the Cat purring along this month.

Until next month, safe voyage.

-N