Darlene's Digest

I've been heading up to Boston in February for over 20 years now to attend the annual Boskone Regional Science Fiction convention and it's always exciting... partly because I never fail to worry about whether a winter storm will strand me somewhere.  Regardless, I have my ticket there (and thankfully, a return ticket that says "Florida") so I'll be flying up on February 13 for New England's oldest science fiction convention. I'll also be on program again, so here's my schedule: Sun 11:30 AM:          The Appeal of Simple Romance Stories : Not every epic romance needs a dragon to slay or a kingdom to save for two people to fall in love. More readers are embracing love stories that focus on healthy, low-drama relationships that are often shaped by ideas from therapy and emotional growth. Let's explore why these feel-good romances are resonating right now, and how authors are keeping the magic alive in stories where love just...works. Julia Rios, mod...

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Alchemised by SenLinYu My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging by Angela Buchdahl My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

It was that simple. Men who two days earlier would have run each other through or blown each other to pieces, now were up on deck toasting each other’s countries with carefully rationed grog. Captain Doyle wisely put a limit on the amount of alcohol served, knowing that it wouldn’t take much to re-ignite the conflict on a smaller scale. “ Captain Fletcher told me I do not understand men, Mr. Bryant,” Charley said in bemusement later that night. “I have to agree with him.” He shrugged his shoulders. “They fought when they needed to fight. Now they’re anxious to go home. We sailors are not complicated creatures, Doctor.” --SEA CHANGE (High Seas #1)   Today we honor our veterans, the women and men who put themselves in harm's way fighting our nation's battles, and who came home to us. As the generations move on, it's more important than ever to pause and reflect on what their service means to all of us.  Here's a salute to those who wore their nation's uniform, to the...

She looked out over the palmettos and pines, here where she’d grown up, where she learned to survive broiling heat in the summer, lightning storms, war and raiders, disease, and clouds of biting insects and animals that would as soon kill you as walk away from you. It was also a land of birdsong and warm winter breezes, flowers all year round, and plenty of water and sunshine. --[WIP] For Love of a Smuggler Depends where you live. Up here in North Central Florida, we can feel the change from not going outside in mid-August because it feels like you're in a sauna under a magnifying glass frying you on the sidewalk, to waking up in the morning and feeling chipper when you step outside.  For me it's also nature trails season. Florida, especially where I live, is blessed with springs, rivers, and lots of nature trails maintained by the various local and state governments and volunteers. Once the temperature drops down into the 80sF it's safe to get back out, so I grabbed my boo...

The moon hanging heavy above the trees illuminated the pine flatwoods and palmettos, clear enough for him to see a raccoon scamper across the track in front of them. “Older he-coons wait until near dawn to come out,” Carl had told him at the trading site as John admired his collection of skins to trade. “The younger males get trapped or et by panthers and gators ‘cause they ain’t got no sense.” --BOOK NINE, maybe titled FOR LOVE OF A SMUGGLER or maybe TREASURE ON THE TIDE, I dunno yet... Floridians of a certain age may recall the phrase, "The old he-coon walks just before the light of day" and how it helped our late Governor "Walkin' Lawton" Chiles win an election. I was out walking a few mornings back and saw this guy scampering across a neighbor's lawn. It was long past light of day, so he may have had a busy night, or just lacked good sense.  Racoons are part of the Florida landscape, and these little trash pandas are annoying, but also interest...