Review: Sparks

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Sparks+Front+Cover+eBook+finalSparks by Maren Anderson (July 2019 Not A Pipe Publishing)

Romance, monsters, and magic … for grownups? Yes, please!

It’s a treat to find a good fantasy novel aimed at adult readers. Sparks is just such a book. Nothing against YA, which I love, but I like the idea of someone with life experience and responsibilities encountering magic in the midst of an otherwise ordinary life. I also enjoyed the setting: contemporary West Coast farm country, not the usual venue for tales of monsters and magic.

Rosie, a widow in her late 30s, owns a ranch where she boards horses and offers riding lessons. She loves her life but she’s deep in debt. She has plans to train five mustangs, which will help pay the bills. But first she needs to build a round pen, and the only good place for it is occupied by a century-old cowshed. A cowshed that does not want to be torn down. Things are complicated further by the arrival of Patrick, a handsome stranger with a beautiful horse and a mysterious past. Skeptical, unsuperstitious Rosie has a big adjustment to make as genuine magic enters her life, and not only from the cowshed.

The book has a nice balance of humor, romance, and suspense as Rosie and Patrick team up to figure out what is in the cowshed and how to get rid of it. Things get worse before they get better—much worse for some characters—until the surprising, satisfying conclusion. Recommended for fans of fantasy romance, mythical creatures, and horses.

Hardcover HERE

Trade Paperback HERE

Kindle Edition HERE

Square Pig in a Round Hole-June 29, 2019

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Square PigNaming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

A most Seattle morning: breakfast at Beth’s Cafe, a walk around Green Lake, then a visit to Reckless Video, the last independent video store in town. I highly recommend all these activities, as well as these fine band names:

Dirtnap

It’s death, isn’t it? A cozy, comfortable end.

Green Lake Basement

Real local flavor–that slightly musty smelling underground apartment/practice space, walking distance to Beth’s.

Polar Echo

There’s a kind of elaborate mirage that results from low sun reflecting off ice. This implies the same thing happens with sound.

The Silver SnailsKalakala

The Kalakala’s backing band.

 

Morels 3-30-2014Trebled Morels

Even one morel is a miracle, but three? Heaven. (These came from our yard 5 years ago: doubly trebled!)

One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, and other goodies. Click the link to check it out and subscribe here for future issues–the next one is out in July and will be full of exciting news.  (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)

Square Pig in a Round Hole-June 22, 2019

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Square PigNaming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

20190621_043055
Me at 4:30 am on June 21, at wordcount zero of an eventual 5,213

Summer is here! I know, because it’s kind of warm and the sky is gray. Also because I spent yesterday, the summer solstice, participating in The Longest Day to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research and support. I was part of a team, Writing Against the Darkness, that pledged to write from dawn till dusk. In Seattle, that’s like 17 hours; a long day, indeed. Even with a 6-hour break to go to work, I wrote 5,213 words (a lot for me; I am a slow writer) and raised over $1300. The team produced a total 55,469 words and raised over $5000. An exhausting day but well worth it! It is not too late to donate to this worthy cause if you feel so moved. My donation page is here.

During a couple of my breaks, I took time to pick a stellar crop of band names:

Minivan Morrison

Carpool parent singing along with classic rock.

Neither Bears nor Forest

Weirdly poetic turn of phrase for something that isn’t what it purports to be.

Sidewalks and Skeletons

More like trick-or-treat than end-of-school. Then again, no matter the time of year, everyone on the sidewalk has inside them a spooky, scary skeleton. (Happy coincidence: S and S is from Bradford, UK, the birthplace of my spouse’s grandfather.)

The Pietasters

My dream job. I’ll need another sample of the rhubarb, please.

Time Pieces

Clocks and watches, minutes and seconds, measures and beats.

 

One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, and other goodies. Click the link to check it out and subscribe here for future issues–the next one is out in July and will be full of exciting news.  (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)

Square Pig in a Round Hole-June 15, 2019

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Square PigNaming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

Wizard Girl cover imageI’m in a bit of a tizzy because the cover of my next book was revealed this morning. Wizard Girl (Daughter of Magic Book 2) will release from Not A Pipe Publishing on July 23. E-book is on pre-order now with paperback and hardback to follow soon. Learn more here.

I hope these bands rock as much as this cover. As I went through the listings, nothing was speaking to me until the last page, where I encountered five great names on one bill. I think this is the first time that has happened.

Against the Raging Tide

Heroic brooding outsider drama.

Antlerbag

Murse for a moose (because he doesn’t have hands to hold a handbag).

Earth to Ashes

I’m reading this as a statement about climate change, like that Bill Nye video where he set a globe on fire.

Felony Flats

Old West town at the end of the line, entirely populated by criminals who have created a supportive community for themselves.

Stranded by Choice

In another break with tradition, I’m including a band I’ve featured before in order to cover the whole bill. On June 17, 2017, I wrote: “Love the double meaning. Are we stuck because of too many options, or intentionally moving to a deserted island?”

 

One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, and other goodies. Click the link to check it out and subscribe here for future issues–the next one is out in July and will be full of exciting news.  (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)

Square Pig in a Round Hole-June 8, 2019

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Square PigNaming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

It was fun to get out of town last Saturday, but it’s nice to have a more normal weekend where the only thing I had to leave the house for was a trip to Fred Meyer to buy a shower curtain. On the way home, we decided Showerkraut would be a good name for a band. If I see it in the listings, I will give a shout-out here. Meanwhile, these real band names rose to the top:

Birdcop

After Bad Cop intimidates you and Good Cop softens you up with sympathy, this character craps on your head and flies off with your sandwich.

Dead by Wednesday

RIP Pugsley Addams. She finally succeeded.

Escape Train

While fast and durable, this vehicle makes it hard to elude pursuit.

Museum of Light

So beautiful, I almost missed the pun on our local aircraft exhibit. This is a church sanctuary at dusk, stained glass aglow.

ufo ufo

Whispered alert of alien invasion.

 

One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, and other goodies. Click the link to check it out and subscribe here for future issues–the next one is out in July and will be full of exciting news.  (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)

Review: No Place Like Home (Resident Witch #4)

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no-place-like-home-kindleNo Place Like Home (Resident Witch #4) by Angelika Rust

In less than a year, main character Alice Adams has grown from a shallow, mindless member of the popular, mean-girl clique into a hardworking Resident Witch-in-Training who takes her responsibilities seriously. Still grieving the loss of her parents, she’s trying to move forward with the next steps toward adulthood. And also find a name for her band. Of course her relaxing spring break will be interrupted with monsters and mayhem, because for some reason, her small pleasant town is a magnet for that sort of thing.

I love the mix of comedy and heartbreak in this series. Most of the characters have suffered terrible losses and have heavy responsibilities, but they still joke around in a way that is unforced and natural. The theme of terrible band names woven through serves to lighten the mood. (My favorites are Shit Magnet Theory and Resident Nuisance.) Most of the established is cast is back, though several characters are out of town or otherwise engaged and participate mainly by text, hinting at the near future when they will graduate and go their separate ways. I was pleased to see side character Finn take a larger role this time out. He plays the part of Sassy Gay Friend to a T, but proves a loyal friend to Alice while revealing his own deep longings. The introduction of a new character, Bastian Wolfe, helps explain why this small town attracts so many baddies while also adding another tool to Alice’s magical toolbox, not to mention a fairy tale ending for a beloved character.

Another aspect I like is that our heroes, for all they mean well, make plans, and work hard, are capable of monumental, boneheaded mistakes for the same reasons any of us are: overconfidence, too little sleep, forgetting to eat. And they don’t just brush it off. They have to learn to forgive each other, and themselves. The ending promises “to be continued” but like the young characters, the series has matured. I expect it will grow and change as it proceeds. To get the full effect, I recommend that readers start with book 1 and read the whole thing to get the full flavor. The characters and their relationships are so lovable, it would be a shame to miss out.

Get the book an Amazon

Square Pig in a Round Hole-June 2, 2019

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Square PigNaming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

Karen and Mikko at Wilsonville Festival of Arts

Blogging a day late again. I spent yesterday at the Wilsonville Festival of Arts in Wilsonville, OR, helping out at the Not A Pipe Publishing table with my friend and fellow author Mikko Azul. We each sold a copy of our own book, so it was a good day. The event continued today (without me) and I hope many of our books found their way into the hands of eager readers.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and an art fair in a nice park, but I can’t forget about band names! Here are this week’s treasures:

Bad Camper

Broken-down RV? Or a careless human who failed to bear-proof their food?

Bent Self

A human, being a vertebrate, is already a bent fish. So is this doubly bent, or straightened out?

Mechanical Plague

The invasion has begun. I welcome our robot overlords.

Rachaels Children

I like finding Biblical references in the club listings, though this is not a cheerful one. She is weeping and refuses to be comforted, for they are no more. (Coincidentally, this passage came up in this week’s study/conversation with my dad and brother, so I couldn’t not pick it.)

Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Here’s something cute and colorful to lift our spirits! Just be careful of the little sharp teeth and needle claws–that’s the surprise.

 

One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, and other goodies. Click the link to check it out and subscribe here for future issues.  (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)

The Supernormal Legacy, Book 3: Emerge

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EmergeThe Supernormal Legacy, Book 3: Emerge by LeeAnn McClennan (Not A Pipe Publishing, 2019)

Emerge, the third book of this trilogy, turns up the heat on main character Olivia Woodson Brighthall. In book 1 Dormant, she belatedly manifested the supernormal abilities she had rejected as a child after the death of her mother and began training with her cousins to hunt monsters and fight bad guys. In book 2 Root she grew in skill and confidence and embarked on a road trip with her cousins (and normal friend Anna) to rescue her friend Ben from the terrorist organization Mountain of Ash that killed her mother and brainwashed her cousin Emma into joining them. Book 3 finds Olivia in the Ashers’ clutches, far from home, her powers suppressed, and only alive because the head terrorist wants her blood to make an enhancement serum.

The suspense never lets up in this volume. Olivia endures torture in the form of altered memories as the villain seeks to power up her blood. Escape attempts are foiled as Olivia and her friends gradually learn what Mountain of Ash has in mind for the inferior normals of the world, and for the supernormals who seek to protect them. It’s a nice touch that Olivia agrees with Mountain of Ash on one point: supernormals should be able to use their powers openly. She does not agree with their cruel, destructive methods and is hurt when friends seem to go over to the dark side. Although the final battle is a pulse-pounding shocker with terrible losses, the book pulls off a poignant but hopeful ending.

If you don’t find it on the shelves of your favorite independent bookstore, ask them to order it for you, or purchase online here:

Get it at Barnes & Noble HERE. They support indie authors and have hosted Not a Pipe Publishing’s signings at multiple locations.

Get it on Amazon HERE.

Get it at Powell’s HERE.

 

Square Pig in a Round Hole-May 25, 2019

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Square PigNaming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

Looks like Junuary came early this year. I hope everyone at Folklife remembered to bring raingear! I managed to get my gardening done just before the deluge so I am snug inside, simultaneously blogging and participating in an online author event. I’m hosting from 1:30-2 pm Pacific time, but the fun continues after that. Meanwhile, enjoy this downpour of band names:

Infinite Cuddle

What the world needs, now more than ever: warmth and comfort that never ends and includes everyone.

The Morning Yells

Starting each day with a good shout might make the whole thing go better.

Strange Ranger

This would be Aragorn when the hobbits first meet him. (I grabbed it for the rhyme, but I like how it can easily be reorganized into “Stranger Anger”, which is very nearly “Stranger Danger.”)

Sun Breaks

Local flavor doesn’t come much local-er. Does anywhere else get afternoon sun breaks? It doesn’t look like we’re getting any today, though.

Tragedy by Design

When the flaw is baked into the character from the start. They hate authors for doing that to them.

One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, and other goodies. Click the link to check it out and subscribe here for future issues.  (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)

Square Pig in a Round Hole-May 17, 2019

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Square PigNaming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

I took a break last weekend and tomorrow looks busy, so I’m trying out blogging on a Friday because I’d rather not skip two weeks in a row. These band names won’t honor themselves!

Beehive

Old-school hairdo and warm hum of the amp when the song is over.

FRENSHIP

True comrades don’t judge on spelling.

Muppet Fetish

As long as the Muppet gives consent and you don’t mind cookie crumbs on the sheets…

Released from Quiet

The sounds will set you free.

Spooky Mansion

You wouldn’t want to live there but might be fun to visit: pleasantly thrilling rather than threateningly haunted.

 

One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, and other goodies. Click the link to check it out and subscribe here for future issues.  (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)