It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this.
Shadows Bloom by T.A. Moore
T.A. Moore is a an author that I stand in awe of. When Three Crow Press had the chance to present her works, it was an easy decision to make. A RESOUNDING yes resonated through the internet. I am sure of it.
Moore’s ability to weave a lyrical and vibrant story is only matched by her ability to spin out incredible worlds and in Shadows Bloom, she does not disappoint. This tale is steeped in a rich, lush language that picks the reader up and flings them into The Even. The story is complex but so very approachable.
There is no love match greater than T.A. Moore and the written word.
Between the real and the unreal, the created and uncreated lies the capstone of the universe: the living city, Even Na Shetiyah. Eternally in flux and the only door between What-was-Not and What-Was, Even City is many things to the creatures who dwell within its wall: home, stopover, prison.
For Blodouwedd, a woman created from flowers by the sorcerer-god Math, it is a sanctuary, a place to escape the punishment meted out for her role in — temporarily — murdering her husband, a hero of Welsh legend. She wants no part in the Even’s numerous feuds and power struggles but when an unknown enemy begins to undo the very magic holding Blod together, she is forced to enter the fray before all that is left of her are the petals Math used to create her.
Blod has no shortage of enemies. Her powerful in-laws whose honour she affronted? The god who created her only for her to defy him? Set upon a dangerous and treacherous path through the Even’s chaotic society, Blod turns to the only one she knows she can trust; Lleu Llaw Gyffes, the husband she killed.
About the Author:
T.A Moore is a journalist and arts critic when she’s not making up worlds in her head. She lives on the coast, but not a sunny one since it is Ireland.
When not writing she loves reading, history, technology and archery. She doesn’t love gardening, but she does it anyway after nearly losing a very fat cat in the shrubbery. She just spent four years getting her PhD, but doesn’t make people call her Doctor. Although if anyone wants to…
Amazon Kindle and Print: Shadows Bloom
Other eBook Formats: Shadows Bloom
Trips and All That Jazz
I’ve just come back from San Francisco. Dead tired but I need to write.
The hardest thing about writing… besides the writing bits… is managing the time. We all have life. And some of us end up having two lives, really…the normal 9-5 work and social life then the hermit pigeon writer’s life that’s crammed in between the seconds of the first life.
Some days are better than others. Some days, the first life steps out for a cup of tea and the hermit scurries in to suck up all of the time.
My pigeon will be sucking up a lot of time this week. It has to. We’ve a lot to do. :::grins::::
Dinner
Tonight’s Dinner: Spinach Mushroom and Cheese Quiche with braised Asparagus.
This is actually a pretty easy dinner to toss together. There was fresh spinach on sale, fresh baby brown mushrooms and asparagus was 99¢ a lb. Since my baby sister Ren is coming down so we can leave for Frisco tomorrow, the fare tonight is Vegetarian. She’s actually a Carbatarian… one who doesn’t eat meat and hates veggies. I sneak them in all the time. 😀
I’m not big on adding cream to my quiche so I guess I should actually call it an Egg Pie but let’s face it… that just sounds odd. :::grins::::
Romance Writers Ink and the Gay/Lesbian Romance
There’s been a bunch of political / social crap going through life over this past week. From the Komen disaster to the latest debacle of a Romance Writers of America Chapter, The Romance Writers Ink (RWI), refusing to include same-sex romances in their annual contest, it’s been a shit-shoveling on the brain kind of week.
I keep telling people; I’m not an activist. A lot of my friends disagree with this statement but hear me out. I don’t have the energy to be an activist. And I sure as hell don’t have the emotional energy to be a hardcore activist.
What I do believe I can do without sacrificing what little sanity I do have? Communicate the issues to others. And voice an opinion. Both in words and with money. I boycott the Boy Scouts’ fundraisers because of their policies on homosexuality and endorse the Girl Scouts for their support of a transgender scout. I will no longer support the Komen foundation’s fundraising…and that saddens me because thousands of women have dedicated so much of their energy towards promoting a worthwhile cause…but see, I believe they were betrayed by the very organization they put their faith into.
I do not endorse PETA. I feel their tactics are terroristic in nature and their practices are hypocritical. I also like eating meat. I wear leather but do not own a fur coat. I would want the animals that provide me sustenance and clothing to be treated ethically. My mother’s family comes from a rural community. I’ve participated in the dismembering of pigs for sausage and plucking chickens for dinner. I have fished my food out of the sea and have cleaned that catch. I don’t make apologies for my food choices but I do demand that the food sources are treated with some decency.
Sadly, I know that my conservation efforts where animals are concerned are driven by the fuzzy cuteness of things. I am horrified that people continue to eat dog or even capybara, a species I for some reason have a special love for. I wouldn’t eat a guinea pig although I know it is eaten widely in parts of South America and rabbit is a standard food source for many… I also have a bunny fetish.
So, I have to balance my beliefs with the knowledge that I can’t … shouldn’t… shape the world using my viewpoints. It’s wrong to do so. In doing so, I negate any compassion and understanding of other cultures and beliefs. That’s just plain wrong.
So what to think about the Romance Writers Ink contest and their banning of same-sex romances?
I think it’s fucked up.
I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought about the reason given for excluding same-sex romances; they feel uncomfortable reading the content.
Fucked. Up.
I want to say…deal with it. Fix this! We have so many damned walls between us as it is, why create more? Why keep adding bricks to these walls?
But it all comes down to one thing… the Romance Writers Ink contest depends on people entering and paying an entrance fee. Want to make a difference? Ask your fellow authors to boycott the contest. Spread the word and ask people to deny funding for the contest and the chapter. Explain why you’re boycotting but do so reasonably. Send RWI a letter stating your disappointment in them and that you will be acting accordingly. Contact their “mother” organization the Romance Writers of America and do the same, express your disappointment in their child chapter.
I hope our voices are heard. We don’t want special treatment.
Just equal treatment.
Contacting Romance Writers Ink:
Vice President Kathlyn Smith: kathlynwrites@gmail.com.
Membership Officer Susan Shay: sshay@cimtel.net
Contest Contact: jackie.rwimagic@netscape.com
Contacting Romance Writers America:
Romance Writers of America
14615 Benfer Road
Houston, TX 77069
Phone: 832-717-5200
Fax: 832-717-5201
E-mail: info@rwa.org
Busy.
I’m busy writing.
So here’s a tap dancing cow.
Stir Fry Hamburger and Shitake Mushrooms
Tonight’s Dinner: Stir fry hamburger, shitake mushrooms, onions, garlic in Oyster sauce & shoyu. Over rice.
My writing partner today. She was totally unhelpful, mind you. Demanded belly rubs. Did nothing to forward the plot.
Delsyn’s Blues by Lou Sylvre
Delsyn’s Blues by Lou Sylvre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fantastic follow up to Loving Luki Vasquez. I won’t go into spoiler territory but this book contains a lot more of the characters’ back story and it pretty much is a roller coaster ride of angst, pleasure, joy, anger and oh-my-fucking-god-what-the-hell-is-he-doing-to-me-now emotions.
A lot of this book is about the faith and trust that builds between Luki and Sonny. Yes, there is a crime/drama in this but it’s also about their relationship and the trials/tribulations both men have to go through in order to reach an understanding about the man they love.
Highly recommend this book. Go get it. Why are you still reading this? Go. Shoosh. :::grins:::
Tonight’s Dinner: Roast Turkey
Yes, I am writing.
Roast turkey and mushroom, onion, sage and garlic stuffing. With a side of lima beans. Do not judge me. I LIKE lima beans.
Came home. Roasted the turkey. Made the stuffing. Took the lima beans out of the bag and boiled them.
