A picture is worth 1000 words #2

THIS IS WHAT MY WORLD LOOKS LIKE WHEN I THINK OF DONALD TRUMP BECOMING PRESIDENT.

I don't often get political. It says right on my blog header that I identify as a feminist, and so I don't feel the need to hit people over the head with it. And I'm pretty passionate about a couple of things--free speech, sane gun laws--and have posted about those issues a few times. I don't think that political beliefs are ever simple. I was brought up by an Eisenhower Republican and a die-hard Democrat who once voted for John Anderson and I would have to be stranded on another planet before I skipped voting.  My father died three days short of an election day in 1985 but it didn't matter beause he had voted by absentee ballot the week before. Yes, my father voted on his death bed. He would have been appalled at the political circus we now call presidential politics.
I am appalled.
I am old enough to remember George Wallace's hate-mongering campaign.
I saw the infamous anti-Barry Goldwater "daisy/nukes" ad in a political science class in college. (This ad was so memorable and potent it practically won LBJ's election single-handedly. And it's now available on YouTube. But it only ran ONCE.  That's how powerful it was.) 

So this election cycle is not my first. I was 19 the first time I voted, one of the first of a generation that was allowed to vote before we reached our "majority" of 21.  That was during the Vietnam War when the rallying cry for lowering the age to vote was, "Old enough to die? Old enough to vote."
Western Illinois University, which has successfully predicted the winner of the presidential election for the last 40 years has released their prediction for 2016. They think it's going to be Bernie Sanders. Which means they think it is NOT going to be Donald Trump. And that is good news to me. Because this country does not need the fear-mongering, hate-filled, "I got mine "message Trump is preaching.

I never understood the Adolf Hitler cult of personality or how anyone could have voted him into office. But now, when I look at Trump speaking (and watch with the sound turned off) and the cynical way he manipulates crowds--I sudddenly see just how easy it was. It's all fun and games until a demagogue gets elected. And if Donald Trump wins, he will take this country down a very dark path.
I now return you to our regularly scheduled blog about food, fiction, and France. 

Dragon Rose by Christine Pope is FREE!

Isn't this a beautiful cover? It's by Ravven, who also designed the covers for my novelette Hunter's Kiss and the first of my Time Flood novels (see sidebar). Dragon Rose is one of the books in Christine Pope's series "Tales of the Latter Kingdoms," which are stand-alone retellings of various fairy tales. Dragon Rose is inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and it's a lovely version. You can find Dragon Rose here.

Aixa and the Scorpion--an excerpt and a freebie

I'll be giving away part one of my three-part urban fantasy series  (La Bruja Roja) for the next five days.  I originally wrote the series under the pseudonym Delia Fontana and over the year or so it's been available, Joy Sillesen has played with the covers, trying out everything from a neat grunnge graphic to the current trio of very paranormal covers. I've loved all the covers and wish I could use them all. This excerpt is from the opening of Aixa and the Scorpion. If you'd like to read more, go grab the freebie on Amazon. And I would LOVE a review if you like it.

   AIXA AND THE SCORPION

When you live in a place called Sangre de Cristo, it almost goes without saying that sometimes not-so-ordinary things are going to happen. In the years I was growing up here, Sangre was mostly just a sleepy little border town straddling the line between Texas and Mexico.

Americans crossed the border in search of cheap drugs and cheap booze and donkey sex shows and Mexicans traveled in the other direction looking for jobs and opportunities and green cards.

We didn’t get many tourists in Sangre de Cristo, so while we weren’t entirely immune to the problems faced by people in Matamoros or El Paso, we were mostly insulated from the bad stuff.

At least we were until 2006 when the drug wars exploded and the fallout left towns on both sides of the border radioactive with cocaine and machismo.

By then I was already living in Austin, taking classes at UT, and trying to figure out my place in the world.

I am a modern woman, but I am heir to an old, old tradition. And the power that I have skips generations. It’s why my mother, who was born in Brownsville, fled the U.S. in the final weeks of her pregnancy, determined that I should be born in Mexico so that I’d be a citizen of both nations. Both nations and two worlds.

She died giving birth to me, which is like something out of a 19^th century novel. My father, who had loved her very much, never forgave her for leaving him and basically abandoned me in Sangre de Cristo to grow up in my abuela’s house.

For my 14^th birthday my father sent me a present—a Bratz doll—and then two weeks later showed up in Sangre de Cristo knocking on my grandmother’s door with more presents and a sheepish smile.

Friday Freebie--Hyde by Lauren Stewart

I'm always up for a re-imagining of the old horror classics--I've watched more bad Frankenstein reboots than you can imagine--so this book caught my eye. It's the first of a three-book series (isn't everything a trilogy these days?) and it comes with a 4.3 rating on Amazon (from 318 readers). I like the cover of Hyde, and think the trio of covers work well together. the author makes it clear this is a sexy book with dark themes and I'm okay with that. It's described as an urban fantasy and that's still one of my all-time fravorite genres. I can't wait to see what Stewart has done with the Robert Lewis Stevenson classic.

Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker

I've always liked actress Mary-Louise Parker. She's done so many different kinds of parts and has always been relatable. (I found her adorable in Red.) But it wasn't until a year or so ago that I discovered she's also a writer, and a very good one.

Dear Mr. You is a collection of "letters" Parker has written to the men who entered and departed from her life with varying degrees of damage and joy. It's a book any woman will relate to. By turns funny and bittersweet--she is REALLY hard on herself sometimes--Dear Mr. You might be a great present to give your mother for Mother's Day--especially if she's a fan of Weeds.

For a sense of her personality, check out this interview from the Washington Post. It also deserves shelf-space next to Carrie Fisher's memoir Wishful Drinking.

Apocalypse Sky

Years ago, I submitted a story called "Monochrome" to an anthology with the premise that suddenly all the color was leached out of the world and writers were asked to explore how that would affect them. "Monochrome" wasn't a great story and it didn't make the cut but I think of that story often when I see the apocalyptic chiaroscuro sunsets we get here in the Pacific Northwest.

Say what you will about the pollution in Los Angeles, it made for some extraordinary, Technicolor sunsets. Here we get sunsets in black and white--gorgeous dark blacks and whites like some heavenly cinematographer was shooting the world in black and white. It's another kind of beauty but it's taken some getting used to.

And I want to write a story about it.

Next for the TBR pile: The Merchant by V.R. McCoy

I actually heard about this #SupernaturalThriller on Twitter. (Yay for social media.) It's got gangsters and vampires and crooked politicians and the Big Easy. What's not to like. I don't know this author but at 99 cents, what do I have to lose?  Can't wait to read it.

Ghost Storm Giveaway

I love finding new writers by reading "gateway" books being offered as cheese for signing up on thier mailing lists. This cover caught my eye today and looking around at Jessie Costin's site, I'm pretty sure I'm going to love her YA paranormal books. What I  liked about this cover was the colors. Bonus--it's the two Pantone colors of the year!  But the colors drew me in because this is not the same old/same old book cover. You can buy Ghost Storm for 99 cents on Kindle or you can get it free by signing up for the newsletter.Go here to sign up.

The blurb sounded interesting too, sort of a YA version of Haven. I like that the stakes for the heroine go beyond her love life. Another thing I like about Jessie Costin is that she promotes other writers on her site. That's how I heard about D.S. Murphy and her mermaid fantasy Shearwater. (It's been very, very well reviewed and only been out for three months, so it's on the ever-expanding TBR bookcase.)

The next best thing to being in Paris

Is paging through this gorgeous book by Girls Guide to Paris founder Doni Belau. I love the beautiful graphic cover of Paris Cocktails, and the photographs are gorgeous. If you buy the book directly from the author's site, you get bonuses plus a discount, so go here.

In praise of Kinuko Y. Craft

Artwork: © Kinuko. Y. Craft, All Rights Reserved,

  www.kycraft.com

The first piece of Kinuko Y. Craft's work I ever saw was this beautiful, strange illustration of a leopard woman drinking from a pool. Or at least that's what it seems to be to me. I wish I knew more. (The painting is called "The Transformation of Angarred" and I don't know anything about the story it's based on.) It immediately spoke to me, taking me to a place beyond reality and I wanted to write a story to match it. Craft calls herself a "storyteller," and it's true. Even if you don't know the story that she's given life in her art, A story suggets itself to you.

Kinuko Y. Craft's beautifully illustrated hardcover retelling of Beauty and the Beast (written by Mahlon F. Craft, Kinuko's husband, an artist/photographer) arrives from Harper Collins this July. You can pre-order it here and you should, because it looks exquisite. And while you're there, you should pick up a copy of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, their previous collaboration,  as well.On her site, you can buy signed posters she created for the Dallas Opera House. They're a bargain for their beauty and this one is going to be my birthday present to myself:

Artwork: © Kinuko. Y. Craft, All Rights Reserved,

  www.kycraft.com

March Mystery: Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu

There are a couple of copies of Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge up for grabs in the early review section of Library Thing and I would so like to snag one because I know it's not going to show up in my local library any time soon. (My local library is so strapped for cash that you're kind of out of luck if you don't want the new James Patterson or Debbie Macomber or Stephen King).  To be fair, it's available in a trade paperback priced under $15, which is about what it costs to go to a movie at my local theater, so one way or another, it's on my TBR list.

The book is set in Singapore where Aunty Lee is a widow who runs a "home cooking" restaurant. This is not the first of her adventures and I've already ordered Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials and Aunty Lee's Delights. I've always been a fan of feisty, crime-solving widows, from Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax to Cabot Cove's Jessica Fletcher.

Decadent Asparagus Saute

Courtesy of freeimages.com

I never used to like asparagus. The lovely thing spears cost a fortune in Los Angeles and by the time the price came down, the stalks were thick and woody and just not that tasty. But here in the Pacific Northwest, those thin stalks are available virtually year round and the vegetable finds it ways to my plate a couple of times a week.

You may be saying to yourself, ugh, asparagus, but trust me. If you make it this way, it's so yummy you'll find yourself looking at the produce section a different way. And it's super easy.

Slice one yellow onion thinly and place in a large skillet along with two tablespoons of olive oil.
Saute the onions until they're golden and translucent (about ten minues.)
Slice the woody parts off the asparagus and cut them into pieces. When the onions are soft, add the asparagus peces to the oil.
Sprinkle with salt if you use it.
Sprinkle with garlic powder or add a spoon of minced fresh garlic.
Slosh some hot sauce over it. (I used Cholula with lime.)
Saute until the aspragus starts to get soft/crispy.
Add about a half-cut of chopped walnuts and continue to saute.
Divide in half and serve over brown rice OR simply eat the whole lovely pan yourself. It's incredibly filling and very satisfying in an "I can't believe this is good for me" kind of way.

Why yes, I do judge a book by its cover

I'm a big fan of BuzzFeed Books (and you should be too) and I just now got around to looking at 34 of the Most Beautiful Book Covers of 2015." As promised there are 34 stunning covers, although the one I liked best was this one for Satin Island by Tom McCarthy. It was designed by Peter Mendelsund, He's also done some stunning covers for New Yorker Magazine, and his work is elegant, minimalist, classy, timeless. He's also a writer, and his book, What We See When We Read, is a book that's now on my TBR--a study of why words evoke images.
their "
I thought thr Satin Island cover was so gorgeous I looked the book up and to my surprise, there's a totally different cover on the book listed on Amazon. It's the one below left. I thought that was odd, but decided it must be a variant cover for a foreign edition. I checked on Amazon.co.uk and found yet a third cover.It has something of the watercolor feel of the original cover I saw and I like it better than the first variant but I don't like either as well as the cover that was used in the BuzzFeed article. I have to wonder. Was the publisher doing A/B testing with the cover?

I know which book I'd pick up first. How about ou?

R.I.P Ray Tomlinson--inventor of email

Tomlinson is not that common a surname. It means "son of little Tom" and according to "Behind the Name," it is the 315th most popular surname in England. (It's below Norris and Morton and Bibi --258th). David Tomlinson, the noted British character actor, was in Mary Poppins, and as far as I know, that was the first time I'd ever seen my last name in a context unrelated to me and my family. The gorgeous Eleanor Tomlinson plays Demelza on the rebooted Poldark series, and of course, there's football player LaDanian Tomlinson. There's also perennial TMZ darling Louis Tomlinson, the One Direction singer who is mostly known at the moment for his nasty custody fight with his baby mama. Sigh.
None of these people are related to me. Nor was Ray Tomlinson, the man credited with "inventing" email. I love email. I remember before there was an email and email is better. Really.  (And I say this as someone who still handwrites "thank you" letters.) I wish I'd written Ray Tomlinson a "thank you" letter or at least a "thank you" email, because his invention changed my life. Rest in peace cousin.

A Romance for St. Patrick's Day

I found myself wondering if there were any fantasy romances out there involving leprechauns and as it turns out, there's a really good one, Kathy Bryson's Feeling Lucky. The book won all kinds of awards when it was published in 2014, and earned a ton of praise from reviewers for being sweet as well as sexy and also for being something different.

Kathy Bryson has written several more books and I wish she lived in the PNW instead of Florida, because her author profile says she's a Shakespeare geek too and I'm looking for someone to go to plays with. You can follow her here.

the Best Urban Fantasy Short Story You'll Read Today--and it's free

I found this short story listed in "The Best Short Stories You've Never Read" from HuffPost Books and it sounded so engaging I immediately clicked over to it. King Oberon and Queen Tatiana in the modern age. Look for "A Tiny Feast" on the New Yorker's site.

What is it?

There are times when I can't buy a creative idea and there are times when I honestly can't turn it off. (Mostly when I'm on deadline for some chore I find tedious.) But there's been something going on in my backyard for a while that is just fascinating to me.

The house we rent was built in the seventies, but we live in one of the oldest neighborhoods on this side of the city. So who knows what was here before we were. (Pretty sure it's not a graveyard but hear me out.)

About a week after we moved in, we found a single rusted razor blade lying in the grass. So ... was someone out here shaving one day, letting the rain wash off the lather? About a month after that we found a small, olive green "plastic soldier" of the sort made memorable in the W.D. County short story "Plastic Soldiers." (If you haven't read "Plastic Soldiers," you need to spend 99 cents right now and go buy Speedloader, an anthology that also contains stories by Nigel Bird and Matthew C. Funk, whose writing is also always worth reading. But "Plastic Soldiers?" It's a one-of-a-kind story. Brutal to read and absolutely unforgettable. I've read a LOT of short stories, and it's probably in my top five, right up there with Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" and Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and "the Rockinghorse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence, and Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder." "Plastic Soldiers" should be taught in high school English classes.) But I digress.

Over the year we've lived here, various things have shown up in our lawn, sort of like dinosaur skeletons uncovered by scouring winds in the western states. Today this thing showed up.  It's made of wood and about the size of a gobstopper candy. It's made of wood and the spikes unscrew.  It's hard to tell how old it is but the scientist in the house thinks it could be many decades old. Wood decays at different rates. It'll take a downed pine tree 200-300 years to decompose, a spruce tree (what you find a lot of in the Pacific Northwest) will only last 50-100 years. So--what was this thing? A child's toy? Nowadays, we'd keep something like this out of a kids' hands for fear of choking hazards. But it doesn't seem strong enough for any industrial application.
But what it DOES seem good for is a story prompt.
"The Yard of Lost Things."
What would you do if things suddenly started appearing in your yard, dug up by your dog, or revealed by a hard rain? Would some of those items be valuable? Would some of those items be dangerous? Would some hold clues to murder? Or a wedding ring lost by a woman gardening 100 years ago?  I find the possibilities endlessly seductive. I want to write that story. But as it happens ... I'm on deadline. So it's going to have to go into the file for now.

Woman in the Rain: A Picture is worth a thousand words -- or more

One of the things I do on a regular basis is shop for images on sites like Bigstock, Dollar Photo, and the like. Sometimes I'll buy a month long subscription and download tons of images I think I might like to use for the blog or for one of the various content-provider jobs I have, or as the basis of a book cover.

I've been playing with the idea of a new paranormal series about a woman who can bring the rain. I have one novelette in the series (Let It Rain, see cover below right) that will publish this summer, and if people like it, there will be more stories.

I'm fascinated by rain. I grew up in a place that was ravaged by two hurricanes when I was in high school. I know how destructive water can be when it's unleashed on land, whether it's a tsunami or a hurricane, or just a flash flood. (In fact, WATER is the most destructive force on earth.) I lived in Los Angles for decades and the whole time I was there, the state was in a state of drought. Meteorologists promised that this, an El Nino year, would bring relief. It hasn't so far, not really. Instead, it's dumping water on Seattle, which has had its rainiest year in more than a century.

Define irony. Bringing more rain to the Pacific Northwest is like bringing coal to Newcastle. And I can't help but think that if there WERE such things as water witches, they'd be in high demand in L.A. I'm talking about people with powers beyond water diviners and water dowsers, a character who could literally make it rain. Where would the rain shadow be? What land would suffer drought in the wake of her magic-working? 

March Mystery: Time of Fog and Fire

Another for the TBR pile, the lastest in Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy mystery series. Don't you LOVE the cover? Criminal Element has posted an excerpt here.

Fairy Tale Retellings: Five Enchanted Roses

I really like "Beauty and the Beast" and I'm always up for new versions. (The gorgeous movie version by French director Christophe Gans is available on YouTube. You should check it out here.)
This is a book that's on my TBR list. Five different retellings of the classic story.

A Book to Watch Out For: THE LOST PROPERTY OFFICE

One of the things I do for a living is work as a "reader." This is the best job ever and reading great books before they're published is one of the perks. I've just read a debut novel by James Hannibal. It's terrific. It will remind you of everything from Suzanne Collins' Gregor the Underlander to Time Bandits. The young hero has a great talent/power and his adventure is filled with twists and turns and dollops of really intriguing history and magical artifacts. The characters are nicely drawn, especially the hero's pesky little sister. The book is available for pre-order now, for publication in November. Mark your calendars and mark my words--this is a terrific book and, I suspect, the start of a terrific new series.

In honor of Oscar night: Poster reveal ONE UNDER THE SUN

I wrote a science fiction movie last summer called One Under the Sun. Directed by Vincent Tran, it stars an international, multi-cultural cast headed by actress Pooja Batra. the movie is in post-production now and being shopped around to film festivals and markets. I cannot wait to see it. And in the meantime, here's the poster.

The Most Interesting Book I'll Probably Never Be Able to Afford

I love libraries. I've had a library card since I was in first grade and I support them with my patronage and my donations. But I now live in a small town with a limited library budget, so often, I don't even bother to check if they have more obscure titles, I just go looking for them on the Internet. You can even find used books on Etsy now, which is kind of off brand, but I love Etsy almost as much as I love libraries, so I'm not going to complain.
I found this book, Designing Sacred Spaces by Sherin Wing while searching for something completely different. And I found myself fascinated by it. I am interested in architecture and in the design of sacred spaces and by the time I'd finished reading the sales copy, I was ready to hit "buy with one click." Except...the Kindle is $90 and the hard copies range from $67-$75.  I spend more than I probably should on books but even I balk at spending that kind of money. Sigh.

The book comes with a slew of glowing reviews and sounds like a provocative and thoughtful examination of architecture as an expression of culture. So it's on the pile and maybe one day I'll run across a copy while scouring a used book store.