This is the last day of the tour, and I’ll close with a few random notes. (1) and (3) have spoilers. (1) The Christianity of The Skin Map is like the secularism of many popular books and movies: It’s there, but a lot of the time you can’t really tell. Every once in a while,…
Shannon’s Blog
CSFF Blog Tour: Spoiler Day
Yesterday I gave a general review. Today I have designated Spoiler Day, where I will show no compunction in giving away plot details. One of the best characters in The Skin Map is the villain, Lord Burleigh. He’s a smooth villain – intellectual, polished, handsome, entirely willing to work with those who will work with…
CSFF Blog Tour: The Skin Map
If your great-grandfather, who vanished a century ago, reappeared in a deserted alley and asked you to join him on a mission through parallel realities, would you say yes? Kit Livingstone said no. Then he went to buy bathroom curtains with his girlfriend, Wilhelmina (!). In an effort to convince her he had a good…
Tales of the Long Bow
I’ve been occupied these last couple weeks, so again I’m going to do a simple post, defined as “a post where I mostly quote other people”. But before that, an introduction. G. K. Chesterton is an author more quoted than read. He is interesting, he is humorous, he can turn a clever phrase. But his…
Writing Tip of the Week
In poetry, rhythm may be complicated, but it is regular and stylized enough to enable almost anyone to learn to recognize it and classify it. Rhythm in prose is very nearly as important, but because it cannot be too regular without being distracting, prose rhythm is so extremely complex that no one has ever yet…
Review: Never the Bride
I was browsing through the library’s Christian fiction section and saw the title Never the Bride. So I picked the book up. This is probably evidence of some sort of problem, but whatever. Jessie Stone has lived her life with one dream: to be married. She longs for chivalry, she practices wedding vows, she fills…
Review: A Hideous Beauty
Demons. Angels. Nephilim. Spiritual warfare. It’s left the theology section for a new home on the Christian fiction shelves. In A Hideous Beauty, Jack Cavanaugh offers another supernatural thriller. The cover has the White House in the background, which is why I picked it up. I’m a sucker for stories about presidents. I quickly learned…
Neat Website
Stephanie Whitson and Nancy Moser have started a blog called Footnotes. Both of them write historical fiction, and the blog is about facts and inspirations they’ve gleaned from history. Here is a sample: To stray from the serious posts about the slums of New York… let’s talk about etiquette. Here are some gems from The…
Review: Washington’s Lady
Written by Nancy Moser Nancy Moser’s website “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” This is the most famous tribute to George Washington, the father of our country. The greatness of Washington consisted not only in that he was first, but that he was first out of patriotism rather…
Review: Under Running Laughter
Written by Dean Jones That Darn Cat was Hayley Mills’ last movie for Walt Disney, and Dean Jones’ first. Hayley Mills moved on, but Dean Jones remained a Disney star for the next decade. He presented the perfect Disney image: clean-cut, handsome, all-American. Behind the image was a wild life, a man going through an…