I hope you’re all winding down for the festive season (or maybe gearing up towards it), whatever that means for you. Me, I like relaxing somewhere cosy, drinks and snacks to hand, a pile of books beside me. Come to think of it, that’s exactly what I do with my free time, all year round ๐
How about you? Got plans for family and/or friends? And if so, are you meeting with them, or taking a break from them?
A couple of book deals
The Diamond Device is now on a 0.99 promotion until the end of the year. If you haven’t yet picked up a copy, why not grab one here? I’ll also be dropping the price of A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt shortly, so keep an eye out for it here ๐
I’m still trying to get the right look for Alf and Rich. Rich’s hair has been problematic from the start. It’s “thinning”, but he’s not actually bald. Or at least, that’s what he claims. Apparently, all my previous renders of him didn’t do his pate coverage justice.
Book reviews
According to Goodreads, I’ve posted 51 book reviews there so far in 2022. So my soft target of one a week is going fine ๐ I don’t participate in reading challenges or set real (incentivised) targetsโmy to-do list is already full of “serious” items without adding to the stress with a leisure activity.
Juice of Cursed Hebenon: Plants and Murder – Forensic Botany in Crime Fiction by David J. Gibson
Tea and Sympathetic Magic by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Old Bolts: An Ironshield Novel by Edward Nile
Very short stories
light
Through the bars, he asked, “What’s this?”
“A light read.”
“Butโ”
“Gotta go.” The rogue fled.
“โI can’t read.” He opened the book. A metal rod slid from its spine. Something to write with?
He glared at squiggles on the cover:
๐ฎ๐พ๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐ธ๐ ๐
๐พ๐ธ๐๐พ๐๐
umbra
“Da-aad!” She bats away his worried hands. “Lemme do it myself.”
“Make sure youโ”
“Yeah, yeah. All exposed surfaces.”
“Good. Just that… I worry. Umbra sunscreen is good, but not that good. Now drink up your vitamin-enriched O negative and put on your cloak.”
torpid
A crude sign reads:
Very safe at nite. Giant lizzards cold blooded, torpid till sun up in sky.
Oddly, claw marks overlay the human footprints as they near the thermal springs.
I’ll post again quite soon (for me), once the A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt promotion is running. See you then!
Speculative stories 