Shelly Thacker: Forever . . . Writing!

Last year I began concentrating on reading fellow women writers. Truly I have been an unthinking snob with my sticking to reading the classics, Science Fiction and Fantasy, mysteries, and thrillers. And, of course, horror.

Mary Shelley and Margaret Atwood, forgive me, but I peeked into Romance, and my eyes are now open to some . . . finely written books. Stories by Pam Rosenthal, Barbara Samuel, Patricia Ryan, Miranda Neville, Marsha Canham, and  . . . Shelly Thacker.

Thacker's a two-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's Rita Award for her historical and paranormal romance novels which have also been published internationally. Besides writing fiction, Shelly has had articles published in Country Living, Entrepreneur, AAA Living, and Writers Digest magazines, and also leads writers' workshops in the U.S. and Canada.

She wrote an historical-romance time-traveling novel before the slot of "Paranormal" romance was . . . well, normal. My two favorite time-traveling books have been Ken Grimwood's Replay and Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. Thacker's Forever His can stand tall next to those. It's a great story! 

Currently, her Stolen Brides series has been made available again electronically. I'm an unabashed Nook e-reader user which allows me to tackle books a little longer than agents and publishers "suppose" I am willing to read. Frankly, it's stories like Thacker's for which ebook readers were made.

Book #2 in the series, His Forbidden Touch, pits two contrary travelers together in impossible circumstances.

Timeless: The Asgard Warriors (Stolen Brides #3) and Falcon on the Wind (a prequel to the series) are two yet to be released.

But what truly sets Thacker's foray into electronic publishing apart from some of the others are her extras. I'm a junky for reading introductions, acknowledgements, and author's notes. Thacker offers a rich and thick section called "The Making of . . . " at the end. It's just like those bonuses added to DVDs. While she isn't shy on sharing what inspired a particular book, she also offers a peek into what music she used while writing, and struggles with editors and publishers on book covers, titles, and story length.

The number one question posed to most writers is "Where do you get your story ideas?" And while Thacker may feed the non-writer generously with her answer, her extras offer a wealth to fellow-writers as well.

Since every writer is first a reader first, I feel fortunate to have been whisked away into Shelly Thacker's worlds. She is one hell of a Storyteller, and I thank her for the gift of her words.

Thacker's on Facebook and would love to have you sign up for her newsletter and enter her "Fan of the Month Contest." (September's winner may be familiar to you, in fact!)

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I am currently reading: The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields and The Rosetta Key (Ethan Gage #2) by William Dietrich. (And, yes, I can read two novels at the same time. I can also walk and chew gum at the same time, too. Well, most days.)

Basking on the Beach #6: Marsha Canham

In the past year, I've made the effort to read more female authors and in doing so I decided to also open the door to exploring Romance novels. That's how I stumbled on the works of award-winning Canadian writer Marsha Canham.

What a find!

Marsha writes some of the most adventurous, edge-of-your-seat, heartrending, and entertaining novels I've had the pleasure of... consuming. Truthfully I don't know a better word to use. And... she writes sea adventures! Did I mention that? Thrilling and accurately described sea adventures.

After having gotten frustrated with the games involved in the publishing biz, Marsha took a bit of a writing break (eight years!) before jumping back in. Once she was able to secure the rights to her backlist, she was ready to go with e-publishing. In some cases, she has rewritten the stories because she's that kind of writer: a good one.

Her newest release, The Dragon Tree, which was released in 2004 as My Forever Love, is an example. You might want to read Marsha's take on her process at her blog.

While I have thoroughly enjoyed all the books I've read by Marsha, I must confess her fresh take on the Robin Hood legend is a favorite. The story unfolds in three books: Through a Dark Mist, In the Shadow of Midnight, and The Last Arrow, and it's way more authentic and plausible.

Then again, I really enjoyed the books detailing the adventures of the Dante seafaring family.

And the stand alone Swept Away (a book I read twice because the character of Aunt Flo simply rocks!).

You had to get me started!

Like most of us, Marsha wants to read when she basks on the beach, and here are her suggestions:

Basking on the Beach with Marsha Canham

My reading choices might be a little scattered. Five of my must reads would have to include

Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis. It's hysterically funny and a great break from stress.

Next up would be the series by Philippa Gregory: The RedQueen, The Other Boleyn Girl, etc. An amazing series about the Tudor dynasty.

Heavier fare would include another fav, Mila 18 by Leon Uris. It gives a shocking and tragic view from inside the Warsaw Ghetto in WWII.

None of my lists would be complete without Wilbur Smith's River God and the sequel The Seventh Scroll. Ancient Egypt at it's best with a zoom forward in the sequel to an Indiana Jones type adventure.

Finally, for crime buffs, start out with Michael Connolly's The Black Ice. That should get anyone hooked on his Harry Bosch series.

And that would sum up my favs!

Basking on the Beach #5: Gene Wolfe

Gene and Rosemary Wolfe

Dear Reader,

I am here today to tell you about Science Fiction and Fantasy writer Gene Wolfe and to bring you his list of books to read as you bask on the beach, so listen up.

Gene Wolfe is a... He's a... Let's see...

Okay, Gene Wolfe is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

Well, yes, he is.

But Gene Wolfe's stories are not easy-reads. They are challenging. Demanding. Neil Gaiman has described him as "...the most dangerous writer alive today." And he is. Actually, I would aptly describe Gene Wolfe as a throat-grabbing-swashbuckler. From Word One, his wolf's paw very gently snags your collar, and you think with that kindly grin peeking out from under his bushy mustache that he's only going to pop you under the chin and chuckle "Gotcha!" And you, dear reader, will only begin to gasp for air once you're about a third of the way into his story. Then again, you may find breathing annoying if it interrupts your reading.

When I finished reading Wolfe's Pirate Freedom, I flopped the pages back and began reading it again at once. I had to. The same with Homes Fires. Because once he has you by the throat, you don't want him to let you go. You are part of whatever world he has created. Why leave?

But that's what pirates do: Purloin your treasure and leave you grateful they spared your life. (So you can read more!) The Land Across is Wolfe's expected next novel, and 2013 will see a tribute anthology, Shadows of the New Sun, edited by Jean Rabe, coming from Tor.

But here's Wolfe's own recommendations for Basking on the Beach (along with his comments):

1. The New Testament

You can't really understand a great many books until you read this one.

2. The Napoleon of Notting Hill, by G.K. Chesterton  

GKC's best fiction.

3. The Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust  

Everybody ought to read at least one truly great novel. There are two translations -- one by Scott Moncrieff, the other by Moncrieff and Terence Kilmartin -- both are good.

4. The Annotated Alice in Wonderland, by Louis Carroll, annotated by Martin Gardner.

5. Idylls of the King, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson  

I was terribly tempted to put Alexander Pope's translation of The Iliad here; if you have trouble with Idylls of the King, you might try that.

A Semper Fi Break!

The people pictured here will not be offering their lists of what to read while "Basking on the Beach," though I do hope that tall, handsome, intense-looking guy in the uniform does some genuine relaxing for the next week or so.

You may have already guessed he's a Marine, a new one. PFC. Derek R. Statz just finished 13 weeks of basic training at Parris Island, SC. He wasn't alone. Alpha Company, First Recruiting Training Battalion, saw six platoons complete their rigorous training this past week. Derek was in Platoon 1052, which named honor platoon. (And, yes, he is a Private First Class!)

It was terrifically hot last Friday morning when the six platoons of fine young Marines marched across the field for one last time, but none of them looked sweaty a bit. Even the Marine Band looked unfazed by the cooking sun. Marine cool, I figure.

Just being at the training facility was purely uplifting. It made me proud to be an American. It made me doubly proud to see our younger generation taking on the yoke of responsibility to safeguard our freedom.

Thank you, Derek!

By the way, that short redhead with the cat-ate-the-canary look on her face is my younger daughter, Rebekah. She and Derek marked four years together while he was away. You can see just how proud she is of her Marine.

Oo-Rah!

(We'll be back to Basking on the Beach this week, so stay tuned!)

Basking on the Beach #4: Wendy Webb

When I asked Minnesota-based author Wendy Webb to suggest a few reading items to drag to the beach this summer, I had no idea what canvas bag of goodies she would bring. Of course, that's what you might expect from a fiction writer whose day job is editor-in-chief of Duluth-Superior magazine.But really I asked her because I loved her first book, The Tale of Halcyon Crane. It's all about Hallie James's discovering the truths of her life is a delicious dark corner setting of an island in the midst of the Great Lakes. (Pssst... it's a ghost story!) Wendy's next book, The Fate of Mercy Alban, is set for a 2013 release.

Five Summer Reads by Wendy Webb

All of these books are captivating page-turners that won’t let you go until you reach the end.

1. The Haunting of Maddie Clare by Simone St. James

I was sent the manuscript of this book by its editor and asked to write a blurb for the book cover. I sat down with it not knowing quite what to expect and found myself so caught up that I read this old-fashioned, Gothic ghost story in one sitting. It’s the story of Sarah, a temp worker who is sent to assist a ghost hunter investigate reports that the spirit of 19-year-old Maddie Clare is haunting a barn in the dark and foreboding English countryside. It seems the only way to stop the increasingly violent hauntings is to find out how Maddie died and bring her murderer to justice, so her spirit can rest.

2. The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

I love M.J Rose, who writes suspense thrillers with a paranormal twist. This one is the story of Jac L’Etoile, who returns to her Paris home when her brother, who runs the family perfume business, goes missing. While there, she becomes haunted by an old family legend that there is an ancient perfume with magical properties that has been lost for 2,000 years. The story moves from Cleopatra’s Egypt to revolutionary France to modern-day Paris, taking readers on a thrill ride of adventure and intrigue.

3. Secret of the White Rose by Stephanie Pintoff

This is the third in a series of murder mysteries set in New York in the early 1900s featuring detective Simon Ziele, Professor Allistair Sinclair and Sinclair’s widowed daughter-in-law, Isabella, one of the most engaging cast of characters I’ve come across in a long time. This story involves a series of murders befalling people who are connected to a notorious trial, and not only am I captivated by the mystery, I also love her descriptions of New York around the turn of the century.

4. Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

This is one of my favorite books of the past year. It’s so suspenseful and tense that you’ll want to scream aloud before you get to the end and find out exactly what’s going on. It’s the story of Christine, who suffers memory loss after an accident. Her memories are erased each night as she’s sleeping, so each morning she wakes up not knowing where she is, who her husband Ben is, or anything about her life. Ben patiently has to explain it all to her before he leaves for work. On the advice of her doctor, she starts keeping a journal of things she learns during the day that she doesn’t want to lose track of in sleep. It’s all going well until one terrifying day, she reads in her journal: “Don’t trust Ben.” This sends her into a frenzy of doubt, wondering why she wrote that, what it means, and how she can find out if it’s true.

The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe

This book, by the author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, is a captivating mix of the paranormal, mystery and a little romance thrown in for good measure. It’s the story of Sibyl, whose mother and sister perished on the Titanic. She finds herself drawn into a rather otherworldly situation when she attends a séance, and begins seeing images in a scrying glass, images she believes to be from the Titanic. She returns again and again to get more information, but the experience turns terrifying when she begins seeing images of her brother, who is very much alive, and according to the images, is in danger. Should she trust her visions?

  Thanks, Wendy!

Basking on the Beach #3: Joe R. Lansdale

Joe R. Lansdale is one dangerous writer. If you don't buy his books, he'll find you and beat the tar out of you. And, yes, he can do that because he's well-versed in various methods of tar-beating. Not only does he have his own martial arts school, he developed his own discipline.

Or he'll shoot you. He can do that, too. (Above he is on a shooting range somewhere outside Tulsa, OK. Look closely and you'll see the spatter of blood on his chin from a nasty little derringer that nicked his hand.) But don't worry, he won't fire until after he's totally disarmed you with his incredible storytelling abilities, either verbal or within the written word.

He's won a ton of awards for his writing (Edgar, Bram Stoker, British Fantasy), but he's never been one to be satisfied with keeping his writing habits to himself. Along with his Texas yellow rose -- his wife Karen -- Joe worked to create the Horror Writers Association (along with Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, Mort Castle, and some others) and was recognized for his efforts earlier this year when the HWA honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award (and Karen with the Richard Laymon/President's Award for her help).

His latest book is Edge of Dark Water wherein Joe employs his Texas Twain tongue, telling the story of East Texas teens setting off to Hollywood with the ashes of one of their friends. A murdered friend.

Frankly, nobody handles tension and feisty females like Joe. But this is only one of the many ways he writes. I'm a big fan of his Hap Collins and Leonard Pine mystery adventures as well as his bizarre short stories. And his westerns. Period pieces. Oh, heck, my rule of thumb with Joe's books is simply to pick them up and read them. I've never seen him miss.

And what are the books Joe recommends as you head to the beach this summer? Let's see:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

3. Little Big Man by Thomas Berger

4. True Grit by Charles Portis

5. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Shoot, Joe, that's a terrific list!

 

Basking on the Beach #2 with Ed Gorman

I'm pleased to welcome Ed Gorman to my bend in the river. Ed writes. That's my best description of what Ed does. He writes mystery and thriller and political intrigue and horror and westerns and. . . Oh, my, his westerns! Though I have truly enjoyed his Sam McCain series and his Jack Dwyer series and his Robert Payne series (and now his Dev Conrad series!), his western character, Leo Guild, owns a piece of my heart. I'm hardly alone in my respect for Ed's storytelling. He's won a number of awards including the Spur, the Shamus, and... well, Ed doesn't usually like to dwell on awards. His focus is on writing and editing. His latest book, Blindside, features political consultant Dev Conrad. Then later this year, his Sam McCain returns in Bad Moon Rising.

Allow me to let Ed advise you on what you might consider a good summer's read:


Basking On The Beach with the non-amphibious Ed Gorman

I'll stick with some Golden Oldies.

I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson. Still THE vampire novel. None better.

HOW LIKE AN ANGEL by Margaret Millar. The finest Mystery Novel I've ever read. No better stylist has ever graced the genre and this sad, sorrowful, wan book that is horrific in places (and also strangely comic) has the true redemptive power of Graham Greene. This was first published in 1962 and anticipates the communal aspects of hippie communes and cults with chilling accuracy. 

THE CHILL by Ross Macdonald. Ken Millar (Macdonald's real name) was Margaret's husband. How's that for a married couple? This is his most salient journey through this vale of tears and proof positive that in the right hands the private eye form can be true literature.

THE LONELY SILVER RAIN by John D. MacDonald. For me the best of all the Travis McGee novels because it's the least like the others. Not much macho here. Just an intense wary journey into the heart of darkness.

THE MURDER OF MIRANDA by Margaret MIllar. One of the snarkiest, bitchiest, most hilarious mysteries of all time wherein Millar takes her great social eye and even greater skill at fashioning a spellbinding mystery (she was Agatha Christie's fave if that tells you anything) to an upscale Southern California country club and in the midst of all the high jinks still finds a way to comment seriously (and sympathetically) on the decline of a vastly beautiful woman who has relied on her looks her entire life.

The one thing all these books have in common? 

 

THEY'RE GREAT READS -- PAGE TURNERS, IF YOU LIKE GREAT CHARACTERS AS WELL AS GREAT PLOTS.  

 

I know this sounds impossible, given the way I've described them, but trust they are just as much pure reads they are dazzlers. If I had any money, I'd offer you a money back guarantee. :)