The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin
I love steampunk. It’s fun, has that historical element that I enjoy and yet is firmly grounded in fantasy. Who better to highlight as my first review on this site, than one of the grandfathers of steampunk, James P. Blaylock. We had the pleasure of interviewing Jim on the podcast back on Episode 6 and what a great guy, in addition to being an awesome author. I had just finished The Aylesford Skull and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, it’s one of my fave books of 2013, so it’s the perfect choice for my review here.
Maer’s Review
What an absolutely delightful book from one of the founding fathers of the steampunk genre! With appropriately steampunkish props, St. Ives is back with a new mystery to solve. One that becomes more personal than he’d like. And that’s all I’m saying about the plot, so as not to invoke spoilers.
Blaylock’s writing is elegant. It is reminiscent of the Victorian era, but appeals to modern readers and never becomes stuffy. With touches of humor that actually made me laugh out loud, he has created characters that are rich, complex and easy to fall in love with. Even his supporting cast soon has you rooting for them. The story is fast-paced and the mystery elements work well. Indeed the book itself is a very fast read, which kept me turning those pages.
Overall, the novel is excellent and entertaining and I highly recommend it!
Read on for more and for links!
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This episode we take a different turn and explore the world of non-fiction. Our special guest, the awesome Deborah M. Gray, takes us through some of the strategies she used in her own non-fiction work. Deborah found her own niche and has filled it well! Join us as she shares tips and tricks about publishing a “How to” book. How to Import Wine: An Insider’s Guide has been praised not only for its savvy in the wine industry, but for being well-written and easy to understand.
About Deborah M. Gray
Deborah M. Gray, an Australian native, founded her U.S. wine importing company, The Australian Wine Connection, in 1992 with her family’s brand, The Cowra Estate, and a collection of small, family-owned wineries from around Australia, ultimately representing iconic, highly rated brands.
She has been a frequent guest speaker at wine festivals, judged wine competitions and conducted seminars at various events around the country, including Epcot and Disneyland. She served on the first wine board of Austrade in New York, predecessor to Wine Australia. Deborah teaches a course at San Diego State University on Australian Wine as part of a certificate program.
Deborah’s first book on wine importing and distribution, How to Import Wine – An Insider’s Guide, was published by Wine Appreciation Guild in August, 2011. In December, 2011 her book was recognized as “Best U.S. Professional Wine Book 2011” by Gourmand International. In March, 2012, her book was short-listed for “Best World Professional Wine Book 2011,” in Paris, a competition that attracted over 1,000 entries from 168 countries.
Today, the emphasis in her company, Bluestone Wine Solutions, is on consulting and assisting others with their importing needs and portfolios. She is also at work on a second wine business related book.
Read on for more about Deborah and for excerpts from the show…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:24 — 39.3MB)
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It’s a real treat to have David Farland on the show this week. He’s a particular favorite of mine, not only because of his awesome writing, but because he is a genuine and generous, all-around good guy. Whether it’s helping out new writers or interacting with his fans, Dave is gracious and fun. Check out his wonderful interview!
About David Farland
David Farland is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author with over 50 novels in print. He has won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for “Best Novel in the English Language” for his science fiction novel On My Way to Paradise, and the Whitney Award for “Best Novel of the Year” for his historical novel In the Company of Angels, and the International Book Award for “Best Young Adult Novel of the Year” for his fantasy thriller Nightingale. He is perhaps best known, however, for his epic fantasy series, The Runelords.
Read on for more about Dave’s work and for excerpts from the show!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:11 — 37.2MB)
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She’s back! That former intrepid reporter, current best-selling author and my good friend, LynDee Walker. And now she’s followed up her smashing debut novel, Front Page Fatality, with another success in her sequel, Buried Leads. Both are from her acclaimed series, A Headline in High Heels Mystery.
About LynDee Walker
LynDee Walker grew up in the land of stifling heat and amazing food most people call Texas, and wanted to be Lois Lane from the time she could say the words “press conference.” An award-winning journalist, LynDee traded cops and deadlines for burp cloths and onesies when her oldest child was born. Writing the Headlines in High Heels mysteries gives her the best of both worlds. LynDee is a member of Sisters in Crime and James River Writers. BURIED LEADS is her second Headlines in High Heels mystery. Her debut, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, is an amazon multi-chart #1 bestseller. A Headlines in High Heels novella will be in the anthology HEARTACHE MOTEL, on sale Dec. 10, 2013, and the third novel in the series, SMALL TOWN SPIN, is coming in April 2014.
LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is working on her next novel. You can find her online in any of the usual social media places or at www.lyndeewalker.com.
Read on for excepts from LynDee and more about Buried Leads!
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It’s always fun when I get to interview my friends. Today we welcome the ever-awesome K Latham to the show. Please join us for her interview!
About K Latham
K. Latham was born and raised in East Texas, where she found herself searching for an outlet for her muse.
She tried painting and sketching, yet wasn’t very good. Poetry was fun and helped her mold her vocabulary as well as imagery. Yet, she still felt incomplete.
Finally, she decided to try her hand at writing fiction. Who knew it would be the answer to her dream?
She writes Young Adult Paranormal Romance novels and is a member of the East Texas Writers Association.
Read on for more about K and her novels!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:15 — 38.2MB)
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Fascinating author Rebecca Trogner joins Carla and Maer for a fun-filled interview about writing and her novel, The Last Keeper’s Daughter.
About Rebecca Trogner
Rebecca Trogner lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and frequently crosses the Blue Ridge Mountains that were the inspiration for Krieger’s home. She always dreamed of being a writer, but got sidetracked by the day-to-day adventures of life. With the encouragement of her family, she has finished her first novel and is currently writing the next book in The Last Keeper’s Daughter series. Rebecca lives with her husband and son, and a rescue dog named Giblet.
Read on for more about Rebecca!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:39 — 33.1MB)
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This episode, we welcome Kary Rader! Author of romance and fantasy, mom, theatre and all-round terrific person. Kary is the author of Queen of Jastain, A Taylor-Made Life and her current project, Broken.
About Kary Rader
Kary Rader is a stay-at-home mother of three, avid reader and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head. Her book Queen of Jastain, published by Crescent Moon Press released this past April. Kary is currently in the process of self-publishing a book that is close to heart, and is sure to touch the lives of all the readers that encounter it. A Taylor-Made Life released this summer.
Always creative, she’s drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished with words. It’s the power of words that creates and destroys.
Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day’s work. And with the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life.
Read on for more about Kary!
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Today’s interview is with my friend, author Cindy Young-Turner. Cindy is loads of fun and a terrific author, so be sure to give us a listen. Her most recent book is the fantasy, Thief of Hope, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
About Cindy Young-Turner
Cindy has always been an avid reader and became fascinated by mythology and Arthurian legends at an early age. She quickly decided she enjoyed creating her own worlds and characters and set to work writing her own stories.
She believes genre fiction can be just as well written and valuable as literature. The universal themes of love, hate, revenge, and redemption are present regardless of whether the characters live in the distant future, on other planets, or in fantastical realms.
Read on for more about Cindy!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:00 — 51.7MB)
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Joining us today is the fabulous Jean Murray, a very generous friend, awesome author and overall terrific person. Jean’s fascinating and critically aclaimed “The Key to the Cursed” series already includes two novels: Soul Reborn and Soul Awakened. She busy working on two more. Gaining her inspiration from Egyptology, Jean has crafted a very different and fun series.
About Jean Murray
Author Jean Murray brings a wonderful new spin to the paranormal world with her Egyptian Underworld gods. She broke ground in the paranormal romance genre with Soul Reborn and now continues the “Key to the Cursed” journey with Soul Awakened. Both books in the series received Night Owl Reviews Reviewer’s Top Pick/5-stars for Soul Reborn and Soul Awakened.
In her pursuit of a nursing degree, Jean Murray aspired to see the world and joined the Navy. At the end of 2011 she said a heart-breaking goodbye to her Navy family and retired after twenty years of military service. Although her dreams of writing full time have yet to come true, she continues her writing journey and draws inspiration from her travels abroad. She enjoys spending time with her family and of course, writing about the “Carrigan sisters and their mates, Gods of the Underworld,” to bring you the next installment of the Key to the Cursed series.
Read on for more about Jean!