A Couple of Reviews

A couple of reviews for your reading pleasure.  I definitely got some pleasure from them, as they are both very generous in their assessment of India's latest adventure.  Here is Jo's view of Shadows of Anarchy at her blog, "Fluidity of Time."  And Carol of "Carol's Notebook" has posted her take on the book here.

Barnes & Noble, Again

More news about B & N.  The founder and current chairman, Leonard Riggio, has announced plans to buy back the retail portion of the business.  He only wants the brick and mortar stores, not the Nook e-reader division.  Nook lost $262 million dollars in 2012, and 2013 losses are expected to exceed this amount.  Nook and other e-readers are losing market share to iPad, other tablets, and smart phones.  There is much conjecture in the book world that e-readers are well on their way to becoming a thing of the past.  That was a short life!

Review, Guest Post, and Whimsy

Yesterday I visited Lori's blog and discussed the challenges of writing a series.  You can read about it here, and don't forget to sign up for the giveaway at the end of the post.  Free India!

Dee De Tarsio, my hilariously funny friend and fellow author has posted a review of Shadows of Anarchy.

Thanks to both Dee and Lori for featuring India on their blogs.

A winter storm is engulfing the Ozarks today.  I'm watching the ice build up on the tree limbs and wondering how much longer we have until the power goes off.  We've a generator in reserve, though, having learned our lesson in the Great Ice Storm of 2007, when some people lost power for weeks. Now if we can just operate it without asphyxiating ourselves, we'll be in business.

And finally, here's a bit of whimsy for your weekend.  This cracks me up.  I laughed even louder when I saw that these guys also do a cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl."

Cognitive Dissonance

I've been experiencing some cognitive dissonance lately.  It's Barbara Pym's centenary this year and I decided to re-read all her novels.

If you haven't made her acquaintance, do so now.  Here's the Wikipedia entry about her life, and a link to the Barbara Pym Society of North America.  I can't praise her enough.  She wrote of very small worlds, examining the daily existence of spinsters, clergymen and anthropologists in exquisite detail.  Philip Larkin considered her one of the most underrated novelists of the 21st century, akin to a modern day Jane Austen.  I concur.  When I finish one of her books I want to drink tea (preferably with a vicar), have a boiled egg for supper, attend church, and learn to knit.

Why the cognitive dissonance?  Well, I don't want to read all of Pym's works in one go.  Each book is short, less than 300 words, and often around 200-250 words in length.  I like to savor them.  So I intersperse them with something as completely unlike Pym as I can find, which means Lee Child.

That's right, the Jack Reacher series.  There's no subtlety to a Reacher novel.  He's a drifter who winds up in the some of the unlikeliest places in America - small town Georgia, rural South Dakota - where he finds trouble with a capital "T" and proceeds to solve it with knives, guns and fists.  He's the strong, silent type and his character has not changed one iota from book #1 to the current release.  I confess I can't read these fast enough.  Child has a gift for simple direct language that moves the plot along faster than a speeding bullet (did I really say that?).  Well, it's true.  You may quibble with some of the logic, but you can't fight the torrent.  Just let the plot sweep you along and enjoy the ride.  When I finish one of his books I want to drink strong coffee, take a martial arts class, eat bacon and eggs, and travel without a suitcase.

You can visit Child's website here.  Needless to say, I do not own either of the pictures contained in this post.

Weekend Miscellany

• On Saturday night, the local news covered an event sponsored by "The Show-Me Clowns for Jesus." Seriously.  What a great title for a short story.  In the horror genre, of course.
• For those of you who don't know, the nickname of Missouri is the "Show-Me State."  Versions of the origin vary, but it either means that we are stubborn skeptics who require proof of everything, or it originated in the mines of Colorado.  During a strike many workers were imported from Misouri, but most had no experience as miners.  Hence they had to say "show me" whenever they were told to do something.  I prefer the former explanation.
• Our bird feeders have been a huge hit this year.  You can't go outside without the bluejays and red-bellied woodpeckers chattering at you to hurry up and go back inside so they can get back to the dinner table.  I find myself leafing through a bird book to prove that it is a white-breasted nuthatch outside the window and NOT a dark-eyed junco.  Is this a sign of age?
• I took my mom to visit her new great-granddaughter.  She's adorable, but she's going to have to be a special child to outdo her older sister, who will be three next month and is adorable and quirky.  She handed Mom a photo of the baby and said, "Here, Your Majesty.  Take that home."  
• We put a man on the moon almost fifty years ago, and we still couldn't figure out how to get those people off that boat?
• Poor Marco Rubio.  Dry mouth, sweat, and drinking water on national television.  All the smart people on TV (and they have to be smart to be on the tube, don't they?) say his political career is finished.
• Zero progress on the second India short story.  I just have too much time to do it.  It's not due until the end of May and consequently I am not in panic mode yet.  Hoping this will kick in soon.  

From the Land of Ice and Snow

Here's a very nice review of Shadows by Staci, from way up north.

New Baby

What could be better than your latest book being published?  A new great niece, born today.  Her older sister has been waiting eagerly for this addition to the family.  We'll see how long that lasts.  Here's a lullaby for them both.

One More Time

I hate to admit to this, but every 3-4 days I google India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy to see if anyone is posting about my latest authorial effort.  And lo, today I discovered a new reader and a fabulous review.  Indulge me one more time and read this.

Another Perspective on Shadows of Anarchy

This one is from Jerelyn and the good folk at Paperback Swap.  If you haven't checked out this blog, it's well worth your time.  Thanks for the buzz, Jerelyn!

Party Time!

Time to break out the champagne-India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy appears tomorrow, the fifth of February.  That's the official publication date, though I wouldn't be surprised if you can't buy it now, as "official publication date" seems to mean "somewhere around the fifth of February."  I will be enjoying a suitable celebration to mark the date.  My, how times have changed.  Below on the left we see a Victorian couple pushing the boundaries of good taste, and on the right-well, I guess that's how the youngsters do it now.

  

4.5 Stars

That's what the reviewer at RT Book Reviews awarded India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy.  You can read the review here.  And I'm going to have to start referring to this book as Shadows, because typing the entire name is a drag.