Edie Roones

Mary Stewart is one of my favorite writers. Every year I re-read one of her books, and often I try to squeeze in more than one. Of all the books that I have read--and it's in the high thousands--Stewart has three of the top five places. My Brother Michael  and The Moonspinners  constantly shift as #1 and #2.  Also in the top 5 is her This Rough Magic, a stronger book than the other two, but MBM and MS  do capture my heart more. So I re-read a book a year, but somehow this year I've gone for a re-read of five of her books--I don't know if that says something about stress levels or what. Maybe it says something about seeking inspiration from an excellent writer. Maybe it says something about the state of story-telling in my other reading. Re-reading is a constant anticipated pleasure in a good story. Stewart always delivers. You might ask~ "Why do people re-read books multiple times? Don't you know the story?" My answer~ Yes, I do know the story. ...

I love MS Word. This love comes out because I just endured several days of Mac people bashing MS / pc people as if the Apple world is divine. It's good. Sometimes it's even great. Divine? Nyah. Try 25 years with MS Word.

Today is the anniversary of the publication of Edie Roones' first book which is the first book in the Sansward Quarternary. Summer Sieges  introduces the world in the vale of Sansward and the stakes if the allies against the Gitane Witches and the Overlord Summa fail to stop their attempt to conquer the whole vale. Purchase here . A brief story of the writing of S.Sieges can be found here.

When you've got a ton of things ahead of you before you can pick back up something you absolutely love, you need a little inspiration to keep going. Summer requires a little Wonderland (untouched by Disney, please). Here's Alice in Through the Looking Glass. "Can you do addition?" the White Queen asked.  "What's one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one?" "I don't know," said Alice.  "I lost count." What have you lost count of?

One of my favorite authors is Mary Stewart. My mother loved Mary Stewart's books, and I can remember so wanting to read Stewart when I could barely handle chapter books. I had to wait--though I remember peeking inside several of the books on the shelf.  The vocabulary defeated me--I was only in third grade! My first Mary Stewart was This Rough Magic , and it remains in my Top 5 Books of all time.  (Top 1 & 2, which remain neck and neck, constantly shifting position, are also Mary Stewart books: My Brother Michael  and The Moonspinners .) By the time I glommed all of Stewart's books, she started putting out her Arthurian saga, the first of which was  The Crystal Cave .  This is the cover I remember, before I replaced the mass market paperback with the hardcover. I haven't read The Crystal Cave in years.  I was looking for a good comfort read while my back was messed up--yes, I strained my lower back and had spasms and great pain every time I brea...

Here's a book for you, an unexpected joy of a re-written Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.  Yes, I didn't expect that either. When I look for books, I often skim the review. SPINDLE was both up and down.  With the mixed reviews, I almost didn't give it a chance. However, I loved 12 DAYS OF FAERY and WOLFSKIN, also by W.R. Gingell, so I continued on to this book. I won't give you a summary of the book;  you can head off to the link below for that. I want to persuade you to give this book a chance. The first 10% percent of the book made me unhappy: a cursed princess confused by everything, a hero who is not heroic but definitely full of himself. Then into the story came Onepiece, a boy hiding by shapeshifting into a dog, and I lingered in the story, enjoying his charming interactions with Poly. The pacing is quick, the dialogue amusing, the characters attractive even for their problematic behaviors. Without those three elements--and Onepiece--I would have abandoned th...

Looking for a Viking fix? Northmen manages to satisfy your obsession while entertaining you more than you would expect. Yes, the classic tropes are there, not only for action adventure fight scenes but also for expected settings (cliff climbing, rope bridge crossing, etc), but you will pleasantly pleased by a coherent story line well enacted, more than decent battle scenes with bro in arms moments, and an internal logic to everyone's behavior, from Vikings to mercenaries and all caught between. And for once the Christians aren't trashed because that's "the easiest story-telling thing to do". The Vikings, their hostage, and the crazy monk are extremely likable. The mercenaries are extremely hate-able. No fancy-smancy hoodoo with the supernatural, either. The ring of fire is possible. The ground-touch sense makes "sense". And you might pick up a few history lessons to investigate. Good entertainment and well worth the hour and a half entertainmen...

Actually, I just finished this book.  And I have to recommend it.  It's well worth your time and money. I love a good mystery.  I love a good snarky voice.  I especially love a local well-drawn setting that is necessary to the story. Last October I purchased a first book by one of our classic mystery writers Christianna Brand.  I'm on a mission to read the first outings by writers who became great.  Brand authored two dozen mystery novels. Death in High Heels was Brand's first mystery, inspired by an irritating co-worker that she dreamed about killing.  No lie!  It's in the biography. I didn't get to the book until New Year's, and I've just finished it.  And I was surprised--pleasantly so.  Why? Well, for a book that was dreamed up as a fantasy about killing a co-worker, it was hilarious! The puzzle was even better.  For most mysteries, I can figure out the puzzle before the first third of the book is complete.  I ...

For an Afternoon Cuppa to keep you Warm I brew my coffee (freshly ground, filtered water, slow perk) every morning and limit myself to 2 cups of caffeinated daily. Sometimes, though, I just want coffee in the afternoon. One cup, that’s all. Prerequisites: Organic. Decaf. Quick. Good tasting. This hits those four marks, and the taste is better than good. I like my coffee black, but sometimes a bit of cream is an indulgence. This stands up to the cream: the coffee flavor becomes smoother but isn’t overwhelmed. It also is a great base on which to build Irish coffee (a spoon of whipped cream, a few crystals of turbinado sugar, a splash of Makers Mark, and this: now that’s Irish coffee!). The coffee flavor doesn’t get lost; all the flavors come together for divine relaxation on a winter’s evening. This is a repeat buy. If traveling and needing decaf (or caffeinated), Mount Hagen offers little convenience packets as well. Thank you, Mt Hagen, for making travel still organic! Oh, and ...

A Planned Transformation?  Easy enough . . . with the 2 * 0 * 4 Lifestyle Planner. 7 cover versions:  Mountain River, Woodland, Meadow, Floral, Teatime, English Cottage, and Cityscape. The Mountain River cover Need more information?   Available exclusively on Amazon, $1.-- for each month for a total price of $12.00.  What a bargain!