#BookReview - Spell of the Magi @GailDaley

Spell of the Magi

By: Gail Daley
Publication Date: January 2018
ISBN: 978-1386552901
Reviewed by: Gina Montanha
Review Date: September 2019

Spell of the Magi is a fantastical story set in the 22nd Century, yet the majority of the setting and characters depict a much simpler time, where travel is taken by unicorns and wagons, food is hunted or gathered, and with very few exceptions, technology is nearly non-existent. From our Earth, new worlds were discovered through various Portals, one of which was the world of Rulari, where this story takes place. There are people with magic powers called Magi, who must register with Proctors and are forced into a life of pre-arranged marriages for proper breeding. Magi children are segregated and brainwashed to obey Proctors and anyone can be killed for disobeying or even for having no magical talents.

Those like the beautiful and rebellious Rebecca Mabinogion live in hiding as unregistered Magi (also known as Magi Cadre) and disguise themselves as Travelers, making a living in different villages, in any way they can. On Rebecca’s tenth birthday, her parents were captured and eventually chose to die together, rather than conform to the forced life of the Proctors. Her grandparents continued to raise Rebecca and her siblings until years later when unfortunate circumstances cause the family, led by her Grandfather Lewys, to head out to the safety and comfort of their family birthright, a magical fortress called Ironlyn.

The family travels riding prized unicorns and towing their wagons for many weeks, through many villages before they reach Ironlyn. The roads are long and treacherous and the family must disguise themselves and their unicorns, using fake names and staying off more traveled routes. This of course leads them into more predicaments along the way, including the need for Rebecca to trick an injured Merc (a non-Magi soldier) named Andre, into believing he is her fiancée.

When they finally reach Ironlyn, they must get the sanctuary ready to sustain all of its residents (as it will provide shelter to any Magi seeking asylum from the Proctors), as well as prepare it for an impending war with the Proctors and those who rule them. Rebecca and each of her siblings use their individual talents, as well as the hidden magical gifts of the fortress itself, to band together and meet their attackers head on.

Spell of the Magi is futuristic, yet primitive and grounded in basic principles like love, loyalty and family. There are  characters with complicated names and titles, and fictitious words that can make it a bit difficult to follow at times, but the essence of the story is clear - protect your family at any cost. The ending of the story is a bit wanting, as it seemed to just stop, without a clear ending and made me wonder if there might be a sequel in the works. Regardless, the story is quite enjoyable and those who like tales of magic and suspense should definitely check out this new tale.

Quill says: Spell of the Magi is otherworldly and will be truly enjoyed by readers who love stories of sorcery, surprises and forbidden romance.

For more information on Spell of the Magi, please visit: books2read.com

#AuthorInterview with JF Collen

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Diane Lunsford is talking with JF Collen, the author of Flirtation on the Hudson (Journey of Cornelia Rose)

FQ: I cannot express enough what a treasure this story is. Clearly, your writing depicts many ‘in the moment’ passages. Did you find yourself writing the scenes as though you were the character living the scene? If so, what passage stands out most to you with such an experience?

COLLEN: Thank you! That is so gratifying to hear!

I lived this story, more than I wrote it. Sometimes I was amazed at what the characters I created wanted to do! It is hard to pick which passages are my favorites. I love to dance, and as a teenager went to many dances, including at West Point. (The cotillions evolved into ‘Hops’ which evolved into Saturday night dances.) I danced right along with Nellie, through her first gaff with the overly predatory Romeo to the shin-kicking Elmer, to the magic of dancing with Baker.

FQ: I too have a voracious appetite for history. What resonated for me while reading this book is the rich texture you surround your scenes with in that I could picture the Hudson nearly frozen in the dead of winter or the trips to West Point and the giggling debutants giddy with having their dance cards filled. Are you a native New Yorker? Hudson River Valley? If so, what is your favorite pastime in such a lovely place?

COLLEN: I am a native New Yorker! I was born in Manhattan. I love to go for walks along the Hudson River, and through the many river towns. History is everywhere—in sidewalk cracks in the city, the monuments in the river towns, and the broken oyster shells discarded in the 1700’s that are part of every bit of the five boroughs and Westchester. Every landscape, from wooded walks, where Bald Eagles can still be glimpsed, to village streets dotted with buildings from the 1850’s, inspires my imagination and hints at the many stories that unfolded in these locations.

FQ: I got a chuckle out of your bio in the last line where it is written: ‘Much to her husband’s dismay, they still live in New York.’ Where would he rather be and why?

COLLEN: He is a New Englander – far more passionate about the scenery in any of those six states than anywhere in New York!

FQ: It was interesting how you married the past with the present in many situations. There was a scene where Nellie finds herself in a pickle she may not have gotten out of with an overzealous suitor. Yet, you tastefully played the encounter out with gentle strokes of a more innocent time. Was there a vast amount of research in developing this body of work to capture the scene appropriate to the period?

COLLEN: Yes – the mentality of that time period is (thankfully) so different from today. Women were subordinate to men, which is horrible enough in its own right, but the poison of that social structure permeated society in ways far more insidious. In a ‘he said, she said’ situation, no one would believe a woman. We had few rights. Men held all the authority – and thus were more credible, in addition to garnering more respect. Woman’s voices were not silenced – they were never given voice in the first place. The only way women held sway was in the role Madam Calhoun commands, grand dame of family etiquette.

FQ: You mention only one of your parents have a sense of humor. Did this facilitate in developing the dynamics of Nellie’s parents; particularly her mother?

COLLEN: It did! I must confess I borrowed some character traits of some of the people I have encountered in my life and embodied them in the fictitious characters.

FQ: In line with the last question, are any of the characters closely related to real people you know? If so, has he or she figured it out? What was his/her reaction?

COLLEN: I confess some of Nellie’s worst traits were borrowed from my own personality! Other than that, I don’t believe any character is closely related to an actual person I know. It is so fun creating characters! I was free to combine different personality traits that intrigued me and create characters that seemed to come alive and tell me what was going to happen.

FQ: I enjoyed reading that you choose to use your storytelling for good instead of evil. This notion resonates throughout. I’m curious, however, how difficult was it to strike such a great balance in this premise throughout this story? You did a fantastic job of doing just that.

COLLEN: Thank you, I believe that is what every author hopes to achieve. There are so many stories of the people who came before us that are waiting to be told. I never enjoyed studying history in school until I took a seminar at Boston College where we did not read textbooks and study dates, but rather read literature created at the time—about the time period. I want to share this love of history with other readers. Characters throughout time have been motivated by the same needs and wants that ‘make us tick’ now. I believe the glass of life holds the same amount of water whether you dwell on the ‘half full’ part or the part that is ‘half empty.’  It is my constant goal to view people as sympathetic and in the best light possible, eliciting their best qualities, rather than focusing on the negative, both in life and in writing fiction.

FQ: Was there ever a time when the flow of your story stalled? What would you do to get back on track?

COLLEN: I am not a linear thinker. So, any time I got stuck, I would immerse myself in one of my many other jobs – lawyer, mother, grandmother, or turn to hobbies - gardener, trampoline jumper, body surfer, and open my mind to whatever ideas I received. Sometimes it would be situational – something I was part of, overheard, or read about, and I would realize this was a conflict my characters could experience. Or I would take a field trip to an historical site and picture my characters there. It was fun, figuring out how they would have arrived at that spot! I also read many good books on various aspects of the history of this time period and used this research as the backdrop for my character’s interactions.

FQ: You’ve traveled to many historical places around the world. If asked to choose one place, where would that be and why does it stand out among all the others?

COLLEN: I am not sure – there are so many wonderful places. I think it would be a seaport or somewhere with water, since the rivers and oceans were the highways of old and history was written on the seas and along the banks. I love New York City – there is so much history there I feel I could live near there the rest of my life and still not learn it all. But I could say the same for London, Paris, or Rome...

FQ: I want to thank you for your time today. I’m thrilled Flirtation on the Hudson is the first in your Journey of Cornelia Rose series. I look forward to the next, Pioneer Passage.When can we expect its release and are you able to tease us with a sneak peek?

COLLEN: Pioneer Passage will be released in the first week of December of this year. We are almost finished with our last edits.

#BookReview - A Transcontinental Affair

A Transcontinental Affair

By: Jodi Daynard
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: November 2019
ISBN: 978-1542004091
Reviewed by Diane Lunsford
Review Date: October 1, 2019

Jodi Daynard's latest novel, A Transcontinental Affair, delivers an intriguing blend of history and storyline.

The story begins in 1870s Boston. The focus is the imminent departure of the Pullman Express Hotel. The train is about to embark upon its virgin coast to coast excursion. The cast of characters will make the journey nothing less than memorable. Esteemed Congressman Eames was all about impressions and always governing to what was proper and what society mandated. Contrary to her daddy’s views, Harriet (Hattie) Eames was all about comfort and what felt right to her. Hattie would board the train in Boston and her next stop would be San Francisco, California where her fiancé and future husband awaited her arrival. There was one slight detail to overcome, however. Congressman Eames was insistent his rebellious daughter would represent the family in the most respectable manner throughout the journey. In Hattie’s view, what difference did it make what she elected to wear? What was wrong with the tunic and ballooned trousers she opted to wear? Clearly, compromise would be the key. Daddy Eames eventually acquiesces to Hattie’s whim only if she agrees to take the two gowns her mother purchased for the trip. What neither of the two had the inkling to know was that Hattie’s attire would pale in comparison with what lie ahead.

Louisa Finch doesn’t have much of a future. Born with a clubbed foot and no prospects of a worthy husband, her father, Reverend Finch, believed a life of servitude as a governess was the best hope for a future for his daughter. Louisa is hired as a governess and will travel to her new job on the same train as Hattie. While Louisa is a talented artist and it is her passion, it certainly won’t pave or pay her way for a sustainable future. Recognizing there is nothing further Reverend Finch can do for his daughter, he bids her farewell. Louisa's new life will be that of governess to the two children of the wealthy and quite aristocratic Ringe family. It’s not the ideal dream, but it provides some hope for Louisa’s future. Early in the continental crossing, Hattie’s and Louisa’s paths manage to cross. As the train carries its passengers across the miles of track headed west, the two women are faced with challenges and ample twists and turns in their respective destinies that neither could have ever fathomed.

Jodi Daynard has done an outstanding job of capturing the history of the time that transcends from the first continental crossing of the Pullman Hotel Express to focusing on the demeanors and vast contrasts between a man’s world and the subservience of women in the late 1800s. Not only does she capture the history, but she also manages to infuse a storyline of risqué behavior and choices between two of her characters, Hattie and Louisa. There is a stark representation between ‘have and have not’ that is portrayed between the two young women, yet that is not the focus. Rather, Ms. Daynard focuses on what the two explore during their journey and how they come out the other side as a result of their choices. The dialogue and scenery are balanced beautifully throughout the storyline and never is there a moment where this writing bogs its audience down with overload of description or unbelievability. The twist at the end of the story is superb in that the reader may think he or she knows how the story will end, but Daynard is prepared for this. She effortlessly manages to pull the rug out from beneath her audience in a clever and believable way. I say bravo and certainly look forward to Ms. Daynard’s next body of work.

Quill says: A Transcontinental Affair is a fantastic delivery of historical richness and edgy situations that will keep the reader engaged from cover to cover.

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#BookReview - The Lady with Balls

The Lady with Balls: A Single Mother's Triumphant Battle in a Man's World

By: Alice Combs
Publisher: Cypress House
Publication Date: July 2019
ISBN: 978-0998785417
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Review Date: September 20, 2019

In this minute-by-minute memoir of female grit and glory, Alice Combs combines emotive vignettes of family, failures, love interests, but above all, her fierce determination to make a living and be a leader in a man’s world.

As Combs was climbing out of a frayed career path to nowhere and a dead-end marriage that left her living on food stamps and struggling to care for two little girls, a wacky offer by a male friend – to help him with his tangled business endeavor selling baling wire – incited the author’s yen to prove herself. Having been told that she wasn’t really corporate material, she gradually set that analysis on its ear. With very little assistance and a lot of personal incentive, she learned the baling wire business from memorizing the basic terms like gage, annealed, and galvanized to watching, and listening to, the screeching machinery that compacts and binds up every conceivable kind of trash. 

At one point she moaned inwardly, “I wish men would take women more seriously” when she was told that visiting certain plant floors wasn’t “safe for women.” A key turning point in this vibrant autobiography shows Combs demanding to see an arrogant customer who had failed to send her a payment on time. She pushed through every barrier to confront him in the midst of a meeting, threw her briefcase at him, and was pushed down the stairs. Emerging remarkably unhurt, she later learned that this incident had surprisingly earned the respect of the men who witnessed it, and her new nickname - “The Lady with Balls” - was initiated. In a few short years she had revitalized her friend’s business, seen him for the fraud that he truly was, and bought him out.

Combs has a great gift, not only for business, but also for writing about business. Her book is constructed episodically, with action, reaction and reflection permeating every page. Dealing with a domineering mother, a selfish husband, dishonest business partners and difficult clients, she battled through every day to keep herself and her little family afloat. She did extensive research to keep ahead of the game. She hired other aspiring entrepreneurial women. She scored a major coup when her company got a contract with Safeway – and later survived the crisis when that contract was lost. Now, happily married, she still owns a piece of her once-struggling enterprise, Vulcan Wire, which continues to thrive. Near the end of the book, Combs shares “Seven Basic Business Lessons,” concluding with her wish that the reader may “be a braver person than I was” – though such a “braver person” will be hard to imagine after reading her remarkable saga. 

Quill says: Anyone hoping to make a success in the highly competitive realm of small business can learn from author Combs, and anyone who likes the motivational account of a woman’s rise to power in a man’s world will find the story of The Lady with Balls inspiring and educational. 

For more information on The Lady with Balls: A Single Mother's Triumphant Battle in a Man's World, please visit the book's website at: ladywithballs.com

#AuthorInterview with Mario Dhingsa @MarioDhingsa

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Amy Lignor is talking with Mario Dhingsa, the author of Maps of Bliss and Rage

FQ: I have to ask, this is such a large project to take on, where did the idea originally come from for these specific tales and to bring them together into a collection?

DHINGSA: In 2005, I took a career break and traveled (indirectly) from England to New Zealand. The structure of the book is a simply a retracing of my steps.

Red Dwarf (BBC TV)

The ideas for each chapter came from a variety of sources. Chapter One is based on the first all-female station crew to spend winter in Antarctica in 1990/91.

Unlike those smart and strong heroines, I wanted the male protagonists to be endearingly hopeless and unlucky, like the crew of Red Dwarf (anarchic UK sitcom, and one of my favourite shows growing up).

FQ: As a lover of libraries, I am also a lover of research. You certainly did a great deal when it comes to this treasure. How do you feel about research?

DHINGSA: I love the research part of writing. There’s no pressure, and you can read to your heart’s content! If I do my research, half of the plot writes itself. Researching also teaches me what not to write, in order to avoid fallacies and clichés.

Researching doesn’t have to be dull, dry and boring. The Day of the Jackal (1973) and All the President’s Men (1976) show how profound it can be!

Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel from 'the Day of the Jackal'

FQ: Are you a big traveler? If so, what is the most amazing place you’ve ever visited that touched you in some way and filled you to the brim with creativity? 

DHINGSA: I’ve been to the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome and it is extraordinary. But one of my favourite places to visit is actually airports. Yes, they can be tedious and frustrating, but I love how in this one building, you can travel to almost anywhere in the world, and all you have to do is go down a corridor.The passengers there are usually filled with excitement and optimism, and if someone’s waiting for their loved one’s arrival, then there is something very special when they’re finally reunited.

FQ: Are you a fan of anthologies? 

Arthur C. Clarke 'Of Time and Stars'

DHINGSA: When I was about 13, I used to buy a UK science magazine called Focus (now BBC Science Focus). One month it came with a free copy of Arthur C. Clarke’s Of Time and Stars(originally published in 1972). This collection of short stories left me stunned. It was superbly written, and unendingly imaginative. It was profound, poetic, and playful. Many readers choose Stephen King’s Different Seasons as the best short story collection ever, but I would always pick Of Time and Stars, and I have no regrets 

FQ: Is there one particular character who you have written who you feel close to, or identify with the most?

Castelgrande, Bellinzona, Switzerland

DHINGSA: I think Leandro in the Bellinzona chapter is the one most closet to me, in terms of his stubbornness, poor timing, and inability to communicate 

FQ: Do you have any plans where that character or another may appear in a series one day?

DHINGSA: I think the Bellinzona chapter lends itself well to a prequel and sequel installment. But would these characters want to spend any more time with me, after what happened to their lives? I don’t think so. And I don’t blame them 

FQ: Can you tell us about one of your most memorable meetings with a fan of your work – whether that be at a book signing or on the internet (blog, etc.) – and how their praise affected you? 

DHINGSA: As a writer, it’s always electrifying when a reader tells you that they like your work. What astonishes me the most is when readers say they are keen to re-read MOBAR. After everything they’ve just read, after everything they’ve just gone through, they still want to go back into the blaze? They’re a braver person than me 

FQ: All want to know: Are you working on anything now? 

Art Carney in 'Night of the Meek'

DHINGSA: I’m finalizing a children’s sci-fi book for Feb. 2020, but hope to start work this year on a Christmas story (as requested by my children). I’ll try to make it as enchanting and subversive as The Twilight Zone’s Christmas episode, Night of the Meek (1960): “All I know is that...I live in a dirty rooming house on a street filled with hungry kids and shabby people, where the only thing that comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve is more poverty...I just wish on one Christmas, only one, I could see some of the hopeless ones and the dreamless one. Just on one Christmas, I'd like to see the meek inherit the Earth." In 1960, Rod Serling set a very high bar.

#BookReview - Treacherous Strand

Treacherous Strand (An Inishowen Mystery)

By: Andrea Carter
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: September 2019
ISBN: 978-1608093045
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: September 2019

Benedicta ‘Ben’ O’Keeffe is at it again in the second of three planned mysteries that finds her trying to prove that the death of a client was the result of murder rather than suicide, as the woman's death report indicates.

Ben is a solicitor in the small (fictional) town of Glendara on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. Glendara is the type of town where everybody knows everybody else's business which can sometimes make it hard for a solicitor to keep secrets. Ben will soon be hard-pressed to keep things to herself as she begins to dig into a client's death.

As the story opens, a body is found washed up on a beach on the peninsula. The currents in the area are deadly, and the police, or garda as they are called in Ireland, soon rule the death a suicide. When the body is identified as Marguerite Etienne, a French woman who had come to see Ben the day of her death, Ben is consumed with feelings of guilt. The reason? When Marguerite had come to see her that day to draw up a will, Ben had been too busy to complete the task. She hurriedly brushed off Marguerite and promised to get to the will as soon as she was able. 

Feeling guilty at the way she treated Marguerite, and not convinced that she was so mentally fragile as to commit suicide, Ben begins to dig into the woman's past. She soon learns that Marguerite had escaped a cult years before, but had been forced to leave her baby daughter behind with the baby's father, the leader of the cult. Could the cult have something to do with Marguerite's murder? But then Ben gets her hands on the autopsy report and what she learns seems to point in a different direction. Maybe Marguerite was frightened and saw no way out. Perhaps the police are correct and it's a simple case of suicide...

As the second book in the Inishowen Mystery Series, there are a few references within the story to the first book. I have not read that one (Death at Whitewater Church), but had no issues following along/catching up with Ben's life and trials. Told in the first person by Ben, she's a strong, interesting character who is easy to like. The landscape of the Inishowen Peninsula comes to life through the author's artful descriptions and brings a strong presence to the pages. Likewise, the characters Ben works with, against, and for, also add a great deal to the story and make the pages come alive. The series is currently being adapted for television, filming in Inishowen. I'd suggest getting in on the fun before Benedicta hits the airwaves - you won't be disappointed.

Quill says: A great continuation to the Inishowen Mystery Series that has more twists and turns than one of the old side-roads on the Inishowen Peninsula.