Month: November 2016

SFN: Book Review | “Nebula Awards Showcase 2015” (edited by) Greg Bear #RRSciFiMonth

Posted Tuesday, 29 November, 2016 by jorielov (Editor) Greg Bear, Nebula Award Showcase 2015, Nebula Award Showcase series 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a reviewer for Prometheus Books and their imprints starting in [2016] as I contacted them through their Edelweiss catalogues and Twitter. I appreciated the diversity of titles across genre and literary explorations – especially focusing on Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Scientific Topics in Non-Fiction. I received a complimentary copy of “Nebula Awards 2015” direct from the publisher PYR (an imprint of Prometheus Books) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

How I came to learn about ‘Nebula Awards 2015’:

I’ve heard about the Nebula Awards but I honestly haven’t followed them; although this might sound strange coming from someone who loves Science Fiction as much as I do! The truth is I have always picked up Science Fiction quite randomly until I became a blogger – I lean towards finding more Sci-Fi to read now as I blog than I had in previous years – except for the years I was invested into the SFBC (Science Fiction Book Club) which was a mail-order catalogue of the genre by which you could order hardback editions of classic and contemporary Science Fiction & Fantasy authors. I vaguely remember reading about the Nebula Awards in those catalogues as they used to write articles to go with the book selections – you could learn a heap just by browsing and this is how I started to navigate the genre as a whole.

I also gathered quite a heap of books – by various authors – including the Acorna series and a lot of Heinlein whilst focusing on Tolkien and Kate Elliott as well. I never read them save for Kate Elliott’s Crown of Stars series as I was gathering books to read rather than reading all the books I was gathering. I would classify that point in my reading life as a ‘discovery period’ where I was seeking out certain styles of narrative and certain authors of whom I felt were writing the kinds of stories I wanted to read. I did read the odd book every so many shipments – however, I have this lovely little cache of Science Fiction I one day want to re-open and see what I’ll find inside! I do not remember all the books I collected as it was more of the art of the hunt back then than the devourment of the spoils – I wonder if anyone else has gone through a collecting book stage rather than a reading stage!?

Around the time I discovered Prometheus Books and their imprints of Seventh Street Books and Pyr, I found this curious collection: the Nebula Awards Showcase 2015. I had intended to read it closer to when it arrived but the timing was not right for me until now. What I appreciated about this showcase is how eclectic it was and how varied the stories were inside – as much as it was a wicked good overall of the current offerings of a genre I truly love dearly! Science Fiction holds a special place in my heart – it was the original genre of choice when I first started to write my own stories and to this day, it’s the genre I love to return to read.

I will be following this reading with the 2016 Nebula Awards Showcase lateron this week – as I was blessed to receive both years. Next year, the editor is Julie E. Czerneda of whom I featured earlier this month whilst she disclosed the inside bits on her Web Shifters series!

I would be interested to know if my readers follow the Nebula Awards and if they have picked up any of the Nebula Award Showcases? If this is your first meeting of the showcases (as it is for me), I welcome your feedback as well. I love anthologies – normally reserved for short stories, but in this instance, I love how you get an inside glimpse into a variety of writers and their chosen styles of creative expression whilst honing in on what makes the Nebula Awards such an amazing group of creatives who write about a futuristic world not too far from our own.

Nebula Awards Showcase: 2015
Subtitle: Stories, Excerpts and Essays

The Nebula Awards Showcase volumes have been published annually since 1966, reprinting the winning and nominated stories of the Nebula Awards, voted on by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

The editor of this year’s volume, selected by SFWA’s anthology Committee (chaired by Mike Resnick), is American science fiction and fantasy writer Greg Bear, author of over thirty novels, including the Nebula Award-winning Darwin’s Radio and Moving Mars.

This anthology includes the winners of the Andre Norton, Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master, Rhysling, and Dwarf Stars Awards, as well as the Nebula Award winners, and features Ann Leckie, Nalo Hopkinson, Rachel Swirsky, Aliette de Bodard, and Vylar Kaftan, with additional articles and poems by authors such as Robin Wayne Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Terry A. Garey, Deborah P Kolodji, and Andrew Robert Sutton.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781633880900

on 8th December, 2015

Pages: 320

Published By: Pyr (@Pyr_Books)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Read more about Nebula Awards 2015 via the SFF Blog of B&N (Barnes & Noble)

(edited by) Greg Bear ( Site | @RealGregBear )

Converse via: #NebulaAwards + #GregBear

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#FuellYourSciFi
SFN Bingo 2016

Posted Tuesday, 29 November, 2016 by jorielov in Asteroid Science, Blog Tour Host, Climate Change, Ecology, Environmental Conscience, Environmental Science, Hard Science Fiction, Horticulture, Prometheus Books, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction

#StoriesOfJorie | Not your traditional #ThanksgivingWeekend: my Dad had a stroke.

Posted Sunday, 27 November, 2016 by jorielov Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie Story, Stories of Jorie 10 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts

— it’s been a long 24hrs for me and my family.

Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Neil Austin. (Creative Commons Zero)

Sometimes life throws you more than a curveball – sometimes you wake up to find challenges as *big!* as boulders placed on your path. Yet there is always the hope of tomorrow lingering in the background – you just have to find the strength to live through the rocky bits first & then find your rhythm lateron.

Blessedly, we are not oft given foreshadows about our future paths – in this particular case, I am grateful I entered *November* thinking about all the lovelies (stories) I would be focusing on whilst blogging my heart out about Science Fiction & the Futuristic Fiction I love consuming on a yearly basis. I was so thankful to have a full month to hone in on the stories themselves whilst sorting out how to arrange the month-long Sci-Fi Fest here on Jorie Loves A Story. As you can see by the schedule I posted the very first days of November (view this post) everything was set to be a smashingly lovely month!

Until I faltered a bit the first week of November, losing my footing for a short bit in my readings as I found that particular week emotionally draining. I recaptured my readerly heart by reading two stories pertinent to Current Events I felt were beckoning me to read at that particular time before I could proceed forward into the Sci-Fi worlds I had earmarked to alight inside – those two stories were spilt between fiction (see this Review) and non-fiction (see this review). Everything I wanted to say are on those two posts, including the recapture of what I shared on Twitter, as I let others who posted tweets express what was weighing on my mind at the time, whilst tweeting out a simple note of my own, too.

It wasn’t until the 15th of November, I truly felt I was gaining traction again – which is why I started to release my posts starting with a beautiful guest post by Julie E. Czerneda (read about her Web Shifters series) and sharing my reviews of: Remnant in the Stars (see Review) and The Loudest Actions (see Review) as well as a guest feature (this interview) before I took ill. My migraines returnt for a short while as well, leaving me wrecked to proceed. I’ve been dealing with my migraines off/on since Spring, as they had left me for 10 months from May 2015 til March 2016 before resuming at the end of Summer; until this month, of course. I had been finding my headaches were reducing by off-setting my readings of print books with audiobooks – my own version of ‘art therapy’ as I colour (adult colouring books) whilst I listen to audiobooks (as disclosed on my first Audiobook Review); by the time the story concluded I did not even remember all the colours I selected and am quite amazed at the end results! It’s the third time between my late twenties and late thirties I’ve recaptured a bit of Zen for myself! The first was through Mixed Media Art Collages (small scale – think ATC (Artist Trading Cards), rubberstamp art, handmade cards & painting bisque pottery and the second was through learning how to knit a hybrid variant between the American and Continental (British) styles. Read More

Posted Sunday, 27 November, 2016 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Birthdays & Blogoversaries, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie Loves A Story Features, Sci-Fi November, Stories of Jorie

Blog Book Tour | “To Suit a Suitor” by Paula Kremser by the author who wrote “Sophia”! #JorieLovesRegencies

Posted Thursday, 24 November, 2016 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Paula Kremser, Pure Romance series, Sweetwater Books, To Suit a Suitor 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “To Suit a Suitor” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I am drawn into Sweet Romances & Historical Roms:

I’ll admit – I love being swirled into a Historical Rom and the tenderness of a Sweet Romance! If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be able to say with pure joy how much I *adore!* watching the Hallmark Channel + their secondary channel for Movies & Mysteries! There is something quite magical about how infusing your heart and mind into a light-hearted (sometimes a bit more dramatic) Romance that can set your heart afire for positivity! I think this is why most of us love to return into these worlds – where innocence is not shameful and where propriety and honour reign. It’s the world of where gentleman are mindful of their manners, act accordingly and women can be strongly fierce as we are today but get to wear such interestingly intricate clothes!

Sometimes there is more historical fact inside a Hist Rom, where the structures of society inflict certain disadvantages towards personal freedom or the right to marry whomever you choose – such as history would reflect, but within the tome of this special niche of Romance, I find my heart simply loves to reach into the pages of where writers are writing a story that is wicked delightful to read – set in a world that is how we’d hope the past would be presented to us if we travelled backwards and full of the delights or woes of being single ahead of marriage.

In contrast to most Historical Roms, the Sweet Romance side of the ledger falls primarily under the INSPY heading – where faith-based story-lines offer an additional layer of sweetness and where the characters are open about their walk in faith during the narrative. I love reading both variants – either mainstream or INSPY – as who wouldn’t want to soak inside a Romance set in the historical past? And, of course, I’m one to openly lament quite often – if it’s a Regency, a Victorian or an Edwardian there is a super strong chance I’m going to find it! Laughs.

Notation on the size of this novel: As what you cannot see from the digital book cover is that this wicked lovely Historical Rom is in portable pocket size edition! You can easily grab a copy to take with you whilst seeking a Romance you can travel with but without the angst of having a bulky paperback weighing you down! I personally love portable pocket size editions – something I shall be talking more about in December! They make you smile by their quaint size but it’s the possibilities of where and when you can read them that are wicked!

To Suit a Suitor
Subtitle: Pure Romace

Don't set your sights on him,
It will only lead to heartache."

Much to her mother's annoyance, Julia North can't catch a husband. After what seems like the hundredth suitor, Julia leaves London to visit a distant cousin, hoping to forget about husband hunting for a time. She inadvertently finds herself in the society of Henry Chamberlain, the most desirable gentleman in Somersetshire. With every young lady in town competing for his attention, Julia assumes she doesn't have a chance. What she doesn't know is that her desire to avoid Henry's attention may be the very thing that catches it. . .

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781462119332

on 1st November, 2016

Pages: 256

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #INSPYRom, #SweetRomance, #HistRom + #Regency

About Paula Kremser

Paula Kremser focused on a career in science for a few years after graduating from Brigham Young University. Several years later when she moved with her young family to England, Paula seized the opportunity to focus on her love of the Regency Era. The enchantment of the aristocracy and the fascinating stories from every stately home she visits have been both research and inspiration for her first novel. Paula lives with her husband and four children in a charming village nestled in the Chiltern hills in Buckinghamshire.

For a hilarious look-see behind-the-scenes of how this photograph was captured read her Outtakes post! I believe that the photograph that was chosen captures her 'in the moment' with a spark of joy. Sometimes the best photographs are the ones we do not overly plan but rather happen spontaneously!

Website | Blog | Twitter | Amazon | Pinterest

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Thursday, 24 November, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 19th Century, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, England, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Regency Era, Romance Fiction, Siblings, Sweet Romance, The London Season

#WYChristmasReadathon No.1 | Book Review of “Finding Father Christmas” (omnibus ed.) & “Engaging Father Christmas” by Robin Jones Gunn

Posted Sunday, 20 November, 2016 by jorielov Engaging Father Christmas, FaithWords, Father Christmas series, Finding Father Christmas, Hachette Book Group Inc., Robin Jones Gunn 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a new reviewer for Hachette Books and their imprints, starting with FaithWords which is their INSPY (Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction) imprint of releases focusing on uplifting and spiritual stories which are a delight to read whilst engaging your mind in life affirming and heart-centered stories. I found Hachette via Edelweiss at the conclusion of [2015] and have been wicked happy I can review for their imprints Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords & Center Street.

I received a complimentary copy of “Finding Father Christmas (omnibus) Engaging Father Christmas” direct from the publisher FaithWords (an imprint of Hachette Book Group Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to read Christmas Romances & Fiction this year:

A few years back I wanted to participate in Christmas #readathons – one hosted by an author who likes to pull people together in the book blogosphere and on social media but the other one was meant to be co-hosted between myself and my friend Christine (of whom had maintained her own bookish blog at readerlymusings.com). I never had the proper chance to focus on either one – even as December had a way of coming back round, none of the Decembers I tried to participate was successful; last year notwithstanding as I had a thirty day virus! Oy!

This year, I wanted to make a new tradition of settling into holiday stories between November and December – even extending into January if I found stories I felt would resonate with me at that point in time. I have the hardest time ‘letting go’ of the holiday movies on tv by early to mid January – as it’s the end of the season I love so much to watch! Those films which air on Hallmark Channel and Lifetime are such a delight to become caught up inside due to the innocent joys and the pure happiness of being connected to family and community. We can all use extra joy and I celebrate the light of the festive season being played out on the dramas and romances or comedies this time of the year!

I used to read Christmas stories all the time – long before I blogged my reading life, but somewhere along the way I fell out of step with why I loved reading them! I would queue them from my library or purchase copies outright to include on my own bookshelves, yet the joy of simply ‘reading them’ left me curiously detached! Until this year, where I decided – I don’t want to just ‘watch!’ the holidays unfold this year or listen to the music on the radio starting Thanksgiving week – I want to fully embrace what I’ve always loved doing – reading select Christmas stories and/or inspiring books which make me smile or uplift my spirit in some way that co-relates to the Christmastide and Wintry season!

Therefore, this review of the newly released omnibus of Ms Gunn’s novellas in the Father Christmas series will kick-off my readings which throughout November and December will offer a bit of a capstone glimpse inside the stories which lift up my spirit and make my heart smile! A true mixture of fiction and non-fiction releases – including a few surprises along the way! I happened to have found all of these to read and/or review ahead of the #WYChristmasReadthon which splendidly worked out well for cross-promoting purposes where I can engage in what are you reading this Christmas Season with other readers seeking out wicked good #ChristmasReads!

It’s a beautiful time of the year, and settling back into the stories I always loved reading is an immeasurable joy of mine! These readings and showcases are running a bit concurrent to my science fiction showcases this month, so you’ll always have something unexpectedly awesome to read about if you continue to visit with me this November!

I’d love to know what your picking up to read this season

– be sure to leave your #currentreads and recommendations in the comment threads!

Finding Father Christmas | Engaging Father Christmas
Subtitle: Two Novels in One (Omnibus)

By beloved author Robin Jones Gunn, two timeless, heartwarming Christmas novellas bound together for the first time in an omnibus edition.

In FINDING FATHER CHRISTMAS, Miranda Carson's search for her father leads her unexpectedly to London with only a few feeble clues as to who he might be. Immediately welcomed into a family that doesn't recognize her, and whom she's quickly coming to love, she faces a terrible decision. Should she reveal her true identity and destroy their idyllic image of her father? Or should she carry the truth home with her to San Francisco and remain alone in this world? Whatever choice she makes during this London Christmas will forever change the future for both herself and the family she can't bear to leave.

In ENGAGING FATHER CHRISTMAS Miranda Carson can't wait to return to England for Christmas and to be with her boyfriend, Ian. She has spent a lifetime yearning for a place to call home, and she's sure Carlton Heath will be it, especially when a hinted-at engagement ring slips into the conversation. But Miranda's high hopes for a jolly Christmas with the small circle of people she has come to love are toppled when Ian's father is hospitalized and the matriarch of the Whitcombe family withholds her blessing from Miranda. Questions run rampant in Miranda's mind about whether she really belongs in this cheery corner of the world. Then, when her true identity threatens all her relationships in unanticipated ways, Miranda is certain all is lost. And yet . . . maybe Father Christmas has special gifts in store for her after all.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781455565948

on 6th September, 2016

Pages: 352

Published by: FaithWords (@FaithWords)
an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (@HachetteBooks) via Hachette Nashville

Formats Available: Hardcover, Audiobook & Ebook

The Father Christmas Series includes:

Finding Father Chistmas

Engaging Father Christmas

Kissing Father Christmas (Synopsis)

Converse via: #INSPYbooks, #ChristmasReads

About Robin Jones Gunn

Robin Jones Gunn has written 82 books over the past 25 years, with almost 4.5 million copies sold worldwide. She received a Christy Award for her novel Sisterchicks in Gondolas, and speaks at events around the US and Canada as well as in South America, Africa, Europe, and Australia.

Photo Credit: Ross Gunn III

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#WYChristmasReadathon

Posted Sunday, 20 November, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Christianity, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, England, FaithWords, Family Life, Inheritance & Identity, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Modern Day, Post-911 (11th September 2001), Romance Fiction, Single Mothers, Spirituality & Metaphysics, When Calls the Heart

#RRSciFiMonth Author Q&A | Talking #scifi with Cindy Koepp, an Indie author of a Space Opera series!

Posted Sunday, 20 November, 2016 by jorielov Cindy Koepp, Remnant in the Stars, The Loudest Actions, Under the Moon 0 Comments

Today, I have a special guest – since I’m currently celebrating Sci Fi November (via #RRSciFiMonth), I wanted to cultivate a conversation today with the writer whose series I’ve just finished reading about a mutual love of ours: Science Fiction! Therefore you will find that I’ve asked Ms Koepp key questions about her own sci-fi adventures in fiction and film, whilst asking her a bit about her series as well. I wanted to start a thread if I could about the components of the genre that we each find interestingly curious but also, to encourage visitors coming through the event itself to feel inspired to add to the conversation in the comment threads.

This marks my second guest author during Sci Fi November, as Ms Czerneda was the first, who shared the heart of the Quebits in her Guest Post featuring extracts from her Web Shifters series. If you are inclined towards quirky alien races grounded in hard science, I do encourage you to read her feature after Ms Koepp’s!

I personally love conversing about Science Fiction – what was quite keenly wicked is that Ms Koepp shares my love of ‘classic’ Star Trek, as previously only Mr Sullivan had mentioned something that clued me into the fact he shared my affinity for Roddenberry’s Space Opera world. I find there aren’t too many of us who feel this way, so each time I find someone who loves the classic style of Trek, I find I am celebrating with a smile.

If you are following my adventures during Sci Fi November, I am updating the main archive hub for this year’s event after each post I’m contributing throughout November. I am also highlighting the posts for easy reference and discovery on the list! I welcome your commentary and feedback as you make your way through my posts.

Settle into this conversation and you might find a new film

or author to get to know on your next sci-fi expedition!

Currently there are two novels in this Space opera series:

Although this series is unnamed, the stories align together to carry forward the lives of the characters from one novel to the other. What is curious is how well the continuity is between the two novels and how much depth and attention is given to the characters who are struggling with something that is affecting their well-being. It also broaches on the issues with making first contact with new sentient species as much as how life in space can provide it’s own obstacles that can have long-term affects on the people who survive adverse situations and circumstances. There are is a layering of character-driven narrative and fully fleshed out world-building that gives you a unique perspective on this series setting and landscape of focus.

Read my thoughts on Remnant in the Stars & The Loudest Actions.

What originally inspired you to read Science Fiction novels and which authors were your original favourites?

Koepp responds: I have enjoyed science fiction longer than I can remember enjoying science fiction. I have fun with sciences (especially biology) and I like playing “what if” kinds of mental games. When I was in junior high, I was a huge fan of X-Men. My first several stories were X-Men fanfic.

My favorite non-comic book author that I read at that time was … Janet Kagan. Specifically Hellspark and Mirabile. Read More

Posted Sunday, 20 November, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Hard Science Fiction, Reader Submitted Q&A, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Tomorrow Comes Media