Review: "Hunting the Corrigan's Blood"

Note: I received an advance reader copy of this novel.

When I find a series I like, I always hope the series has been going on for a few years so that I'll have plenty of books to read. Although the sequel to Hunting the Corrigan's Blood will come out next month ("Warpaint," November 2012), that's still only two books. Holly Lisle needs to write faster.

This book starts with Cadence waking up in a locker with dead woman. Things go down for her from there. Cadence and her partner Badger recover lost or stolen items for their owners after the authorities have given up, and they've been given the task of recovering a star ship with extraordinary properties. Unfortunately, the ship is at the center of several dangerous conspiracies, and Cadence finds herself running from planet to planet in a desperate attempt to survive.

The plot twists and turns, and just when the course of the book seems clear, Holly Lisle throws in a huge surprise. I'm not often surprised by an author, but this one raised my eyebrows. Naturally, it's not a pleasant surprise for Cadence; in fact, her little job has revealed a terrible danger for the entire galaxy.

Cadence is an appealing character. She's hard-nosed, holds definite opinions about life, makes mistakes, has a true sense of justice, knows the meaning of regret and love, and has enough heart to temper all her actions with mercy. Above all, she's not a superwoman; she's so human that it hurts to read about her losses.

Don't think, however, this is a romp through space. I don't know if there is a category for "dark science fiction" like there is for dark fantasy, but this book definitely would belong in DSF. Cadence confronts some truly terrible things. How she deals with what she finds makes for an intriguing and fast-paced read. I was truly sorry when the book ended.

Here's the link on Amazon: Hunting the Corrigan's Blood

Mad, I tell you, MAD!

I'm going mad. Just thought you should know. I've spent just about every waking hour working on Tales from Bethlehem. I've been trying to make up the time I lost during my two and a half week illness. Well, now I'm about a week behind. And I am so SICK of being in front of this computer. That's why I'm going mad, mad, MAD!

Anyway, not much else to tell you about last week because of that. And that's what I'm going to be doing this week, too.

Let's see what I have planned:
- Enter in corrections as they arrive from my various proofreaders.
- Tuesday afternoon, book signing for Kelley Benson's On Target: Devotions for Modern Life. This is the first signing any of "my" authors have had. I'm supplying the table and tablecloth and table sign. He's supposed to supply the rest. We've mailed postcards, emailed local people, and (I hope) will have a story in the local newspaper. Sometimes they run stories; sometimes they do not.
- Household chores.
- Hope to get a pumpkin and some mums this week and decorate my porch.
- Clean my desk and get some organization in the piles of paper publishing a book seems to generate.
- Writers group meeting Saturday morning. In which they will each take a Tale and do some proofing for me.

I hope your week goes WONDERFULLY! And if not, you can always go MAD with me!

First proofreader

Tales from Bethlehem is under the pen of the first proofreader! Woohoo! Corrections away! One step closer to publication. And we're getting down to the deadline in this. Still haven't caught up yet from being ill, but getting there!

All I'm doing

Doing nothing today except working on Tales from Bethlehem. I'm kind of in a panic about it. Lost nearly two and half weeks because of illness. It was supposed to be published today according to the schedule I gave myself several months ago. Well, we're getting there. Just one Tale to finish and the Notes, and the actual writing will be done. Then it's time for the rewriting editing. Woohoo! It will feel more real to me then. And now I'm out of here.

Cured

This piano solo was written and performed by Grant Wilson, former of the TV show Ghost Hunters. It's quite good. Click the link below to go Cloudplayer and give it a listen.

Cured by Grant Wilson

No, I still don't like Ghost Hunters because I don't believe in ghosts, but that's good music. He's talented. You can also go to his blog and read why he quit GH. (He still believes in ghosts. He has other reasons.)

Read the warning first!

WARNING: The following is so delicious that you read at your own risk and I am not responsible for your blown diets or need for larger clothes.

Take four or five chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin cookie. Break into large chunks. Put in microwave for 10 seconds or less; just until they're warm and gooey again. Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream (or yogurt if you want the illusion of healthy) in a dish. Sprinkle crushed warm cookies over ice cream. Devour like a crazed person while making noises of enjoyment that would get you arrested in public.

Repeat at the peril of your waist.

Update on TFB

Due to my recent illness, I'm running two weeks behind on Tales from Bethlehem, but hope to catch up this week. I have one Tale to finish and one Tale to write. And illustrations to put in and so on and so forth. Here's the current mock-up of the cover.

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Mystery - Who killed the ladies man? Bernard, Lisa & the chief are back! 2nd in Measurements of Murder series.
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Sleepy

Sleepy. That's what I was all day today. And I did nap. Twice. So naturally I can't sleep now. And I really do need to be in bed. I'd like to keep regular hours. Like regular folks, you know.

It was a good day for sleeping, though. Cloudy, damp, chilly. Just the day for curling up with a book under a soft blanket ... and then your head droops and you're asleep. Sleep is easy.

Except when you need to be asleep. Like now.

Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep ... you are getting sleepy ... your eyelids are getting heavy ...

But they're not.

Sigh.

All my friends are day people. Or they're forced to be day people because of their jobs or children. That means when I'm up late, I'm alone. Just me. Well, me and those people in my head, many of whom are quite nice and interesting. A couple of them, of course, aren't, and we don't talk to them, but we know they're there.

Anyway, I'm going to take some meds and try the bed again. I may be back. But don't wait up for me. Just assume I'm sleeping and not creeping around, breaking into your house, and going through your belongings. That's probably best for you if you want to get some sleep.

Night!

Games and the people who play them

I've never understood the compulsion some people have to play games. I'm not talking about chess or football or any regular games, of course, but the people who like to game with emotions and other people's lives. Do they do it for amusement? Because they're bored? Because they have strange needs and goals? Maybe they're just evil.

Whatever the reason, I have little patience with them. Been there, done that, won't be doing it again. Here's a hint on how to handle them: I've noticed they often start a game by telling you a "secret" that they don't want you to tell anyone else. Of course, they always say, "Now, promise you won't tell (whoever is the subject of their game)." I always interrupt them -- rude, I know, but I do -- and say, "Oh, if it's a secret, don't tell me. I tell EVERYTHING. Thanks anyway." Then I walk away.

Because game players like secrets and lies. Nothing sinks their games faster than transparency and truth. Try the next time a game player tries to involve you in their dirty play. You'll be surprised how easily it ends the game. Eventually, they won't even approach you.

Better

Woke up feeling much healthy today. I can breathe without drowning in snot. Yes, I know my friends think I've been focused on snot a lot lately, but it's not because I like snot. It's because I had so much of it. Gallons and gallons and gallons. A lake of snot as it were. But today, it seems the flood might be over. I am so pleased.

And I imagine that you will be pleased, too, particularly since I won't be talking about snot so much. Unless you want me to continue to do so?

I thought not.

Mammon

We have a distrust of wealthy people in the United States. And it's hard not to when you consider how badly many of the most wealthiest have behaved. Consider, for instance, the shameful antics of Paris Hilton or the robber barons who build railroads by enslaving Chinese immigrants or the Wall Street bandits who gleefully devastated the pensions and life savings of millions. We have reason to know that the love of money can compel people to do terrible things.

So we distrust wealthy people. And we should if wealth truly is their god. But many wealthy people became wealthy because they loved what they were doing and the wealth resulted from it. The late Sam Walton comes to mind. He continued to live a fairly simple lifestyle after making his money because the money wasn't his motivator. Or Steve Jobs who pursued his single minded dream, many times not making the money he could have because of his adherence to his vision. When people build something, they almost never do it because they're trying to become rich. They're doing it out of passion.

It's their heirs who usually waste their money on $13,000 hairstyles and $50,000 dresses or $1,000,000 cars. People who don't have to work for their money never learn the value of money or hard work or anything else resembling ethics. They truly are a different species, uncaring and self-absorbed. Naturally there are exceptions, but they don't make the headlines.

Many wealthy people give generously to charities. And not just because they want the tax exemptions, either.  They want the world to be a better place, and they have the money to attempt to make it so. They don't love their money; they love what they can do with it.

Anyway, this distrust is why (I think) that so many Americans who hate taxes will go quiet when taxes on the wealthy are raised. We don't trust what they will do with their money. Part of us says, "They have the right to do what they want with their cash." But another part goes, "Really? Starving children in the world and they're buying diamond-paved toilet seats for $9,000?"

I'm always amazed by the wealthy people who don't understand how this type of outrageous spending offends people, particularly those who are struggling. I suspect they simply can't or won't understand. They've given their souls to Mammon, and he's a terrible god.

Probably going to regret posting this ...

I'm probably going to regret posting this, but I thought it made a lot of sense. And the talking heads made me me laugh!

A tale of Tales

Had to remove a Tale from Tales of Bethlehem today. It only repeated events already covered in other Tales. I like the main character (Dora Ruth) and maybe her story will get told in another Tale, but not in that Tale. I've lost so much time because I've been ill and still am. I think I'm somewhat better today, but I'm still exhausted. Still, as long as I get a few words and work on Tales daily, it's progress. And progress is good.

Otherwise, not much else to tell you. Hope you're staying healthy. One of us should!

Nothing

That's what I did last week: nothing other than being sick, taking meds, going to doctors, sleeping, coughing, wheezing, sneezing, and other unpleasant things I won't mention. I had hoped I'd be over it all by now, but the cold lingers on, my IBD flared due to the meds, and I threw my back out while doing my best impression of a possessed Linda Blair. Well, that's life sometimes.

This week, I intend to make more progress on Tales from Bethlehem. At least when I was sick, I did a lot of writing in my head and solved a huge problem in "The Cook's Tale." Otherwise, not much else is planned other than doing what chores I can and what marketing I can. And doing my best to get healthy.

Hope y'all have a great week.