The Loss of an Icon

I wasn't born when Lennon was shot, but my older sister remembers.  She says my mother sobbed when she heard the news, mourning his loss as if he was a friend or brother.   I always found it odd that she could be so affected by the death of a man she had never met, a man that was oblivious to her existence entirely.

And then I read the news this morning.  David Bowie is dead.  The Goblin King is gone.  As I scrolled through my Facebook feed, reading tributes to a lost icon, I wept.  I played his music in the car as I ran errands, and I wept.

With his death, a small part of me has also been lost.

He was my first celebrity crush, with his tight gray pants and drag queen makeup.  I worshipped him. I tried to be swept away to his goblin kingdom, but the words didn't work for me.  The magic only belonged to Sarah.

  I memorized the Labyrinth soundtrack, quoted the lines every time I watched the film.  I tried to imitate his eye makeup, always falling miserably short of the mark.  In my prepubescent confusion, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to be him, or marry him.

The part of me that dreamed I could grow up to be him is gone forever.  That piece of me, the one that held onto the hope that we would meet one day, and instantly become best friends, has withered away.  It left an emptiness I hadn't realized was possible.

So, I get it. Like my mother, I find myself sobbing in my kitchen, not just because the world lost a great man, but because I miss the part of me that went with him.

R.I.P. Mr. Bowie 

8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016

Book Review: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

I absolutely loved The One and Only Ivan, so I was stoked when I saw that Katherine Applegate had another book out. I didn't even read the blurb regarding what is was about. I just grabbed it from the library and carried it home, and then I read it in an hour...You read that right. I just sat down and devoured it.

Jackson's family is struggling to even make it from paycheck to paycheck. Most of the time, they don't.  His dad is sick, but still works as much as he is able.  His mom has three part time jobs and is always looking for more work. Jackson and his sister Robin are hungry, and they've had to sell most of their things, even their bed frames. Jackson is old enough to know things are bad, but his parents try to hide their financial problems from him.

Jackson meets Crenshaw for the first time on the first night his family has to spend in their minivan. Crenshaw is a giant black and white cat that loves to stand on his head. He gives Jackson someone to talk to and company when he's feeling more lonely than he ever has before.  After fourteen long weeks of living in the van, Jackson's family gets an apartment and Crenshaw disappears.

Things go great for about four years, and then cupboards run empty and the power gets shut off. Jackson thinks he's too old for an imaginary friend, but Crenshaw reappears just as things get really tough for Jackson's family.

This story is about friendship, ann hardship, and telling the truth, but most of all about love. It was unbelievably touching, and I can't wait until my son is old enough to share this book with him. Pick this book up and give it a read. You'll love it, and that's a fact.

Five out of five stars

First Review of the New Year

My review of this book is a bit overdue, as I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The book was released last month, but December was a bit of a blur, and reading fell to the wayside amidst all the holiday hubbub.

Find Me if You Dare is the sequel to Catch Me When I Fall. Kayla's father is an evil warlock named Tamesis who wants nothing more than watching the world burn.  Her boyfriend, Daniel, is a Protector, a holy avenger that fights Nightmares and demons to keep humans safe. His love for Kayla has eclipsed everything else and he will stop at nothing to keep her safe, especially from her own father.

Tamesis plans to unleash an apocalypse on Earth, purging it of human life so supernatural beings can come out of hiding. He needs four magus to act as the horseman of the apocalypse. He has three of them, but Kayla is the fourth and most powerful.  In an effort to bring Daniel and Kayla out of hiding, Tamesis begins releasing the horsemen.  Pestilence is first, in the form of a plague that sends any of those it infects into a coma.  Some wake in three days and continue their lives as if nothing ever happened.  Most of the infected never wake. Those that survive become carriers, their blood lethally infectious to any who haven't been exposed. The second horseman is War, and Tamesis has more than just the magus and Nightmares on his side this time.  Other supernatural creatures, like vampires, join him and ravage human cities and towns, laying waste to much of the world.

Daniel is torn with indecision. He wants so desperately to keep Kayla safe, but he'll never forgive himself if he stands by while Tamesis destroys the rest of humanity.  The decision is ultimately Kayla's.  She chooses to train with another magus as well as the protectors, honing her battle skills with magic as well as physical weapons in case her father somehow saps her magical abilities. As she grows stronger, Daniel begins to worry that he's going to lose her.  Either her father will force her to fulfill the dark destiny he has planned and then kill her once she's no longer useful, or Kayla's magic will grow so strong that she's able to defeat Tamesis, but she loses herself to the dark power needed to make victory possible.  It's possible that if Daniel can be a strong enough for her that she won't succumb to the darkness, but his love might not be strong enough to save her. For the world's sake, he hopes it is.

The second novel in Vicki Leigh's series keeps the action moving at a quick pace.  Daniel's english is of the British variety, so there may be some bits that have awkward wording, but it doesn't effect the reader's enjoyment of the story. I'm interested to see where the final installment of the trilogy leads Daniel and Kayla.

Three and half out of five stars.

Happy Release Day to Broken Dolls by Tyrolin Puxty

BROKEN DOLLS, by Tyrolin Puxty

Genre(s): science-fiction, fantasy, horror

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release: December 14, 2015

Cover Artist: Eugene Teplitsky

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Description:

Ella doesn’t remember what it’s like to be human - after all, she’s lived as a doll for thirty years. She forgets what it’s like to taste, to breathe…to love.

She helps the professor create other dolls, but they don’t seem to hang around for long. His most recent creation is Lisa, a sly goth. Ella doesn’t like Lisa. How could she, when Lisa keeps trying to destroy her?

Ella likes the professor’s granddaughter though, even if she is dying. Gabby is like Ella’s personal bodyguard. It’s too bad the professor wants to turn Gabby into a doll too, depriving her of an education…depriving her of life.

With time running out and mad dolls on the rampage, Ella questions her very existence as she unearths the secrets buried in her past; secrets that will decide whether Gabby will befall the same fate…

About The Author:

I’m a Jack, or more accurately, a Tyrolin of all trades. In my 23 years, I have walked the red carpet for song nominations, was awarded Australian of the Year in 2014 for Music and in 2015 for the Arts, worked as a qualified paralegal, appeared in TV Shows, hired for product photography, modelled, became a Justice of the Peace, started my own club for school children interested in the arts, worked for a successful magazine company, published a book, hugged a koala and had a show ride collapse on my head. 

Find Tyrolin Puxty Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

Curiosity Quills Press (CQ) is a small hybrid publishing company specializing in genre fiction of the highest quality. With 150+ titles in our catalog already and approximately 6 new books coming out each month, there’s never a dull moment at CQ. We work with major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible to ensure that you, the reader, can find whatever you are looking for at your convenience.

Founded in 2011 by Eugene Teplitsky and Lisa Gus, CQ was initially a resource portal for writing and publishing, created in an effort to help writers, like themselves, survive the publishing industry. After rapid success, CQ morphed into publishing press that over time has solidified its share in the market. Now we spend our days searching for the next great escape!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

I loved Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, and Game of X series. I awaited this newest book from her, ready to devour it as I have all the others.  I will say that it was a quick read, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as her previous books.

Fei lives in a mountaintop village where everyone is deaf.  No one in her village has been able to hear in centuries, and now residents are starting to go blind.  Fei sister, Zhang Jing is one of those losing sight. As an artist, she relies on her sight to contribute to the village's daily record.  When her failing sight is discovered, she is demoted to a house servant.  Fei is determined to restore her sister's honor, as well as uncover the cause of the blindness.

The mountain village is isolated, sealed away from the rest of the world by avalanches.  Every pass that leads to the base of the mountain has been blocked by boulders that are too massive to be moved.  The villagers are unable to provide food for themselves due to the harsh landscape, so they rely on a zip line for supplies.  The township at the bottom of the mountain sends them food in exchange for the precious metals they mine at the top of the mountain.

Fei's ex-boyfriend, Li Wei, loses his father in a mining accident.  Convinced his father's death could have been prevented, he decides to risk a trip down the mountain to petition the line keeper for more food.  The villagers are near starving and need more rations. Fei miraculously regains her hearing and insists she accompany Li Wei on his quest.

They make it down the mountain and discover the world is much different than they expected. There have been other villages. There are other who have lost their hearing.  Food is plentiful and the ore they mine is worth much more than the meager rations they receive in exchange for it.  The king is using them as cheap slave labor to provide him with the ore he needs to remain rich and powerful.  Fei and Li Wei risk everything to get back to their village to warn them that conditions will only continue to worsen and that the people need more than just that zip line to survive.

I wanted to love this book. I didn't.  I liked it. The love that is rekindled between Fei and Li Wei is sweet.  Fei's devotion to her sister resonates with me because I would like to believe I could sacrifice as much for my own sisters.  However, the world-building here is not as strong as it has been in Mead's other books.  This book could be set almost anywhere there are mountains.  Short of the persimmons they find growing in the wild and the characters' names, there is not much that indicates this book takes place in China. I thought the deaf community was an interesting premise, but I feel like it fell flat in the face of the blandness of everything else.

It's a cute little story, but the most memorable thing about it is how underwhelmed you are when you finish.

Three out of five stars

Flash Fiction (again!)

There's this literary agent whose blog is immensely helpful.  Periodically, she hosts flash fiction contests. One hundred words or less, with a word bank of five words that must be included in your entry.  This week's words were: snag, rag, creak, peak, and week.  They don't usually rhyme like this. Here's my entry for the contest:

They said I reached my peak at twenty two, but I wasn’t done yet.

The paper’s nagging headlines creaked through my brain.

Buttonweezer botches bout.

Just having an off day.

Felicia faceplants in fettucini.

So I slept through one interview? Big deal.  It was a bad week, and then a worse year.  A smidge of narcolepsy and suddenly I’m a liability.  No venue will book me.  My subpar agent stopped returning my calls.

I was patient. I waited. I prepared.

I slid the .357 under my jacket. It was time to show them just how many rounds I had left.

I didn't win, but I did get a shout out, which still makes me pretty happy, considering there were 73 entries. The competition is always fierce.  I don't mean the authors fight, or are nasty to each other.  I mean, the other entries are always amazing.  Sometimes, I can't even bring myself to enter because the entries are that good.  I've taken to drafting my own entry and submitting it before I read any of the others.  Otherwise, I may not enter at all.  

It's difficult to write a complete story in only one hundred words. I love these contests because they force me to get rid of all the fluff.  Reading the other entries also helps me note where my own writing is weak or has failed.  Even if I don't win, it's good practice. As a bonus, I get to read seventy plus other stories that are quick, engaging reads. 10/10 would lose this type of contest again.

Book Review: The Shepherd's Crown

I had mixed feelings going into this book.  Knowing it was Terry Pratchett's last glimpse into Discworld made it very bittersweet, but I could not ignore the call of Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men. I listened to the audiobook version, which was excellently narrated.

Granny Weatherwax wanders away with Death, leaving the witches without an unofficial leader among them.  Tiffany Aching is nominated to take her place.  The elf world is in revolt.  Queen Nightshade has been cast out into the human world while her people plot an invasion. The Wee Free Men find the fairy queen badly beaten and bring her to Tiffany.  An unlikely friendship begins to form between the young witch and the former queen as Tiffany teaches Nightshade what it means to be human.

As Tiffany struggles to fill Granny's shoes as well as maintain her work on the Chalk, she must also train a new apprentice and babysit the fairy queen.  If that wasn't enough, she must also come up with a plan to thwart the elvish invasion before the wreak too much havoc on the human world.

As always, Pratchett's characters are lively and loveable (or hateable). There's a perfect blend of humor and action as well as sadness, both due to events that unravel as the story is told, and the touching afterword regarding Pratchett's passing and his passion for his work.  It's a wonderful story, and one I know I will revisit, once I think I'll be able to make it through without crying.