A bit behind on my reviewing or hey anthologies!

Okay I have an excuse.  A new book release means I do have to spend a lot of time marketing that book.  Not that marketing has done me much good so far but it is the attempt correct? 

Between blasting the web with notices of my new and amazing new read....(okay sorry but here!)

New book release!  Face:  A uniquely oriental belief concerning honor, respect and responsibility.  Many will give everything, including their lives, for this concept.

Destiny is a young woman of two clans.  She has willingly joined the ranks of the Firm to  protect a younger brother who has a great destiny.  But it is her role that is the question.  Was she simply born to protect her younger brother or is her role in the universe a greater one?

When the unimaginable happens friends join ranks to fight monsters born out of the mind of men but also those from outside our realm.  The question is, will they Save Face or Family? http://tinyurl.com/m2wc2q2

(back to our regularily scheduled blog =P)

Yeah I know but I need to plug my book right?

Okay this weekend when I was sitting back and relaxing I decided to read up some of the anthologies I have on my ebook reader.  Now anyone who follows my babbling knows I have been a fan of anthologies for a long time.  These collections of many authors tales are a great place to learn if you like an authors style or not.  Short stories are not simply snippets from longer stories, they are an art form in their own right.  Yes I write many, many, many of them, I admit it.  But long before I started writing them I had been reading them.

Back in the 80s I discovered the anthologies of stories set all in the same world.  From Thieve's World to Merovingen Nights to the Darkover anthologies I had many hours of reading pleasure.  Into the 90s I kept buying any that tempted my eye in the book story.  This weekend I sat back and read through the anthologies that Mercedes Lackey put together in her Valdamar series.  Again I found short stories that are like a gateway drug into authors I haven't read.

I admit that my favorite this weekend was from Under the Vale.  The story Simple Gifts had a lighter feel than many of the stories and it was well worth reading.  Now a lot of people read these anthologies and then go on to review the stories like they are incomplete novels.  To me it seems like they just want to complain.  If they wanted a novel then they should go ahead and BUY A NOVEL.  These are short stories, they are not easy to write and write well.  They are complete stories in their own right and are but a moment in time for that world.  Expecting lots of character development or deep meaning is like expecting a youtube video to have the same impact as a full movie.  Really folks, sit back, relax and enjoy these tales.

whoa looks like I am getting a bit preachy but it could be because I am tired of people reviewing one artform as if it was another.  We all have different tastes but then that is what makes us human right?

Happy Victoria Day everyone

Yup it is a stat holiday up here in Canada.  There were a ton of booms last night from all the neighbors lighting off fire crackers.  It was rather nippy for what should be the kick off to the summer here with the temps dropping down to freezing last night but we deal right?

I have been a very busy writer type, getting To Save Face or Family out but I did do some reading this week of course!  Decided to read three of Phaedra Weldon's books and started a fourth one.  She has a fun take on OOB or out of body traveling and ghosts.

Here are three quick reviews which i will expand over on my BookLikes blog.


Wraith:

A very interesting paranormal.  Zoe is a Traveler, that is a being who can go OOB or Out of Body.  She has a small business as a snoop or private investigator.  She basically goes as a disembodied spirit and listens in on conversations.  No cheating spouses though.  Just business transactions.  She gets hired to listen in on a conversation but instead witnesses a murder most scary.  Well worth reading and this book makes you want to read more.

Spectre:

The follow up to Wraith, in this book we get more tension in the form of men who are interested in our Zoe.  She has all the same issues that most heroines of this genre have.  That is she wants the man who can't or won't understand what she is and is just not attracted to the ones who are (or is she?)

Phantasm:

Third book and whoa does this series pick up speed. Lots of danger, lots of intrigue and lots of confused Zoe.  She needs to pick a man and pick the right now.  I can see this series of books being picked up by one of the networks.  It would make a great tv show. 

My newest tiny friend...or oh wow an SD SD

As you all know yesterday was Mother's Day here in North America (Cananda and the US for sure). I had a great day, receiving a home made dragon pendant from the hubby and a funky heart shaped nut from my youngest, a call from my oldest..and I think a text from the middle child.

Since the hubby was home and I had a kit I had yet to build I thought it was time to do something with the hubby.  And of course we had to take pictures of this little guy.  Now the kit is one of the older ones out there.  Now I don't read Japanese and yes this is a kit from Japan but I looked at the number.  This kit's number is 158...seems like a high number to those not in the know but for those of us getting an idea it means this kit is quite old in fact.  Well for a gundam kit.  Released in 2010 and selling for around $3.50 it was a cheap yet fun kit.  This is a simple build really.  The arms are only two parts and most of the colors are done by stickers but it was something for the hubby and I to do together.

What was truly fun about this kit is that when you remove all the fancy armour you can slid him into one of our other kits, making that other kit a mecha suit for a gundam!  As you will see from the photos I am attaching.

Lets start out with completed images of this little guy

As you can see he is rather colorful with all those foily stickers. The top picture is him inside his big boy armor...okay that is how I saw it.  You see he is compensating for being small by adding on platform feet and big wings.

What he actually is is this little figure

 Tiny dont you think?  He wants to play with the big boys so he puts on his armor

He even steals the wings off of other figures, showing just how flexible he is but mostly he decides that he needs to be able to take on the big guys!  That would be the 1/100 gundam guys

So as you can see these are fun little guys and most of my SD gundams can trade pieces between each other. Makes for some playtime fun and hopefully I will get a working camera and go nuts with little dioramas

Been doinga bit of reading...or how about some book reviews

Being a good reader takes a lot of time away from being a really good writer. So many books and so little time after all.  Lucky for me I am a fast reader right?

This past week I have discovered the fun books by Annette Blair.  so far they are all set in New England, my old stomping grounds.  They are fun, fast reads with flirty characters, steamy sex and oh yeah...witches.

Now I have had issues before with how witches are portrayed in fiction.  I have ranted about it but this time I won't.  The lovely ladies in Ms Blair's books are pretty much how I would love to see witches done.  Sassy, smart and working at helping the world around them.

The first one I read was Sex and the Psychic Witch.  This is a fun new take on the paranormal romance category. Mostly light in tone, the novel is a fun, fast read.  This author is is definitely one to follow.

Next came the Scot, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  Another fun romp by Ms Blair.  Magic, dreams, a curse and an unexpected family reunion make this lighter hearted story worth reading.  While at times the heroine seems too stubborn to be real and the story moves a little fast, this tale has all the classics needed fora fun paranormal romance.  Well worth the read.

Finally I have finished up a third is My Favorite Witch. Continuing with her witches series this lovely book has all the classic things needed fora good romance.  A hunky guy, a beautiful woman who thinks she isn't, tension, sex and a happy ending.  Throw in adorable kids, talking crows and a deaf kitten and what more could you ask for?