The Women of Fantasy

What is it about a cop in a good book that makes us tingle? Usually it's a man - but not in the case of Urban Shaman, by C.E. Murphey. The main character, Joanne Walker is a 6 foot + sexy female cop who just happens to have shaman abilities and has to save the world. Joanne, half Native American and half Irish, must battle or enlist the aid of so-called "mythological" beings on both sides to save the world. A bit of a disjointed novel, it still enthralls.

The book I'm reading right now - Dance Upon the Air, by Nora Roberts (see my previous posts about the 3 Sisters Island Trilogy) - also features members of law enforcement, namely the hunky local sheriff who falls in love with main character Nell, and his sister Ripley - one of the three women to hold power on the island (though she won't admit it). Painted as "small town" (really small island) cops, they are in charge of keeping the peace and do it very well.

Today is Memorial Day - my brother, who joined the army six months ago, is visiting for a few days and it has made me think about the importance of Memorial Day - to honor those who have died for our freedom, present day military members, as well as local law enforcement.

Looking for something to give someone you know in the military or local law enforcement? Check out tactical gloves from L.A. Police Gear. They carry lots of other great stuff like Under Armour clothing - great for maintaining comfort in heat or cold.

Know of any other great fantasy reads with members of military or police? Comments are welcome!

***This post is sponsored by payperpost***

Not a book review this time - a website review. Surfing for new stuff written by women in the fantasy genre - not necessarily new as in recently published but new to me - I ran into the typical lists of popular books such as listmania and so on. Then I found this very worthwhile site, lunacat.net, which describes itself as "Science Fiction & Fantasy by women." Reminiscent of a library site, it organizes books simply and effectively under categories such as Elves, Shape changers, Warrior Women & Assassins, and so on.

This site also has information on Dissociative Identity Disorder - the creator of the site says someone close to them was diagnosed with this and that it helped them to understand it better by delving into Science Fiction and Fantasy - especially that written by women.

A really fascinating and worthwhile site - somewhat old school (no high tech blogging interfaces here) yet more than functional. Like the internet in the old days. Enjoy!

Recently I purchased the educational book "Blogging for Dummies," to figure out some ways to spiffy up my blogging. Although blogging is addictive and fun in and of itself, everything is made better when you can make a few bucks off of it (although purists may disagree). In any case, it listed some ways to "monetize" your blog and one of the better ones out there is payperpost - which I had known about before in my prior life as a website designer but am now revisiting as a blogger.

So I haven't always been a blogger - c'mon, we aren't born this way - it takes over sometime after the (usually) adolescent years (or in my case as a stay at home mom of a 2 year old to help me maintain my sanity). Payperpost is a nifty program that allows you to post for dollars - without selling your soul. As in, you can be honest and truthful in your opinions. Family and friends are always asking me, oh is that a new computer game you are playing?
What do you do on the computer? They just blink when I say "blogging" - and stare at me some more when I mention how blogging can be a valid income maker.

They are probably thinking - "there she goes again something about computers" - OK can you tell I'm not from the most techno-savvy family? But it's all good...I've found tons of ways to monetize my hobbies - now getting down to the nitty gritty and doing it is another thing. Payperpost is a little different than most monetization methods - a little friendlier, a little cooler, and it's still popular and going strong - over a year after I first ran into it.

Who? - you silly!

What? - Twitter is a new social networking site to let all your peeps know what you are up to.

When? Anytime anyday

Where? Follow me at http://twitter.com/butterflynymph

Why? When I can't post, I twitter!!

Ever walked into the bookstore, grabbed a terrific looking fantasy book only to find halfway through you hate it (but must finish)? Here are my tips for finding the perfect fantasy to read - including when you are crunched for time (wailing toddler, airport, store about to close, etc. etc.)

1. Patience - sometimes the perfect book will find you - no really! A relative will offer it up, a friend will not stop talking about it, or it will turn up everywhere you look until you have to read it to find out what the fuss is about. (And if it turns not to be all that perfect at least you have something to talk about)
2. Research - Recently I introduced my fantasy obsessed little brother to Amazon and taught him how to look up reviews and utilize Listmania to find books he likes. I find tons of books this way and they can be really cheap! Also, if I look up a book I've read and loved it will give me recommendations based on it.
   
3. Take a break - Sometimes just reading something from another genre for awhile (mystery anyone?) will refresh your perspective on Fantasy. Fantasy is one of those genres that tends to get a bit repetitive and lacking in fresh ideas now and then - wait a bit and something great will show up.
4. Do Judge a Book by it's Cover - but don't make it a habit. The key here is to a) read the summary, b) skim through the pages to see if it looks exciting or boring, and c) realize you are taking a risk and try to be open minded. Good books can still be found this way, especially if they are near books you like.
5. Ask Staff - of course, this assumes you are in one of those bookstores with helpful people - and you can also ask the person by you. Just realize if it is a 15 year old boy looking at Star Wars books and you are going for feminist fantasy, you may not like his recommendations.
6. Author Loyalty - Mercedes Lackey, Juliet Marrilier, P.C. Cast - these are a few of my favorite authors and I've not read too much I didn't like by them. Usually if I want to play it safe but have no time (screaming 2 year old anyone?) to skim books and ask others for help I just snatch one I haven't read by a favorite author. OK, still semi-risky but the odds are better I'll like it.
7. Surf the Web - Last but not least, read blogs about fantasy books. (Like this one.) You may not agree with the blogger, and their is still a risk you won't like what they recommend, but at least you'll have some fresh titles to consider.

I'm almost halfway through Dance upon the Air (Three Sisters Island Trilogy) by Nora Roberts and am really enjoying this book. The main character, Nell Channing, is running from her past and falling for the local sheriff of Three Sisters Island. The paranormal element? Witchcraft - but not the weird creepy kind - this is the love/light/goddessy kind. So far this has all the elements of a very tasty, page turning story with strong female empowerment themes throughout.
Read it? Share your opinion in the comments.

Years ago I remember reading a historical type romance by Nora Roberts. I remembered reading it today when I saw someone reading a Nora Roberts book at a family gathering. OK, so historical romances aren't really my thing, but I do remember enjoying it... whatever it was.

Check out my new squidoo lens at http://www.squidoo.com/romanticfantasyfiction
for Romantic Fantasy books new in 2008 I can't wait to read. What are your top books
new for 2008? Post in comments!

If you haven't read the book Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) yet then you probably don't know about the movie coming out in December. My little sister, who is always more "with it" than me, told me about the movie weeks ago but today is the first time I noticed how inundated the internet is with versions of the Twilight trailer. Google brought up 544,000 listings when I typed in Twilight Trailer, so I headed over to http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/ to see if I could find a link to the actual trailer. Sure enough, it was there: the Twilight Trailer Link. I also found a link to the making of the movie on Meyer's site.


Although I feel the books are hardly perfect - and very reminiscent of every teenage romance I have ever read - I am interested to see what the movie makes of the page turning Twilight book and if anything changes - maybe for the better? I'm a bit leery of the violence aspect - which I found rather icky and intense in the books and am hoping isn't graphically played out in the movie. Would love to see a cool superhero/love story rather than the horror aspect it could turn into.

On a different note, Stephanie Meyer's newest book The Host: A Novel is out and I'm interested to see what an adult novel by her is like.

Looking through my bookshelf I ran into this old favorite - Daughter of the Forest (The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 1) by Juliet Marillier. Her website refers to her fantasy style as historical fantasy, and that is certainly true - but history as the dry subject I remember is a far cry from this book. Celtic mythology, and yes, historical events, make their way in, but this is such a magical book it's hard to classify. All I can say is that it is very very good.

Although it is the first of a trilogy it is also a good standalone book - the main character plays a quiet background role in the next two. This was my favorite of the three.

Sorcha, the main character, undertakes a perilous quest to save her brothers who have been cursed by an evil enchantress. A poetic, powerful story is inside this book and it's one I will return to again and again.

I found this journey-type series by author Elizabeth Vaughan light and riveting. The main character, Xylara, is a healer and also a princess, who is caught into a very intense situation with the conqueror of her people. This series is nice and romantic without being too physical - it's more of an emotional romance, which I prefer.

Xylara is a character on the path to self-discovery. Her love for the Warlord is a bit obsessive for me but makes for a great romance. She has some identity issues and is very young - but this makes it a two fold journey series - the physical journey made and the emotional one Xylara goes through as she matures.