Review of Glazier

 
BOOK SUMMARY

Marie Kincaid is devastated after losing her family in a violent crash…so she runs. One morning, she awakes in an infirmary with total memory loss and a new power: Glazier. The cold frozen mists of Glazier’s instincts enable Marie to embark on a new life free of pain but most importantly free of the past. Heightened senses, accelerated strength,speed, and learning abilities make Marie a perfect candidate to be a spy…also a perfect companion for Henry Tenison, the only other known Glazier. 

Henry, a loner and proud rogue finds his world upended when his connection to Marie is forged. Unsure of how to progress, he endeavors to keep it strictly professional. As far away missions and romantic surroundings entice him into pursuing his deeper desires, he caves. However, Marie’s love changes everything.

Determined to free them both of the spy world and the hold Glazier has over their lives, Henry implements a plot to disappear. However, when things become dangerous in their latest mission and memories of Marie’s past surface suggesting another man…will Henry’s efforts come too late? If Marie remembers her past, will she still want their future?

MY REVIEW

This is almost a case of Lara Croft meets wonderwoman, meets James Bond - except that there is far more to the plot than this, and the theme is much more mysterious and subtle. I love the concept of  ‘spies with paranormal powers' and the novel certainly has plenty of action and intrigue, but for me it was the characters who really make the story.

First there is Marie, unable to remember her past - and unsure whether it would be a good thing to do so. I really liked  Marie. She’s sassy and courageous, but she’s also unsure of herself and not afraid to seek comfort from Henry when she needs it, or to enjoy being a woman. I was so glad she was not one of those ‘kickass’ heroines who is so ‘butch’ she really doesn’t need a man  - but that doesn’t mean she can’t ‘kick ass’ when she needs to, and there are plenty of occasions where she uses her special ‘Glazier’ power to full advantage and risks her own safety for those she cares about.

I totally fell for Henry. I liked his charm and sensitivity and his strength, and adore the little acts of old fashioned courtesy that he performs because he cares about Marie. After believing himself to be the only person to have 'Glazier' powers he is overjoyed to find there is another, and delighted to become her trainer.  However his attraction to her soon becomes more than that of a colleague and mentor, but he will not allow himself to take their relationship further, even when Marie makes it obvious she cares for him too. He is afraid that one day she will remember her past, and someone else will lay claim to her affections.  

Then there is Elias, Henry's friend who runs their favourite eating place.  He has a few secrets of his own, as do Shae and Colin Straeker, who they meet on an undercover mission in Egypt, to find and retrieve sensitive date from the immensely rich and powerful Ambassador Abass, who makes his unwanted attraction to Marie evident from their first meeting. As the protagonist, there's not much to like about Abass, and he makes a worthy villain, but there is one other character in this book who intrigued me, and that is Abram, Henry and Marie's 'employer'.  Marie neither likes nor trusts him, and I had the feeling there is more to Abram than is revealed in this book.  

Another character who deserves a mention, is not even human - he's a horse.  Being a horse lover myself I eagerly devour any mention of horses - but I did groan inwardly a little at first, at what seemed to be another instance of that old cliche - a wild, untamable Arabian stallion, who will only allow the heroine to ride him.  However, the fact that Marie was able to communicate with him and gain his confidence, seemed perfectly logical, given her 'Glazier' power, a communication  also shared by Henry, and 'Iceberg' himself is beautifully portrayed.

I liked that we had both Marie and Henry's P.O.Vs, and although I know some people don't like first person narratives, I love them and felt the author slipped seemlessly into whichever of the two main characters was being highlighted at the time.

SUMMARY

This is a highly original and enjoyable novel. If you like fast paced action, combined with paranormal elements and plenty of tension between the main characters, this is the book for you. I was pulled up a few times by 'proofing errors' but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. My main complaint is that the book ended just as I thought we were about to have some answers. The exciting climax had me on the edge of my seat, and the conclusion was satisfactory - as far as it went - but I want to know more! There are still a lot of questions unanswered - which is a perfect way to entice a reader to read the next book in the series.  I for one can't wait!

Bri Clark is a real example of redemption and renewal.  Growing penniless in the South, Bri learned street smarts while caring for her brother in a broken home.  She watched her mother work several jobs to care for their small family.  Once her brother could fend for himself, Bri moved on to a series of bad choices including leaving school and living on her own.   Rebelliousness was a strong understatement to describe those formative years.  As a teenager, her wakeup call came from a fight with brass knuckles and a judge that gave her a choice of shaping up or spending time in jail.  

She took that opportunity and found a way to moved up from the streets.  She ended up co-owning an extremely successful construction business.  She lived the high life until the real estate crash when she lost everything.  She moved west and found herself living with her husband and 4 kids in a 900 square foot apartment.  She now fills her time, writing, blogging, leading a group of frugal shoppers and sharing her southern culture.  Her unique background gives her writing a raw sensibility.  She understands what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles.   She often tells friends, “I can do poor.  I’m good at poor. It’s prosperity that I’m not used to.”  Bri and her husband Chris live in Boise.  Bri is known as the Belle of Boise for her true southern accent, bold demeanor and hospitable nature. 

You can find out more about Bri at http://briclarkthebelleofboise.blogspot.com/.

Visit her at Twitter at http://twitter.com/#%21/Bri_Clark or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/TBriClark.

PURCHASE FROM

Astrae Press

 I received this ebook compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review

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I'm being interviewed today, along with my muse, Terpsichore, and her beloved, Myrddin ab Morfryn. If you get a moment,. please come along and join the hero and heroine of 'Dancing With Fate', you'll receive a warm welcom from Sharon and her 'virtual butler' Oliver!
http://sharondonovan.blogspot.com/2011/09/wednesday-spotlight-with-hywela-lyn.html

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Monday's Word: Ansated

Saturns Rings

 After a break for a couple of weeks 'Monday's Word' is back, after delving into Michael Quinion's briliant 'World Wide Words'.

The beautiful picture on the right  isn't just because I write and read futuristic and Science Fiction. It's to illustrate the word 'Ansated'.

What's that? I hear you ask. well hear is Michael Quinion's explanation:

'If you wish to confuse your hearers, you might describe the cup or mug from which you drink your breakfast cuppa as ansated. But it would merely be an irritatingly superior way of asserting that the drinking vessel in question has a handle. When Galileo turned his primitive telescope on Saturn, its famous rings looked like two blobs either side of the planet (he thought they were moons). A little later, astronomers with slightly better instruments saw what seemed to be handles and referred, in a nicely euphonious phrase, to ansated Saturn (or, as Hevelius described the planet in 1655, a spherico-ansated figure).

The word now most often turns up in descriptions of ancient sacred signs. An "ansated cross" is a T shape with a circle at the top, a symbol that's more commonly called a ankh (from the Egyptian word for life or soul). Also known as the Key to the Nile and, to the early Christians, as an "ansated cross," the ankh was believed to ensure the immortality of every god and goddess. [Exploring Spellcraft, by Gerina Dunwich, 2001.] "Ansated" is from Latin "ansa", a handle. In Latin the plural of "ansa" is "ansae".'

So now I'm just waiting for the chance to use the phrase - "The starship approached a spheruco-ansated figure...

*World Wide Words is copyright (c) Michael Quinion 2011. All rights reserved. The World Wide Words website is at http://www.worldwidewords.org

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Dave Sivers - Genre Blending

 I'm delighted to have a very special guest on my Blog today - DAVE SIVERS, a friend and fellow member of the Chiltern Writers Group.  Dave is a writer of 'crime fantasy' and here he is to tell us more about this 'genre blending' and his new release, ' A Sorcerer Slain.'

Over to you, Dave: 

 Crime Fantasy: Genre Blending and the e-Book Revolution


There’s a revolution taking place, and its name is e-books. Trends in book publishing over recent years have meant a much harder ride for the newcomers. Most publishing houses have abandoned their ‘slush piles’, preferring submissions to come through agents, and agents in turn only take on one or two new authors a year.

In the present financial climate, with times exceptionally hard, the industry is more cautious than ever about taking risks. Little wonder that, as an increasing number of book fans discover the joys of Kindle and other e-reading devices, so more and more writers are bypassing those barriers and simply publishing their work direct into bookstores.

For me, one of the interesting aspects of e-publishing is that authors no longer have to worry so much about genre. Look around any physical bookstore and you’ll see fiction titles carefully pigeon-holed - crime, horror, sci-fi, romance and so on. This undoubtedly helps readers to find titles they might enjoy. But it makes for complications when somebody writes something that doesn’t fit exactly into just one of those categories. You will find John Connolly, who writes the Charlie Parker thrillers, which have healthy doses of supernatural and horror thrown in, is to be found under ‘Crime’. Stephen King, whose work is often in the same territory, is invariably under ‘Horror’, including his epic ‘Dark Tower’ fantasy series. It means that readers can miss out on something they might enjoy because they are looking in the wrong place.

A few years back, I wrote a short story about a private investigator who is duped by a femme fatale. So far, so Raymond Chandler. Except that this PI, Lowmar Dashiel, exists in a world of sorcerers, swords, dwarfs and demons. I liked Dashiel and his world and set about writing a full-length novel, but I was conscious that the concept straddled a line between heroic fantasy and crime thriller. I call it crime fantasy for that reason, but what I am really doing is genre blending. With e-publishing, all the worries about genres disappear. I have tagged A Sorcerer Slain, the first full-length Lowmar Dashiel mystery, as both ‘crime’ and ’fantasy’ in the Kindle store, so that both sets of fans can check it out.

The novel should be available for purchase to most e-reading devices soon, and a sequel, Inquisitor Royal, will be out in time for Christmas. Not all crime fans will be comfortable with a world they can’t root in a gritty reality, but reviews so far suggest that more eclectic readers simply find it a satisfying read. The e-publishing revolution is allowing writers to do something a little different and still have their stories read. Genre blending offers the reading public a sort of two for the price of one package in a single volume. That has to be good .

Thanks so much Dave - that was fascinating, and in a way I suppose it's what we romance writers have been doing for a while - combining the romance genre with another!  I have to admit I'd never thought of it quite like that before, but 'genre blending' is a really intriguing concept.

BIO:Dave grew up in West London, England. He left school at 16 to start a successful civil service career that took him to exciting places like Newport, Rhode Island and Northern Norway, as well as less exciting places such as Sutton Coldfield.

Over the years, he gained a First Class Honours degree from the Open University and moonlighted as, among other things, a night club bouncer and a bookmaker’s clerk and a freelance writer.

Since taking early retirement, he has devoted more time to his writing, which includes writes crime fantasy and mainstream crime fiction. His short mainstream crime can be sampled on his website at www.davesivers.co.uk and his first crime novel, A Sorcerer Slain, introducing personal inquisitor Lowmar Dashiel, is available as an e-book for purchase to Kindle and Kindle apps. In whatever spare time he can find, Dave can be found writing, directing or performing in amateur theatre productions, trying to keep on top of his allotment, supporting Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club, or attempting to play guitar just a little more like Mark Knopfler.

Follow Dave on Twitter at http://twitter.com/davesivers

Visit him at http://www.davesivers.co.uk/

 A Sorcerer Slain

 Blurb:

In the kingdom of Balimar, the Sorcerers’ Guild has maintained an uneasy peace for 900 years. But, with the murder of the Guild’s leader, Carnen, all that could change. 

Carnen’s named successor, the sorceress Zarna, is the prime suspect. If she is convicted, the result could be a terrifying conflict that will tear the kingdom apart. With everyone seeming to have an alibi, the King decides to seek help outside the usual channels and commissions Lowmar Dashiel, a personal inquisitor, to investigate. What the King does not know is that Dashiel was Zarna’s lover before she put her ambition before their relationship. Now Dashiel finds himself in a race against time to solve a crime, prevent a war, and save the life of the woman he loves. 

A Sorcerer Slain is a gripping fusion of crime thriller and sword and sorcery for anyone who enjoys a good read.


Extract: I had seen somebody killed by magic once before. A sorcerer had killed my old friend Jaraan, after he had sniffed around in the wrong place for information to sell, and I still remembered the clean, metallic aftertang. The odour that now assaulted my nostrils was somehow rawer, with a... a soiled quality to it. I hunkered down beside the body. The sight did not improve on closer inspection. The flesh of half Carnen’s face had been burned away, revealing deeply charred skull-bones. Ragged, overcooked-meat skin marked the boundary between this damage and what little remained of the face, pink spots peeking through the black. The beard and hair had caught alight, so that only the odd tattered wisp of dark floss remained, looking pasted to the blackened scalp and chin. The white diamond in his forehead should have glinted in the streaming sunlight, but instead looked as cold and dead as its wearer.
 
I scrutinised the remains of the face for a long moment, intrigued. When Jaraan had been killed, his face had been singed, but nothing like this. I had learned later that sorcerer’s fire did not need to burn to kill. An intense enough strike would do something that stopped the heart in an instant. Carnen looked as if merely killing him had not been enough. A shadow fell upon me and I looked up to see the brown-robed sorcerer standing over me. Stooped as he was, he vaguely resembled a heron. His face was grim.

“We warned him, you know. We all warned him, and now look.” His voice was silk over steel. He gestured at the corpse as if no further words were needed. I wondered exactly what he meant, but now was not the time to ask. I rose slowly, turning to Boxen, who stood silent at my elbow.

“Who is this?”

“Uh, Bezenar. Sorcerer of the First -”

“I can see what he is. And I’ve heard the name. The question is, why does he apparently have the freedom of the place?” For the most fleeting of instants, like a faint ripple on a pond’s surface, anger seemed to flicker in the sorcerer’s eyes, and then he seemed to compose himself with an effort.

“As I said,” Boxen’s unlovely features flushed, “you try...”

“Telling a First Grader he can’t come in,” I finished for him. “Right.”

“As a matter of fact,” Bezenar interrupted, “I was one of the first on the scene here.”

“Were you now?”

“Ysette - that’s Carnen’s housekeeper - came to the Tower as soon as she discovered the body.” He shrugged. “I took charge until the Militia arrived.”

I pushed a hank of hair back from my face. “I don’t understand. Zarna’s Carnen’s heir, isn’t she? Why wasn’t she summoned?”

He gave another shrug. “I suppose Ysette came to me because I am – was” – a shadow seemed to flit across his face – “one of Carnen’s closest friends. And then I didn’t think bringing Zarna was a very good idea. It was obvious she’d be suspected.”

I gave him a hard look. “Why obvious?

“ He spread his palms. “She’s the only one with the means and the motive to have done this.”

A Sorcerer Slain - The spellbinding crime fantasy novel from Dave Sivers,

now available as an e-book from the Amazon Kindle Store HERE   (Amazon UK) or  
HERE (Amazon US)

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Festival Of Romance - Sue Moorcroft

www.festivalofromance.co.uk

The Festival of Romance takes place Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd October 2011 at Hunton Park, near Watford, Herts, UK.
and I'm really looking forward to it.


As one of the Authors taking part in the Festival of Romance 'Author Blog Hop' It's my great pleasure to introduce multi published romance author SUE MOORCROFT





 For this tour we were asked to answer three questions. These were Sue's answers:


1. What are you looking forward to at the Festival of Romance? The chance to soak up the company of readers, writers and industry professionals who love romantic fiction as much as I do. I've always wanted an event like this in the UK, having read so much about America's equivalent, so signed up the moment I heard about the launch.

What will you be doing at the Festival of Romance?
On Friday I'm giving a workshop on writing romantic fiction - I've written a how-to book, Love Writing, on this subject, as I'm a creative writing tutor, too. On Saturday I'm part of a panel, From Hen Lit to Chick Lit, which I feel fits me well, having written for various markets. And I'll be talking to loads of interesting people, attending other workshops, drinking wine - all the usual fabulous conference buzz stuff.

3. Why should romance readers come to the Festival?

For the opportunity to meet and mix with writers, other readers and - particularly important if you want to write romantic fiction or otherwise get into the industry - editors and agents. There are one-to-one pitches, group opportunities ... and the chance of sitting beside someone fab at lunch or chatting with them in the queue for the loo. I'm impressed by the publishers we have on board (not just my own Choc Lit). In America, the events where readers get to chat to the writers are hugely popular, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that works. And there's the ball on Saturday night - so many reasons, to be honest!

Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes for Choc Lit. Combining that success with her experience as a creative writing tutor, she’s written a ‘how to’ book, Love Writing – How to Make Money From Writing Romantic and Erotic Fiction (Accent Press). Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles and courses and is the head judge for Writers’ Forum. She's a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner.

Sue's website is www.suemoorcroft.com and you can visit her blog at http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/ for news and writing tips. You’re welcome to befriend Sue on Facebook or Follow Sue on Twitter.

All of Sue’s Choc Lit novels and Love Writing are available as paperbacks and ebooks. Her early stuff is available in ebook format.

Sue is featuring FENELLA MILLER at her own blog today, as part of the Tour HERE

Check out the answers I gave when I was featured on  Charlie Cochrane's blog as part of  the Festival of Romance tour: http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/135374.html

Monday's Word - Country Fair

Today, as a change from the usual 'weird' word for Monday, I'm cheating a bit because I thought it would be nice to share some pictures with you, of a country fair we attended at a National Trust Property in the Chilterns, not far from where I live.  It was a lovely day out, many stalls with local produce, pony rides, logging demonstrations and refreshments from stalls and barbeques.

This lovely Clydesdale mare attracted a lot of attention

Taking a well earned break

How to make a wooden dining chair

Everything from handmade garden scarecrows

To honey and cute animal candles

A display of how prehistoric man lived 

Being an animal lover, not too sure about all the animal skins,  but it was a very interesting exhibit

Delicious homemade cakes, not forgetting...

Flowers 

...and vegetables

http://horseshelpingpeople.co.uk/
 (Picture ©'Horses Helping People')

 Therapeutic Western riding stand (Horses Helping People)

and amazing wood carvings

Hope you've enjoyed this little walk around the Country Fair with me - join me tomorrow when I'll be hosting fellow 'Festival Of Romance' author, Sue Moorcroft.


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FESTIVAL OF ROMANCE

I am  really looking forward to the Festival of Romance on 21st and  22nd October. Apart from meeting authors, agents and publishers I'm also sitting on a couple of panels. For more details of the festival please go to www.festivalofromance.co.uk.

Today I'm featured at Charlie Cochrane's Blog which is at:

http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/135374.html and wll be talking about what I'll be doing at the Festival and what I'm especially looking forward to.


Please drop in and say 'hello' if you get a moment.  

I'm shortly going to feature Sue Moorcroft here on my Blog as part of the Festival of Romance Blog Tour.
 



'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH 'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH'

                  Also available on Kindle

Up A Dry Creek - Avery Flynn's Virtual Book tour with cbls promotions and 'giveaway'

 I'm so pleased to welcome Avery Flynn to my blog today, as part of her CBLS Blog Tour.  You can read about her book 'Up A Dry Creek' at the end of this post, but first she has a fascinating article to share with you about the 'three ps'.  Intrigued?  Then read on:

Triple P

By Avery Flynn

Plotting. Planning. Procrastinating. Those are the three Ps of the Avery Flynn writing method. What, you expected brilliance? Ha. Ha. Ha. I wish. Instead it’s a lot of work and my biggest hurdle is usually myself.

Plotting

Many of my writer friends are pantsers. They sit down at the keyboard and the words flow from their fingers like sunshine in the tropics. I hate them. Ok, I’m kidding but, man, there are days when I’d trade my thesaurus for that ability. But I’m a control freak, type A Virgo. I need a plan. So before I start a story, I put together a rough outline of the major plot points. I get about two thirds of the way through before I get so excited about the characters and the story that I can’t wait any longer and I have to start. So I write and write and write until I get stuck.

Planning

This is when I berate myself for not finishing the stupid outline. This step usually involves a brutal hot yoga class or an adult beverage and a bath. Depending on the severity of the corner I’ve put myself in, it may involve both options. Each one makes me stop thinking about the story, empty my brain and relax. It’s then that the ideas start to come to me. It seems to work the same way as finding your car keys - once you stop looking that’s when they turn up, on the key hook by the door where you always keep them. Not that that’s ever happened to me.

Procrastinating

For me, this is happens during the last chapter of the book. Each sentence takes ages to write. I’m fall into a kind of pre-mourning for the characters. Even though at this point, I’m writing the happily ever after at this point, I don’t want to say goodbye. I’m selfish that way, but I can’t seem to help myself. To make the characters fall in love with each other, laugh with each other and hate each other, I have to feel those same emotions. This creates a bond with the characters and writing the words ‘the end’ means severing that bond, so I procrastinate as long as possible before typing those fateful words.

Despite the three Ps, or perhaps because of them, the characters who lived in my head escape onto paper. So when you read about Claire and Jake in Up a Dry Creek, you’ll know a little more about how they got there and understand why I wasn’t ready to let them go when it was time to type ‘the end’. 

Thanks, Avery, I can certainly relate to much of what you say, especially 'procrastinating because you don't want to say goodbye to the characters', LOL!

Now let's find out about a little about 'Dry Creek'

The Dry Creek series