Book Spotlight: Visible (Ripple Series, Book 4) by Cidney Swanson

Salut, Beardies!

Although I’ve never been an athlete, I’m a lifelong lover of Olympic sports. Every Olympic year, I seem to fall in love with some new sport in which I’ll never be able to actually participate, and follow it with rapt attention…until I get distracted by a book. Such was the case a couple of weeks back, when a new email pinged into my inbox just as I was starting to decide that I should abandon all other pursuits and take up slopestyle snowboarding.

But who needs a snowboard when you have a book? The email that distracted me contained news of our pal Cidney Swanson’s return to the world of the Ripple Series, and that news drove the Olympic dreams right out of my head! No sooner was the book safely on my Kindle than snowboarding was forgotten—no doubt saving me much humiliation and a hundred broken bones, not to mention a fortune in hospital bills—and today’s Book Spotlight was born.

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New Project Manager

Hello Beardies,

Passion, dedication, and hard work often go unnoticed and under-appreciated in everyday life, but such is not the case on The Bearded Scribe.  Since its inception a little over two years ago, our blog has grown, matured, and its scope and focus widened.  With its ever-growing scope, however, so grows the demands of its dedicated and busy Executive Editor—yep, that's me!

Shortly after its founding, I could no longer ignore the insight and passion of Ms. Elizabeth Norton, one of the blog's biggest fans and heralders, and so I asked her to join the team. Not much longer after that, Beardies, I had to acknowledge Elizabeth's dedication, passion, and hard work by asking her to join the Editorial Staff as my Assistant Editor.  I'm honored that she accepted.

The time has come, yet again, to acknowledge the hard work and passion of another dedicated Contributor, and today I have an exciting announcement—exciting for me, and hopefully for the subject of this post.  After weeks of planning (and still more to come), the Editorial staff has grown.  Our very own Autumn Jones has agreed to take on the title of Project Manager.  She will be working closely with Elizabeth and me, helping to organize the various tours featured on the blog.

I hope you all will join me in thanking and congratulating her! :)

And, in the meantime, you can learn more about our very own Autumn Jones in our quaint-but-insightful interview below.


One-on-One with Project Manager Autumn Jones...

Joshua Mercier: When did your love affair with books begin?
Autumn Jones: My earliest memories involve books and reading so I guess you can say I have always loved books. There are so many photos of me as a small child surrounded with books, someone reading to me, or me curled up with my nose in a book. I’m eternally grateful to my parents and elementary school teachers who encouraged and shared their love of reading with me.

Autumn's Grandmother reading The Big Red Apple to her.

Joshua Mercier: Which Speculative Fiction title was the one that got you hooked to the genre?
Autumn Jones: It’s a toss-up between The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or A Wrinkle In Time. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book I remember reading multiple times, so if I had to pick one, I guess that’s the winner.

Joshua Mercier: Do you have an absolute favorite speculative book?
Autumn Jones: That’s kind of like asking me which of my children is my favorite. I also have a hard time hammering down a favorite because it seems to be changing all the time. Currently, I’m digging The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer.

Joshua Mercier: An absolute favorite non-speculative title?
Autumn Jones: Again with the favoritism?! Hmmm. Either The Great Gatsby or To Kill A Mockingbird.

Joshua Mercier: A favorite author?
Autumn Jones: John Steinbeck. Jane Austen. Beverly Cleary. Stephen King.

Joshua Mercier: I've met one of the four of the above—as a Maine-iac, can you guess which? LOL!
Anywho... The Bearded Scribe is all about Speculative Fiction, which encompasses several sub-genres. Which sub-genre(s), would you say, are your favorite(s) to read?
Autumn Jones: Dystopian, hands down, is my favorite. I also really enjoy urban, dark and epic fantasy. I especially enjoy those genres when they are in a YA book.

Joshua Mercier: I know you're a television & movie fan, too. What are some of your favorite speculative shows and movies?
Autumn Jones: I’m a huge TV junkie. In my teenaged years I loved The X-Files. I watched Lost from the very beginning all the way to the disappointing ending. I may or may not also have a strange obsession with Twin Peaks and Quantum Leap. As far as movies, I’m borderline ashamed to say, I watch Minority Report on a regular basis.

Joshua Mercier: Nothing wrong with Minority Report. And I, too, am an X-Filephile.  (I should trademark that nickname!)  Besides reading and film, what are some of your other hobbies?
Autumn Jones: I love to cook and enjoy experimenting with new foods and flavors. I’m also pretty crafty. Maybe I should have just said Pinterest is my hobby.

Joshua Mercier: I know you're a voracious reader...I'm curious—are you are writer, too?
Autumn Jones: If you count mommy blogging for a few years and keeping a journal then, yes. Otherwise I’m just a big wanna-be who jots down ideas but never follows through. If I were to be a writer I’d want to write my semi-fictional, autobiography (because one should never let the truth get in the way of a good story). The working title is, How Working for the Government Ruined My Life and Other Happy Tales.

Joshua Mercier: If you could have dinner with three people—dead, alive, or any combination—who would you choose and why?
Autumn Jones: What will be served at this dinner? That would be helpful to know when picking. I will just assume you can pick between beef, chicken or fish, like a classy wedding. Um...Lee Harvey Oswald because I NEED to know if he was the one who killed Kennedy or if there were others involved. Former President Gerald R. Ford because I want to know about the whole Nixon pardon thing and other questionable decisions he made while serving as president. He’s also from my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, so maybe we could gossip about that. It would be fun to argue about our political differences, because nothing makes a dinner party more enjoyable than contentious, political arguments. Lastly, Tina Fey, which I don’t think needs any explanation. I love her. We’ll also need someone to lighten up what is kind of a heavy, borderline-boring-to-most party.

Joshua Mercier: Who is your favorite literary hero/heroine? Why?
Autumn Jones: I’m on Team Katniss right now. I dig The Girl on Fire. Yeah, she can be whiney and can’t make up her mind about boys, but I try and be a little forgiving given the whole Hunger Game survival x2 thing. Maybe it’s the brooding revolutionist in me, but I can really relate to Katniss and her rebel rousing ways. She’s fearless, loyal, family-centric, intelligent,0- and a survivor.

Joshua Mercier: Favorite literary villain? Why?
Autumn Jones: Police Inspector Javert from Les Misérables. Poor, poor Javert. He’s the kind of character I love to hate. He’s obsessed with Jean Valjean and so in love with justice and being right. While being the world’s #1 stalker, he turns a blind eye to all the good Valjean has done and lingers over the bad. Poor Javert just can’t reconcile his own feelings of justice and mercy after Valjean spares him on the barricade. That ultimately leads to Javert ending his own life. To me, Javert is the perfect antagonist around.

Joshua Mercier: It's rather funny you mention Javert.  According to Elizabeth, and referring to the Musical, I sing a mean rendition of his hit, Stars.  But enough of that.  Is there a book or story for which you'd like to re-write the ending? What is it and how would you re-write it?
Autumn Jones: I’m a sucker for a happy ending. I’d re-write most books that have terrible, tragic endings to make them happy, for sure. (I’m looking at you Veronica Roth…cough…cough…Allegiant…cough.)

Joshua Mercier: Do you have anything else you'd like to share with the readers that I have not asked you?
Autumn Jones: Ummm…I don’t think anyone cares about my usual Starbucks order (venti, skinny cinnamon-dolce latte) or the color of my car (blue). I’m pretty sure no one will care that I spontaneously break out into show-tunes either. So, I think we’re good here. Thank you!

Book Spotlight: Knights of Rilch (Serengard, Book 2) by Rachel O'Laughlin

Salut, Beardies!

Have you missed me? I can’t believe it’s been almost five months since I wrote my last Book Spotlight! The past months have included action, adventure, and enough high drama to fill a whole novel, but why would I bore you with the details when I have a fantastic book to tell you about?

This week, our friend Rachel O’Laughlin celebrates the publication of her second novel, Knights of Rilch, the follow up to last year’s Coldness of Marek, which we reviewed as part of a Fae Books blog tour. I’ve been waiting with bated breath for this book ever since I finished the first one, so I was stoked when Rachel asked me to be among the first reviewers for it!

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Book Spotlight: The Final Descent (The Monstrumologist, Book 4) by Rick Yancey

Hello again, Beardies!

Can anyone please tell me where the last seventeen months have gone? It’s hard to believe, but that’s how long it’s been since I presented our first-ever Book Spotlight on Rick Yancey’s Monstrumologist Series. At the time, I believed it to be a trilogy, and complete. I was saddened, as I always am at finishing a series I’ve loved, and (although my research at the time turned up nothing) I remember wondering if a fourth book could possibly be in the offing. As it turned out, I was right. Rick Yancey had, in fact, planned a four-book series, but just before the publication of The Isle of Blood, Simon and Schuster decided not to publish the fourth volume.

Simon and Schuster may have heard enough from Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop, but Mr. Yancey’s legions of fans had not. Outraged, the fans mounted a campaign to resurrect the series, reaching out to the publisher through letters, blogs, and social media. Shocked by the outpouring from the readers, Simon and Schuster reversed their decision, and Book Four, The Final Descent was finally released in September of this year. And so today, Book Spotlight comes full-circle. Before I start really waxing philosophical, though, let’s talk about The Final Descent!

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Author Spotlight: M. P. Ness (Complete with Interview)

Welcome back, Beardies!

Earlier, I had the privilege to bring you a Book Spotlight on E.L.F Volume 1: White Leaves. Now, as part of the same blog tour, I’m excited to bring you the virtual chat I had with Mr. Ness.

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Book Spotlight: White Leaves (E.L.F., Book 1) by M. P. Ness

Salutations, Beardies!

It's an exciting day here at The Bearded Scribe! Today, we're honored to host author M.P. Ness and his debut novel, E.L.F. Volume 1: White Leaves. I ran across this title while I was visiting Joshua over Labor Day weekend. The Amazon preview got me hooked, so I jumped at the chance to participate in this blog tour. Not only did Mr. Ness give me the book for review; he was kind enough to let me interview him, as well. We have a lot to talk about today, so let's jump in, shall we?

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Book Spotlight: Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

Cheers, Beardies!

You wouldn’t know it from the temperature outside, but fall is definitely coming. Down in the wetland behind my house, the leaves are starting to change, and the new slate of library programs started this week. Fall has always been my favorite season, and for some reason, I always associate it with creepy fairy tales—the creepier, the better. Although not a fairy tale in the traditional sense, today’s book is definitely a fantastic, creepy read for the season.

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Book Spotlight: Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School, Book 1) by Gail Carriger

Salut, Beardies!

If you felt the earth shake this Labor Day weekend, it might have had something to do with the fact that your Bearded Scribe editors did something we haven’t done since our days together at Alma College—sat down and worked together in the same room. An epic reunion years in the making, it included scenic tours of beautiful Atlanta, writing, lots of coffee, and my very first taste of the awesomeness that is Dragon*Con. Seeing all the fantastic steampunk costumes at Dragon*Con put me in the mood to write about steampunk. Luckily, I recently finished a great steampunk read!

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Author Spotlight: Megan Curd (Complete with Interview)

Greetings, Beardies!

A few weeks ago, I was having a movie night at home with my friend Anna, and the conversation (as it inevitably does when the two of us are together) turned to books.  Anna is the proprietress of Diamonds and Coal Book Reviews, and she had recently accepted an invitation to host Megan Curd and her novel, Steel Lily, on her blog.  Eager to get in on the action, I asked Anna to forward me the invitation, and Megan graciously accepted us as a last-minute addition to her blog tour.  Yesterday, we brought you the review; today, please enjoy Megan's Author Spotlight.  

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Book Spotlight: Steel Lily (The Periodic Series, Book One) by Megan Curd

Cheers, Beardies!

Exciting things are happening here in Metro Detroit! I have the day off and there’s a new, independent coffee shop down the street from me. Those two things, plus fantastic fall-like weather, combined with the fact that we’re hosting Megan Curd and her fabulous novel, Steel Lily, today, mean that your Assistant Editor is happy as a clam. I could rhapsodize about the leather recliner, soft jazz, fireplace, and house special Mayan Mocha…but why would I do that when I have a truly fantastic book to tell you all about?

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Book Spotlight: The Coldness of Marek (Serengard: Book One) by Rachel O'Laughlin

Salut, Beardies!

A few weeks ago, we received an invitation from our friends at Fae Books to be part of a blog tour for a debut author, Rachel O’Laughlin. Rachel is currently touring the blogosphere with her novel, and she was kind enough to drop by The Bearded Scribe. Not only did Rachel grace us with an interview and giveaway for the tour, but she also gave me an advance copy of the book for review! I really enjoyed reading it and can’t wait to tell you about it, so let’s get to it!

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Book Spotlight: Mars Burning (Saving Mars, Book 4) by Cidney Swanson

Cheers, Beardies!

First of all, a happy first anniversary to the Mars Rover Curiosity, and the happiest of Publication Days to Cidney Swanson! Mars Burning, Book Four of the Saving Mars Series, is live on Amazon today, and will arrive at your favorite bookseller soon! I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Cidney  though, so I don’t have to wait to bring you this Spotlight!

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Book Spotlight: Losing Mars (Saving Mars, Book 3) by Cidney Swanson

Salut, Beardies!

There are two great pieces of news in Metro Detroit today—one, by the time you read this, the library’s 2013 Summer Reading Program will be history and my life will be back to what passes for normal. I love Summer Reading, but I look forward to the end of it the way schoolchildren anticipate summer vacation! The other great piece of news is that our dear friend, Cidney Swanson, has written a new book! Mars Burning, Book Four of the Saving Mars Series, will be published on August 5. To celebrate, we’ll be Spotlighting that book on the day it releases. First, though, here’s a long overdue Spotlight on Book 3, Losing Mars.

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The Quiddity of Speculation: Great Steampunk Reads

Hello Again, Writers!

Welcome to Part Two of The Quiddity of Speculation: Steampunk 101! Saturday, we talked about the makings of a Steampunk story. In this post, we’ll discuss a few fantastic Steampunk reads. It’s such a rapidly-growing subgenre that I’ve chosen to break this post into sections to give you a little taste of everything. As you read this post, please be aware that there are loads of Steampunk books out there—and more being published all the time—and please don’t let your reading be limited by my choices. If you don’t see your favorite on the list, tell me about it in the comments (below)!

Series:
One of my favorite aspects of the Steampunk subgenre is that it often features girls behaving badly, or rather, bucking the conventions set forth for them by society. Gail Carriger is one author who truly shines in this area. Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate Series (Orbit, 2009-2012) consists of five novels about Alexia Tarabotti, a half-Italian spinster born without a soul—all of which complicates her standing in London society. The first book, Soulless (2009), received an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association and was nominated for a Locus Award for best first novel. In a society where vampires and werewolves and are accepted as members of society, Alexia’s soulless state leaves supernatural beings unable to target her. But when a vampire attacks her and she kills him, she becomes suspected in a rash of vampire disappearances and embroiled in a fun, fast-paced mystery. The Parasol Protectorate is a fabulous, funny blend of supernatural, steampunk, and mystery.

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The Quiddity of Speculation: Steampunk 101

Greetings, fellow writers!

Welcome back to The Quiddity of Speculation, where we dissect the various subgenres of speculative fiction and talk about some spectacular books from each! Today’s Quiddity is a favorite of mine—Steampunk! I love this subgenre for a variety of reasons, but chiefly because it revolves around history and one of my favorite time periods to research. Pull up a chair and a teacup and join me for an airship ride into the wonderful world of Steampunk!

Curiouser & Curiouser: Twentyish Questions with the Executive Editor — Part Four

Hello Beardies!

For me, June flew by in a blur of library programs, summer reading prizes, and, of course, books, and I can't believe it's July already.  In the midst of the insanity, though, I think last week's heat wave melted the last of Joshua's resistance to my questioning.  For whatever reason, he finally allowed me to finish the interview we started nearly a year ago.  So, four blog posts, one vial of truth serum, and innumerable late-night text messages and cups of coffee later, here's the last part.


Elizabeth: Where do you see yourself, and the The Bearded Scribe, in five years?

Joshua: I see The Bearded Scribe with its own domain and as my actual author website. The blog will still be a part of it, of course, but it will just be one section of it. Of course, that's pendulous upon my being published, but I am ever hopeful.


Elizabeth: Who or what inspires you? How do those inspirations come out in your writing?

Joshua: I pull my inspiration from so many places, it'd be torturous (to you) for me to list them all. Generally speaking, though, I love history, religion and spirituality, folklore, music, art, and classic literary pieces. I pull from them all. I also pull from nature and landscapes I love, settings that are iconic in their own right, and then I add my own twists.

Elizabeth: What is the best writing advice you have ever been given?

Joshua: Don't stop. Simple, yet full of so much weight and power.

Curiouser & Curiouser: Twentyish Questions with the Executive Editor — Part Three

Hello again, Beardies!

As you may recall, I've been attempting to interview our esteemed Executive Editor for several posts now, and my last attempt ended with a bit of a dust-up wherein he accused me of drinking his coffee (the scoundrel!) and nearly wised up to my use of truth serum.  Maybe that long-winded confession about how he ended up at the same college as me was needed, though, because after that, he became much more relaxed and more concise with his answers, and I wasn't forced to use the serum again.  (Thank heavens.  Interrogating my best friend felt a bit invasive, but I kept at it.  I am, I admit, quite shameless.)  This interview still isn't complete, but here's another part.


Elizabeth: How, if at all, does your rural New England background influence your writing?

Joshua: You could say that it had—still has—a lot to do with my writing. New England is saturated in Native American folklore and, of course, famous for its witch trials. The landscape, too, lends itself to great stories, whether they be set in the mountains, forests, swamps, or around the water—even deserts—Maine has it all. The ocean alone has its own mysticism, Maine's coastline dotted with spooky lighthouses and fog-drenched outcroppings of treacherous rock and cliff. And shipwrecks galore. The rivers and lakes even have stories of their own, swimming with life and curses both.

Curiouser & Curiouser: Twentyish Questions with the Executive Editor — Part Two

Hello again, Beardies!

I'm pretty sure you've figured out by now that Joshua is one of my best friends in the world.  In ten or more years, I've discovered that he has but one tragic flaw--he often leaves his coffee cup unattended. Having (finally) sweet-talked him into letting me interview him, he clammed right up as soon as I began interrogating--I mean, politely asking him questions--and refused to give me anything more than his name.  And so it took months to actually get the interview.  I had to wait until he left his coffee cup unattended to spike his brew with truth serum.  He is useless under truth serum.  (Make that two tragic flaws.)  Useless, and talkative.  So very talkative, we're taking two posts just to get through the first question.

When last we left our hero, he had chosen a college...simply because it began with A.  It was a fateful choice, indeed, and, it turns out, and adventure in travel getting there.  Here's part two of the story, straight from our blabbing-under-truth-serum Executive Editor...

Book Spotlght: Defying Mars by Cidney Swanson (Saving Mars Series, Book 2)

Greetings and salutations, Beardies!

Last summer, I had the honor of being a first reader of our friend Cidney Swanson’s Saving Mars. It was one of my favorite books of the year, and the reviewers over at Kirkus agreed with me, naming it one of the best books of 2012. In early December, Cidney asked me to be a first reader again, this time for the second book in the series, Defying Mars. I immediately said, "Yes!" Though I loved the book, I wanted to wait until I had time to do it justice before featuring it in a Book Spotlight, and that, unfortunately, took months. This post has been a long time coming, so let’s get to it!

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Curiouser & Curiouser: Twentyish Questions with the Executive Editor — Part One

Happy weekend, Beardies!

I enjoy many things about my position here at The Bearded Scribe:  Reading, writing, working with our fabulous Fellowship of Scribes...the list goes on.  Perhaps my favorite thing, though, is that in the past year, I've discovered that Joshua absolutely cannot say no to me.  No matter what harebrained scheme I come up with, he's game.  Tonight's post stems from one of my early schemes—I wanted to interview the interviewer.  Joshua always interviews new members of the Fellowship; I wanted to turn the tables on him.  It took months for him to grant this request, but eventually he did.

In doing the interview, though, I discovered anew that Joshua is a master storyteller, and as such, could write an entire post on each of the twenty(ish) questions I sent him.  And so, interviewing the interviewer evolved into a forthcoming special feature for the blog...but more on that later.  For now, the first of many parts of Twenty Questions with the Executive Editor.

Elizabeth: You are a proud son of Maine, but I met you at a small college in the middle of Michigan, where you’d never set foot before our first day. How did that happen?