Author of Historical & Literary Fiction
Dead Reckoning (a great title) is a novella-length story about an incredible and terrible accident that occurred off the California coast in September 1923 involving several Clemson-class naval destroyers. I picked up this book because I like historical fiction, and I like stories set at sea. It’s also always great to get to read about…
This is my second novel by Paul Jameson (I also read and reviewed his novel, Nightjar), and I’m now confident in saying he is equal parts a masterful storyteller and a marvelous crafter of words. (And I say that as someone who doesn’t usually read either folklore or horror.) Grim, gritty, and atmospheric (the author…
First, let’s start with the title. Every good novel needs a good title. Not enough attention is paid to good titles. (I’m especially looking at you right now, traditional publishers.) But “Knight in Paper Armor”? That’s a title I wish I had come up with myself. Kudos to the author for coming up with a…
This young ring-billed gull was quite proud of his find. Taken at Huntington Beach, Lake Erie, Ohio.
“Creating Cinderella” is a collection of twelve short stories all based on the traditional Cinderella fairy tale. I have never actually read the original “Cinderella,” but I am familiar with the fable and the 1950 Disney film. As a “fresh take” on Cinderella, this story collection included a variety of point of views, including the…
The history behind the story… These are some of the books I found invaluable in researching my novel, The Stars That Govern Us and which are mentioned in the book’s Historical Note. For readers who would like to learn more about the science and history behind the novel, I highly recommend these reads. The links…
You may have seen me mention in conjunction with my novel, Five Fathoms Beneath, and my work in progress, The Stars That Govern Us, that these are #ownvoices novels. What does that specifically mean in the context of my work? An “OwnVoices” novel is a fictional story with a marginalized character or characters — and there are…
Wow. I picked this novel to read as part of #IndieApril, and I am so glad I did. I read “Nightjar” slowly because the writing was so lyrical, haunting, and atmospheric that I wanted to take my time and enjoy each page. I found myself stopping repeatedly as I read to reread particularly stunning passages.…
So let’s start with an admission on my part: I’ve never actually read a historical fantasy before. I love magical realism, but I find the world-building and all the rules in fantasies to be a little too confusing and tedious; I tend to like my fiction set closer to the real world. (To give you…
This is a memoir. It’s billed as A mid-life crisis, a sailing adventure, and a rescue at sea, Coming About tells a story of survival and inner-strength through a foundational loving relationship. This was an #IndieApril read for me. Although this book didn’t quite grab me enough to earn five stars (if I could, I’d…