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"In "The Secrets of Jin-Shei", eight women pledge themselves as sisters in the name of jin-shei, the unbreakable bond, the promise that lasts a lifetime. This sisterhood shapes their lives, their country and their world. "The Embers of Heaven" begins four hundred years later. In eighteenth-century Syai, and its capital city of Linh-an, things have changed beyond recognition. Women have lost the ability to weave their fates and influence the course of events. Amais is heir to her poet-ancestress's manuscripts and journals. She determines to reinvent the Women's Country and bring the jin-shei back. Just as her crusade begins, she and her family are caught up in the whirlwind of the Golden Rising - a people's revolution that is fated to destroy much that was once valuable, gracious and beautiful."
In a story part history, part fantasy, Alma Alexander skillfully examines the role of women in her world, and in doing so imparts an intuitive understanding of the history and culture of the Far East. The main character, Amais, weds herself to her adopted country, and the things she does to ensure its proper growth, health, and prosperity take her through a whirlwind of love, pain, revolution, loss, and rebirth. Any reasonable historian can draw parallels between Syai and modern China, which kept my interest and tested my knowledge. Because of the narrative, you get an interpretation of events that you won't find in a history book. This is what ultimately makes you cheer for Amais and her chosen path, and gives you hope for the future of the new Republic. Fans of both history and fantasty should pick this (and it's predecessor) up.
I'm as amused as anyone by the Geico commercials that feature the lovable, Aussie-accented gecko. He is a beloved corporate mascot, adored by millions. And heaven knows he gets more press (and play) than me.
Tonight, I chased him out of my house...you see, I have a gecko who lives in the siding near the front door of my house. I've seen him several times, step over him, and make jokes that I have a pet. It's a beautiful Carolina day, I have my front door open, and I suppose the storm door wasn't shut tight. I get up to go into the kitchen, and see him scurrying under the dining room table, where he freezes, as though he blends with the carpet.
Suddenly, he's not so cute. If he gets into my kitchen, I'll never get him out. If I kill him, I'll have to clean it up (which makes my skin crawl even as I write this). So I get a big plastic bowl, hoping to scoop him up into it or toss it over him and sort of...slide...him out of the house. I end up chasing him back to the front door, where, after three twarted attempts, he goes back to nature.
No geckos, real or animated, were harmed in the making of this blogpost.
I wanted to help L.K. Campbell promote her latest vintage project:
ON SALE NOW!
When former paratrooper Scott Riley returns home from the war, he has
one aim—to meet the girl of his dreams, Cassie Wright. Cassie has been
his penpal, and his light at the end of the tunnel through most of his
war experience. He goes to her hometown on the Gulf Coast of Florida
with marriage on his mind only to find that she has other plans for her
future. A talented pianist, Cassie has been accepted to a prestigious
music conservatory in Jacksonville. Will she give up her dreams for
Scott, or will he chase hers?
A DIFFERENT TUNE is my third World War II-era historical. Read the four sneak peeks I've posted on my
MySpace Blog
or Visit A Different Tune Homepage for purchase info and to download a 2-chapter preview.
For more information about me or my other novels, please visit: LKCampbell.com
I'm pleased to announce that my vintage novel, All in Good Time, has been contracted with The Wild Rose Press. I'm excited about continuing my relationship with them, sharing the stories I love.
When Philadelphian Elizabeth Temple arrives in a small, Southern town to teach first grade in 1948, she hopes to slide unnoticed into a spinster’s existence, believing herself unfit for any companion. She doesn’t count on falling for handsome Jake Ryan, a World War II veteran tainted by a scandalous divorce now struggling to raise his young son alone. Despite an undeniable chemistry, the road to romance is strewn with roadblocks and detours. Between the personal secret that has a devastating grip on Elizabeth, and Jake’s temperamental, soon-to-be-ex-wife, what looks like a ‘sure thing’ could easily slip away.
Join the historical authors of The Wild Rose Press Thursday, Aparil 19 at 9 p.m. EST in The Wild Rose Press Chatroom to find out why the past is where it's at :)
Special congrats to the Chefs and culinary students from AiCH who won first place for cold dish at The Taste of the Nation: Charlotte tonight! Who knew liver could taste that good???
Pathfinder is a movie also based on a graphic novel of the same name produced by Dark Horse comics. As with 300, expect fiction. Here's the blurb:
"Five hundred years before Columbus, barbaric Viking invasions ravaged North America. Something stopped them. Pathfinder is the story of a young Viking boy left behind as the only survivor of a shipwrecked expedition. A stranger in a strange land, the boy is raised by a tribe of American Indians--the very people the Vikings had sworn to destroy. When Vikings again storm the eastern shores, waging another barbaric campaign, they slaughter the tribe that adopted the young man. Now he wages a violent personal war to stop the Viking's trail of death and destruction."
What I liked? The action, costuming, and set design are spectacular. Vikings fought in close combat, so the action is shot that way. It's bloody, but not as much as 300. I liked the plot, although a tad predictable, it did keep you focused. The movie is 1:28, so things get moving and the pace doesn't slow. And finally, I loved the heroine, Starfire, played by Moon Bloodgood. She wasn't the simpering, helpless squaw--she was quite the kick-ass babe.
What I didn't like? This is petty, but (for me) Karl Urban as the hero, Ghost, is simply not hot enough. He acts well, but I didn't toally get into his character. He runs through the movie usually half-dressed in the middle of winter, and I spent some energy wondering why he never got cold. I also thought they left some things out that could have added to the plot--like the initial attack on the village. The child (Ghost) is left behind, and it would have made much more sense for his own father to have returned fifteen years later for better emotional pull. The romance between Ghost and Starfire is sweet and fairly well developed. There's no love scene (don't let the trailer fool you), which was okay with me, but some viewers might miss it. Lastly, when you get to the end of the movie, you kind of find out that the movie...really isn't about him. That's all I'll say. I suppose it's supposed to be some kind of twist, but it was rather unsatisfying and abrupt.
From a historical view, yes, Vikings did visit the shores of America before the arrival of any other Europeans (probably by accident). This movie isn't meant to give the Viking culture it's due, but looking at the history of film, it's interesting from a cultural perspective how the portrayal of Native Americans has changed over the years.
All said and done, I'll give it a B+.
This being the first week of the quarter, how I got to bebo.com is hazy. What I liked, though, was that it had a specific place for authors to shelve their books. I invited just about everyone in my address book, but if I missed you, check it out.
Good news - second round of edits for Bootlegger's Bride have been turned in. Yay! Hoping for more to share soon...I also left a post at The History Spot if you're interested (or bored?).
