So, here’s our New Thing! My Office Writing Buddies ™, Nell Iris and Ofelia Grand and I all run blogs and we like to drop in to each other’s places and make things collaborative. So we have set up a little group of like-minded people who write similar stories and we are all going to pick a topic once a month and write about it.
I have [please insert your drumroll here] set up a webring. Webrings are an ancient and venerable part of the internet and some of you might not even know what they are. My memories of them from the glorious nineties and noughties are…variable. There weren’t many easy options to find like-minded people on the world wide interweb, so bloggers and website hosts with similar interests got together in groups and directed one-another to our sites. You signed up, stuck a bit of code on your webpage that produced something like this and off you went:
(Purely in hopes of admiration, I need to say at this point that I forked a repository on Github to make this happen—I regularly say my coding days are over and they definitely are, I found it tortuous!)
The result of all this is that a handful of us are going to pick a topic, write about it on the last Friday of the month and link to each other’s posts. Because we are all high-stress people, the plan is to be very easy going and not put pressure on ourselves…if we don’t fancy a topic one month, we just don’t do it.
Our first posts will be going up on the Friday 25th of March, so do keep an eye out! We hope to see you around!
I haven’t done an #AmReading post for a while, largely because my reading has consisted of doomscrolling on twitter and a deep-dive in to the fanfic excellence of AO3.
However, I have begun to surface into actual, purchasable books again over the last couple of weeks and the first one I want to tell you about is a re-read of FF historical The Covert Captain by my dear friend Jeannelle M. Ferreira. I include this to indicate that I am biased! Jeannelle is working on the sequel and I did a reread so I’d be ready. This week I also talk about contemporary MM The Other Boyfriend by Darien Cox and The Green Man’s Challenge by Juliette E. McKenna
The Covert Captain by Jeannelle M. Ferreira is a f/f regency and I had forgotten how delightful I found it the first time round. Eleanor Fleming (Nora) comes home from war…where she has spent the last decade or two fighting Bonaparte as Nathanial Fleming. She falls in love with her commanding officer’s sister, Harriet. Hijinx of the ‘gosh I didn’t realise you were a woman!’ variety ensue.
I love the historical detail in Jeannelle’s stories (you should check out Your Fingers Like Pen and Ink if this is your catnip, it’s a free transcript and/or podcast) and The Covert Captain is no exception. I felt immersed in the eighteenth century as I was reading—the day to day detail reminds me very much of Dorothy Dunnett’s style.
I should add…this is not a trans story. It’s a woman dresses as a man to survive story. And it’s perfect. Highly recommend.
Darien Cox is one of my favourite authors and I was delighted when I realised I’d missed a release. The Other Boyfriend should probably be described as a romp. It’s got an unusual plot where our main characters Jonas and Lee, the younger boyfriends of two brothers, work out that actually they don’t hate each other after all. I don’t think I can tell you much more than that without massive spoilers.
I really enjoyed it…it’s a light read with positively Shakespearean undertones. Recommend!
Another wonderful Green Man story. This one is set in White Horse Country in the south of England. Dan is called to the area both by a night-time visit from the Green Man and a phone call from Fin, his river-ecologist, swan-maiden lover. She just happens to have seen a giant on her way home from a job in Wiltshire. As you do. I love the magic in these books. It’s very strongly tied to the earth and to English myth and it resonates really deeply with me. The giant isn’t a force for good in the world; but the white horses that populate the chalk hillsides of the area are. This book also introduces good witches that turn into hares, which is brilliant. It’s set in the summer of 2020 or 2021, in the pandemic, and it’s very well done–there in the background, with Dan’s worry about his elderly father, he and Fin’s confusion about whether it’s safe for them to sleep together, all those little things. But it’s not overwhelming or intrusive. The way the real world and the magical world are interwoven is superb as usual.
This week, a touching YA by Suki Fleet with a young homeless man who finds his way to security, the return of Catherine Lundoff’s menopausal-werewolves and another lovely ray romance by R. Cooper in the Familiar Spirits collection.
Suki Fleet is a relatively new author to me. This is a YA story set in London. It’s told from the POV of Danny, a young homeless man. He is looking for the person who murdered his best friend Dashiel.
Dashiel was a rent boy and was very wary of certain men he called ‘sharks‘. In the course of his travels he meets Mickey, a young American who’s selling himself on the streets. He falls hard for Mickey. I love the way Danny’s spectrum issues are framed in this book. ‘He needs to keep his world small in order to survive‘ is a perfect description of someone who becomes overwhelmed by input.
There’s a well drawn supporting cast, from Flower Lady, who gives Danny food and flowers and medical care; to Milo, the disabled army veteran who shares Danny’s derelict swimming pool home; to Diana, a cafe owner who helps young homeless people. They young people who are working the streets are well characterised and realistic. Oh and there are foxes…real life foxes. The contrast between them, surviving around the periphery of human society and Danny and his friends is not a co-incidence, obviously. This is an emotional story told in an almost stream-of-consciousness way from Danny’s POV. I really recommend it.
This is the sequel to Silver Moon, also colloquially known as ‘that brilliant book with menopausal werewolves’. It’s just as good as the first, with a nice solid murder-mystery wrapped around a tentative lesbian romance, and a central premise of middle aged women saving their community. That the inner circle of their community happen to be werewolves called by the residual magic in the valley to protect the town when they hit menopause just makes it perfect.
I love the colourful background in these books. The way Becca worries about her day to day interactions with the rest of the pack, how she doesn’t like all of them but realises they have to work together regardless and how the older retired ladies live in what’s essentially a rest-home for elderly werewolves and also take art class. There’s a richly characterised supporting cast, excellent baddies and very good trans representation. I recommend!
Emery has come home to live alone in his big empty house and take care of the cemetery. He’s been avoiding his school friend Ezra for a year since he returned. Ezra’s waiting for him. This is another R Cooper book I got tied up in and lost sleep over. Her prose is wonderful, sort of emotional and flowing…and this story is very closely tied in to the land and life and death and growing things, which suits it perfectly. Its a lovely read.
This week we welcome debut author R. G. Hendrickson to the blog! Welcome, Richard! Thanks so much for visiting!
Thank you, Ally, for giving a newbie author like me an interview on your blog. It’s a thrill, and I really appreciate it.
Tell me a little bit about your most recent release. What gave you the idea for it?
Funny you should ask. I was just talking about this with an old friend.
When I told him about the book, he wrinkled his nose and said, “Eww. Why cavemen?” I get some of the frankest critiques from my friends, which is fine. I’ve known him since high school, a long time before I started writing. If he doesn’t like my book, I guess I’ll probably still like him anyway.
So, why cavemen? Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, I understand this, but MM romance must have existed in some fashion during the Stone Age. I thought it might be interesting to explore. Though different, it isn’t so far-fetched, really. I mean, after all, we have shifters, vampires, and Mpreg.
By the way, the main character in this story might be viewed as a reverse-vampire. His longevity comes from the unusual stem cells in his blood, and a doctor discovers that an infusion of these cells cures people and makes them young. This of course has serious implications for the Earth.
Let’s set aside the speculative fiction. I found that the Stone Age made a delightful setting for MM romance. It accommodated some favorite tropes, like fake dating and hurt/comfort. In addition, there’s a developing romance in the present, which might qualify as an age gap trope, though the older character appears much younger than his years.
So, why not a caveman? At the end of the day, it’s just a book and might be fun. If you happen to take a chance on reading it, please let me know what you think. Even if you don’t like it, I’m still your friend, like I’m still friends with my old high school buddy.
What started you writing?
It’s a strange compulsion. I’ve had it since childhood and only recently gave in, apart from dabbling a little over the years. Even when I wasn’t writing, there were always stories rattling around in my head. When I retired a little early and had some time on my hands, I found myself putting things on paper. It felt good getting it off my mind, refreshing.
I did study dramatic literature and script writing as an undergraduate, but I set aside playwriting in the interest of making a living. In the meantime, I came to like reading more than theatre or movies. I preferred reading novels and found that I enjoyed writing them, so far three, two of them published.
When I started the first book, I realized that I needed to learn the craft. There’s a big difference between a story floating around in my head and a novel on paper. So, I joined some writer groups, read excerpts, and got feedback. I also read a lot of novels and some books about writing, or I listened to recorded presentations.
With practice, I think I’m becoming a better storyteller. My goal next time is to write a book that my old high school friend will want to read. That, of course, might never happen, but I’m having fun trying.
Call Me Methuselah
Since humanity’s first steps in the Stone Age, Methuselah has harbored an ancient secret. Cursed by the shaman to witness the end of days, he searches in vain for a home, place to place, clan to clan, yearning to belong. First in prehistoric Africa and lately disillusioned with love for a hundred years in the New World, he learns all too well to guard his heart and hide his story. That changes when a car crash lands him in the hospital with a fractured skull. Doctors discover strange stem cells in his blood, promising cures and a fountain of youth. Methuselah faces choices of life and death.
Forced on the run again, he comforts himself by reliving a happier time, when he and Arrow, his first love, raft across the paleo-lake Makgadikgadi, which rested in those days on the vast Kalahari. In their age-old journey, the cavemen lovers find a place to call home and learn what it means to belong.
While Arrow’s enlightened sensibilities get the two of them in trouble and challenge Methuselah’s judgment, their adventures in an untamed world bring them together. When Methuselah’s enduring youth reveals itself through the passing seasons, he and Arrow bravely face a dire reality.
From the distant past that lives inside Methuselah, Arrow’s spirit reaches out, providing guidance for our threatened times. He gives Methuselah the strength to do the right thing and the courage to live his true self in the modern world. Arrow’s memory opens Methuselah’s heart and renews for him a hope of redemption in the arms of a caring man today. If only Methuselah permits himself to love once more.
No blood nor gore in sight, I worried that the crocodile had eaten him already, tossed him in the air, and swallowed him whole. Relieved that I didn’t have to fight that monster, I dived down again near the bottom, where the crocodile might not follow me. Its big tail wagged above my head and passed me by. As I turned to swim away, I found the drowned man sinking. All in one piece, he must have submerged before the crocodile arrived. His eyes were blank, and his many skinny braids floated and twisted like snakes around his head. No time to waste, I grabbed his hair and pulled him along with me. His husky body nearly weightless underwater, I held on with one hand. My legs and the free arm enough for swimming, I towed him toward a safer shore, near the ledge from where I’d first spotted him that morning. When I could hold my breath no longer, I surfaced and looked for the croc. No sign of it, maybe it returned to the beach. They didn’t like it here by this cliff with its deep water and jagged rocks. I slipped through the outcrops, as I’d done since a boy. Losing my loincloth along the way, I struggled to shore with the stranger in tow. By his armpits, I dragged him out of the waves to dry gravel and avoided his eyes. They were open, unblinking, and vacant. With both my hands, I felt his neck for signs of life, warm but motionless. His mouth was full of water, which trickled out. He was dead. Remembering him gives me pause. Lately, I’ve pondered my own mortality. Hence, this memoir, I’m not ready. More the reason for starting in a happier time, the beginning, long ago on that lake with my first love. We were so much alike then, young and invincible. Only for me, invincibility was no youthful fantasy. I’ve never stopped missing him. Not to complain, that wouldn’t be fair. It wasn’t me who had to die, and even while grieving, there’s joy in life. Enough said. On with the story. The dead man’s eyes bewildered me. I couldn’t bear to look at them or make myself look away. Though we were strangers, we’d faced a monster crocodile together and escaped it. Few friends could say that. As tears blurred my vision, I covered his face with my hands and brushed his eyelids closed. Then I remembered the words of my father. A boy had drowned. His brother pushed the water out of him, and the boy came back. Worth a try with this man, I pressed hard on his tight stomach, just below the ribs, and water sprayed from his mouth. Worried I’d hurt him, I checked his face for signs of pain. He showed no expression but peace, a haunting beauty, and over his lips more water flowed. When I pressed again, he twitched. His eyes opened wide, and when he rolled on his side, lake water spewed out his mouth. Then, to my considerable relief, he coughed and took a deep loud breath. We gazed at each other in the eye and lingered there. No, he doesn’t die that day, and I get to meet him after all. He’ll be the love of my life. I know this now, a long time later …
R.G. Hendrickson loves words for the feelings they evoke. Though relatively new to writing, he draws on experience from a long life and strong imagination.
In his MM romance, you’ll find quirky characters and fantasy/science fiction subplots.
If you take a chance on his book, he would love to hear your thoughts about it, whatever they are. He also enjoys receiving critiques from the writers group that he attends weekly online from his home in Las Vegas.
This week a sweet, sapphic holiday romance set in Victorian Scotland by Meg Mardell, and two gay romances… Astounding! by Kim Fielding, and the audio of Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander.
I really enjoyed this sweet sapphic novella. It’s a Victorian Christmas delight, a seasonal hug with just a nip of whisky. The two main characters are Sharda, an heiress who is just beginning to realise she is her own person and doesn’t have to run around after her terrible relatives; and Finella, a woman who’s taken over her father’s job as the manager of a Scottish estate. The contrast between them is very marked at the beginning of the story. Sharda has never had any agency and has been content to drift along trapped in the web her family have woven around her in their hopes of getting access to her fortune. Finella has had entirely too much put upon her by her scapegrace employer and is constantly weighted down with the responsibility of looking after the castle, farms and people in her care.
Initially this is a case of mistaken identity; but the two women move through that to cement first a friendship and then a romance. I really liked both of them and wanted them to sort their misunderstanding out. They are well drawn, well rounded characters and the secondary characters are charming, particularly Finella’s brothers! The period detail is nicely researched and held up well for me. I felt there was enough dialect speech to give a flavour of the period and the location, but not so much it overwhelmed the pace of the story. Recommend for a comforting holiday read! (Also the cover! It’s gorgeous!)
This is an homage to the golden age of science fiction magazines as well as a very satisfying, sweet love story. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Kim Fielding I haven’t loved, in particular her science-fiction and paranormal stories. This is no exception. The golden age of the science fiction magazines is over and Astounding! is dying. Carter, its founding editor, is a purposeless, broke and depressed borderline alcoholic. He writes a snippy rejection letter to a writer who persists in sending him terrible, terrible submissions and then in a fit of remorse drives to his house to apologise. The guy, John, is a) gorgeous and b) bonkers, as he claims to be an alien wanting to send a message via Astounding! to his people to come and take him home. They’re both lonely and they quickly make a connection despite Carter’s reservations. It’s a really satisfying read with the well-rounded, complex characters you’d expect from this author. There’s also a road-trip with Carter’s super-star-writer friend (who I pictured as a cross between George R. R. Martin and Arthur C. Clarke) and his husband, which is a delight. Recommend!
This is another favorite I suddenly realised I could get the audio for with Whispersync. And again, one of those stories that definitely allowed me to pick up further detail and depth in the audio. Contemporary USA. Austin Glass is a rich boy playing at being a Detective. He’s very good at it and wants to segue into the FBI. He’s got a society marriage lined up, he tumbles through life without much touching him. The reason for that is…revealed as the story goes on. He finds himself unexpectedly attracted to a male witness/suspect in a people trafficking ring. This is not something he’s prepared for and once that thread gets pulled, all sorts of things in his life begin to unravel. That’s the main focus of the story, but the thriller plot is very respectable and kept me interested, with another two books clearly being set up in this one. These haven’t happened yet, but I still check occasionally to see whether they have because this one is so good. The narration is great. Adds depth and clarity to the story and makes it really enjoyable.
