Books & Blog: April 13, 2015

by | Apr 14, 2015 | 2015

Books of the Week:

  • The Witch with No Name, Kim Harrison
  • Force of Attraction, D.D. Ayres
  • A Lovely Way to Burn, Louise Welsh
  • Duke City Desperado, Max Austin

I’ve had The Witch with No Name on my TBR bookcase ever since it was published. I guess I just hated to end the ride. But now that I’m reading it, I’m glad I waited. There’s so much in this book, it requires a lot of attention, and there are a lot of plot twists. Will Landon succeed in killing the demons and/or the vampires? Will Nina go completely vamp? How about Ivy? What will happen to Trent’s little girl, and Ray? All I can say it, Harrison handles this like the pro she is, and our Rachel Morgan is an equal pro at survival.

My friend D.D. Ayres has done a ton of research into K-9 officers, and it shows – in an ‘information dump’ kind of way, but in the authority with which she shows what these officers and their dogs do every day, and how heavy their responsibilities can be. Nicole “Cole” Jamieson has a new job and a new companion (a dog name Hugo). And then she’s handed a unique opportunity – an undercover job in which she can do a lot of good and impress her superiors, too. The catch is that the other officer involved is her ex-husband Agent Scott Lucca, now a K-9 officer too. To say their relationship ended badly is putting it mildly, and to say Scott has baggage is also an understatement. Force of Attraction puts them at serious risk of being killed . . . and of falling in love again.

Louise Welsh’s A Lovely Way to Burn is a fascinating book, but a melancholy one. Londoner Stevie Flint, who makes her living selling frivolous things on television, becomes convinced her lover, Dr. Simon Sharkey, was murdered. But London is in the midst of a pandemic called “The Sweats.” Who cares about one murder when so many people are dying? Beautiful Stevie becomes a serious person of determination as people all around her are dying. This is really an impressive novel. I could not put it down.

I also read a first draft of a Leigh Perry mystery (you’re gonna love it!) and read my friend Max Austin’s book Duke City Desperado, which is an ebook written for Random House’s Alibi imprint. I’m not completely certain when this book will be for sale, but if you love a caper-gone-wrong novel, you’ll love this book. Max Austin is an old buddy of mine writing under another name, but under any name he’s funny as hell.

Blog

I don’t know about you, but when I’m trying to convince myself to get up in the morning I go over my week in my head. It was hard to convince myself that this morning was Sunday, because I went to church yesterday — granted, it was a funeral I attended, not a real service, but I already felt “churched.” I had to persuade myself it was truly Sunday.

Tomorrow I have a phone interview at 4 p.m. CST, which I am very much looking forward to. Tuesday I have a dental appointment at 9:45, which I am not looking forward to so much. I find that just making the appointment is hard enough, but at least I know how to make one. One of my friends asked me the other week how to make one, and I was surprised. Luckily, I had found this article – click here to read it – as it tells you all you need to know about what you should do when it comes to completing this dreaded task. It’s a good guide to follow, and I was even tempted to look over it once or twice, but I think that was because the anxiety I had about going to the dentist was just completely taking over my life, even though it was just a routine check-up this time and nothing serious like the cosmetic treatments available at https://www.dentalimplantsusa.com/ (I keep on top of my oral care to ensure this will never be necessary!). I am not a big fan of dental appointments, especially as my last one was an emergency one because I was in so much pain. By the way, if you ever need an emergency appointment, this CareDash article on emergency dental appointments is a lifesaver. However, I don’t need any emergency appointments currently. I’m just going for a regular checkup to make sure everything is fine. I go to a local family owned dental practice at the minute and I’m really happy. I always think those family businesses are a lot more friendly and welcoming. Wednesday to Friday is clear, so far. My BFF Paula arrives on Friday night which I am definitely excited for!! We work on Saturday and I have a radio interview at 12:30 p.m. On Sunday, I am supposed to go to a tea – a fund-raiser for animal rescue.

Of course, ALL WEEK I have to write and write and write. I’m heading into the home stretch for “Night Shift,” though not as close to the finish line as I’d hoped to be. There will be no free moments.

So that’s the week in anticipation. It’s my easiest week for a month or more, I think. Late April, May, and June are very busy for me. That is the norm, since I’ve had a May book for the last fifteen years.

It’s really easier when you can count on that at the beginning of the year, when I’m deciding which conventions I’m going to attend and the speaking engagements I’ll accept. I know now that May and June are always busy, that I don’t like accepting much of anything from November through February, and so on.

I’m trying to train myself to say “no” more often, but I had a few moments of weakness this year, and as a result I have about three more events than I like to have. In 2016, I’ll be tougher!

Charlaine Harris

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