Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Today is a day set aside to honour Saint Patrick, a man who converted Ireland to Christianity while respecting the basic values of their culture. This is perhaps one reason the Irish are so fond of Saint Patrick, because he left them happily Celtic instead of insisting they become more like the Romans. Once they were converted, this made it more difficult for would-be meddlers to interfere and ruin their culture.

It is also a day to remember Ireland, to think of those beautiful green shores, those lush fields, those magnificent coasts... Yes, a good part of my ancestry is Irish. In fact, I could qualify for Irish citizenship (and depending on how the Presidential election goes, I just may apply) handily; I have two family members who are, alone, enough to qualify me. And I love hearing Irish voices speak, seeing Irish landscapes, eating Irish soda bread (there will be some of that, nice and hot, later today), hearing Irish music...

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I do also want to share a little more with my readers about my plans for this blog. Before events kept me from posting for so long, I was considering some changes, and I've thought still more about those in the meantime. I may be setting up my own site, and moving this blog to a WordPress platform on that domain. Over time, once I get the ongoing projects I'm bogged down in cleared away, I hope to set up a more regular posting schedule, and post more on topics of interest to writers.

I will still be making some fiction available, but I need time to decide how I'll do this. The sad fact is, once a writer 'publishes' a story, it is virtually unsellable. If it is a very small blog, some markets may still agree to purchase "first publication rights" - but some will not. And if it is posted on a larger blog, or any public site, it can no longer be sold except as a previously published story. And, unless the author is very well-known, there is no market for previously published stories.

There is also the issue of doing this in way that won't interfere with my pursuing a more serious writing career. I have decided, even more firmly than before, that is the direction I am headed in. That means I have many decisions to make, and I'll be revealing those to my readers as soon as I have made them. Also, in an effort to make things a little easier, I have become an affiliate of Holly Lisle's shop, selling books of interest to writers and some fiction.

While I don't criticise anyone for what they choose to do with their own blogs, I don't plan to cram my own blog with ads; that just isn't what I want for my blog. I don't expect any of my readers to buy any of Holly's books, unless they truly decide they want to. I chose this program for several reasons. First, the products are ones I have bought, or would like to buy, myself. Second, when I contacted the program, I was specifically told, by Holly Lisle herself, that I was free to write honest reviews of her books, mentioning things I disliked or disagreed with as well as things I liked.

I will be writing reviews of some of these books, and I hope to have a nice offer for anyone who is interested up soon. In the meantime, I will simply say this. The books I have bought and read all share several qualities. First, they were written by an actual, working author who makes her living by writing, and knows what it takes. Second, they are, as much as possible, written to take into account all the varied and individual ways each writer must work. They offer useful suggestions and ways of coping, not rigid rules or useless theories.

Wandering Author Roves the Bookshelves, part 1

Some time ago, one of my readers left a comment asking me to recommend some good books. First, I must apologise, since it has been much longer than I intended; Miss Chevious was sick, I've been sick, the weather has been crazy, and every day I meant to write this post, I'd suddenly notice it was too late to begin. So I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long.

One other reason for the delay was simply that I always find it hard to offer a good answer to such questions. Why? I've surely read enough books that picking out a few good ones shouldn't be a problem. Part of the problem is that I've read so many books, I have to think to remember even a fraction of them. There are books I'd like to reread, but I recall the story and setting, but not the title or author.

The other problem is that, unless you know the taste of the other person very well, it is hard to be sure you're steering them to a book they'll really enjoy. I've had it happen to me; someone will tell me I simply have to read this book or that, and when I'm halfway through I suddenly realise that I would have been much happier spending my time reading something else.

And there are a lot of very good books out there, that are completely ruined for you if you try to read them at the wrong time. If your mood and that of the book are out of tune, you'd be better off putting it down and picking up another one. That way, if you want to try it later, you won't have ruined it for yourself. Before I understood this, I ruined quite a few books; ones I can't stand reading now. School requirements did a good job of ruining a few for me, too.

I may write more about my own reading quirks later, but for now, I'll explain the "rules", then list a few books or authors I recommend. I don't tend to worry much about genre. There are genres I read more than others; again, I may post about that some time. But I don't limit myself by ruling out any genres. I'll explain a little about each book, and why I like it, so you can judge for yourself if its worth looking up. And I'll post more later; this only scratches the surface, and it's a short scratch.

Night Trains - Arthur Chrenkoff; I just bought and read this a few weeks ago. Although it has fantasy elements, I've seen books with more fantasy classified as "mainstream" (one reason I ignore genre). It is about a man from our time who gradually notices what he thinks are phantom trains. He discovers they run to Europe during World War II, and he becomes involved in riding them, saving the lives of those who otherwise would have died then. Perhaps I loved it so much because, if the night trains were real, I'd want to go back myself. Terrified as I'd be, I couldn't refuse such a chance. Like any honest book with scenes from Nazi Germany, it has some very painful moments.

Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank; Most of you have already read this. Still, just in case you haven't, it is the one book I'd recommend to anyone. Anne was a wonderful writer - what a talent the world lost with her death! Quite apart from my opinion we all need to see people as individuals, not as groups, Anne is a person worth getting to know. I've read other diaries of those who died at the hands of the Nazis in World War II; I can't bring myself to speak too harshly of any of them. Nevertheless, none of the others I've read comes close to this one. Few people know about this, but a few short stories and fragments she wrote have also been published. The title varies, but they are worth reading, too.

Hawk of May - Gillian Bradshaw; Also: Kingdom of Summer and In Winter's Shadow, or they are collected as Down the Long Wind. These are a retelling of The Matter of Britain, or the Arthurian legend. I read anything that touches on The Matter of Britain, but I'm not that happy with most of it. This is the telling of Arthur's story I prefer above any other I've read, save the earliest stories. She's written a number of other books, and I've read some of those; there are too many to list here, but I haven't read a book of hers I didn't like. She began by writing historical fiction, and has branched out into science fiction and more.

The Silver Pigs - Lindsey Davis; This is the first mystery in the Marcus Didius Falco series, which is set in ancient Rome. It is one of the most accurate portrayals of Roman life in fiction, showing both how much like us they were, and yet how different. Start with the first book, and read them in order. If you get attached to Marcus and his friends, as I have, you'll want to discover their lives this way.

Mark of the Horse Lord - Rosemary Sutcliffe; Another historical novel, also set in Roman Britain. Are we seeing a pattern here? Well, that's an area I just can't resist. One of the reasons I developed my interest, apart from Arthur, was Rosemary Sutcliffe. She wrote many other historical novels, most set in Roman Britain (including a take on the story of Arthur that's not bad at all) and a few set in other times. All her books are good, but be warned: don't read this one if you're depressed.

Fitzempress' Law - Diana Norman; This is a historical novel, with a bit of modern story in the beginning to set up the situation she wanted to portray. I loved this because the descriptions were so vivid I felt as though I were actually living in the Middle Ages. Oddly, the only other thing she seems to have written is a rather dry biography of a figure important to Irish history but otherwise totally obscure.

Fireweed - Jill Paton Walsh; Set in London during the Blitz, this novel drew me in and had me feeling right along with Bill, the protagonist. It might seem like an unlikely story, but I've researched enough about the Blitz to know it could very well be based on a true story. If it didn't happen, it surely could have. Those who lived through the Blitz always remembered that time as almost magical. This book will show you why. Some day, I mean to track down her other books and read them, since judging by this one, I'm sure the others are worth the effort. (Of course, the only thing longer than the list of books I've read is the list of ones I want to read someday.)

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein; This book is one of the very few which features a computer as a character that actually succeeded in making me care what happened to that character. Heinlein could be magical; I don't agree with all his ideas, but he does make you think. I don't recommend all his books without reservation, though. In later years, he became a bit strange in what he wrote. He started out writing very good science fiction; his later books defy category. In his defence, that all seemed to start after he became ill. If you love all his earlier books, you'll sooner or later want to read the later ones, for the glimpses of familiar characters if nothing else. Start with this book, then stick to his earlier works for a while. If you don't, the later Heinlein might scare you away, and that would be a shame.

The Quality of Mercy - Faye Kellerman; The amusing thing about this is that Faye Kellerman is known as a writer of mysteries, but this is the one book she's written that's historical fiction. Shakespeare makes an appearance, and it is really a lot of fun to read. Less fun and more depressing, but still worth reading are her mysteries, featuring Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus.