book reviews -

26Jan 2016 by Dianna L. Gunn

Writing Fight Scenes by Marie Brennan

If you're anything like me, fighting scenes are among the most challenging. Even if they flow when you're writing them, they sound wooden when you go back. You spend twice as much time on fight scenes as any other scenes in the book, sometimes more than that. So you might be pretty excited about the title of this book. I know I was. In fact, it was one of the most exciting titles I saw in the Writer Tools book bundle. Marie Brennan is an author who has not only written many fight scenes in her time but who also has some practical experience in both martial arts and fencing. She uses examples from her own work and life as well as some well known books and movies including The Princess…

27Jan 2015 by Dianna L. Gunn

5 Ways to support small publishers (and why you should)

Reading Related

[caption id="attachment_1961" align="alignleft" width="200"] A strampunk anthology by one of several Musa authors I represent[/caption] This month I've been talking a lot about how we can support great authors, and today I'd like to expand on that. It's not only important to support great authors, it's crucial that we support small publishers, especially if we want to become published authors ourselves. Here's the thing: there has never been a more exciting time in the history of humanity to become an author. Thanks to the digital revolution, there are more publishing options available than ever before, and the best thing for an author is options. With such a wide range of options available, authors can choose the best publishing option for them. There are dozens of small publishers online, and the Big…

06Jan 2015 by dlgunn

Why it’s important to review books you love

Book Reviews, Reading Related

[caption id="attachment_1952" align="alignleft" width="200"] This is one book I'll never forget[/caption] When it comes right down to it, the thing that drew most of you to this blog, the thing that convinced you to start writing, was most likely a love of books. We all have books we're passionate, both well known and almost unknown. I have at some point been touched deeply by books from every genre, but the genres that have impacted me most deeply are fantasy, YA and science fiction, particularly dystopian fiction. Some of the books I love are immensely popular: The Giver, Harry Potter, The Chrysalids, The Hunger Games, several books by Terry Pratchett. Other books I love have been written by little known authors, like Lady of Hay or An Unstill Life (now out of print). How popular a book is has nothing…

22May 2013 by Dianna L. Gunn

Flip Turn by Paula Eisenstein

Book Reviews, Reading Related

Paula Eisenstein is a wonderful author who I interviewed here earlier this year. You can check out that post for more information about her and the story of how we met--today I'd like to focus instead on her debut novel, Flip Turn. Let's start by glancing at the back cover copy: "In Paula Eisenstein’s spare and provocative first novel, a young girl must come to terms with the discovery that her brother killed a young girl. Feeling alienated and not knowing how to ask for help, she decides that suppressing her sexual development will ensure she doesn’t do the same thing. In Flip Turn, Eisenstein has created an unforgettable narrator whose success as an athlete leaves her conflicted about the attention she receives. She fears it will remind people of…

26Sep 2012 by diannagunn

The Best Weapon by Martin Bolton and David Pilling

Book Reviews, Reading Related, Writing

I originally met Martin Bolton through Musa. One of Urania's many authors, he generously provided me with my first ever guest post, and, even better gave me a copy of his co-written fantasy novel to review. Due to a combination of mountains of homework and other obligations, it took me about two months longer than expected to finish the Best Weapon, but I can say it was certainly worth the wait. The Best Weapon is the story of two brothers created by the 'Lords of Hell' as a last ditch effort to save themselves from an unnamed evil force. These brothers, Naiyar and Fulk, are placed on opposite ends of the planet so they won't draw attention to themselves or discover themselves until the time is right. This book tells…