Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit

Requiem by John Palisano Before reading Requiem I hadn’t read anything by John Palisano. Browsing NetGallery, the amazing cover art drew me in and the premise — gothic horror in space? Gotta love that, right? — compelled me to request an eARC from Flame Tree Press. I love science fiction and am always on the lookout for new authors in the genre who can provide the wonder, thrills, and mind-altering perspectives that I crave.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong My rating: 4 of 5 stars It was a two-fold joy to read this book. Julie Leong has written a delightful, cozy fantasy, road trip novel with great characters -- human and animal. I dare you not to like the mule Laohu as much as Silt the almost ex-thief, Mash the fierce warrior/farmer, Kina the apprentice baker, and Tao the wandering fortune teller of the title.

A few weeks ago, I tuned in to watch The Rookie because I needed a Nathan Fillion fix. Haven’t seen him in a while. I stopped watching the show after the second season. I’m not big into investigative dramas (I’m just too much a fantasy and science fiction type) and it wasn’t the same as seeing Fillion in Castle with its great balance of drama and comedy.

Today I finished the first course in the Good with Words: Writing and Editing specialization on Coursera and now my brain has been presented with a conundrum: move on immediately to the next course in the specialization (more of the same) or start Introduction to Archaeology: Knowing The Past, a course that I'm dying to dig into. (Pun intended because I've been reading too much Rebecca Thorne who loves puns or at least has created a great character in her Tomes & Tea series who loves puns.