REMEMBRANCE DAY

In memory of every soldier who's died in the past five years in Afghanistan and Iraq. May you rest in peace.

A QUICK NOTE....

Sorry I've been AWOL the past two weeks, but I'm suffering from a bad back spasm that's ruining my life at the moment. If I sit down, I can't get up; if I lie down, I can't get up; I've been reduced to sleeping in our Lazyboy to get some relief!

As November 4th approaches, I hope and pray that all my American friends and family take a last, hard, look at their candidates and make a strong decision for their country. By this time next week, it'll all be over - and a new direction for America beginning. So, get out and vote! Exercise your right to freedom and democracy, and vote - tell your students, co-workers, adult kids, grandparents and parents, to do the right thing and vote for the future of your country - however you see it.

And thank you to those of you who read my review for Loreth Ann White and responded to it! I'm now working in a large bookstore (and in heaven!), and enjoying hand-selling books to customers, and being able to tell them I've actually reviewed a book they have in their hands. (If you follow this blog, you'll know I've done a few reviews in my time :) )

I'm going to try participating in NaNoWriMo this year, which may involve writing on my laptop on the kitchen counter, as I just can't seem to sit without seizing up. I hope to get alot done on either of two projects I have on the go.

If anyone has a cure/relief suggestion for a stubborn lower-back problem, please let me know! In the meantime, please keep up with the fabulous agent and author blogs I've linked to, while I'm recuperating. And get out and vote! :)

REVIEWING "MANHUNTER"

I was honoured to get an author's copy of MANHUNTER from Loreth Anne White. MANHUNTER will be part of November's Silhouette Romantic Suspense line-up but the difference with this book is: a) not only is it a Canadian story set north of the 60th parallel, it's the start of her new series, "Wild Country". Here's the back blurb....

"Sergeant Gabriel Caruso arrived in the remote Yukon wilderness with one goal: to erase all memories of the serial killer who had ruined his life. But he soon discovered that the madman was hot on his heels - and after anything that touched Gabe's heart. Including local tracker Silver Karvonen.

As Silver plotted with Gabe to stop their predator, she matched more than wits with the Mountie. Even the icy tundra couldn't muffle the heat simmering between them. But for Silver and Gabe, love could very well be a matter of life and death."

I've been in a remote, northern, Indian (okay, Aboriginal) town in Ontario. That's not the Yukon but it's pretty close what with the long dark winter, the trackers, the police, and doctors who're stranded with no roads out of there. You could only get in by bush plane from Timmins Ontario, and I can attest to the fact that a six-seater bush plane can give you a gigantic migraine.

Loreth's research has captured everything wonderful about the North and its inhabitants. The wild landscape, unforgiving of human mistakes in judgement; the people who rely on each other for survival, the police who're the only law enforcement in an area of 5000 miles. She developed the romance between Gabe and Silver at just the right pace...unsure, untrusting, while they relied on each other in the wilderness to capture a killer who's far from the average serial killer in romantic suspense. She's managed to take your common ritual killer a step further into one with an incredible background and the motivation to match.

Anyone who loves a fast paced read, with a fix of love and danger, and has an interest in Canada and its vast region of somewhat uncharted territory, will love this story. I'm so glad to see Silhouette taking the chance on publishing a major story set in Canada - and not just one story, a series by itself. It's been a long time coming!

And for those of you who've always wondered about our Horsemen in Red up here, you'll love Gabe Caruso. Loreth did a tremendous amount of research with an RCMP officer and she's got every detail down.

Grab it while you can, and with the cold winter fast approaching all of us, curl up with a fabulous love story - a heroine unlike any typical kick-butt woman, and a man who'll make your toes curl in delight. I promise!

A SAD DAY....

Another Snowbird pilot has died while flying in our out-dated, worn-out Tutor airplanes used by our nine-man exhibition team. We knew Capt. Mitchell personally, so this is a very sad day for us.

My family and I send our sincere condolences to Capt. Mitchell's family and loved ones.

As Capt. Mitchell is the second Snowbird pilot in two years to die in a crash, it's about time our Department of Defense took action with our government and either get new planes asap, or scrap the exhibition program until there are safe planes to use.

Capt. Mitchell, rest in peace. You will be lovingly remembered by your family, your friends, and your congregation at Moose Jaw Alliance Church.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO MY FELLOW CANADIANS!

Wishing all my fellow Canadians, friends and readers, a wonderful, safe and happy Thanksgiving this weekend!

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR...

I've been "away" judging contests, reading books to review, and getting in touch with my MUSE for my current WIP. When hopping about the blogosphere, I found an agent by the name of Nathan Bransford who's with Curtis Brown. Yesterday he posted the question "What's the worst writing advice you've ever been given?"

Well, I hope Mr. Bransford doesn't mind if I paraphrase a few of the most common answers from the 125 comments he got on this topic...yes, I read every one of them! It was illuminating to say the least.

Here's the TOP FIVE that seemed to be repeated over and over:

1) Send your submission in right away because your friend/mother/crit group, think it's "GREAT!".

2) Send a full Manuscript in to an editor/agent when you haven't bothered to query first - sure, they'll take it!

3) My personal favourite: have a published author teaching a class tell you your query letter is "perfect" - submit it only to have it come crashing back in your inbox within two hours, with a "thanks but no thanks & oh, btw, don't bother submitting anything else". Show your query to another published author and she can't believe *anyone* would tell you to send it to *anyone* in the condition it's in.

4) Take out all the COMMAS, DIALOGUE TAGS, NARRATIVE, OR DIALOGUE QUOTATION MARKS.

5) Your professor/creative writing teacher/correspondence writing teacher tells you you have no talent. When you get published, send them a copy of your book cover!

You can find Nathan Bransford at his cool blog here: NATHAN BRANSFORD

I love finding people in the industry who're willing to share their expertise and actually help writers. So, Mr. Bransford, you're being linked to the right, and thank you for taking the time to educate writers about the "biz".

THE NEW TV SEASON IS HERE

I posted on my Facebook page that I need to stop watching all these premieres and get some sleep! It's true - my husband and I love to watch the premieres of our favourite shows, and never miss the finales either.

On the right I've posted some of my all-time-never-miss-an-episode TV shows, which you can access via those links to receive full shows downloaded from Amazon.com. I think it's a great idea whose time has come.

Is there anybody else out there who loves these shows? Especially the new kid on the block - FRINGE? I was trying to describe it today to a friend. It tops the X-FILES, in my opinion, and the FBI heroine is a refreshing change from all the "kick-ass" heroines we've been subjected to in TV and books for the past five years or so. It's nice to see a woman use her brains for a change, instead of her bone-crushing martial arts skills. But that's just me - a woman who wants to be known for her brains, because her days of martial arts are over!

Check out this new service from Amazon. I'd love to hear your feedback on whether it's valuable or a time-saver for you. I think this is the wave of the future, begun with iTunes.

THE LAUNCH IS HERE....9 HOURS FROM NOW

MARCHER LORD PRESS is officially launching at Midnight when the clock changes over to October 1st, 2008

I'm presenting a review of one of the three books being launched: Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy, by Theodore Beale. Mr. Beale is also published by Pocket and Simon & Shuster, in the field of Christian speculative fiction.

Summa Elvetica takes place in a fantasy world so detailed it might rival Lord of the Rings. Certainly, anyone in love with that trilogy will delight in this book. Here's the book cover:

"...Beale brings us a delightfully speculative what-if scenario: what if the Catholic Church (or something very like it) existed in a fantasy world in which dwelt non-human intelligent races like orcs, trolls, and elves? At some point in such a world the leading ecclesiastics would have to wrestle with the questions of whether or not these demi-humans have souls and therefore ought to be the subject of evangelization by the Church. Summa Elvetica is the story of the young priest whom the Church assigns to investigate the matter. Along the way to his conclusion, he falls in love with an Elven princess and finds himself in the middle of a racially motivated war. More than the curiosities of high clerics hang in the balance as he comes to declare whether or not elves have souls."

Theodore Beale combines philosophy, traditional Christian teaching, demonology, and the paranormal powers of magic in all its forms, to render a story that's rich with metaphor. The world is a fantasy based on the Roman Empire. The Christians are led by the Sanctiff, similar to the Pope. He has Michealine priests based on the tenets of St. Michael the Archangel - the Defender. Our hero, Marcus Valarius, must journey to the Elvish Kingdom to begin his investigation into the story premise - do elves have souls, and are they created beings of God?

The story is slowed down by the telling of historical tales on the journey to see the Elven High King. It reminded me of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Once there, however, Marcus is rapidly drawn in to the controversy. His is a spiritual as well as a physical journey, and his actions and discoveries mirror those many of us have also had in our own quest for a relationship with God.

This book is multi-layered and should be read slowly and carefully to get the fullest experience. I found it rich in its concept, and Beales' use of humanistic philosophy versus Christian teachings. For those who love their fantasy, as well as Biblical teaching, this book will be a feast.

I have one caveat: at the beginning of each chapter there are quotations written in Latin. These are explained in translation at the end of the book. At first I found it odd, as I have no knowledge of Latin. However, the explanations at the end of the book are the "Summa" that Marcus writes to end the debate.

Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy by Theodore Beale, available October 1 from Marcher Lord Press, $12.99

Be sure to register at the site for special prizes, as well as the Grand Prize Draw - a trip for two to the 2009 comicCON in San Diego.

I have no relationship with MARCHER LORD PRESS in any way, and am not contracted by them for a work of fiction. I offer this review simply to engage readers in what they can expect from this new and adventurous publisher.