A Book by the Same Name

Google Alerts let me know that another writer has recently published a book entitled The Gift Horse. When I chose the title, I looked at Amazon and a few online used bookstores to see if the title was in print, and I noted that an autobiography by Hildegard Knef was the only use of the title in works intended for an adult audience, and even that had a subtitle, "A Report on a Life." The book had been in print for more than thirty years and was not fiction, so I decided to keep using it. Since its publication, I have had a few folks ask me if I chose the title because it had been used before, and that wasn't a reason to use it, but a reason to consider changing it. After some consideration, I realized that I really did not want to dump a good idea for a title, yet I certainly did not want to confuse readers, either. As I was pulling the manuscript together for publication, my cover artist suggested that I not picture a carousel horse, because that might make readers think the book was about a horse, or that it was intended for a young audience. The artist suggested the dark green cover, and I do like it, but I don't know if it helps people figure out that I am referring to the old saying, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

A couple of years ago, I created a YouTube video, A Brief History of Science Fiction, and that time I did play off Steven Hawking's famous title, A Brief History of Time. This video has served me well, garnering more than 1500 hits. Recently, someone posted a video with the same exact title, and I watched it a couple of times before deciding that mine really is better.

Back to that Google Alert. I had to surf a bit to see that a romance author, Jami Davenport, has used "my" title, The Gift Horse, for adult fiction— a romance. I wish her well with it. I might even read it sometime! When I began writing Angela Donalson's story, I had in mind to write a romance. Alas, it just wasn't in me. While I love and respect my hubby, I know that there are many pitfalls in life, and I threw a whole bunch of them at Angie, plus a few that I hope no one ever face, just to see what would happen. My version of The Gift Horse has plenty of suspense and conflict, but it certainly isn't a romance.

“Imitation is the sincerest flattery” according to Charles Caleb Colton, and rather than be miffed, I've decided to be glad that others thought my titles worthy enough to use them.

Parallels

Parallel is a neat word, with multiple meanings in mathematics, gymnastics, and in literature. The very idea that ideas can be alike, yet different, is intriguing. I’ve often enjoyed works with parallels, such as the fable, Animal Farm, which is the tale of animals rebelling in England, but closely parallels happenings in Russia, beginning with the Bolshevik revolution and ending with events which happened during World War II.

I just finished, and I say that with a bit of pride because it was difficult, Parallel Attraction by Deidre Knight. Having heard Ms. Knight speak at a writer’s conference, in her role as literary agent rather than as a writer, I wanted to like this debut novel. As I struggled to make it through the chaos of the time travel plot, I checked out the reviews on Amazon. Some of them were glowing, especially those by her clients and fellow authors. But others, by readers, gave it one or two stars, and I tend to agree with some of their comments. The opening of the novel works well enough, and Knight’s prose is quite good overall, although she sometimes does some odd phrasing, such as, “...as he barked something at a group of engineers out in the breezeway who had been working on one of his fighter planes when they’d stridden in.” More troubling was the plot/peril sequence, which was a confusing time travel sequence. The hero wasn’t particularly heroic, nor was the villain particularly villainous, which is a greater flaw. Also, there was very little romance in this romance novel, because the main characters became “mated” with almost no build up, and the characterization seemed to be more driven by introducing minor characters to become main characters in subsequent novels in the series.

Recently, the proprietor of a used book store told me that one can judge a book by its price used. As I write this, Parallel Attraction can be purchased via Amazon for one penny, plus shipping, from fifteen vendors, and for under a dollar from seven more. Perhaps that says more than all of those glowing reviews from Deidre’s colleagues.

I will no doubt revisit Animal Farm, with its entertaining parallels with both history and human behavior, and I hope that Deidre Knight does succeed in writing a great romance, since she seems to be such a nice person.

Conspiracy Game

Author Christine Feehan either mesmerizes, or she disappoints. Her books are typically paranormal romances with a fair amount of spice. Like many prolific authors, she writes various series, including her vampire series, now up to about twenty titles, all of which begin with the word “dark” such as Dark Melody. Since I don’t read vampire books, I have not read any of those.

The first book I read by her, Wild Rain, is part of another series, but stands alone quite well. I loved the suspense, which Feehan can do fabulously indeed. I tried one of the Drake sisters books, another series, and I managed to finish the book, but I have not revisited the series because that one just didn’t hold my interest. One problem with writing a series is getting the “back story” covered in other books into the current one, that’s where Feehan can stumble. When she devotes too many pages to backstory, she risks losing the immediacy necessary for suspense.

A year or so ago, I was watching “book trailers” on YouTube and noticed the one done by COS productions for her suspenseful paranormal romance, Conspiracy Game. I was so impressed with the video that I marked it as a favorite and bought the book. I don’t remember why, but I parked that title, along with quite a few others, in one of my ever growing “to be read” stacks. A couple of days ago I picked up CG, and I was hooked within just a few pages. This book is just what I like to read— a mysterious plot with characters who are strong but not without vulnerabilities, military action, circus daredevils, medical mystery, plenty of paranormal elements, and not too many stray body parts leaking fluids onto the pages. Other books in the series include Shadow Game, Mind Game, and Night Game. I’ve included the book trailer, featuring Liz Maverick as the heroine. BTW, Maverick is another good paranormal romance writer.


Conspiracy Game is still available in mass market paperback, and provides plenty of entertainment for eight bucks. Oh, and it is quite suspenseful, if you just skim the backstory.

For fans of Science Fiction Romance

If you are new to romantic science fiction, and some of the folks who have read Trinity on Tylos are, then what comes next? I could write a lengthy essay on romantic science fiction, and I’ve already commented on it from time to time here, but what books might my readers like if they wish to check out offerings in this subgenre of fiction?

I used to be frustrated by what was available to read, whether the source was the local library or a bricks and mortar store, because they all seem to feature the same few authors from the big New York publishers. First and foremost, the internet is a great resource for recommendations and vendors of books that you might not find otherwise.

Here are some books from my keeper shelf, in no certain order, except I have divided them with those primarily available in print first and eBooks second. Also, I tend to like more science fiction and less romance, but most of these offer a blend of the two genres.

•Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change, Carpe Diem (all 3 are in the omnibus called Partners in Necessity)
•Catherine Asaro’s Skolian Empire Series-- to begin, try SkyFall or The Last Hawk; also check out the stand alone title, The Veiled Web
•Elizabeth Moon, Remnant Population, and her Heris Serano series
•David Weber, Path of the Fury, Apocalypse Troll, and the early Honor Harrington books
•Susan Grant, Contact
•Linnea Sinclair, An Accidental Goddess
•C. J. Barry, Unearthed and its sequels
•Catherine Spangler, Shielder and its sequels
•S. L. Viehl, StarDoc and its sequels
•Anne McCaffrey, Freedom’s Landing and its sequels
•Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honor and Barrayar (available as an omnibus edition called Cordelia’s Honor and as eBooks) as well as the excellent short story, The Mountains of Mourning, available from Baen Books Free Library
eBooks:
•Angela Verdenius, Love’s Sweet Assassin, Heart Of An Outlaw
•Myra Nour, Love’s Captive (this is rather sensual)

New hope for eBook authors

While cruising around the Sci Fi channel's really excellent website, I read a favorable review of Linnea Sinclair's Finder's Keepers, which I bought a few years ago as a pdf file (that is, an eBook) published by NovelBooks, Inc. Here's the link to the review: http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue423/books2.html

Finder's Keepers is "new" in a mass market paperback edition, and I wish the author much success as she bridges the gap between the fringe market of eBooks and traditional publishing. This book is a lighthearted futuristic romance and deserves to find a larger audience than it had when it was just a download away. In an earlier post, I examined the role of eBooks in modern publishing, so I won't rehash that here.

My new novel has been accepted by an eBook publisher. I'm glad that Whiskey Creek Press offers trade paperbacks as well, so I can purchase those for resale at booksignings and so forth, but I hope that people who don't know me will purchase Trinity on Tylos for the same reasons that I purchased Sinclair's book— because it looked like a fun read. I've never met Ms. Sinclair, but I've enjoyed several of her books, and I see the publication of Finder's Keepers by a New York house as a reminder that the original publisher isn't always the only publisher.

Also, I'm glad that futuristic romance is becoming a genre recognized by larger publishers. I've been reading them for some time, but some publishers and authors are bringing this genre into the mainstream. Susan Grant's books, published by Dorchester, are among those which are finding a large audience.

So check out Sinclair's book and the Sci Fi channel's website, especially the reviews and letters.