I’ve recently become a contributor at SFRevu, and my first review has gone live with the July issue!
You can read my review of Ann Aguirre’s Hell Fire, the second book in the Corinne Solomon series, here at SFRevu. Let me know what you think!
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FYI! The editor, TDF Pamela, is currently nomadic! In other words, she's in the process of moving cross-country, and therefore her address has changed and probably will change a couple more times in the next few months. If you would like to send a review copy, please email her first to make sure you have the most up to date address. Thanks! 
   
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TDF Pamela, on April 17th, 2009 |
I am VERY honored to welcome Ann Aguirre, who’s dropped by this Fangirl’s blog on her Blue Diablo launch tour! –
People occasionally ask me if there´s any other genre I would like to write. As of now, I have made all my dreams come true. I´m published in SF&F both, and my first romance will come out on December 1. Those are my deep, endearing loves. No, not mystery. I don´t have the sort of puzzle-building brain required to write excellent mysteries, though I do enjoy reading them. Julia Spencer-Fleming and James Lee Burke are two of my favorite mystery novelists. Hm, I wonder why they both have two names… At any rate, I do have a secret desire to write a big epic fantasy novel someday: one with a glossary, maps, and indexes. But if that day never comes, I will be totally satisfied with what I´ve accomplished. I´m tickled when readers contact me, and even more tickled when they say they´ve enjoyed my books. At heart, I am an entertainer. I want readers to care about my characters. I want them to invest emotionally in their journey. If I achieve that, then I am content. Sometimes it´s a little bit hard, living in Mexico, so I can´t go to the bookstore and see my books on the shelves, anytime I want. Sometimes it feels a bit unreal because I live two lives. Here, nobody knows who I am. In the States, people occasionally recognize me. Which is weird but cool. I really look forward to those times when I get to come to the US and be an author because the rest of the time, I´m just an average person, going about my business here. Therefore, the spotlight is rare and alien to me. To complicate matters further, I am by nature an introvert. In person, I listen more than I talk. I observe people and how they interact. (Some would argue that´s why my characters feel so real.) If I don´t approach you, should we happen to encounter one another in person, it´s frankly because I figure you have more interesting things to do. That doesn´t mean I wouldn´t be overjoyed to chat with you, but it´s shyness, not disinterest. So if you see me at a signing or a book fair or a convention, stop me. Talk to me. I want to meet you, but I´m a little freaked out by crowds. Chances are, I would love a friendly face and a wave or to spend fifteen minutes with you over coffee. What authors would you guys like to meet? —– It’s giveaway time! One very lucky commenter will win a signed copy of Blue Diablo! Just comment and say you want to win it, and be sure you have a valid email address somewhere in your comment. If you do win, I encourage you to post a review and let the rest of us know what you think! The contest ends at 9:00 a.m. CDT tomorrow (that’s Saturday, April 18), so be sure to enter quickly! And spread the word! TDF Pamela, on August 17th, 2008 |
The Fangirl’s Rating: A Grimspace, the first book in this series, introduces us to Sirantha Jax, nav-star for the Corp who finds herself in a very dangerous situation. Wanderlust picks up immediately where Grimspace left off, after Jax and her crew have brought down the corrupt Corp and exposed the company’s dirty little secret: they crashed Jax’s ship to prevent a diplomatic conference from succeeding. Unfortunately, Jax doesn’t get a chance to rest and recover. After discovering that her bastard ex-husband had cleaned out her bank accounts, Jax takes the only route she can to get herself back on her feet; she takes up the post of ambassador to Ithiss-Tor, a planet unfriendly to the Conglomerate but that would be a necessary ally. And, as usual, Jax ends up embroiled in a much bigger conspiracy, one that threatens to take her life. One thing I love about Aguirre’s writing is that it’s gritty. Jax does not get an easy ride at all; nothing ever falls into her lap, and she constantly has to work for everything she needs. This could come off as incredibly grim, but thanks to Aguirre’s masterful writing, Jax grows so much because of this adversity. A couple of times, I moaned, “oh no!” aloud while reading, but Jax and her crew always manage to think their way out of these situations. The love story between Jax and her pilot, March, steps more toward center stage in this book, and like everything else for poor Jax, it’s not an easy ride. They are separated again and again, by bureaucracy, by warfare, by Jax’s own fear that she’s dying, and by March’s violent past. I think they’re a great couple in that they balance each other very well, but at the same time, I’m really hoping they’ll get some R&R in the next book, because if anyone deserves it, it’s these two. Aguirre introduces more fascinating support characters and expands upon Jax’s existing crew in this book. Vel, the shapeshifting bounty hunter introduced in Grimspace, is one of my favorites, and I’m fascinating by Jael, the genetically altered mercenary. One thing I love about these books is that Jax obviously can’t do everything by herself. She constantly needs the support of her crew, and despite their supporting-character status, Aguirre develops them in such a way that they are tantalizing. We don’t know Vel’s or Jael’s histories, but we really want to know. I’m just as hooked on them as I am on Jax. Wanderlust will be released on August 26, a little over a week from now, and you can preorder it |
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