Bouchercon Guest Blogger #2 -- Debbi Mack

Welcome to the second installment of the Bouchercon guest bloggers series. Next up on the tour: Debbi Mack.



How I (Accidentally) Became a (Sort of) Short Story Writer
by Debbi Mack

You know, when I started making serious efforts to write and publish fiction, I intended to be a novelist.

The first novel I wrote was a hardboiled mystery featuring a lawyer-sleuth named Stephanie Ann "Sam" McRae. After it was critiqued by another author, who said, "I like it. This is publishable," I sent queries out to every agent I could. Got a few nibbles, even one request for the full manuscript—but no offers. Mostly what I got were rejections.

While I was doing all this, I got an idea for another Sam McRae novel. So I went to work on that. Finished it, sent it round to agents—and got more rejections. Not even nibbles this time.

As for short stories, I'd always heard they were HARD to write, that your story had to be told in the fewest words possible, resonate with readers in a profound, unforgettable way and end with a terribly clever twist. Sounded really hard! Plus how many markets were there for short story crime fiction? Let's see . . . one . . . two . . . (Are you counting the same two magazines I am? Yeah, I thought so.) Not a lot of markets, in any case.

Even so, I dashed off a short story for a contest. Didn't win, but placed third. Not bad, I thought. Maybe even something worth cleaning up and submitting elsewhere.

Then, the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime took blind submissions for its first anthology, CHESAPEAKE CRIMES. So I revised the story a bit and submitted it. And—what do you know—my first acceptance!

So, I started thinking—hey, maybe I should do a few more of these. So (in between novels, which I continued to write and pitch) I worked on several more short stories. I submitted to CHESAPEAKE CRIMES 2, but didn't make the cut that time. Oh, well, can't win them all.

Still there are many benefits to writing short stories, even if you want to be a novelist.

First, they're short. So even though that makes them tougher to write in some respects, it also means it won't take you forever to finish one.

Second, they can be a great way to break into publishing. After CHESAPEAKE CRIMES, I could finally say I was a published crime fiction writer. A big step, in my opinion.

Third, if you publish a few short stories now and then, it's a good way to keep your name out there between books. So even if some time lapses between novels (like, for some of us, several years?), you can claim active status as a fiction author by adding more short stories to your resume.

As a result, when a short story idea would hit me (and that's usually the way it felt—like it came to me in a flash), I'd sit down and start typing. Just get it down, see if it went anywhere. I've done this five or six times now—followed through and finished five. Of this number, three have been chosen to be published. And I'd like to polish up the others and submit those, too.

Meanwhile, I did finally find a publisher who accepted that second Sam McRae story, which was published as my first novel, IDENTITY CRISIS. I've written a third one and have lots more ideas for a series.

Now, three published short stories are, at best, a good start to a short story writing career. Nonetheless, it's occurred to me that my ratio of short stories to novels either published or pending same is 3-to-1 at this point. Which makes me primarily a short story writer—I guess.

And I sort of blundered my way into the whole thing.

I have to say I've learned several things from this. First, I actually enjoy writing short stories. They're fast, they're fun, they're challenging—I feel like I've really accomplished something when I write one.

Second, there's no money in short story writing. The markets are limited—two major crime fiction magazines, perhaps a few other less-obvious publications, some online ezines, the occasional open anthology and other than that, it's invite only, folks. And the pay? Well . . .

Third, I will do anything to be able to say I'm a published crime fiction writer, including writing short stories for a limited market and lousy pay.

And, if that's not devotion, what is?

Debbi Mack's novel, IDENTITY CRISIS, is a hardboiled mystery featuring female lawyer Sam McRae in a complex case of murder and identity theft. The novel was recently reissued in print and as an e-book. She's written other Sam McRae stories and would like to publish a whole series of them—when she finds a new publisher, that is. Her short stories have appeared in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES and BackAlleyWebzine.com. Debbi will have a short story in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES 4 to be published by Wildside Press in March 2010. Meanwhile, she keeps on writing more novels and, of course, short stories.

Book Banter -- Killer Summer

Title: Killer Summer

Author: Ridley Pearson

Genre: suspense/thriller

Length: ~370 pages

Plot Basics: Sun Valley, Idaho -- Sheriff Walt Fleming's on alert because of a prestigious wine auction happening at a high-end resort. As a group of thieves try for the wine, Walt realizes that the wine theft is a cover-up for a more serious crime: kidnapping. Only the plot goes awry and his nephew is caught up in the kidnappers plan. Walt has only a few hours to foil the plot and rescue his nephew before the FBI is called in and Walt doesn't trust them to keep his nephew safe.

Banter Points: Halfway through the book, the action really picked up and reminded Word Nerd of the other Ridley Pearson books she's read. Pearson writes great action sequences that keeps the plot moving and keeps the reader turning pages.

Bummer Points: Overall, Word Nerd found this title disappointing. She was excited for the chance to review a Pearson book because her past experience (The Seizing of Yankee Green Mall, the Peter and Starcatchers books) was good. But, she hadn't read of the other Walt Fleming books, but was figuring that wouldn't matter and she was reading an ARC of this title. Word Nerd felt for the first 100 pages at least that she suffered from character whiplash in Pearson's super-short chapters, bouncing from one to the next and never getting a feel for any of them. Ditto with plot. She gets it that it's supposed to feel unbalanced, but when the wine heist came up out of nowhere, Word Nerd felt really stupid. Also stupid was thinking she could drop in on the middle of the series -- but unlike some series, she has no interest in going back and filling in the gaps. She really has to wonder just how advanced this ARC really was and hopes that perhaps some substantive changes were made between this version and the version now on shelves.

Word Nerd Recommendation: Based on the ARC, skip it. Go back to Pearson's earlier titles.

Book Banter -- The Last Coyote

Title: The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch, bk. 4)

Author: Michael Connelly

Genre: mystery

Length: ~400 pages

Plot Basics: LAPD detective Harry Bosch is on a forced leave from the department after attacking his supervisor. Required to go to counseling, Bosch starts delving into his psych and why he's a cop. What comes to the forefront is the need to solve his own mother's brutal murder. Harry takes on the investigation off the books, endangering his career, his friends and himself. As the case progresses, it becomes clear that the murder was never solved for a reason and Harry stirs up trouble everywhere he goes.

Banter Points: This might be Word Nerd's favorite of the Harry Bosch books so far. Bosch has always been a rich character, but this book takes him to a new level. It's neat to see a character forced into so much introspection with a plot to go along with it. The book is still the high action expected from a Harry Bosch story, but it's got great depth too.

Bummer Points: Word Nerd just didn't like the girl who becomes Harry's new squeeze in this one. There's no good reason for it...other than Word Nerd was still rooting for Sylvia.

Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd wishes she had more time to get more of Connelly's books read before Bouchercon. As it is, she's really glad that the convention got her to pick up this great series of mysteries instead of just keeping them on the someday list. If you like mysteries and haven't read these, the question is, "What are you waiting for?"

Bouchercon Guest Blogger #1 -- Beth Groundwater

Since Bouchercon is coming to Indianapolis in a few months and since Word Nerd is in Indianapoils and attending Bouchercon, she decided to allow some Bouchercon-bound authors to take over her blog in the coming weeks.

Kicking things off this week is Beth Groundwater. Take it away Beth...

Many thanks to Bethany for inviting me to submit a guest article to her blog prior to my appearance at the Bouchercon conference in Indianapolis.

My mystery books feature a Colorado Springs gift basket designer as an amateur sleuth who solves murders that fall in her lap (literally, in the first book!). The first book, A Real Basket Case, was released March, 2007 and was nominated for a 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award (named for Agatha Christie). To Hell in a Handbasket, the second in the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, was released May 15th this year. Claire has a part-time gift basket business in the basement of her home and puts together different types of gift baskets in the books.

I’d love to answer any questions you have about what it’s like to write a craft-based mystery series, so please submit them in a comment here. To whet your appetite, here’s a favorite gift basket recipe that I hope you’ll enjoy and use for someone who adores all things mysterious.

Recipe for a Mystery Lover's Gift Basket
Color scheme: black, red, and either white or gray
Container: black-painted basket, bucket or box, with a lid or handle sticking up, from which you hang fake spider webbing
Stuffing: dried Spanish moss or red-dyed tissue paper, shreds, or wood shavings
Contents:
- A Real Basket Case and/or To Hell in a Handbasket mystery books
- CD of eerie music such as Mystery Movie Scores or Mystery Sound Effects
- Pocket-sized mystery party game or travel Clue game
- Movie DVD: Clue, Mousetrap, an Alfred Hitchcock or Sherlock Holmes movie, or a movie collection (Mystery Classics: 50 Movie Pack)
- Chocolate or bubble gum coins or other mystery-related chocolate shapes such as blood drops, knives, or guns (see http://www.chocolatepen.com/pieces.html for a sample vendor)
- And a selection from the following list:
-- Magnifying glass
-- Pair of play handcuffs and/or sheriff's badge
-- Rubber knife
-- Glasses, nose, mustache disguise
-- Skull-shaped/logo item(s): tea-light candle holder, squeeze ball, notepad, drinking cup (see the Halloween collection at http://www.orientaltrading.com/)
-- Bottle of stage blood from a costume or makeup supply store, or make your own (see chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/fakeblood.htm)

Unlike my amateur sleuth, Claire Hanover, I do not have a gift basket business of my own. My business is writing mystery novels! I live in Colorado Springs, where I defend my garden from marauding mule deer and wild rabbits and try to avoid getting black-and-blue on Colorado’s black and blue ski slopes. I have loved to read since I was a child and savor those monthly meetings with my Book Club, and not just for the gossip and wine. For more information about me and my books, and to sign up for my email newsletter and enter a contest for free mystery books, go to: http://bethgroundwater.com/.

Book Banter -- The Historian

Title: The Historian

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Length: 676 pages

Genre: Literary horror

Plot Basics: A girl grows up under the shadow of her father's research in Vlad Tepes, the man behind the Vlad the Impaler/Vlad Dracula legends. When her father disappears one night, she takes off after him in a mad-cap pursuit to find him before Dracula does. As she travels, she reads her father's diaries and letters about his hunt for the Dracula years early, through eastern Europe during the height of the Cold War.

Banter Points: This was a refreshing break from the current pop culture vampire fiction. Even though Kostova's tome is only a few years old, it reads like Stoker's Dracula, with letters and diaries and documents providing the foundation for the story. And, like Stoker, Dracula is a bad guy... not the book's love interest. Additionally, Kostova's own historical research figures in prominently and smoothly to this book -- it's hard to tell where the legend leaves off and her imagination begins.

Bummer Points: The only drawback to this book is its length. Because it's so long, it takes the plot a little while to really ramp up and get going. Additionally, there are parts of it that read almost more like a history book than a novel when the background gets really thick.

Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like quiet horror, and history this is a must-read. This is another top contender for Word Nerd's top ten books list this year.

Book Banter -- Fade to Blue

Title: Fade to Blue
Author: Sean Beaudoin
Genre: YA
Length: 190 pages
Plot Basics: Sophie Blue is a hardcore Goth-girl whose paranoia that somebody's out to get her might just be real. Of course, there was that time she got hit by an ice cream truck... Now, a year later, Sophie is trying to find her dad who mysteriously disappeared, motivate her comic-book loving brother and deal with her breakdown suffering mom, all while working on her Suicide-Bunny-esque drawings and nursing her crush for Aaron Agar. Sophie's paranoia isn't misplaced -- that ice cream truck is still out to get her and she got to figure out what's real and what isn't about her town and her life.
Banter Points: Fade to Blue was an interesting premise -- a little bit Matrix, a little bit Veronica Mars, a little bit Quantum Leap. It also had this unique feature of a mini comic book halfway through that was important to the plot and moving the story ahead. Also, while Word Nerd isn't always a fan of chapters leaping between different characters POV (particularly the switch between multiple first person POV), it really worked for this book. She'd say more about this, but it might get into spoiler land, so she'll refrain.
Bummer Points: As a whole though, Fade to Blue just didn't work for Word Nerd. There could be lots of reasons -- she was reading it outside while staffing a golf outing, she was put off by the f-bombs (not expecting those) and the snarkiness of the characters, the cast of high school student characters felt stereotypical, Word Nerd's not a teenager, she was getting sunburned while reading it outside at a golf outing... Whatever the case, Word Nerd was disappointed that she was disappointed. The book looks cool, it's got neat plot twists, but Word Nerd just wasn't captivated by it.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you are a teen reader and you're done with Gossip Girl and over Twilight, Beaudoin's story is original and worth an afternoon if you like sci-fi. Grown-ups, this a YA that doesn't cross over well.

June Bibliometer

June ended a while ago, but Word Nerd finally crunched her bibliometer numbers for the month.

9 books
2,513 pages
83.7 pages/day

YTD
48 books

This is three books fewer that 2008 at the same time, but she's guessing at some point, she'll make that up.

Beach Reads

NPR has compiled a list of the 100 best beach reads. This was quite the process with editors and reviewers first culling a HUGE list down and then putting out the top 200 or so up for a vote to their listeners/website users. Everybody got 10 votes in the poll (Word Nerd voted) and she thinks the results are interesting.

The full list of winners is here.

Word Nerd is sort of surprised to see the Harry Potter books as the top beach read and wonders if that pick was influenced at all by the release of the new movie. (Like say, had the list come out in May before the movie, would HP have still been number 1?)

Of the top ten, Word Nerd voted for #'s 7 and 8 (The Great Gatsby and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.) She doesn't think she voted for HP, but honestly, can't remember. (Voting was a few weeks ago.)

She knows she also voted for #20 -- Water for Elephants, #24 -- The World According to Garp and #28 -- The Princess Bride and is a little disappointed to see them that far down in the list. (Not to disparage Gone with the Wind at #16, but who wants to lug that tome with them to the beach...)

What do you think of the NPR listeners rankings? Are there books you would put higher? Lower? Think should be off the list altogether?

Book Banter -- Conspirator

Title: Conspritor (Foreigner #10)
Author: C.J. Cherryh
Length: ~350 pages
Genre: Sci-fi
Plot Basics: Word Nerd probably can't do this without spoilers for the first nine. Sorry.

Bren Cameron, translator to the atevi aiji, is back from space and the attempted coup is over. But, internal shufflings at the legislative apartments means Bren is losing his home there, so he retires to his country estate. However, the aiji's precocious son -- Caijeiri -- sneaks away to join Bren at his coastal home. Only the politics in that region aren't as stable as they think, and Caijeiri's escapades puts them all at risk.
Banter Points: A trip back to the Foreigner universe is always welcome; even though it's an alien culture, after 10 books, it sort of feels like a home coming. Great political machinations in this one that reminded Word Nerd more of the first trilogy.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd's not thrilled with half the story being told from Caijeri's POV. Cherryh started that a few books back and it's been a change Word Nerd could have done without.
Word Nerd Recommedation: As she's said before, this is top notch sci-fi. It's not space opera and is more akin to a thoughtful political novel than sci-fi. Nevertheless, it's a must-read series for sci-fi fans.

Book Banter -- Naamah's Kiss

Title: Naamah's Kiss
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Length: 600+
Genre: fantasy
Plot Basics: Carey returns to her alternative Europe for her latest book. This one picks up several generations after the adventures of Phedre and Imri in the Kushiel series. The story follows Moirin, a child of the Maghun Dhonn in Alba with a D'Angeline father. She's set on an adventure that takes her to Terre D'Ange and then lands beyond as she searches for her destiny, and wrestles with her dual nature of have D'Angeline passions and Maghun Dhonn magic.
Banter Points: It was fun to return to this lush world that Carey obviously has lavished much attention on in creating it. Moirin is an interesting protagonist -- very self-assured in ways that Imri wasn't. It was also nice to see Carey again push the boundaries of the known world in the books with taking Moirin to China (Ch'in) and discussing the discovery of Terra Nova.
Bummer Points: This book was really slow to get going. Word Nerd understands that it takes time to maneuver through a complexly built world (she's dealing with this in her own writing...) but, she really didn't engage with the book fully until the second half. Additionally, the romance in this book between Moirin et al. featured a lot of lesbian relationships which Word Nerd just doesn't prefer to read about. (Actually, there's a lot of straight relationships in this book too...Moirin gets around... and unlike Phedre, the sex in this book felt superfluous to the story many times.)
Word Nerd Recommendation: On the whole, not as captivating as the first six, but worth it for Carey fans. Word Nerd will definitely read the next one when it comes out.

Everybody needs an editor

Copy editing is important.

Word Nerd isn't getting political here, but check out this story that Vanity Fair did about Sarah Palin's resignation speech.

They assembled a top-notch team of editor/proofreader types to correct the speech for publication. Look up "proofreader marks" to decipher everything they fixed.

Word Nerd's not saying her pages look like this as she's revising, but it gives you the idea. Taken to the extreme.

Losing another Great

Word Nerd hasn't read any Frank McCourt herself, but they are books that are always on her reading list.

It always makes her sad to learn when authors who have been recognizable pass away.

The full story is here.

New writing schedule

Word Nerd is trying something new....

Lately, she's been lax about writing. Not much word nerd-iness going on here, or at least not much related to the WIP because writing at work has been on full steam since late May. But, she's been feeling the lack of creative work. Many people who are artists and writers can attest to this... how it's an internal feeling of misdirection when not producing material.

In the past, Word Nerd's writing time was about 6-8 p.m. She wrote two novel rough drafts during this general time frame. But as of this spring, that time isn't working... disappearing most of the time into other projects, late evenings at work and no head space left for creative work. This time frame was a holdover from graduate school when those two hours were the ONLY two she had to complete her Creative Fiction class projects. It just took her a while to realize that a schedule that worked six years ago wasn't working anymore.

So, this morning Word Nerd began the process of switching her writing time to the morning before work. The alarm went off at 6 and she got out of bed then, no hitting of the snooze button. The goal is to gradually work that time back to 5, to give her two hours of writing time in the morning when her brain is fresh.

This morning, she managed to carve out a few minutes even in the compressed schedule and it felt good. Word Nerd talked to several other writing contacts about their schedules and found that 5-7 a.m. (or earlier) was popular and productive. She really hopes this solves the lack of productivity problem and makes for some good writing time.

She's curious though --- who else writes in the early morning? Or how did you establish the writing schedule you have?

Guest Blogger -- Sean Beaudoin

Word Nerd is gratefully turning the reins over today to YA author Sean Beaudoin to talk about his new book, Fade to Blue. She's got a lovely copy of the ARC which she's looking forward to reading. In the meantime, as she tries to get her own writing back on track, do her real job and read through a friend's WIP, she's leaving you (for today, at least) in Sean's hands.

Take it away, Sean Beaudoin....

Hey, Fade To Blue is a book about losing it. Your mind, some weight, your best friend, your father, a conception of reality, and a dog. Where did the dog go? Hint: Don’t look in the trunk. There’s zombies. But for only about 10 pages. There’s Sophie Blue, possibly not her high school’s most popular student. There’s Kenny Fade, possibly his school’s owner of the coolest red Jeep. Sophie’s got a brother named O.S., which could stand for any number of things, like Outstanding Student, Original Sin, or Obese Sity. At least according to his cafeteria detractors, of whom there are many. O.S. has a bit of a weight problem, and is overly fond of comic books. He also has a big frizzy perm. Or does he? No, actually that’s another book. O.S. is bald. Shaved right down to the scalp.
Man, it was fun writing Fade To Blue. I hope it’s a lot of fun reading it. But I didn’t want it to be too easy. So, it’s also a puzzle. There’s a mini comic in the center that gives clues as to what’s going on. Or what’s not going on. I keep getting emails from people asking “Wait, so, if Sophie did this, did she do that?”
My answer is usually maybe. Which is guaranteed to annoy 33.4% of the reading public. But, as marketing studies show, the other 66.6% really likes to unravel the knots on their own.

WARNING: There are no vampires in this book. Unless you count wearing black lipstick and staying up late at night by yourself and maybe sitting on the roof while you watch cars zoom down the overpass at the edge of town.

My only piece of advice for potential readers is: BEWARE THE NURSE! You can’t trust a nurse as far as you could kick a lemon pie.

Unless your mom or dad is one, in which case they’re under-appreciated and underpaid.

Just a Note

Book Banter -- Judge

Title: Judge (Wess'har Wars, bk. 6)
Author: Karen Traviss
Genre: sci-fi
Length: 391 pages
Plot Basics --- SPOILER ALERT






The Eqbas Vorhi have arrived at Earth, ready to restore the planet's climate, ecology and reduce the human population to more suitable levels. But it's politics as usual on Earth, and the world's superpowers are not so happy about this plan, even though they had time to prepare for it. Moreover, Shan Frankland and the detachment of Royal Marines who originally went to Cavanaugh's Star, are trying to find the last of the government officials responsible for the cobalt bombing on Bezer'ej -- and trying to keep Shan, Ade and Aras out of the hands of those who would use the c'naatat organism for bad ends. Unbeknownst to them, there is one more carrier of c'naatat on Earth with the power to ruin the entire mission...

Banter Points: Word Nerd really enjoyed this series. The science fiction was great (no moments of super-gadgetry that got our heroes out of a jam...). One of the things that made the science fiction good was that it was easy to imagine the current state of things evolving (devolving?) to the point where they were in the series. The characters were terrific throughout, adapting and changing giving the situations they found themselves in.
Bummer Points: Another spoiler alert here... Word Nerd lost it when one of the characters died. She didn't realize at all how attached she was to this character.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Top-notch sci-fi for fans of the genre.

Airplane books

Word Nerd taking several trips in the next few weeks involving jet planes, so it's time for some airplane books again.

She's pretty set on her reading list for her first trip. The books she's packing are:
Running Blind, Lee Child
Judge, Karen Traviss
The Last Coyote, Michael Connelly

She's got a second trip in three weeks and she's not as sure for this trip. What she's thinking so far is:
The Masque of the Black Tulip, Lauren Willig
The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde (this would be a second reading)
??
??
??

It's a trip to the west coast which means she'll have PLENTY of reading time on the plane.

Any other suggestions for the second trip?

Book Banter -- Perfect Fifths

Title: Perfect Fifths (Jessica Darling, bk 5)
Author: Megan McCafferty
Length: ~250
Genre: chick-lit
Plot Basics: It's been a few years since Jessica turned down Marcus's proposal. Now, she's rushing through the airport to try to catch a flight to the Caribbean for a friend's wedding, when she literally runs into him. Stuck for a while at the airport, they talk about what's gone before and what might be next for them.
Banter Points: This series just makes me (me, yes, me) smile. (if you've read the books, you'll understand why Word Nerd needed to drop the third person for a moment there...) Jessica's voice is so strong and Marcus is such a compelling character. Also -- the haiku section. Wow.
Bummer Points: Part of this book is written from Marcus' perspective which is a departure from the other books in the series which are only from Jessica's POV. It adds something, but on the other hand, it sort of changes the feel of the books.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like romantic comedies, this is a series for you.

Book Banter -- Ally

Title: Ally (Wess'har Wars, book 5)
Author: Karen Traviss
Length: 388 page
Genre: Sci-fi
Plot Basics: The wess'har from Eqbas Vorhi are determined to clean up the overpopulation and pollution on Umeh -- as a precursor to their voyage to Earth to fix its environmental problems. But to do that, they bring in yet another alien species, one that Shan Frankland dubs as being eco-jihadists for their radical commitment. Meanwhile, it's getting harder and harder to stop the spread of c'naatat and keeping it from heading back to Earth with the Eqbas.
Banter Points: Traviss continues to deliver in her sci-fi series here. Shan, Ade, Aras and the rest of the gang continue to have to make moral choices about the environment and the spread of c'naatat when those choices become less and less clear cut.
Bummer Points: This isn't the most dynamic book in the series. Some crazy stuff happens (Word Nerd won't spoil it for anyone), but it largely felt like a set up to book six which, since it ends the series, she think will have to be awesome.
Word Nerd Recommendation: This is some top-notch sci-fi. No super scientific gadgets to save the day. Just a bunch of aliens and a crazy virus.

Book Banter -- The Gargoyle

Title: The Gargoyle
Author: Andrew Davidson
Length: ~400 pages
Genre: Literary fiction
Plot Basics: This captivating novel tells the story of a former playboy who is burned and disfigured in a fiery car accident. As he struggles to recover in the burn unit of the hospital, he meets a woman named Marianne Engel -- a possible psychiatric patient -- who tells him stories of loves found and lost... and a compelling story of their past lives when she was a nun and he a mercenary in Germany and the exquisite love story that blossomed around them. As she descends farther into her illness, he may just recover and learn what it is to love for real.
Banter Points: Word Nerd remembers reading really good reviews of this book when it first came out and it just took her awhile to get to it. The reviews, it's fair to say, were spot on. The Gargoyle is Davidson's first book, but it reads like a masterpiece. The characters are vivid and lyrical, the writing nimble and poetic as the story moves across time periods, countries and lifetimes.
Bummer Points: At first, Word Nerd really didn't like the fact that the narrator never has a name. By the end of the book, it was clear why he didn't.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Thumbs way up on this one. Definitely a top-ten book of 2009, with plenty of potential to be in the number one or two slot.