The Gilded Cage, by Lyra Saenz

Val is a gender-fluid, assigned-female-at-birth, person living in 1800s America. In her time period, most people do not accept the idea of gender fluidity, so she must live her life as a woman, even on the days where she feels that “she” is actually a “he.” Val was born and raised to wealth, and though she thought she had found love early on, man she was engaged to marry committed suicide before their wedding day. Now, she is in her late 20s and has resigned herself to a pleasant-enough life as a spinster. Her father, however, has other plans. He has arranged for her to marry the son of an English Duke, and is not giving Val any choice in the matter. Upon overhearing her future husband talk about looking forward to “breaking her in” on their wedding night, Val flees the house. She finds herself in the middle of a Pagan festival, and makes the decision to choose the man she will lose her virginity with, never expecting to meet him again. Life, however, seems to have other plans.

I read a review copy of this book and I absolutely loved it. It gives the best and most easily understood description I have ever come across about gender fluidity. But I do need to warn readers that this book is not meant for younger readers as it is an erotic romance novel. It does contain graphic sex (both M/F and M/M), an attempted rape, murder, themes of gender dysphoria, suicide, abuse (both physical and emotional), domination, a forced arranged marriage, religious intolerance, magic, witches, paganism, and psychological torture/drug use. So be warned, there are more than a few trigger warnings associated with this novel.

That being said, I absolutely loved reading this book. The story was so engaging that I truly didn’t want to put it down. Given the large number of subgenres and themes in this tale, I didn’t expect it to work, and yet it did in a truly impressive way. The only issue I had with the book is that the main characters sometimes spoke in Spanish, which I do not know. And while I could make a reasonable guess as to what was meant, I still wished that a translation guide had been included for the foreign words and phrases. Despite that one extremely minor issue, I did love reading this book. The characters were very well written as were the descriptions of events.

The romance that develops between the two main characters was very tastefully done, and seeing Val find someone who can accept her as she was, on both her female days as well as his male days, was something that I felt was inspiring and something to be appreciated. In this world, there are many people who, like Val, still feel forced to hide who they are inside. Too often, people made to feel that “there is something wrong with them” will begin to believe that there is only one way to stop the pain they are experiencing. And that is something that I feel no one should have to experience, especially since it just isn't true.

In this story, the choice for Val, given the time period she lived in, was to be forced to remain in a society-defined feminine role or risk being confined to an insane asylum by her father, a man unable to accept Val as being sometimes his son rather than his daughter, I hope that those who read this book can see that people who are gender fluid or trans are not insane nor is there anything “wrong” with them.

This book is at times heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. And it is one that I would encourage anyone who is not a younger reader to read if you truly want to understand gender fluidity or have someone in your life who does not seem to fit into a society-defined specific gender role. I think that both you and they will appreciate it.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Point of View in Fiction by Marcy Kennedy

This book was required reading for a class I am taking. I found it to be an interesting and helpful book describing and explaining the various points of view. Ms. Kennedy does a wonderful job of explaining what each of the differing points of view are used. She also explains when and why it may be better to use one rather than another in your writing, and she points out that as with all writing, there are very few rules that cannot be broken given the right circumstances and author preferences. She then gives examples of why avoiding certain points of view in certain circumstances is generally considered a good idea.

Ms. Kennedy also explains how to change point of view characters without creating “head-hopping” problems, and why “head hopping” tends to create new or other problems in a story. There are ways and locations where changing the point of view character is easiest, but this book also shows examples of places and methods that, though not used as often, can provide other good locations for the writer to change between point of view characters.

I do like that this book gives easily understandable examples of what is done well and shows how and why problems often occur with incorrectly used point of view changes. Seeing both the good and the problematic ways things are sometimes written make it simple to fully grasp the concepts being described and then shown. The author also lists clues to look for that may indicate one of several different point of view errors being used. This is something that I found quite helpful.

The biggest problem that I had with this book involved the design of the book. It was printed using gray rather than black print. For me, this made it difficult to read at times due to the lighter colored text causing me some eye strain. Had it been printed in black rather than gray, I would not have had those problems. But that is an issue for me and may not be one for other readers.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Greater Oceans than Thine by Nelson McKeeby

Javier al-Rasheed is once again taking the crew of the Tea Merchant Remarker on another adventure, seeking riches, fame, and of course, tea. This being the third book in the series, we are shown more about the other crew members aboard the ship, their previous lives, and how they came together to form a sort of “found family” community among the crew. They would do anything for their captain, including following him into the great unknown of Ocean, seeking to find a lost island that is not on any map in the hope of obtaining an extremely rare tea that cannot be found anywhere else. However they only have a very old journal to try and guide their way on this adventure, meaning that the odds are not in their favor. And failure will likely mean the death of the entire crew if they cannot find a place to replenish whatever supplies they run out of on their trip.

I read a review copy of this book, and I enjoyed the story. I loved learning about many of the more minor characters aboard the ship, as well as their lives and adventures, both on the ship and in port. I found their stories fascinating and also enjoyed seeing the brief glimpses of their interactions with the captain, who has changed somewhat from who he was before the last grand adventure and has settled more calmly into the role of a ship’s captain.

This was a somewhat different story than what I expected, and seemed in some ways to be a collection of stories about the crew of the ship, but realized that isn’t that what actually does make it a continuation of the same tale? If we don’t know who the characters are and why they choose to follow the captain, potentially to their deaths as well as his, then we are missing out on an important aspect of the story.. The crew of the ship are “found family” to each other, and that is something very important to the tales we read about the Remarker.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will be looking forward to reading the next book in this series, which I believe is supposed to be the final one. I should warn you that this book does end on a sort of cliffhanger, for though the story in this book is complete, it sets us up for a very dramatic-seeming final book. Also, while it does not occur in this story, there is a reference to the previous rape of one of the characters, as well as another character who was both abused and raped (slavery) when hearing about her tale.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

How to Write Dazzling Dialogue by James Scott Bell

This is a book that was required reading for a class that I am taking. Despite it being part of my course materials, I enjoyed reading this book; it didn’t feel like I was reading a textbook. I found it to be very informative without being boring. It offers a lot of information and helpful advice about what causes many dialogue problems for writers and a variety of ways to fix these problems. As there is no one correct way to do anything when it comes to writing, there are a variety of exercises described for writers to try in order to improve their own dialogue writing skills.

Dialogue is something that a reader wants to flow naturally without feeling forced or obvious. There are many ways to do that, and while it may seem a simple matter, anyone who has sat down for the first time, trying to write natural sounding conversations that won’t leave a reader wondering why you are choosing to include it in the story, but that are also not so ‘right in your face’ obviously meant to get vital information to the readers likely already knows how difficult it can be. I like the way in which this book approaches the subject and offers a variety of different methods for a writer to work on improving something that is often more difficult to get right than readers may realize.

The exercises and suggestions offered in this book are fun and interesting, as well as varied. Some of the ideas may work better than others for different people. I enjoyed reading this book and giving some of the exercises a try. I think that anyone who is a writer, an editor, or who hopes to become either at some point in the future could benefit by reading this book and practicing some of the suggestions that Mr. Bell gives us.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Hells and High Water by Alex Andre

Golden Dragon Shang, one of the leaders of the Kowloon nation has heard rumors of a nation that has survived the E, and have either managed to protect their technology from the event that destroyed most nations technological equipment and knowledge, or who have managed to rebuild and recreate much of what was lost when the E hit. Putting together an unlikely group to take him on what he hopes to be a mission that will unite the two nations in trying to restore what was lost while protecting him along the extremely dangerous way there, only time will tell whether his hopes are justified or merely foolish dreams.

This was the third book in the E Apochrypha series. I read a review copy of this book and found it to be just as good as the first two books in this series. A far as trigger warnings, readers should be aware of themes involving violence, rape and kidnapping. This is a very action-packed book that takes place in a world that is more than a little dangerous. Even within the areas where society has rebuilt itself into what may seem a safer area, many people still live dangerous lives, facing raiders and bandits. Many societies are still rather isolated, and some actively hate technology and advanced knowledge, seeking to destroy all they come across. Those people believe that technology was what brought about the worldwide disaster known as the E, and the only way to avoid it from happening again is to destroy any and all they encounter.

Those are among the many dangers that Shang and his group must face on the way to find what they hope to become allies. But even within the group he has assembled, not everyone is able to get along, and that only adds to the drama and danger on this trip. I enjoyed reading this book. Many familiar faces from the first two books in the series return in this book, and we are also introduced to new characters. All of these keep the action and drama going as this group  of individuals must find a way to come together as a unified group if they hope to succeed in their mission. The question is, can they manage to do that without tearing each other apart along the way?

If you enjoyed reading the first two books in this series, then you will enjoy this book as well. The author has done a wonderful job of bringing this story to a satisfying close, while leaving the door cracked for more should he decide to continue on with this story and any of these characters. While parts of this book may not be the best for some readers (as mentioned in my trigger warnings above), this is an excellent story about several groups of people who managed to survive an apocalypse and are trying to rebuild their world. I enjoyed it, and I hope that you will too.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It) by Janice Hardy

This is a book that was required reading for a class that I am taking. It goes through many of the different ways that writers often wind up telling rather than showing in their writing. This book does mention that not all “telling” is bad, and gives examples of when it might be better to ‘tell’ rather than ’show.’ It also explains the different methods of ‘showing’ something, and offers ways to catch the spots where a writer might accidentally be telling more than they ought to be and why.

The rules regarding showing vs telling are not always as simple as someone ‘told’ a story rather than ‘showed’ what happened within it. As I mentioned above, there are instances when telling something does work better. But those tend to be fewer than most writers realize. And sometimes, telling can feel like showing, just not in the way the writer really intended for it to be. There is a subtlety to show vs tell, that can make it feel confusing. This book does help to clear up some of that confusion and explain the whys behind the various types of show vs tell.

This book also offers writers the words to watch for that can indicate where someone is telling rather than showing, or at least telling more than they intended to be within a scene. It also shows possible ways to help improve or avoid such writing traps that can leave something feeling less exciting or interesting than the writer had intended.

I bought this book to read as part of a class that I am taking, and while I am not an author/writer, I did find this book to be quite helpful in a number of ways, and it will definitely help me to improve my own writing.

I would recommend this book to anyone working on writing a story of any length, as it will very likely help to improve your story by allowing you to spot potential problem areas in your manuscript. I also feel that it would be of great assistance to anyone who is working in editing. There are a great number of tips on how to spot “red flag” words and possible ways to help avoid them, making one’s writing much more dynamic and likely to keep a reader interested.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

The Deadly Veil by Nelson Mckeeby

Princess Nazira is meant to rule the country with her husband after they have an heir. But her family has been conspiring her whole life to keep her from what is rightfully hers, and she knows that once her child is born, unless she has succeeded in maneuvering enough of the pieces in this game of politics in her favor, she will be killed and her father will continue as the Dominar, denying her child their rights. Things appear to be stacked against her in this game of political intrigue, but if she plays the game right, she may yet manage to survive and see herself on her rightful throne.

I received a review copy of this book and enjoyed reading it. This book is a sequel to On other Shores, and while the first book told the story of her husband, this book is her story. She begins as a young girl, who is too soon forced to grow up if she intends to survive this political landscape and have the life she both wants and deserves. She must learn the game of politics and finding allies quickly, or else will soon find herself dead once her child is born.

I enjoyed seeing her grow and learn. She is a strong, independent character in a world where it was intended to be nothing more than a means to an end. Instead, she is attempting to change the game in her favor. And watching her try to outsmart those who have been at the same game far longer was quite interesting. I think anyone who enjoys stories with strong female characters, foreign cultures and religions, as well as fantasy political intrigue will enjoy reading this book.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.