Whodunit: Obvious or Unguessable?

Lately I’ve been reading a few mystery/suspense books in which the “whodunit” aspect was utterly unguessable. No, I didn’t see it coming, but on the other hand, how could I have done? There were no clues. No red herring. I had no guesses at all, and when I found out it was the baker, it […]

Virtual Book Tours: Wise Investment or Waste of Money?

Across the Internet and around social media the word is out: Authors, virtual book tours are the key to success! I bought into this in a big way last year when Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective came out. I was desperate to make a splash, especially since there’s an entire series behind that title. Since May […]

Book Review: Stonewiser, The Heart of the Stone

Stonewiser Saraiah was raised to believe that the Stonewiser’s Guild stands for truth and justice. But when she nearly dies wising twin stones no sane person would touch, she learns that the stone truth may not be as it appears. Deception surrounds her and the rebllious Sariah sets off on her own desperate quest for […]

Tips for Writers: Thank You

There is a good reason that we call “please” and “thank you” magic words. The hold within them the simple power of politeness and the fathomless power of professionalism. Whether you’re an amateur or published pro, you need to get used to saying the words “thank you” and then stop talking. The part where you […]

Book Review: Alif the Unseen

I really enjoyed this story. It begins with Alif, who helps people hide from the government on the Internet, suffer from woman problems — a rich girl he fell in love with is marrying another man. When she says it’s best if she never sees him again, he takes this to heart — he writes […]

Movie Review: Timeline

This 2003 movie is available for streaming on Netflix. I found this movie to be lifeless. Plot and characters were thin, without enough supporting details to fill in a complete picture of what, precisely, was going on by the end. In this movie, a professor goes back to 1357, gets trapped there, and 7 people […]

Book Review: Shadows in Flight

After reading Shadow of the Giant for the second time, I once again checked to see if there was or would ever be a conclusion to the story of Bean, the boy I’d fallen in love with in Ender’s Shadow. It DOES exist, came out two years ago as a matter of fact, but it […]

TV Review: Lost Girl Pilot

This show is not instantly hooky, but I do plan to press on. Lost Girl has topped my recommendations list at several sites since it first aired three years ago. As a matter of fact I tried the first ten minutes or so of the show a year back, but I was in a judgmental […]

Movie Review: Impostor

Spencer Olham is arrested because Major Hathaway believes he is a cyborg posing as a human, set to explode when he gets close to the chancellor. The human race has been at war with the Alpha Centauri for decades, and there is a climate of fear many are willing to kill first, and ask questions […]

Rereading Xenocide and Children of the Mind

I hope you don’t mind my decision to combine my review of the last two books in the Ender saga into one. These two books make a complete story, and I find I cannot fully separate the details of one from the other in my mind. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m rereading this series after […]