It's official - I'm now a YouTube sensation, internet influencer, and author of renown -- or perhaps I exaggerate. Probably the latter. The facts are these: Saturday at 2:pm MDT I went live on Facebook and You Tube in an interview with A.F. Stewart on her program Between the Pages author interview. She fed me a few questions that allowed me to ramble on for about twenty minutes about myself and my books. Mostly we talked about the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series -- And I forgot to give the names of all three books in the first trilogy, and I only had a copy of the second book, Power to Hurt, with me to show for the interview. I also got to mention the other genres in which I write, and I had a copy of my 1940s detective novel Smoke to show.
At the conclusion, after we were no longer on the air, Ms. Stewart, who is also an author, assured me that I didn't look too stupid, but I'll let you judge for yourselves. I hope to post Ms. Stewart's answers to my written interview questions for her next week or shortly thereafter.
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Last week I mentioned that I was reading The House of the Wolfings by William Morris. I finished it this week. I would sum it up as follows: Imagine Tolkien's The Two Towers without hobbits or Helms Deep, or Saruman, and replace the Uruk-Hai with Romans with most of the fighting taking place in Fanghorn Forest (without ents), and Goldberry in love with Theoden or Eomer and gave her love a cursed hauberk rather than a mithril shirt. I can only say that my enjoyment of the story wained before the story reached the end. Once the inevitable happened--in battle and fire with the mighty Roman commander--I rushed along, only skimming the last couple chapters. I believe there is a sequel. I may or may not get to it at some future date. I give it 3 spears out of 5.
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A couple weeks ago I read Tim Powers book On Stranger Tides.
As you might expect from the title, pirates feature prominently in this alternate history novel. Jack Shandagnac, a young puppeteer from France, goes to the Caribbean to reclaim his inheritance but is taken by pirates. Blackbeard and some other famous pirates are featured. Blackbeard has an important role. Jack falls in love with a girl whose life is in danger, and he must deal with pirates, magic, and the British navy to save her. I won't elaborate upon the precise danger--but being captured by pirates is rarely a picnic. Tim Powers is a terrific writer but this book didn't mesh with my tastes. The central fantasy element, the particular magic, rubbed me the wrong way--it wasn't something that I could enjoy. The rest of the story bounced along like an old Chevy on a mountain road with plenty of fighting and some pirating. I give it 3 and 1/2 cutlasses out of 5.
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Next time I have a few more words to say about Nick Cole.
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