Monthly Wanderings: October 2019

Fall has finally arrived in the South and the weather has been just so beautiful! I’ve been taking lots of walks in this gorgeous weather when I’m not prepping for NaNo!

Keeping Morality in Fiction: What’s the Line Between Realistic and Gratuitous Fiction?

Humanity has committed every sin imaginable in our existence. No race, gender, location, or era is exempt. But are we as writers, artists, and creators obligated to show the dregs of humanity in order to be realistic? Fantasy, crime, and other spec-fic genre writers feel pressure to do this, but historical fiction writers feel it, even more, when they decide to stray away from more ordinary life stories. Can we write realistic stories without showing graphic detail? When does content cross from realistic to gratuitous?

Warning: I will be discussing mature content concerning violence, drugs, and rape in a little more detail than I do normally. No graphic imagery is shown (I mean that would defeat my point), but I will be touching on these subjects heavily. Reader discretion advised.

Also spoilers for All the Light We Cannot See, The Scent of Her Soul, Game of Thrones, The Handmaid's Tale, and Carnival Row.

A Book Review of the Scent of Her Soul by B. Allen Davis

Buy from Amazon!

Mike Pritchard’s daughter, Emily, is kidnapped by a sex trafficker, who delivers a concussive blow to Mike’s head during the abduction. The brain trauma endows him with the ability to detect the scent of a girl’s soul, the olfactory equivalent to seeing a person’s aura.

His obsession with finding Emily, as well as his burden of guilt, lead to estrangement from his wife. Now a loner and a private investigator, Mike plunges into the cesspool of organized crime in Washington state’s urban centers where he rescues trafficked girls, delivers vigilante justice, and hunts for clues to Emily’s whereabouts.

When a clue to the abductor’s location unearths in Spokane, Mike faces a heart-wrenching dilemma—to either risk the lives of other trafficked girls or else never learn what happened to his long-lost daughter.

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy Crime
Publisher: Scrub Jay Journeys (May 5, 2018)
Page Count: 314 pages

Though this isn't Bryan Davis's first foray into adult fiction this is definitely the most mature subject he's decided to write about. Because of the adult nature of the content, he even decided to choose a pseudonym for the cover so his younger YA readers wouldn't pick up the book thinking it's a clean piece of fiction. It's definitely a gritty story about the realities of the sex trafficking industry, but I'm happy he had the bravery to put out this story. Though he shopped it around to multiple publishers with no takes, he decided to self-publish.

Strayborn by E.E. Rawls Blog Tour!

My bloggy buddy E.E. Rawls is releasing her debut novel! Isn't the cover absolutely amazing? I do have to say it's one of my favorites I've seen in a while! I'm helping get the word out and tell you about a bunch of goodies relating to the book!

A Book Review of All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Publisher: Scribner; Reprint edition (April 4, 2017)
Page Count: 544 pages

I had a friend push me to read this one and I'm so glad I did! I haven't read historical fiction in a while and this is such a beautifully written book!

#WIPJoy September 2019 Recap!

This is my second year participating in #WIPJoy and this time I did it on Instagram which was fun and challenging trying to figure out themed pics since I'm still trying to get the hang of this Instagram thing. XD Thank you, Bethany Jennings and Kara Swanson for hosting this challenge! I look forward to next time!

On This Age of Nostalgia

One of the biggest gripes about Hollywood today is that there doesn't seem to be much new being released. Everything is a sequel or a retelling or a remake of something already made before. In the literary world, retellings of classics and fairy tales are very popular. (I mean I'm writing one so there's that.) Have we run out of ideas? Are all of these redos clogging up the theaters and bookshelves and stopping new fresh ideas from coming out? Is it cheap to profit off of nostalgia?

A Book Review of The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber

In a world where skycams follow your every move and the details of your life are uploaded each hour, Sofi knows that her eyes are the only caring ones watching her brother, Shilo. As an online gamer, she works behind the scenes to protect Shilo as he competes in a mix of real and virtual blood sport. But when a bomb destroys the gaming arena, she is helpless to rescue him--and certain that his disappearance was no accident. Despite all the evidence of Shilo's death, Sofi 's nightmares tell her he is still alive. Could the dreams be truer than what everyone else claims?

For Miguel--a charming young playboy from Earth--the games are of a different sort. As Ambassador to the Delonese, his career has been built on trading secrets. In the aftermath of the bombing, he fears he has lost Sofi forever, even as he wonders if she is really who she seems. Now he's a target for blackmail. The game is simple: help the blackmailers or lose more than anyone can fathom--or than Earth can afford.

Series: Sofi Snow (Book 1)
Genre: YA Science-Fiction 
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 6, 2017)
Page Count: 352 pages

I've heard great things about this book for years and I finally snagged a copy! The first time I tried to buy it at Realm Makers, it was sold out! So I knew it had to be good!

Writing Lessons from Anime: Fruits Basket 2019

I loved the first version of this anime that come out in the early 2000s but I’m surprised to say that I love Fruits Basket 2019 even more. It’s more loyal to the manga and it’s going to last far longer! This anime is one of my top favorites. It’s so heartwarming and it’s made me cry multiple times. 

For those of you who haven’t seen it Fruits Basket centers around a high school student named Tohru Honda who recently lost her mom to a car accident. When she doesn’t want to inconvenience her distant family members by staying with them she decides to live on her own in a tent until she encounters Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo Sohma who offer to let her stay with them.  She uncovers their mysterious secret: they are cursed with the animals of the zodiac which they transform into whenever they’re hugged by someone of the opposite sex. 

Warning: Minor spoilers. Bigger ones in point 5.

The Language of Worlds September-October 2019 Edition!

I'm participating in Liv's bi-monthly link-up again and this month Aska is joining us to answer some questions! She's one of my side characters from Silver Hood. More about her in her bio. If you'd like to join in on the fun hop on over to Liv's website!