The Bittlemores by Jann Arden My rating: 4 of 5 stars The marketing blurb for Jann Arden’s debut novel reads: On mean Harp Bittlemore’s blighted farm, hidden away in the Backhills, nothing has gone right for a very long time. Crops don’t grow, the pigs and chickens stay skinny and the three aged dairy cows, Berle, Crilla and Dally, are so desperate they are plotting an escape. The one thing holding them back is the…
Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra You know how you feel after a really good meal? That feeling of satisfaction? Everything was perfect, or near to. Yeah, that’s how I felt after reading Rati Mehrotra’s new YA novel, Flower and Thorn. Now in order to understand the depth of that reaction, it’s also important to know I’m a really hard-to-please reader. I’m forever questioning research, analyzing character, world and plot development. In other words, I…
Great way to start 2024 I’ve just signed a contract with voice actor Maria Campos to narrate Dreams of the Moon. Maria has a gorgeous voice with excellent enunciation and expressiveness. I was frankly a bit blown away by her audition, and so am more than a little excited to have her produce my collection of short, speculative fiction. Why return to live voice? Indeed why? Mostly my reason to return to live voice narration…
Editorial Team At On Spec I am thrilled to announce I’ve accepted an invitation from Diane Walton, Publisher at On Spec Magazine, to join their editorial staff. There is a large roster of editors at On Spec. But, then, they receive a large number of submissions and require a large number of people to read and adjudicate every story. Very much look forward to working with Diane and all the team. If you’ve never read…
Bounty by Jason Pchajek My rating: 3 of 5 stars The promotional blurb for Jason Pchajek’s new cybercrime novel reads: Nikos Wulf is at the top of his game. Within the sublevels of 2120 Winnipeg, he is the undisputed king of bounty hunters, working for the elite Bounty Commission Eco-Terror Taskforce. The job: maintain the delicate ecological balance in a city holding back climate collapse. But when a series of bounties go wrong, Nikos finds…