Judy Goodwin, author of the Spirit Mage Saga, interviewed me on her blog. Go check it out here!
Rainy Days
Colorado isn’t generally known for being a rainy state. Usually people think of snow, bright blue skies and the Rocky Mountains when they think of Denver (though I’m sure plenty of people now associate pot smoking with Denver as well). Folks that live here know that the weather here isn’t just snow or sunshine; they know that August means lots of afternoon thunderstorms that you can practically set your watch by. But as August approaches this year, I’m wondering if those afternoon storms will lead to widespread flooding like we experienced in parts of the state last September.
As I sit here writing this blog entry I’m looking out the window at a vista that looks far more like my homeland of England than the sunny state I’ve come to know over the past 17 years. Blue skies and clouds that look as though they were created with a painter’s brush have given way to gloomy grey and rich green. Where the grass would normally be well on it’s way to fire tinder brown by this time of year, it is still lush and green thanks to all the rain we’ve had in the past couple of months.
While most Brits I’ve known bemoan the abundance of rain in the UK, I’ve always found something soothing in the scent and sound of it. I’m never so happy as when the rain is coming down steadily and I’ve thrown open the windows to let in the fresh air that smells of damp earth and new life. I can spend hours sitting quietly just listening to the voices in the rain, absorbing its whispered secrets. So, while everyone else in Colorado is hoping for warmer temperatures and sunshine, I’m reveling in the break from the heat and hoping that the rain sticks around just a little longer.
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And on a completely unrelated note, I’ve unofficially hit the halfway mark on the manuscript for Bitten, book 2 of the Riley Cray series. Poor Riley has been thrust into the world of vampires and opposing werewolf packs. She’ll pick up some new friends along the way, so let’s hope in the end her friends outweigh her enemies.
Book Review: Wool by Hugh Howey
I was turned onto Hugh Howey by Mr. Awesome Sauce, who recommended I check out his blog a few months ago. As a proponent of indie authors, Hugh has some truly helpful and insightful information on his blog. The fact that he’s a genuinely likable and funny guy, just makes him that much more awesome, and a spectacular advocate for all indie authors. So, after stalking him on his blog and Goodreads for a few months I finally decided to give his book Wool, the first book in the Silo Saga, a try. To save a bit of money I bought the omnibus edition rather than each individual book in the series.
All I can say is: HOLY. CRAP. I’ve read some pretty damned good books in my time, and have several that will probably be my all time favorites until the day I die (Interview With The Vampire and Pride & Prejudice, for sure), but I’m not sure that even they compare to the brilliance that is Wool. Hugh has a way with words that seems also supernatural, as if he is using some occult-driven powers to weave a tale that fully ensnares the audience. It is entirely possible that Hugh is the bastard child of Cthulhu and has been sent to enslave us all. He is an insanely talented evil genius, and reading Wool captivated me to such a level that I wanted to take copies of the book and shove them into the brains of everyone I know because I couldn’t stand the thought of being the only one in my social circle who knew of it’s greatness.
From the very first page his writing grasped me in a choke hold of awesomeness, and didn’t let go until I had devoured Wool and gone on to read another three of his books (Shift, Sand, and Half Way Home).
One of the best things about Wool, was that the world of the Silo Saga was as much of a character as Holston and Juliette, seeming to breath in time with it’s inhabitants, all while chugging along in pursuit of it’s own goals. Not only did the characters have to overcome the challenges put in place by their fellow inhabitants of Silo 18, but also the obstacles created by the world and silo they lived (and oftentimes, died) in. Every twist and turn in the story left me breathless and crying out WTF?! all while alternately cursing and praising Hugh’s genius. In the end, all I could do was grab a fistful of money and shout “TAKE MY MONEY, DAMN YOU!”
Words From The Void 