Everything Else

Review of Sophie’s Key

Cover of Sophie’s Key

From the blurb of Sophie’s Key, I don’t know why I expected this novel to be a PG-rated Time-Traveler’s-Wife-type adventure. This novel is strong on romance, light on time travel, and just the right amount of action.

Sophie Sanders is a woman looking for a new start. After inheriting a farmhouse in Mount Pleasant, Utah, she starts fixing it up. Then she steps through a door that allows her to travel approximately 120 years into the past. There, she encounters the current owner of the house, a widowed Texas Ranger, Jacob, and his daughter, Meri. As Sophie tries to adjust to her surroundings, Jacob takes her in. And wouldn’t you know it, an attraction sparks between them. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman appears with a key that Sophie must keep near her to return to her time.

The novel smartly sets the time period in 1901. That date is modern enough that the reader believes Sophie could adapt to this lifestyle, but the year 1901 is far enough in the past that it’s unfamiliar in exciting ways. The characters of Sophie and Jacob are deeper than your average romance novel. And while the time travel isn’t ignored, it’s minimized in favor of where the plot needs to focus for its protagonist. The writing adroitly conveys all Sophie’s emotions in the right amount of detail. All in all, this makes this offering a strong entry in the sub-genre of romantic time travel.

Most of the first part of the book focuses on Sophie’s predicament, how she’ll return to her time, and her growing attraction to Jacob. While the pace isn’t slow, it’s leisurely. The romance happens so early, I wasn’t sure what would happen to fill the last three-quarters of the novel. The pacing and intrigue picks up in the second half of the novel. I wish a little foreshadowing or a viewpoint change in the first half of the period piece may have set the groundwork for what was to come. Overall, though, I was captivated by the last third of the novel.

Sophie’s Key is a superior romantic novel set in an under-utilized-but-fascinating time period. The solid writing and engaging characters are a cut above most romance books. If you’re a fan of the time traveling romance genre, Sophie’s Key is worth checking out.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CN8YZG3

Everything Else

Review of The French Powder Mystery

Screenshot

The French Powder Mystery is a golden age novel “authored by” Ellery Queen who is also the protagonist. The true authors were cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee who collaborated on many of this celebrated sleuth’s mysteries. The first eight published are known as the international series because they have a reference to a country in the title. I’ve read four. They’re often called puzzlers because of their intricate plots, intriguing hooks, and whodunnit plot device.

In my research, The French Powder Mystery is not the best in the series but ranks highly. Ironically, none of the international series are set in countries outside the U.S. The international word refers to an object, person, or plot device. In this case, the main characters’ last names are French. The setting is 1930 New York and a department store (remember them?) with a window display (remember that?) has a demonstration at noon every day of the bedroom of the future. A hostess wordlessly gestures to the various devices of the room of the future and lowers a bed folded into a wall. On the bed is the store owner’s wife, shot twice through the chest.

To read a Golden Age mystery in modern times, one must be willing to shift one’s mindset away from modern conventions. First, this novel contains racial stereotypes that neither I nor most level-headed readers would endorse. Unfortunately, this was the norm in the 1930s, and the authors wrote to their audience then. Thank goodness this has been purged from our social norms. I didn’t like it but won’t dismiss the rest of the novel because of it. Second, the pace is s-l-o-w, like watching an earthworm cross a sidewalk slow. I would challenge the reader to learn to read slower novels. I find a slower pace relaxes my reading and results in more enjoyment “along the way.” Last, the detective makes a few contrivances that would never fly today. The old “the killer’s mindset would only lead him to do X” worked in 1930 but less so today. But if you get by these three antiquated points, you have a treasure trove of novels to choose from if you’re a mystery reader.

This Ellery Queen mystery is almost like a play where most of the setting is the department store. Very few scenes occur outside, and the reveal happens in the room of the murder. The characters are mostly shallow. Yet, one of the victim’s daughters has some darkness to her, and the victim’s ex-husband is an interesting character. The powder from the title is a great clue itself and has multiple meanings throughout the story. Overall, I enjoyed the story, especially the hook. And the novel plays fair. If readers follow the clues, they should uncover the murderer. But the clues are subtle, and The French Powder Mystery could be one of the novels where you didn’t see the ending coming.

The hooks were all great in early Ellery Queen novels. I found them more fascinating than even the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie (but not John Dickson Carr—he’s the best). If you’re interested, here are others in the series.

The Roman Hat Mystery – Murder in a theater where the unusual clue is a missing hat.

The Dutch Shoe Mystery – A woman, wheeled in for surgery, is found to be dead on the gurney.

The Greek Coffin Mystery – A missing will leads to an exhumed coffin, resulting in a second corpse.

The Egyptian Cross Mystery – A series of murders start with a beheading and nailing the corpse to a cross.

The American Gun Mystery – A murder occurs at a rodeo in front of hundreds of spectators.

The Siamese Twins Mystery – (Considered the best) The detectives are trapped in a house at the top of the hill while a fire rages below.

The Chinese Orange Mystery – A corpse is found with his clothes backward and the furniture in the room reversed.

The Spanish Cape Mystery – A corpse is found on a beach with no footprints leading to the victim.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1MSIT6

Everything Else

The Witches of Deliver Us

Another outstanding illustration by Daniel Johnson, this depiction of the witches of Deliver Us delivers all the salient details of our three main villains. Pictured left to right is Picana, Mya, and Tomana. Picana uses lightning to torture her victims. Insane Mya’s go to method is poison. Tomana is the least vicious, more of the knife-in-your-back type.

Deliver Us is a fantasy novel available at Amazon that includes three evil witches, royal fairytale queens, curses, powerful artifacts, and animated tattoos.

Three witches behind a cauldron
Illustration by Daniel Johnson
Everything Else

Review of Tales from the Forest

Cover Tales from the Forest

Full disclosure that I have a story in this anthology. I will only be reviewing the rest of the stories. All remarks below exclude my own story, including the count—twelve stories exist in this anthology.

The fairy tale of Red Riding Hood is a cautionary tale in the category of “kids in trouble.” The other two main types are “true love” (e.g. Cinderella) and “plucky hero” (e.g. Puss in Boots). Ye Olde Dragon Press has released three anthologies before Tales from the Forest all falling into the “true love” category. With its focus away from romance, this Riding-Hood-themed book was a welcome addition to the series.

The editors asked the authors to think creatively when writing about Red Riding Hood and the result is a wide range of ideas. Four of eleven short stories are contemporary or thrillers. At least three of the stories would best be enjoyed by eighteen and older. The character of Red Riding Hood is everything from a villain, to a soldier, to a spy. Very few of the stories would be classified as humorous, though humor is sprinkled throughout many of the stories.

Everything here is executed with style, and the stories elevate the anthologies to one of the better selections on the market. Tastes vary, but a few stood out to me. First, I evaluated the story itself, independent of its fairytale origins. Then, I rated the story based on how creatively it took its theme and presented a new story.

Ignoring the Red Riding Hood theme, the three tales I enjoyed the best were A Cactus Among Wolves by Yvonne McArthur, The Ways of a Wolf by Lindsi McIntyre, and Kelli and Kirmizi by Michelle Houston. These three brought a first-rate story to the pages and built fascinating characters and settings.

For the other rating (i.e. the twist on Red Riding Hood theme), kudos to Crimson Spy by Jessica Noelle, Woodland Cravings by Rachel A. Greco, and Red Wolf by Michelle Levigne.

A third category is the stories that balanced the two the best. Face the Wolf by Kathleen Bird and The Night of the Mindbender by Stoney M. Setzer received honors here.

Overall, something exists for everyone in this anthology. Whether you cheer on Red Riding Hood, enjoy a good wolf story, or think Grandma is the winner, you’ll find something here for you.

Ye Olde Dragon Site: https://yeoldedragonbooks.com/anthologies/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CW1BYDSY

Everything Else

Seeing Red: A Reflection

Cover of Seeing Red

Looking at my last name and the last name of the author of Seeing Red, you’ll understand why this isn’t a review. My brother is author T. M. Doran. As such, this posting is not a proper review of this novel, it won’t receive a rating, and it won’t be posted to popular reading sites. This is a post to introduce the characters and plot of Seeing Red and reflect on why it’s an important novel for our times.

The world of this novel is an alternate Earth that bears many resemblances to our own. Seeing Red starts with a screenplay writer and Oscar winner named Castro Hume who is in a slump. He seeks inspiration from the still-standing set of the movie—the movie that garnered him his cinematic trophy. The movie set borders a protected forest in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. Castro is escorted around the facade by a caretaker who becomes less and less friendly the more the screenwriter pushes. When Castro’s car breaks down, he hikes back to the set to discover a secret that will change his life.

Later, Castro finds out about a suppressed segment of society named Red Cards. Whether for physical deformities, mental limitations, terminal illnesses, or resistance to authority, people who are issued red cards are served a doomsday sentence. Urged to euthanize, certain Red Cards instead elect to go on the run. Castro spends most of the novel interacting with a group of Red Cards.

Suspense, mystery, action/adventure, and a dash of science fiction are the novel’s primary inspirations. The underlying theme explains our species’ continued blindness to the value of human life. The chilling fates of the Red Cards and the vicious pursuit by the ironically named Social Services Bureau (the SSB) reflects our own times. We often fear to speak up when our government or popular opinion bullies others. The novel, though dark, has its uplifting moments as well. Hope may be found within a dystopian world.

Seeing Red is available from Ignatius Press and on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621646394

Everything Else

Review Dead of Winter

I read Dead Leaves by Kealan Patrick Burke and added Dead of Winter immediately to the list. Dead Leaves is a great novel to read at Halloween and during autumn. Dead of Winter, which targets Christmas and wintertime, is not quite at the level as its cousin collection.

A sample of the stories include mysterious snowmen who appear out of nowhere, a man trapped with his failing-memory father, and a snowstorm that empties a small town. The creep factor of the stories increases at how Burke expresses the isolation winter naturally brings. This sense of loneliness pervades most of the stories and works to their advantage. And the writing is quite good. I have no doubt Kealan Patrick Burke is a master storyteller. All the stories kept me glued to the page.

Yet.

Snowmen, Father Christmas, and winter storms are all present, yet the predominant feeling I left this collection with was depression rather than fear. Some stories succeed better than others, Visitation Rights and They Know, but others left me (pardon the pun) cold. None of the offerings are not good, but do they belong in a collection that promises horror stories about winter? A few of these could have been set at any time of the year.

Overall, if you want your horror stories introspective, dourful, and more Poe than Lovecraft then this is a collection for you. Uncanny, speculative stories do exist here, but you’ll have to make your way through many of the offerings here to get to them.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GHN5YG

Everything Else, Writing

It’s the Writing

If I asked “what are the elements that make up a story,” how would you respond? Characters, plot, theme, mood. All correct answers—full points. But most people forget the one element of writing that distinguishes some writers from others. It’s the writing itself.

Many, if not all, writers are readers. Stories inspire readers, sometimes to the extent where they, the readers, want to become writers. Wonderful. For others, the writing itself also inspires readers to become writers. Oftentimes, these readers read more than prose, many are poetry and drama readers. For the ones that are inspired by the writing, a line such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” rings true in their head. This line tells you nothing about the book you’re about to read (and if you don’t know what book that is, shame on you), but it’s a grand sentence that draws the reader in. These are your “writer-writers” who are different from your “reader-writers.”

Writer-writers are often people who get published because their writing sparkles when compared to others. It’s certainly not a measure of success, but their writing usually stands the test of time. Even when it’s stuck in the past as Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities is above, the novel remains a fascinating read.

Both reader-writers and writer-writers may be stuck in a rut when writing. Yes, they have a great new idea for a short story or novel, but the mechanics of setting it up is awfully similar as the last ten times they embarked on the same effort. The writing becomes vanilla, much like a Nancy Drew book. So how do you avoid such a trap? I’ve come up with a few ways. Full disclosure that I may not be good at what I set my mind to, but it never fails to add a tool to my writer’s toolbox when I return to my more straight-forward novels.

First, try writing a story where the characters, setting, and plot is nothing special. De-emphasize the characters and plot and emphasize the writing. I wrote a story about a boy following a girl on a train from carriage to carriage. This is ninety-percent of the story. He is attempting to reach her, and he encounters passengers on the train and talks to them. Since the character wasn’t anything special and the plot was bland, it forced me to make the writing compelling. Put an average character on a park bench and see how long you can make a compelling story out of it.

Next, write something for an audience you don’t normally target. If you only write adult stories, write a children’s book and vice-versa. This is a great way to learn vocabulary. Also, if you usually target middle grade, write something firmly adult even if it makes you uncomfortable. This means writing sex, violence, and profanity – remember this is only for you. And if you’re an erotic writer, write a sweet romance where the final sentence is a kiss. Again, get out of your comfort zone.

Speaking of getting out of one’s comfort zone, write outside of your genre. You normally write contemporary, try science-fiction. You write mystery? Try a romance. Do a little research—perhaps read a story in that genre first—then give it a shot. Again, it will require you to build a vocabulary and voice/tone you don’t normally use.

Ah…voice. Why not try a unique voice? So if you write for a particular gender, try a different one. If your characters are strong and confident, try a reserved, less confident person. Give your character an accent. Have them come from a place in the world with certain sayings. Research a culture and try to infuse the elements of that culture in your character.

And if you want to go for the gold, take the “dialog” test. Most writers enjoy dialog as they can hear the characters in their head speaking. That’s great, but try writing a story with only dialog or no dialog. See what it produces.

I’m not advising you to publish anything you write above. What this list suggests is writing exercises, something that gets you, the writer, to examine that third important element of your story. The writing!

Everything Else

Review of Sweet Remembrance

Sweet Remembrance by Emily Anne Putzke is a hidden treasure and one of the best retellings or interpretations I’ve read of any fairytale. This is a tall claim, but I’ll stick by it. “The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Andersen is a short story meant to both challenge and comfort at the same time. Given its tragic plot line, any retelling would find it hard to replicate such an emotion. But Sweet Remembrance takes Andersen’s skeletal story and builds on it in the best of ways.

In this version, the match girl is Kasia, a young Jewish girl in the ghetto of Poland during the second World War. The Nazis have invaded, and the neighborhood she used to love has turned into a desolate place. She runs out of her house and spies five scenes, and in her pocket are a similar number of matches. As she gives a match to each encounter, she recalls her past. The memories center on a young man, Romek, with whom Kasia is falling in love.

Each match changes the lives of the person she encounters, and each match is given in Romek’s memory, something he instructed or did for Kasia. The parallel between the past and present is inspired, and the idea elevates Andersen’s original tale to another level. If anything, the act of lending the match builds meaning into what seems to be an insignificant act of suffering.

The text is not only haunting, but beautifully written. This is quite short but more effective in its terseness than most 300+ page novels. In this way, the conciseness reminds me of the original tale. I was drawn into this world and had to stop reading at intervals to savor the experience.

This bittersweet, lovely tale is perfect for fans of the original fairytale, historical readers, or people who love a great tragedy. Though sad, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and plan to read it again in the future.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VTMYLM5

Everything Else

Queen Little Match Girl

In my Kingdom series, I’ve taken the main character of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl” and put her into a fantasy epic as a queen. If you’ve read “The Little Match Girl,” this may seem like an odd choice. Yet, Andersen’s short story is a fairy tale, and fairy tales have princesses. So it’s not a big leap after all. But why The Little Match Girl? Cinderella and Snow White are also queens in the novel, and this choice makes sense. But the Little Match Girl? Seriously?

Yes, very seriously.

I had to make some adjustments. First, I had to age the girl up from eight-ish to teenager inline with the rest of the fairytale princesses. Her age in the novel is fifteen, near the age most of the heroines of fairy tales are in Grimm. Second, and most importantly, she doesn’t die as she does in the original. And third, she’s a sister to the other fairytale princesses, ensuring she rules equally over the land.

In Kingdom Come, the first novel, each queen is symbolic of a certain type of good-hearted monarch. All suffer hardships and adversity, but their suffering has meaning when they ascend. They don’t forget who they are. As an example, Cinderella is raised in an arrogant family, and refuses (as queen) to become arrogant herself. When I outlined my idea, I needed a queen who champions the poor—a social justice queen. The character that leapt to mind was The Little Match Girl.

She doesn’t have a name, so I bequeathed her the moniker Valencia, which means “beautiful city.” The name is an irony since the city in the original tale is anything but “beautiful” being cold, harsh, and dirty. Valencia is a victim of social injustice as people leave her to die in the wintry streets. Never forgetting her roots, Valencia becomes the relatable queen, the “one of us” queen, the true rags-to-riches queen. But, you may say, isn’t that all the fairytale queens? If you think about it, Snow White, Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella are mistreated, but the abuse is domestic-focused. Valencia suffers from a social ill, and therein makes all the difference. The illustration to the left is by Dan Johnson and depicts Valencia before she ascends.

In book two, On Earth as it Is, I had fun “flipping” the characters of the fairytale queens to show what they may have become. Women are disguised to look like the missing fairytale queens, and they have characteristics that the monarchs may have had if they had given into certain temptations. Valencia’s mirror image is a woman named Virginia. Virginia, a merchant, only cares about money, and will use any means, including theft, to acquire it. Valencia understands Virginia’s desires, and sees in her what may she (the Match Girl quee n) may have turned into. The illustration below is by Lauren Nalepa of Virginia (and guard).

In book three, Deliver Us, I start to move past her Little Match Girl origins. She’s twenty-one in this novel and is an acknowledged queen and adventurer. The scars of her childhood, being hemmed into one place, makes her travel to distant lands. Her setting again tempts her innocence, but this time there’s no evil twin. And in the end, her commoner roots comes up with a creative way she can stay with her lover. The illustration to below is by Dan Johnson and shows what Valencia has chosen as her throne—a common chair for the common folk.

Finally, book four (Will Be Done) brings Valencia back to her childhood and poses the question “what if she had surived her wintry night but hadn’t become queen.” I use her background to explore how childhood abuse affects adults. In the novel, a villain erases her memories of her queen years, and new memories are placed in her mind. In her faux past, Valencia runs away and finds a place to stay in a toy shop as a worker. When she is rescued, she has trouble adjusting to a life without abuse, a life of comfort and friendship. I think those of us who dream of having money have thought what it would be like to “rescue” a poor person from a dangerous or hopeless situation. But it’s never easy.

If you enjoyed these posts and want to read more about Valencia, here are the links to the books.

Kingdom Come: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KYKH538

On Earth As It Is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L2G7ZS9

Deliver Us: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y73XD6W

Will Be Done: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C99KD4JF

And two collections of short stories, each with a story where Valencia is the main character.

Kingdom’s Advent: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085WSSW1C

Kingdom’s Ascension: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960101748

Everything Else

The Little Match Girl Selection

I created this page for “Tell a Fairy Tale Day” in 2024 (February 26, 2024, to be exact). In 2022, I did something similar for Snow White, see The Snow White Read-Off. This page will be a little different in that it will be a collection of all things “The Little Match Girl.” From reviews, to reflections, to promoting my own version, all “Little Match Girl” fans should find something here worthy to peruse.

The Basics. Let’s start with the basics. “The Little Match Girl” is a fairy tale written by Hans Christen Andersen in 1845. Read The Little Match Girl because it’s in the public domain (if the link doesn’t work, just search it). This is one of my favorite tale by Andersen. Poignant, terse, offbeat for a fairy tale, and deeply moving, this should be required reading in all schools.

My Adaption. I’ve included my version of The Little Match Girl in my novels and short stories of a fairytale mashup world of Kingdom. My version, named Valencia, is rescued before she dies and becomes a queen. But she never forgets her roots, and has a fondness for the poor, championing them at every turn. She’s a large part of every novel, but comes front and center in Deliver Us & Will Be Done. See Queen Little Match Girl for the reasons why The Little Match Girl makes an excellent queen.

Review #1. Sweet Remembrance by Emily Ann Putzke. This is just a spot-on retelling and one I think Andersen would’ve approved of. Here’s the review. I recommend this to everyone. 5+ stars.

Review #2. The Little Match Girl (A Steampunk Graphic Novel) by Rod Espinosa is set in a steampunk world is a delight and a joy. Full of color, it imagines a sweeter, more upbeat, ending than Andersen’s. The expression on the Little Match Girl’s face near the end is precious. And not a word of dialog until the end—extremely difficult unless the art is masterful. If you just can’t stomach the original, this one is the one for you.

(Not) Free Short Story. On February 26, 2024 only, I posted a story about Valencia, The Little Match Girl, in her later years. This story is published in my novel, Kingdom Ascension . The story appeared on this page Ticklish, but I have removed it. For now, enjoy the beautiful illustration above by Daniel Johnson.

Review #3. Matchless (The Little Match Girl Retelling) by Gregory Maguire. Matchless by Gregory Maguire is a retelling of the Little Match Girl worthy of the original. The author of “Wicked” wrote this after being asked to tell a Christmas tale on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” So please note, it’s very, very short. Nonetheless, Maguire has taken a refreshingly original approach than most retellings. He has written a new story and enfolded it around the Little Match Girl story. Yes, the woeful tale of the Little Match Girl is still here, but Maguire offers new insight into what happens before and after the events of Andersen’s story. It comes together beautifully, and really highlights the theme and mood of the original. I’m not a Maguire fan, but I did love this retelling.