I love pirates, don't you? Who doesn't? And female pirates? Wooo!! So, I'd like to pass on this call for
submissions for a pirate anthology that showcases female pirates. Are you up to the challenge? The full details are here:
Hoist the mison mast and good luck, maties!
And I've come to the conclusion that I've been so caught up with getting my book published (and sold), dealing
with some personal issues, and most recently, losing my job, that it's all been about me, me, me. Okay, enough about me. It's
time I began supporting the efforts of my fellow writers.
Reading is so fundamentally important to a properly functioning society, as it is to a writer. Reading inspires
the writer. But we can't just read what we write. I believe it's important to read a broad spectrum of literature if we are
going to be good writers.
When it comes to reading and writing, I have eclectic taste. Of course, I absolutely love food writing (i.e,
nonfiction food-related essays or articles), food history books, and I am somewhat of a cookbook collector (anyone who's
entered my kitchen can attest to that!). But I also enjoy travel writing, biographies, mysteries, vampire/witch/gothic
stories, pirate stories, etc., etc.
So, I am going to start recommending books in different genres. Not according to the New York Times
bestsellers list, not according to Publishers Weekly book reviews, but according to what I like and think
is worthy of recommendation. I'm going to start with these:
Land of Entrapment and State of Denial, both by Andi Marquette. These are books one and two of Marquette's New Mexico series. For the print books, click on
the titles above. For e-books, click HERE for Land of Entrapment and HERE for State of Denial. Here are synposes of the novels.
Land of Entrapment: K.C. Fontero left Albuquerque for Texas in the wake of a bitter
break-up, headed for a teaching and research post-doc at the University of Texas, Austin. With a doctorate in sociology and
expertise in American white supremacist groups, she’s well on her way to an established academic life. But the past
has a way of catching up with you and as K.C. spends a summer helping her grandfather on his central Texas farm, her past
shows up in the form of her ex, Melissa Crown, an Albuquerque lawyer who left K.C. for another woman three years earlier.
Melissa’s younger sister Megan has gone missing-she’s hooked up with a man Melissa suspects is part of an underground
white supremacist group and Melissa needs K.C.’s help to find her and hopefully bring her out of the movement. K.C.
knows she has the knowledge and contacts to track the group. She knows that in the interests of public service, she’d
be helping law enforcement, as well. What she doesn’t know is how far into her past she’ll have to go in order
to find not only Megan, but herself as well. Working to locate the group without alerting members’ suspicions, K.C.
finds herself drawn to Megan’s friend and neighbor, Sage Crandall, a photographer who challenges K.C.’s attempts
to keep her heart ensconced in the safety of research and analysis. Confronted with her growing feelings for Sage while unraveling
her complicated past with Melissa, K.C. delves into the racist and apocalyptic beliefs of the mysterious group, but the deeper
she goes, the greater the danger she faces.
State of Denial: Albuquerque Police Detective Chris Gutierrez is not having a
“Thank God It’s Friday” kind of day. Not only is she on the scene of a murdered young man, buried near the
Rio Grande, but she also has to put up with the other detective assigned to the case, the homophobic and sexist Dale Harper.
As if things weren’t uncomfortable enough between the two detectives, they soon find out that the young victim was gay,
and the trail leads Chris and Harper to another unsolved murder whose victim was also a gay youth. Soon, their suspect is
a popular minister at a local mega-church who has spent years working with ex-gay groups. Enlisting the research skills, networks,
and expertise of sociologist and long-time best friend K.C. Fontero, Chris works to build the case against Mumford, all too
aware what mistakes in such a potentially explosive and high-profile investigation could cost her and the police department.
As Chris strives to prove the case and make an arrest before anyone else dies, she must also face her growing feelings for
attorney Dayna Carson. The dangerous nature of police work and Chris’s own reticence about romantic relationships are
destined to collide. Struggling with her attraction to Dayna and the complexity of a difficult case, Chris is drawn into an
ominous and potentially deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a man who harbors dark secrets and who will kill to protect them.
Will Chris outsmart a diabolical murderer - or become another victim?
These are intriguing, psychological thrillers (yes, with a little romance thrown in) that are also fun to
read. You may (or may not) find the subject matter disturbing, but what book worth its salt is not disturbing on some level?
*
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And so, my friends, I have fallen victim to the economic struggles this country is facing. On January 9,
I was laid off from my job. I was one of three to get the axe, and we're certainly not alone. So,
I'm going to take this opportunity to get some writing done and maybe--just maybe--something good will come out of all this.
As stressful as this particular job was, I will not regret having had it, as it afforded me opportunities
I would not have had otherwise. But, in some ways, it's a relief. I'm taking time to decompress and then the job hunt begins.
In other news, I will be starting a food-related blog by the end of January. Come back here for news and
a link. It should be fun and I hope to share a lot of what I learned writing What, No Meat?
In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other. We all really need support from our loved ones
right now, whether they be family or friends.
