Review: 7 Scorpions: Rebellion by Mike Saxton

7 Scorpions: Rebellion (Book 1)
by Mike Saxton
Release Date: May 13, 2010
2010 Eloquent Books
E-Book Edition; 450 Pages
ISBN: 978-1609112868
Genre: Science-Fiction
Source: Review Copy from

5 / 5 Stars

Summary
On May 7th, the mysterious dictator known only as the Zodiac unleashed an event called the Flash Storm, destroying every major city and military base across the world in one moment. No one saw it coming. There was no warning. There was no terrorist chatter. Hundreds of millions perished almost instantly. Humanity across the globe was plunged into chaos. In the days that followed, the enigmatic and frightening Seekers marched on the remnants of humanity, systematically enslaving or destroying everyone in their path.


All attempts to stand up to Zodiac's Grand Army failed. His Seekers, who radiate a mysterious aura that induces intense fear were virtually unbeatable. It seemed as though the prophecies of the End of Days were coming to pass until the day came that a glimmer of hope arose in the form of an exile who had been part of a super soldier experiment. It is up to this man, Vincent Black, to rally a resistance to free humanity from the grips of oblivion, if he can let go of his past.

My Thoughts
7 Scorpions: Rebellion is a novel that gripped me from the very beginning and I was captivated by both the story as well as by the struggles of the characters, both good and evil.  Set in a post-apocalyptic world brought about by a man known only as the Zodiac, it's a novel full of suspense, intrigue, action, adventure, technology, and human suffering.  What is really scary and frightening about this novel is the possibility that it could really happen; the reality of it hits pretty close to home.

What I find really interesting about this novel is that there is nothing really cliched about it.  While there is really nothing new to the idea of a post-apocalyptic Earth, the author takes the events and makes them wholly his in the sense that there is so much originality in this novel that it makes you feel that you are reading something fresh and new.  Take the lead character for instance, Vincent, also known as the Night Viper, a super-soldier who people treat as their saviour.  While at first he appears to be the cliched character, a man who is dark and mysterious and cold to others, as the novel progresses, he is anything but.  With flashes of humour and humanity, he has his ups and downs like everyone else and as we learn more about his story, we learn about his personality, and how he became who he is, and we feel his emotions and his pain.  To be honest, this is one of the strengths of this novel as we learn everything through the eyes of all of the characters and we feel their emotions; it helps the reader to connect with the characters on a level that I don't think would be possible in a novel such a this. 

I say we connect with all of the characters because Mr. Saxton includes ALL of the characters in this fascinating writing tool he uses.  This means that we learn things through the eyes of the enemy as well and learn their personal stories as well which means the reader also develops a connection with characters we would classify as enemies;  now that connection may contain anger and fear as mine did towards the Zodiac and towards Jade, even when I learned about her horrible story of abuse she suffered at the hands of the baseball team, but Mr. Saxton doesn't hold back on the graphic side of the violence either and there were times when I could feel myself shuddering and wincing through some of the scenes.  I have to tell you I have to give credit to someone who can me feel sympathy towards someone who inflicted terrible punishments on other people.

This novel was somewhat frightening because the world we know today is completely gone, destroyed.  The characters have to live with what is left and I couldn't imagine myself living in that type of world.  There is one interesting comment that one character makes: Josh tells another characters that he was really naive when he used to wish to live in a post-apocalyptic world and he used to wish that all of the governments would disappear.  He goes on to say that you should never make wishes on something you would never want to happen as now he has his wish and he would like nothing better than to go back to the way it was.  This novel is downright scary as the author holds nothing back.  The characters are put in multiple situations where they are in extreme danger and people all around them are killed in horrible ways, including children.  There is starvation, little water, no electricity, little food, and people are fighting to survive.  Then you have the Seekers, lobotamized killers who scare the willies out of me, as well as technological advances and weaponry that I hope never to see.  The Dozer just scares me to death thinking that something like that could exist, and I'm sure we have the technology for something like that somewhere in the world today. 

Verdict
7 Scorpions: Rebellion was a fantastic novel and I had a difficult time putting it down.  I was pleasantly surprised how much development there was in the characters as I usually find a novel like this tends to spend too much time on the events and the plotline and ignores the characters, but this is definitely not the case.  The novel fits together beautifully and it is definitely a warning to us that we need to heed, at least that's how I took it anyways.  There was plenty of action, adventure, and even the hint of some romance developments.  I am definitely looking forward to the release of 7 Scorpions: Revolution as there are many undeveloped plot threads that need some conclusion or at least, development in order to satisfy a reader that couldn't get enough of this science-fiction novel. 

Review: Marysdale by Jared Southwick

Marysvale (Book 1, Marysvale Series)
by Jared Southwick
Release Date: October 5, 2010
2010 Two Roads Press
Hardcover Edition; 388 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-9845882-0-6
Genre: Fiction / Fantasy
Source: Review Copy from Cheryl Christensen at Media Guests

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
John Casey was ten years old when his mother was murdered...and ten when his father hid the truth from him. Without that knowledge, he has no idea of the enemies that lie in wait.


Now grown up, John lives a solitary life, in a world enslaved by ignorance and superstition, when anyone unusual is treated with distrust and even killed...and John has some very unusual gifts. When he is accused of witchcraft, John does the ony thing he's ever done - Run! That is, until he meets Jane, who lives in the bleak, imprisoned town of Marysvale. Life outside the safety of the town walls means certain death from the brutal monsters that hunt there. However, life inside, under the rule of a tyrannical leader, means no life at all.

As the love between John and Jane grows, the dangers of Marysvale unfold; and for the first time in his life, John discovers that there is something worth dying for.

My Thoughts
Marysvale was a fun, entertaining fantasy, full of monsters, tyrants, secrets, and enough action to satisfy even me.  There was a little bit of everything in Marysvale; there was intrigue, suspense, horror, romance, fantasy, fledgling use of the paranormal, and adventure. 

John Casey was a character in whom I could defnitely sympathize and empathize.  With an ability to see into the souls of others and perceive either good or evil intentions, he often got himself into delicate situations with people who did not understand his power or did not trust it.  Continuously on the run, John thought he had finally found a place where he could fit in until he got in trouble with the local magistrate who thought nothing of beating on his wife and child.  Forced to flee into the woods in the middle of the night, John found himself in greater danger as the whispers he heard were actually true, and found himself facing things he would not believe possible.  I really enjoyed John's personality and found myself rooting for him over and over again throughout the novel.  There was something so endearing about him, and about the way he helped people who needed help, even when he put himself in jeopardy, that was great.  The author's great writing style certainly came into play here as he made you sympathetic to John and his plight, even when John was going through his moral dilemnas or debating what to do in certain situations.  It takes great skill to manipulate readers into wanting you to feel a certain way throughout a novel. 

The secondary characters were great as well, and I found myself particularly interested in Hannah and the strength she developed as the story unfolded.  At first she seemed like silly young girl, but what she went through changed her and she showed she had more strength and determination than all of them.  It made me think that perhaps it is so easy to judge people and not give them enough credit until they are in situations which are dangerous and that is when their true characters come to light. 

The setting was fascinating as well, and the contrast between the wealthy and the poor was very well done.  Some of the scenes made me angry, and I wondered how people could be so apathetic towards others.  Fear can certainly cow a lot of people into obedience. While at first this novel seems light, that is very misleading as there is a deeper element at work here, one that deals with abuse and subjugation and it is prevalent throughout the novel.  It is handled very delicately and thoughtfully by the author, but it is there nonetheless, and there are some scenes that are not necessarily pleasant.  He makes no excuses for the people, and makes them accountable for the horrible conditions in Marysvale through the way he writes and explains the situations.  It definitely makes you think how people can let things happen without interfering and how they can sleep at night knowing they let it go on day after day without fighting back. 

Verdict
Marysvale is a novel that will draw you in right from the beginning.  With plenty of twists and turns, it's good, clean fun, with a host of interesting characters.   While I enjoyed the novel tremendously, there were still a lot of unanswered questions, and many threads were introduced and not followed up on, threads I hope will be further explained in the next novel.  While this didn't affect my overall impression of the novel, I do remember questioning it as I went along and definitely noted it.  The characters were well-developed and I liked the burgeoning romance that was introduced, even the comic relief elements to it were amusing as it reminded me of how little sisters/brothers like to interfere in older brothers/sisters' lives. While there was some predictability to the storyline and I definitely figured out many things that were going to happen, the writing skillful enough that you were drawn in to the story regardless.  I am definitely looking forward to book 2, Alyth, releasing this fall.

Review: The Kings of Eternity by Eric Brown

The Kings of Eternity
by Eric Brown
Release Date: March 29, 2011
2011 Solaris
Paperback Trade Edition; 367 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-907519-70-3
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Review Copy from San Francisco Book Review

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
1999. On the threshold of a new millennium, the novelist Daniel Langham lives a reclusive life on an idyllic Greek island, hiding away from humanity and the events of the past. All that changes, however, when he meets artist Caroline Platt and finds himself falling in love. But what is his secret, and what are the horrors that haunt him?

1935. Writer Jonathon Langham and Edward Vaughan are summoned from London by their editor friend Jasper Carnegie to help investigate strange goings on in Hopton Wood. What they discover there – no less than a strange creature from another world – will change their lives for ever.

My Thoughts
The Kings of Eternity is one of those novels where you are drawn into the story, immersed into characters and storyline and the very human problems that develop, without fully realizing until you are so deeply involved in the novel how the author subtly weaves the elements of science fiction into it, that what you are reading is something quite different, with many technological things not seen in our world, but are accepted as commonplace as they are introduced so innocently.  I've read a lot of novels by Eric Brown over the years, and it's a style that definitely works very well as you don't feel like the author is throwing the technology and other science fiction paraphenalia at you to make it look like a science fiction novel;  it's woven into the novel and becomes a basic part of the novel so the reader just accepts it and moves on.  I always found myself reflecting on that after one of his novels, how I could just accept everything that happens so rationally, but it demonstrates Mr. Brown's strong style of writing that he can accomplish this so easily.

Daniel, Jasper, Charles, and Edward discover something extremely unusual in a copse of woods in 1935 that changes their life forever, and as the novel progresses, we learn how these men cope with the event they discovered and how they continue to deal with it as the years unfold.  I often found myself contemplating how I would deal with it myself, and I don't know if I could have done it myself, but I doubt it's a dilemna I will ever have to face in my lifetime.  I don't want to say too much as it will give away an important plot point, but it certainly is life-altering, and I'm sure everyone has thought about it at one point in their lives.

Daniel Langham is an interesting character, and although he lives a reclusive lifestyle on a beautiful Greek island, he is still someone with whom readers can identify.  It is obvious right from the beginning that he is hiding a secret, and that he is hiding from someone, and for me, it just makes it that much more intriguing.  When he meets Caroline Platt, a woman also hiding a secret, I found their developing relationship to be interesting as it was sweet and mature, and the characters spent a lot of time discussing their lives and enjoying each other's company.  I enjoyed it because it wasn't necessarily love at first sight, but a developing friendship about two people who cared about each other, and learned to trust each other through that friendship.  There was no drama, and fighting, and other things that are often found in other novels and I enjoyed that tremendously. 

Jonathan Langham was involved in a difficult relationship with a woman named Carla and their on-again, off-again relationship was putting strain on him as well as the stress of his dying father whom he adored.  When he was summoned to visit a friend outside of London, he fled happily, only to discover a portal to another world in a copse of wood outside his friend's house which completely changed his world.  What I found intriguing about this was how the blend of science fiction and history was developed so seamlessly that you didn't realize you were reading a science-fiction novel until afterward when you analyzed the events.  The friendship that developed here between the four men united them for the rest of their lives as they discovered a secret that would change their lives.  It was this friendship I found fascinating; the way the men supported each other and discovered traits about each other and trusted each other absolutely.  It all led to a conclusion that was rather satisfactory, if a little pat. 

Verdict
The Kings of Eternity made me think a little bit about my life and what I would like to accomplish in that lifetime and the legacy I would like to leave behind.  While I love straight-out science-fiction novels with all of the in-your-face technology, I have always enjoyed Eric Brown's novels for their subtle use of technology and alien invasions and this one is no exception.  Although somewhat predictable in its plotline and the lack of double-entendre which would make the reader question what they are reading, I could easily put that aside and just enjoy the character development, the descriptions of everything around them, the atmosphere, the subtle use of technology.  For those who enjoy an interesting science-fiction novel, I recommend they take a look at The Kings of Eternity.

Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined
by Heather Dixon
Release Date: March 29, 2011
2011 Greenwillow Books
Softcover Edition ARC: 474 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-200103-0
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

3 / 5 Stars

Summary
Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father's grief.  What they don't understand - although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in - is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. 

My Thoughts
Entwined was a fun, delightful read, loosely based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" ("The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes") published in 1812.  While I found this novel to be enjoyable and lighthearted fun, it wasn't one of those novels that gripped me or developped any of the darker elements that can be found in the Brothers Grimm story.  To be honest, I had difficulty continuing this novel in one sitting, and actually had to put it down for a while before reading it through to the end. 

While Azalea was intended to be the main character in this novel and she grew on me as the novel progressed, I actually found myself more impressed with Bramble and the way she constantly fought against everything; she wasn't as willing to take everything as given fact and just go with the flow as Azalea was prone to do.  Azalea did begin fighting back more and more as events unfolded, but I still wished she had more of a backbone to her as she will be queen one day; it's not a position I can actually see her in.  And while I liked how Ms. Dixon tried really hard to give all of the characters individuality, it seemed a little forced at times; how many times can Azalea dig her nails into her palms without blood seeping down her arms?  I also found the focus on the dancing to be a little much; while it's central to the novel, I found the constant talk of dancing, and solving all of your problems through dance to be a bit much.  Don't get me wrong, the dance between the Keeper and Azalea was necessary and fascinating, but some of the other dances seemed to be space fillers rather than important to the story.

While I enjoyed the plot, there were some things that did bother me.  First of all, the issues with the royal palace and the lack of money were never really explained.  It was kind of ambiguous as the girls were lacking food and clothing, yet they had servants and other things that were very contradictory to the state in which they lived.  I also had a problem with some of the language and the short forms.  Things like R.B. (Royal Business), and modern lingo were used constantly and for some reason it bothered me as it didn't seem to fit into the setting of the story.  I never did figure out exactly how some of the enchantments occurred in the novel as it wasn't fully explained.  And sugar teeth?  I never figured out what those were exactly.  In the end, I found the plot to be loose and full of holes, but at the same time, there were still many elements that were enjoyable and fun.  Unfortunately, some of the negatives did impact on the many positives for me.  The story was either too slow, or contained too many irrelevancies that interfered with the flow of what could have been a really great story.

Verdict
Entwined was an enjoyable read, and while I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read re-worked fairytales, for me the plot was simply too shallow, not containing enough depth to really grab and hold my interest for long.  I found the novel to be fairly repetitive and while I did enjoy some of the magical enchantments and some of the dancing elements, I thought the modern dialogue interfered with the more Victorian setting.  Ms. Dixon writes with an engaging style however, and while I was not crazy about this one which is perhaps more suited to a younger age group, I would definitely pick up another of her novels based on her writing alone.

Guest Post: Elizabeth Aston & Giveaway

Curling Up By The Fire is thrilled to have Elizabeth Aston, author of the Mountjoy series (Unholy Harmonies; The World, The Flesh, and the Bishop; Unaccustomed Spirits) and the Darcy series (The Second Mrs. Darcy; The Darcy Connection; Mr. Darcy's Dream). who is here today to discuss one of my favourite topics, and one of the more chilling aspects of literature that can always send a thrill, castles and hauntings. I used to do a feature titled "My Obsession with Castles", and this theme just fits in perfectly; there are not too many people that I know who don't have some kind of obsession with castles and their various histories.  Don't forget to take a look at the end of the post for an exciting giveaway as well.






CASTLES IN THE AIR
by Elizabeth Aston

I love castles. I’ve always been fascinated by them. A heap of ruins spotted on a hillside from a train window; a staid tourist visit to a Castle of Importance; gazing out across shining sands to St Michael’s Mount; building my own sandcastles in the sand - castles are endlessly delightful and fascinating. Grim and granite, brooding over the wild grey seas of Northumbria or fanciful and pretty in the softer south; gothic and crenellated or domesticated and functional, castles ooze charm.

The big old ones shout power. These were the heart of a great families’ fiefdom, or were held in the name of the king. These are buildings of war and defence, narrow windows for archers to fire their arrows, portcullises to drop in the face of an advancing enemy, handy rooms for boiling substances to drop on invading heads below.

And they belong to the past. They're places of a bygone age, and whether ruins or inhabited, their purpose has long gone, and that, to us, is part of their majesty and mystique. It’s why Harry Potter’s school, Hogwarts, is in a castle - where else could Rowling have found the right setting for her mix of magic, mystery and menace?

Is it a Jungian thing, their appeal? The round shape, the moat surrounding walls and within that the inner keep, perhaps represent our inmost self. Or is it the stuff of fairytales, the Once upon a time quality that so many of them have?

I always longed to live in a castle.

In reality, I know, it would be cold, damp and inconvenient. But in the imagination, it’d be a place of wonder and peril, danger and history. Dungeons, oubliettes and cannonballs on the landings, echoing stone chambers and, in the best ones, ghosts.

As I writer, I can live where I want. In my mind I can travel to Mars, converse with the stars, spend a day in the gutter and dine with princes. And so, like many writers before me, when I wanted a home for my outrageous Mountjoys, I gave them a castle.

Mountjoy Castle was loosely based on Skipton Castle, where the castle and the family home blend in happy harmony, but in my mind’s eye it was still a place where the old genes ruled, where generations of wicked and turbulent Mountjoys lived and fought and loved. When innocent Prue Pagan in Children of Chance arrives there for her summer job, she finds herself in another world, overawed, out of her depth, alarmed by this extraordinary castle-cum-family-home where the portcullis still rattles down and she can take her afternoon walk along the walls before retreating, Rapunzel-like, to her bedroom in the tower.

Having invented Mountjoy Castle, it naturally is entirely real to me, and it and the sprawling Mountjoy family became an integral part of the rest of the Mountjoy novels. I could give you a guided tour any day of the week: towers, spiral staircases, muniment room, family rooms and state rooms.

‘This way, ladies and gents, please don’t fall behind, we are now passing along the corridor that leads to the Great Hall, where the famous tapestries, recently restored by Lady Mountjoy, depict scandalous scenes from antiquity.’

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of castles, go and have a look at this anecdote about Wardour Castle - that’s the one in the picture. Read about Lady Blanche Arundell, who held the castle against the attacking forces of the Parliamentary Army. And, please note, she was sixty-one.

Go castles!


Links for Elizabeth Aston:
Site and Blog: Elizabeth Aston
Facebook: Elizabeth Aston
Twitter: Elizabeth Aston
Amazon: Elizabeth Aston Page
 
Giveaway: One lucky reader will win an e-copy of Children of Chance!!!!!
What do you think of castles? Have you ever been to one? Would you like to live in one? Please leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of Children of Chance, the prequel of the Mountjoy series.  Available in any ebook format. Remember to write your email address in the comments so that I can contact you. If you don't leave your email address, you will not be eligible for this week's giveaway, or for the Giveaway Grand Prize in October.
 
Contest ends 17 August 2011 at 11:59 pm.  Contest for ebook is open internationally.



For the Giveaway Grand Prize: Everyone who comments (and writes their email address in the comments) is eligible to win a lovely hematite bracelet and earrings seen here. A lucky winner will be chose in mid-October. Contest is open internationally and prizes will be shipped anywhere in the world.
 

Good luck everyone!

Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Steel Corset (The Steampunk Chronicles)
by Kady Cross
Release Date: May 24, 2011
2011 Harlequin Teen
Softcover Edition ARC; 480 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-373-21033-6
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Review Copy from San Francisco Book Review

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one.except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch..

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. And Finley thinks she might finally be a part of something, finally fit in - until a criminal threatens to tear the group apart...

My Thoughts
The Girl in the Steel Corset was a very enjoyable start to what appears to be a new steampunk series for those fans who really enjoy this genre.  And there was certainly a lot to enjoy as with with a mechanical cat, velocycles, the aether machine, and other devices that had functions similar to what we would use in our modern world, but with clearly that steampunk element, Ms. Cross certainly demonstrates her understanding of steampunk in her novels.  It was a delight to come across each new invention, all woven with a thread of the supernatural, as the events unfolded, and I couldn't wait to see what would be invented or unveiled next. It would seem incongruous to see some of these things in 1897, but so many things were being invented during this time period and it always seemed to me the time when ideas were exploding and as electricity was lighting our streets, the setting just fits perfectly with the steampunk concept of this novel.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in this novel, including Finley, the main character.  I really liked the juxtaposition of the good girl/bad girl concept of her character and wished the author had used this a little more in her novel as it seemed so interesting; and yes, it would definitely have raised the complexity of the plot a notch as well as the characters would have been far less trusting with each other and some really fascinating developments could have occurred. It's too bad really as the plot is one area in which I felt there was a bit of a letdown as I found it somewhat predictable and unexciting.  I also felt like there were way too many coincidences in this novel; what's wrong with the characters getting in a lot of trouble once in a while instead of always being saved by a coincidence?  It sometimes takes the fun and the excitement out of the reading experience.  That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the novel, but I didn't find the build-up to be there for me and there was definitely no big final scene as I anticipated the outcome.  Thank goodness I really enjoyed the characters as they really made the novel so interesting for me.  What I really found interesting was how the morals of Victorian England popped out once in a while in the midst of all this butt-kicking, and it just seemed so at odds with what was going on.  You know, at one point we have ladies kicking and punching their way out of situations, and then suddenly, it's wrong to show an ankle to a man, or you have to drink your tea in such a manner when just minutes ago, you were upside down trying to save someone's life. The whole ambiguity of this time period just stands out so much more amidst all of this action and it makes you think as well as puts things in perpective.  Society and the morals always come first.

Is there romance?  Of course there is romance, and I found this scenario interesting and full of possibilities.  Finley finds herself attracted to two personalities, Griff and Jack, both completely opposite to the other, matching her yin-yang personalities.  Griff is the rich, entitled man, used to getting what he wants, while Jack is the bad boy, who controls the darker sides of the city, also used to getting what he wants.  It will be interesting to see where this love triangle ends up in future novels and I am looking forward to the entanglements.

Verdict
The Girl in the Steel Corset was a fun, enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading steampunk or young adult.  While I did find the plot somewhat predictable and coincidental, there were enough other things in it made it definitely worth the read; enjoyable characters, interesting dialogue (with references to classic literature such as Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde), quirky inventions, and action that flowed quickly from scene to scene.  If this is the kind of genre that interests you, then take a look at an interesting new series. 

Guest Post: Jeanette Baker

Curling Up By The Fire is thrilled to have Jeanette Baker, author of Legacy, Catriona, the e-book Witch Woman, and Nell (to be re-released in 2012) here with us today.  Jeanette is here to help us understand where she gets her inspiration for her wonderful novels, and the threads that help shape her ideas into full-fledged form leading her to research some pretty interesting historical figures.  Here is a bit of a synopsis of her novel, Catriona.

Kate Sutherland always felt out of place in brash and modern Southern California. But when she comes to her ancestral home in the Shetland Islands to seek a mystical guide who May shed light on her true heritage, Kate is plagued with visions of a life from five centuries past....A fiery young woman of royal English blood, Catriona Wells is determined to save her family from the deadly political clashes of 15th-century Britain. But Cat's cunning is no match for Scottish border lord Patrick MacKendrick. When this powerful warrior betroths her against her will, Cat must decide whether she dares to love him -- and to trust him with lives that are more precious to her than her own.

Meanwhile Kate, whose dreams rapidly take on a reality of their own, is caught between a present-day attraction to a charming Scottish historian -- and risking everything in Catriona's dangerous world of passion and bloodshed.




What Stays Out, What Goes In

by Jeanette Baker

Research, for a historical author, is the most exciting part of the writing process, with the added benefit of the travel perk. Research is where we find our inspiration, settle on our plots, come up with our characters and, of course, travel to locations where our heroes could have lived out their lives. Historical novels, for the most part, combine realistic settings with fictionalized characters, although they frequently include recognizable names from the past.

For me, a writer of Celtic fiction, the researching process begins and ends with travel, usually driving the country roads of Scotland and Ireland, countries rich in history. When I spy one of the ubiquitous brown markers indicating a historical site, I turn in to explore it. I’m intrigued by ancient castles, especially the unrestored ones in a state of ruin. These allow my imagination to soar. CATRIONA began in just such a manner, with an unplanned trip to Stirling Castle. That particular day was windy and blinding in its brilliant blueness, an unusual occurrence for Scotland, the land of mists.

After exploring the grounds, I climbed the stairs to the watchtower where Margaret Tudor, daughter to Henry VII of England and James IV of Scotland, waited for her husband to return from the Battle of Flodden Moor. This was a particularly difficult time for her because her husband and father fought on opposing sides. I’d read in the small brochure handed out when I turned over my nominal fee for visiting the castle, that she had carved a poem into the wall. The poem is no longer legible and no one really knows what her thoughts were, but standing there with a death grip on the parapet because of the terrifying wind, I imagined what they might be.

Jamie Stewart was a handsome, charismatic king who spoke 8 languages, fathered 38 illegitimate children, founded universities and demanded that the nobility learn to read. History tells us the marriage was not a love match, I decided, for purposes of my novel, that it was. That very day, the idea for CATRIONA was born. Why not, I thought, create a woman, a cousin, with ties to England, who needed Jamie’s protection for her own purposes? Why not pair her with her equal in intelligence, Jamie’s favorite, a border lord, who’d helped him win the crown? Why not set the two of them amidst the intrigue of the Tudor and Stewart royal courts?

Now my research gained focus. Had there been such a lord? Where could I find him? This is where the heaviest part of research takes place, locating information, reading, reading and more reading, learning about the time period, the political situation, alliances, religious affiliations, clothing, architecture, food preparation, weapons and flora and fauna of the time, familiarizing myself so that all of the above become second nature. Thank goodness for the Internet.

Sure enough there was such a man. His name was Patrick Hepburn, Laird of Hailes and his castle, Hermitage, a ruin, still stands, a sentinel of the fractious borders between England and Scotland.

At this point, when I find my focus, I create my fictional characters, filling in plot points, conflicts and resolutions. The best novels are those which combine internal and external conflict. History makes a historical writer’s external plot very easy to come by. Determining what to include and what to leave out becomes the challenge. My rule of thumb is, does the event or scene move the story forward? Is it necessary for the plot? Will it be interesting to readers who don’t have my background or stake in the subject? This is when I need the opinion of a fresh reader. Fortunately, I have people I can ask, usually my critique group, but others as well, to read and comment on my works in progress.

Finally, when everything is in place, once again I make my travel reservations and visit the actual sites of castles, villages and battles. Times have changed enormously in 500 years. The great forests and boglands once filled with oak, yew and animals of every kind are now fields and pasture lands. But with a little imagination, I find a spot away from everyone else, lean against the stones and close my eyes. Then the images come.

About the Author
Award-winning author of fifteen novels, including the RITA Award, Jeanette lives in California during the winter months where she teaches literature and writing, and in County Kerry, Ireland during the summer.


Website: jeanettebaker.com

Review: Catriona by Jeanette Baker

Catriona
by Jeanette Baker
Release Date: August 1st, 2011
2011 Sourcebooks Casablance (Reissue Edition)
E-book version; 400 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-402-25586-1
Genre: Fiction / Historical / Paranormal
Source: Review Copy from Pump Up Your Book

4.5 / 5

Summary
Kate Sutherland always felt out of place in brash and modern Southern California. But when she comes to her ancestral home in the Shetland Islands to seek a mystical guide who May shed light on her true heritage, Kate is plagued with visions of a life from five centuries past....A fiery young woman of royal English blood, Catriona Wells is determined to save her family from the deadly political clashes of 15th-century Britain. But Cat's cunning is no match for Scottish border lord Patrick MacKendrick. When this powerful warrior betroths her against her will, Cat must decide whether she dares to love him -- and to trust him with lives that are more precious to her than her own.

Meanwhile Kate, whose dreams rapidly take on a reality of their own, is caught between a present-day attraction to a charming Scottish historian -- and risking everything in Catriona's dangerous world of passion and bloodshed.

My Thoughts
Catriona was an intriguing and fascinating novel about love, betrayal, redemption, and coming to terms with who you are in terms of knowing your strengths and your weaknesses and using them to discover more about yourself and those around you to make your life richer and fuller.  When Kate discovers a secret about who she is and sets off on a journey of self-discovery, she sets in motion a series of events that will change her life as well as the way she always viewed the world.  I enjoyed this novel tremendously as it was packed with plenty of historical intrigue, romance, and characters, yet it also took place in the modern world, holding secrets and mysteries to the past that needed to be unlocked in order to discover the truth.  This is the kind of thing that I just soak up and adore.

At first though, I wasn't too sure of Kate as a principal character as she seemed cold and withdrawn.  When she received the news that would change her world, I definitely don't think I would have reacted in the same calm manner in which she reacted and I wondered what kind of person she was deep inside.  Although she had all of these supernatural powers which is something I was looking forward to discovering about her, I definitely did not feel empathetic towards her at first.  Luckily, this changed as I delved deeper into the novel and without knowing how it happened, I realized that she had grown on me.  She had a backbone and stood up for what she believed in, and often said what she thought even if it was sometimes out of line.  I admired that about her and it made people around her look at her differently; by that, I mean that people didn't think of her as a pushover, but realized she had pluck and courage.  With a cast of very strong supporting characters, it made the dialogue between them very interesting, if somewhat frustrating at times, as some of the other characters were also strong personalities and no-one would give in, creating problems for themselves that weren't always necessary.  But that's what also made it so much fun!

Naturally, being a history buff, what attracted me to this novel was the chance to read more about the past and about the lives of people who lived during the time of King James IV.  With a few minor historical inaccuracies that I noticed, I enjoyed the trips to the past very much, and the inaccuracies did not deter from the storyline at all, at least for me.  I found the descriptions were vivid and quite detailed and helped the plot tremendously as it made everything come to life and feel so real.  I felt very sympathetic for the women and children caught in the middle of all of the fighting that was occurring during this time period, but I also like how Catriona often states how women are as strong as men, just in a different way, and I think this novel begins to explore this avenue quite well.  I do wish that a little more of this exploration had taken place as I don't think we often give women during the past their due when it comes to holding everything together while the men are off fighting, or that many women defended their castles and properties themselves.  The links between the past and the present were so fluid and well-done that it made the novel seemed seamless; sometimes when a novel is done in this way it can feel choppy and unfinished, but this was not the case in this novel.  Great care was made to ensure the trips back and forth worked well and seamlessly in the scenes.

I found myself intrigued by the descriptions of the modern-day Wicca as well as some of the other early practices that predate early Christianity and continue to be practiced today.  I thought Ms. Baker wrote about many of the issues with sensitivity and great warmth, as well as a lot of respect; it was always an area in which I have wanted to do some more research, so I read many of the descriptions avidly and with interest.  As it's not an area of specialty for me, I have no way of knowing the accuracy of her work, so I just enjoyed it trremendously, along with everything else in the novel.  The author definitely has a ways of drawing you in with her beautiful writing, and letting your imagination explore the endless possibilities that exist.  While I have been to Scotland, and have explored many of the areas she mentioned in this novel, I was pretty much ready to buy a ticket and head back there, as the descriptions of the forests and landscape and the sea were vivid enough to make me want to return.

Verdict
Catriona was a beautifully written paranormal romance novel about a woman haunted by another woman's tragic life some 500 years ago.  With vivid descriptions of both the present and the past, Catriona captures the spirit of the Scottish people, and draws in the reader with a story that is both intriguing and captivating.  Fans of historical romance as well as of the paranormal will certainly enjoy this engaging story as Kate tries to come to terms with her own link to Scotland, with her dreams and visions, and why she feels such an attraction for the amazing Niall.  I am looking forward to when Nell is re-released in 2012, a time-link novel set in Ireland.