The thunderstorm has passed. The sky is now a patchwork of grey and bright white, the wind rifles through wet leaves, the birds are beginning to chirp again. So it’s a good time to discuss the uses of weather in fiction. (1) Plot. An outbreak of weather can form the foundation of a plot, or…
Month: May 2011
CSFF Blog Tour: Buyer Beware
I was thinking of doing a post on religion today, but then I decided to gripe about the publisher instead. When I looked through the Amazon reviews for The Ale Boy’s Feast, I saw comments by people who started the book without realizing it was part of a series. And I felt their pain. I…
CSFF Blog Tour: A Vote for Happiness
[Warning: Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers everywhere] Do you know what irony is? Irony is a man wondering if he can find a new life, and then getting killed ten minutes later – due to past sins, no less. I don’t know if Jeffrey Overstreet intended such a morose irony, though he did write it. That was…
CSFF Blog Tour: The Ale Boy’s Feast
(Note: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.) The king is missing, but frankly, that’s the least of these people’s problems. The people of Abascar are exiles without a home behind them. Bel Amica is an open refuge, except for maybe the refuge part….
Great Openings
Note: This is a totally subjective list, comprised of openings I found most amusing, intriguing, or arresting. You will not find “Call me Ishmael” here, largely because I never read the book. It’s a fine sentence, but it’s all I need. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” is also…