Today's the anniversary of the British burning Washington during the War of 1812. Could have been worse. And you have to admit, they did have a legitimate beef since we trashed York up in Canada.
But Dolley Madison got to be a heroine, saving Gilbert Stuart's painting of George Washington. So here's a salute to you, Dolley, fashion leader, social lioness, and rescuer of national artifacts!
Queen's Hunt by Beth Bernobich My rating: 4 of 5 stars Ilse Zhalina's tale continues in Queen's Hunt , and the second River of Souls book lives up to the promise of Passion Play . The tale is expanded to introduce more characters (and more POV), but the author manages to keep juggling all the narrative balls without dropping any. One of the best parts of the book for me was the development of strong female secondary characters, especially in the scenes where three women are traveling together, depending on each other and their own skills rather than on a man's assistance. It's a fantasy trope we don't see often enough. My favorite line from the novel regards Ilse and her lover, Raul: "He does not come to rescue me. He comes to deliver me weapons." Hunky, and not clueless. Now, that's a hero! View all my reviews
HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION Worldcon (Denvention3) was fantastic. I arrived Wednesday in plenty of time for my 4:00 panel, Survival Tips for New Writers. The other panelists were David Coe and this year's Campbell Award winner, Mary Robinette Kowal, and along with the audience I picked up tips from them on how to improve my work habits. On Thursday I had a full day of panels. How do Ebooks Change Writing--an Ebook Writing Primer was intriguing, and moderator Dave Howell worked hard to keep us focused on the topic and not wandering off into weird ebook stories. We talked about interactive ebooks with hyperlinks, but also about how many readers seem content with ebooks simply being an exact copy of a print book delivered through different media. Aaaargh! The Pirate Panel was just what you might expect from the title, an exploration of why we like pirates so much, and where pirate history and mythology collide. The other panelists--David Riley, MistyMassey and Linda Donoh...
Comments
It feels so good today to relax in sandals and blue jeans. Wish I could do this a lot more.