Friday Flash Fiction

Amy C at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie atTink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you publish your Fiction Flash  on Friday - 350 words, give or take. Below you can find the picture posted last Monday:

It will be a new story, not connected to anything I've written so far in order not to bore you all!

He woke up early in the morning lying on a stony, filthy pavement. His head ached like mad and he was cold. He tried to get up but managed to stand only using the nearest wall as a support. As weak as a blind kitten, he tried to walk but found it impossible. Pathetic. Most of his clothes had been gone - he was left with a dirty, torn, buttonless shirt, most probably not his, and a pair of breeches. No shoes, no leather tunic with these fashionable metal studs he was so proud of, no weapons. He swore. Even swearing was quite a task. His tongue seemed to be twice the usual size and his mouth - completely dry and stinking to hell. Speak about a bad morning...

Then he remembered. He had been on a mission three months now. Last night he finally retrieved the Key and, feeling so happy and elated that he almost danced and cheered, he decided one beer would made the great, successful evening just perfect. Bad, bad mistake. Local beer was different than his usual drink of choice although the name stayed the same - first it went down fast, smooth, cold and pleasant, then it whacked you on your head with its strength quite unexpectedly. The fact that he hadn't been eating well lately certainly didn't help either. If he only knew.

One moment he sat chatting with the serving girl, the next he was fast asleep on the table. Then somebody roughly woke him up and told to get his ass out of the inn. When he didn't move quickly enough he was thrown out unceremoniously by two burly thugs. Or maybe there were three of them? Afterwards he simply drowned in a smooth blackness - losing consciousness has never been that easy. Not for him. Horrible stuff, that local beer. Small wonder he has been jumped and robbed during the night- lying in a gutter near the inn, completely sozzled, unable to lift a finger in his defence, he was every little thief's dream job. He earned it. The problem was that they have also taken the Key. Injuring his leg, inside which it had been sewed. He wanted to howl with rage but forced himself to think.

It meant the thief, no matter who or what he or she was, knew. Taking his flashy tunic, expensive weapons and good quality shoes was one thing. Slicing his tight open in the right place and stealing an object hidden inside, not bigger than a small caterpillar, was quite another story. Now he was being in dire straits and he knew nobody who would be willing to help. His head was throbbing even more terribly when he heard somebody's light, cautious steps.

Friday Flash Fiction

Amy C at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie atTink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you publish your Fiction Flash  on Friday - 350 words, give or take. Below you can find the picture posted last Monday:

It will be Tanisia's story part five but from a different perspective...the perspective of the Fallen. Let me present these gentlemen-angels closer. In this pic they are so lovely! If the text sounds a bit strange or not exactly in the right order that's mainly because I am taking the stress out on it. 


The night was cold and starry, the campfire hot and enticing but none of them dared to take a nap. Theoretically they didn't need it but they have been on a run for so many months that they were becoming physically and mentally tired. Dead tired. A nap would be definitely a nice change.

Daan was their unquestionable leader. He wore a dangerously-looking hood, moved stealthily, wielded a sword made of magical ice and never hesitated to use it. Mainly against any warlock or witch who might cherish a foolish idea of enslaving some powerful Fallen and bind them to their rotten persons. What a cheek! The mere thought made his anger simmer as if you pour some icy water on a red-hot stone. He has been like that for too long.

Then there was Khaal - the sheer muscle force and a mace to prove its value. Nobody knew what he thought about anything at all - he stayed silent most of the time but he did like shaving his head every second day. He had seen a bald guy in a circus once, preening himself on being 'a strongman', and somehow it caught his fancy. Anyway a bald head made greater impression than a mop of auburn, girlish, thick curls. He wasn't below using any advantage he could get. Not when his freedom was at stake. Daan actually enjoyed his silent company even if he wasn't sure Khaal shared his hatred.

The third one joined them not so long ago - his silverly hair and beard matching the plumage of his pet eagle, called Cuddly. The owner's name was supposed to be Randy, rhyming with brandy, his drink of choice, but when several witches, hearing it, snickered in the most uncharitable way he decided to change it into Raand and save some digninty in the future. The eagle didn't mind the change as long as Raand provided fodder with his longbow. Raand provided. In return the eagle was their most efficient spy and an early warning system. Such a sweet, useful bird.

"I fancy a beer," complained Raand in a whinny voice. Raand was the worst at silent brooding, so characteristic of any Fallen of quality.

"They are close by, shut the trap," answered Daan, as always Mr. Cheerful.

"Cuddly doesn't indicate any danger."

"Stupid beast, grew too tame," snarled Daan.

"Now then, you can say what you like about me but don't abuse Cuddly," bristled Raand with indignation.

"I tell you they are nearby," hissed Daan, sounding angrier than usual. "I feel them in my essence. Instead of talking send your beast scouting around once more and we'll see."

"Cuddly babe, would you mind looking around a bit, my sweetie little birdie? One small round, just for daddy? Here, have some rabbit's meat, a bit smoked but still rare and juicy, as you like...here you go my dear..."

The eagle snatched a stripe of meat eagerly and disappeared in the darkness. Daan shot his fellow a dirty look - so many stupid words, so little sense. As if that gluttonous eagle could understand any of them. Raand looked a bit sad - he never liked parting with his pet but Daan has been so tightly strung lately that it wasn't exactly safe to ignore his orders. He might get indisgestion. Or worse. A Fallen with indisgestion breathed fire from his ears, mouth and nostrils and was very disaster-prone. In the worst-case scenario he might even set his companions and himself on fire. As a Fallen couldn't die, it might mean an infinite torment of burning your constantly regenerating skin and muscles. Such fire could be put down only by tears of real angels and those almost never cried, especially in the company of Fallen, a.k.a. demons. You must admit burning wasn't the nicest state to spend your eternity in. Raand kept mum  for a while, waiting for Cuddly to return but he was never one for prolongued silence.

"A roll of dice, anyone?"

Daan clenched his jaw but Khaal looked interested enough to make Raand continue.

"If you win, I buy you a beer and a dish of nice hot beef stew in the nearest inn. If you lose you buy me..."

All of a sudden the eagle reappeared, as noiseless as a ghost. It perched on the shoulder of his master with a  little white squirrel  hanging from the powerful beak. It made everybody a bit more happy. Raand in fact was so cheerful that he couldn't stop talking.

"You see? No danger, just peace and quiet, all peachy and nice. Relax, Daan, and roll the dice with us. It will be ok. They've lost our scent. We are safe tonight. Look at these beautiful stars..."

They sat around their campfire and Khaal started rolling the dice with a flourish. Daan, apparently a bit relaxed as well, was polishing his sword absentmindedly. Cuddly was gnawing on the bloody limbs of the dead squirrel with ferocious intensity.  Nobody noticed when a small mole and a shrew emerged from the soil just a few meters from their feet.

A break from posting...

Recently I read and posted a lot - thanks for sharing these very intense months with me! Well, real life and other plagues have finally found me. In other words a girl should earn her living if/when she can. I am being on a larger project right now so I think it's time I took a break from posting. It's not that I won't be able to attend my blog: comment, write a friday flash once a week (a very relaxing activity from my point of view) or visit other places, belonging to my fav bloggers - it's not that bad (or that rosy, depending on your view). However, I definitely won't be able to read as much as I like/need/crave so, as a result, I might not post reviews for a week or so. Maybe longer.

Rejoice, you earned a brief respite from me, but don't get too complacent, I will be back! (no evil laugh because Terminator never does that silly thing. Bad for his image ;) )

Review: Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher

Book info:


Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Roc; First Edition edition (April 10, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451457811
ISBN-13: 978-0451457813
Genre: urban fantasy, crime story
Target audience: adults


Synopsis:

Imagine you are a newbie postman and you have to deliver a registered letter to somebody who is called Harry Dresden. You approach the door of his dingy little office and you see a little plate with an inscription: Harry Dresden, a wizard. What your reaction would be? Would you laugh? Would you run away? Would you make fun of such a weird job description?

Harry gets that (‘funny comments’) most often when a new postman is allotted to his area. The fact is that he works as the only official wizard in Chicago listed in the Yellow Pages. He makes a hand-to-mouth living finding lost objects and helping the police from time to time with some unusual (say: ‘supernatural’) cases. Not a great career or a very profitable one. Think of him as a magic wand with an attitude. A thirty pound cat with half a tail and an oversexed skull used as an equivalent of a computer database, called Bob, don't help his image either.

In the first part of this rather large series (as far as I know there have been written 13 books so far) Harry Dresden is being broke so he has to accept any job coming his way (Philip Marlowe anyone?) . First he is contacted by a woman called Monica who wants him to find her missing husband. The guy seemed to develop an unhealthy interest in magic lately, that’s why Monica doesn’t want to go to the police. Even before Dresden manages to meet her and find out more about that unusual assignment he answers a police call for assistance. In a plush hotel apartment a really gruesome double murder has been discovered. The two victims, caught literally in flagrante delicto, have had their hearts blown out through their rib cages – rather unusual way of dying. Detective Karrin Murphy wants answers fast, but Chicago Crime boss Johnny ‘Gentleman’ Marcone wants Dresden out of the case. Monica, on the other hand, is a client who pays. What to do?

The last complication is the White Council, a body supervising wizards and witches. They had already put Harry on a kind of probation. Some of them think that Harry Dresden just might be dipping a little to far into the black magic side, and intend to execute him if there is any further hint of abuse. Morgan, the White Council representative monitoring Harry with a seriously big sword, would just love to nail him for even the slightest infringement of law, let alone messing with black magic. The problem is that black magic clings to Harry and follows his every move.

What I liked:


The character of Harry was undoubtedly a huge asset here. As either wizard or a gumshoe he is presented as that ungainly, hapless guy with a good, dark sense of humour and a horrible sense of fashion (a duster, jeans, a t-shirt and cowboy boots sum it well). He knows his magic and spells but he is forever forgetting this and losing that, dropping his staff or getting ambushed by bad guys just because he stopped to phone or have some coffee. It doesn't help that he has a tad of a hero complex– a damsel in distress will be always his priority over such trifles as earning a living. What’s more, Harry has a rather self-defeating chivalrous attitude about women, and a seriously horrible track record with dating. Not to mention his bad luck with machines of any kind. Overall it's easy to empathize with his circumstances.

The narration flowed easily and the book was very easy to read with lots of action. The criminal mystery was presented in an interesting way – neither very difficult nor too easy to solve – but the best, the most funny, although still a bit scary part was for me poor Harry’s Saturday night date. I couldn’t help laughing out loud!

I liked the world building as well - in the course of his investigation, Harry runs into all kinds of supernatural beasties, including faeries, demons, a vampiress madame, and constantly growing creepy scorpions. Add in Harry's hilarious assistant, Bob, an air spirit with an overactive libido who lives in a human skull and just a dash of romance and you have the recipe for a good, relaxing summer read.

Titillating factor:

Harry is one coy wizard with too little time and/or social skills for dates and whatnots but I suppose he is willing to learn (or, at least, read a guide). Not to mention the fact that he has stacks of different pink, frilly romance books in his office ;). However, do not despair fair ladies, there is still some innuendo here and there - like one very hot vampiress-madam, owning an luxurious establishment of disrepute, and of course that pair caught so to speak in the very heat of things right at the beginning....

What I didn’t like:

Magic was a bit dumb here (mangled Latin spells and alcohol-based potions somehow failed to persuade me) and the language was overblown from time to time. Also the secondary characters lacked some depth - we’ve seen them all in other books and movies- the hard-nosed, divorced lady cop, her skeptical, deliberately scruffy partner, the well-spoken, suave mob boss, the silent barman, the nosy, attractive reporter, and a rich, desperate housewife with dark secrets…pity the author couldn’t mix their features a bit better. Especially females I found rather flat, as their reactions seemed to be limited to fear, anger, and horniness. Well, this might improve with the rest of the series. We’ll see.

Finally there was one thing about Harry Dresden which made me slightly annoyed with him at the end of the book. The guy was simply too lucky - he should have died several times wandering totally unprepared into dangerous situations and doing stupid things over and over again. A hero who survives by the skin of his teeth or by dumb luck every 50 pages or so can lose a lot of credibility in the process even if he is a wisecrack in a positive way.


Final verdict:


If you like urban fantasy and detective stories with flawed but funny heroes (like, say Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake), this blending should suit you fine especially as a light summer read. I admit that Mr. Butcher has potential so I am willing to continue this series to find out more about Harry and his world. I am not sure I will read the whole series, though.

Review: A Spectacle of Corruption by David Liss.

Book info:

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Random House (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375508554
• ISBN-13: 978-0375508554
• Genre: historical fiction
• Target group: adults

Synopsis:

We meet again Benjamin Weaver, who remains the main hero and the narrator, like in the case of The Conspiracy of Paper, reviewed by me here. He starts the book as a  spurned adorer of Miriam, his cousin's widow, drinking his way into oblivion because that ambitious woman converted to Christianity and married a handsome, promising Tory politician, Griffin Melbury, in an effort to become a real  fashionable English lady. Well, it was always her secret wish after all but be careful what you wish for...

 Soon the situation of Benjamin goes from bad to worse - he’s just been sentenced to hang by his neck for a murder he clearly didn’t commit. The judge, previously known as a decent, honest lawyer, now seemed simply hell-bent on pronouncing Benjamin guilty no matter what. At the end of a very skewed, outrageous trial, however, an unknown woman manages to slip him secretly a file and a picklock – two tools of his former thieving trade which are going to save his life and help him escape the horrible Newgate prison. Now Benjamin, an escaped convict with a large bounty placed on his head, leads a very precarious life. In order to clear his name he has two main tasks– to discover who wanted him dead and who was equally desperate to give him one more chance.

As the action is set in 1722, the year of General Election, widely viewed at that time as a kind of referendum whether king George I was the right ruler for England, we will see plenty of political intrigues, involving people from different walks of life, men and women alike. Two main political parties, Tories, associated with old money, and Whigs, supporting nonconformist Protestants, Jews and new landless wealth, will use any trick in their books to gain power. The life of Benjamin might depend on the outcome of the election so he will have to keep all his wits about him most of the time and take some really desperate steps. Like, say, befriending Miriam’s new husband, the last person in England he would like to befriend, or trusting a bit more his former rival, the most powerful thief-taker in London, Jonathan Wild.

What I liked:

The main character – nothing changed here. We deal here with a very likeable rouge but if you take into account the times he lived in and his underprivileged position within the English society you might judge him even less harshly. Of course Benjamin is hardly a saint - it makes him as well-rounded a character as I like. Despite tough conditions he always complies with his own set of rules although he is not forced to do it by anyone or anything, apart from his own conscience. Indeed, when you come to think about it he is fairer and more honest than most of high-born politicians-gentlemen who shamelessly sell their votes and political views to the highest bidder. In this part I found Ben really well fleshed-out and from time to time very amusing, still too infatuated with Miriam to behave rationally even if it would be in his best interest. Love is blind but I do hope he will get cured soon.

The political background. Once again the period was researched thoroughly and explained in a very entertaining but accurate manner (as far as I know of course). At the beginning of the book we get even a short time line and key political terms included so you don’t have to feel like an idiot and you don’t need to be a history geek to get a grasp of the whole situation very quickly. The author never condescends to his readers and I truly appreciate his approach.

Two female characters, Miriam Melbury and Grace Dogmill, featured in this book, were really exceptional although, I must say, not exactly as likeable as the main lead. Both being intelligent, capable and ambitious women, they did their best to find a better postion in a society dominated by men and get away with it. Miriam married an allegedly respectable politician and changed her denomination, practically reinventing herself as an English lady; Grace could be called a political animal - she took an active part in canvassing on behalf of a Whig candidate, supported by her brother, and tried to lead an independent life, even daring to chose her own lovers and not wanting to marry anyone, a very bold move for any woman at that time. Their strategies, although different, had advantages and disadvantages and I loved the fact these were fully exposed during the narration. However I found both ladies terribly selfish that's why my sympathy for them was limited. Still I am glad we met.

Finally the baddies (I promise, I will be short now): I simply adore baddies who are as close as possible to real life people - complex characters, with many layers (like onions or Shrek who wasn’t a complete baddie but still, you get my drift) and an interesting personality. You can find such villains in this book - Jonathan Wild and Dennis Dogmill are just two examples. Thank you Mr. Liss for them, it was a treat.

What I didn’t like:

We are left with a whodunit mystery cliffhanger at the very end and, reading an interview with the author, I found out it was a deliberate move. I do not like cliffhangers although I do understand their uses when it comes to making people buy the next part of a series. Still not fair.

Final verdict:

A great sequel to the brilliant first part and a great historical fiction you can get addicted to. Yes, I’ve ordered the next book. I know, bad Anachronist. One more thing - this book can be easily read as a stand-alone novel so those of you who like jumping right in the middle of things won't have any difficulties at all (wink at Melissa).

Jonathan Wild in the Newgate prison awaiting his execution via Wikipedia

Silent Sunday

Photo courtesy of my brother

Guest post by A. J. Scudiere - where do books come from? - plus a giveaway

Today I would like to welcome very warmly the first guest post on my blog. Meet A.J. Scudiere, a thriller author who agreed not only to present her books here but also share some of her thoughts - thank you very much for contacting me and being my guest A.J.!

A.J. has lived in Florida and Los Angeles among a handful of other places. Recent whims have brought the dark writer to Tennessee, where home is a deceptively normal looking neighborhood just outside Nashville.Her newest novel, a mystery/thriller called God's Eye, releases this coming October. In addition to physical books, A.J has two audio movies: Resonance and Vengeance. This year at Book Expo America,Vengeance won the award for Best Audio Movie! Ok, time to let her answer a simple question, so often asked when you interview a writer:

Where do books come from?

If you ask my daughter, she’ll talk about paper and glue – but books come from so many other places, physical bindings aside. I’m often asked where I get my ideas, and the fact of the matter is that I haven’t had two come from the same place yet.

My first book, Resonance – about four scientists chasing the polar reversal and dealing with the fallout –came from reading scientific polar reversal theory papers. My second book – Vengeance – came to me after I saw a bad movie and decided it was all wrong. After figuring out how to fix it, another (better) plot came to me about those characters. God’s Eye – due out in October – came from a dream I had about five years ago.

In the dream, I had a black cat in my apartment (though I didn’t own a cat – even in the dream!) I could never catch the cat – not because I wasn’t fast enough, but because each time I would grab it, it would sink into the floor and leave a pile of ash in its wake.

Books also come from hard work in writing and editing. On the back end, they come from the work of other people: from the cover artist to the director who turns my books into AudioMovies (an award winning format of audiobook that brings the story to life through a full cast.)

A really good book has more than just the two dimensions on the page. It is – in essence – a mental ‘pop-up’ book . . . as you turn the page, you no longer see strings of words, but your own movie in your head. And good books also have depth (this was part of why I practiced the way I did.) I always want my books to be a ‘beach read’ (if you will). You can’t turn the pages quite fast enough, and putting it down should be something you have to work at. But I also wanted mine to ask deeper questions, and if you look below the surface, you can walk away and look at your life a little differently. God’s Eye asks the question, ‘would you know evil if you saw it?’

You can check out free sample chapters and listen to AudioMovie tracks at my website:

www.AJScudiere.com. I hope as you are there, you can see what I think about when I write: readers who love the weight of a paperback in their hands. People who will have a conversation with their finger in a mostly closed book. Readers who see the story in their head . . .

Thank you very much, A.J. for sharing your point of view! 

Such an occasion as the first guest post done by an author requires a giveaway and giveaway it will be! 

First, you can visit the website of A.J. (linked above) and be part of A.J. Scudiere's Smart Chickens team; you'll receive a copy of DISSONANCE, a companion short story to RESONANCE, as well as the first 2 chapters of GOD'S EYE - not available in stores until October!

You'll also be entered to win the Smart Chickens Grand Prize:

1 copy of RESONANCE the AudioMovie on Special Edition USB or CD (your choice)

1 copy of VENGEANCE the AudioMovie on Special Edition USB or CD (your choice)

1 copy of RESONANCE in paperback - Autographed and personalized by A.J.

1 copy of VENGEANCE in paperback - Autographed and personalized by A.J.

 A Smart Chickens lapel pin.

The winner will be announced on July 20th.

What's more, the publisher has offered one copy of Vengeance and one copy of Resonance to two readers of this blog. It is limited to the US/Can only. All you have to do is leave a comment and an e-mail addy. The giveaway will end on July 24th.

Good luck!