So I've Started Getting into SciFi...

I've always been a horror/fantasy fan, but I've only recently gotten into science fiction. I've tried to read it before, but I suppose I was too young to really appreciate it, because I didn't enjoy it in the slightest. But I just finished Nemesis by Issac Asimov, and I absolutely loved it. I'll be doing an in-depth review on it soon, but for now, just know it was great. Check it out if you get the chance. I've just started The Gods Themselves, and I'll definitely finish all of Asimov's work before moving on to other authors. Perhaps I'll do Heinlein next.

Supernatural is also among my obsessions. I'm a late fan - I started watching early this year, and fell in love with it. I watched the entire series in ten days, and I own all of the DVD sets, I joined the fandom on FF, and now I'm active in the Crossroads forum. Writing fanfiction is taking up quite a bit of my time, but I love this show so much that I'll make whatever extra time I need. I'll be reviewing the new season's episodes here, as well.

On the novel front, I finished another chapter of my first novella (well, the first one I plan to publish). I hope I'll be able to finish it by the end of the year; I want to submit it to Total-E-Bound by the end of this semester. School's keeping me busy as I don't know what, but I'm learning to manage my time better. It's a challenge, but I'm learning valuable skills, so I guess I can't complain too much.



 

A Review of Bound By Honor (Men of Honor, Book 1)

Overall: A smooth, accessible read, with distinct, memorable characters and a complex and intriguing BDSM relationship that ends in a HFN. Despite a  catch-the-rapist subplot that was a bit clumsy and hurried in it's conclusion (but may be explored in greater depth in later books, as this is part of a series), Bound By Honor is a solid tale you'll be glad you downloaded.

Heat Level: 3/5; Light-Moderate BDSM.

Sex Scenes: Short, but well crafted; Tanner's vulnerability is both arousing and heartwarming, and

Damon's lovingly controlling spirit is a great complement.

Relationship Progression: 5/5; One of the highlights of the book. The author has full control of Tanner and Damon's emotional development. Never are their actions or reactions inconsistent with their character, and most scenes advance their relationship, with almost no filler.

Subplots: 3.5/5; There's a rapist subplot that seemed ill fitted in the story, not only because it wasn't very well integrated, but because the main characters were barely involved in it; most of the detective work and angsting over the rapist is done by minor characters. I understand that this is a series and that the rapist from the Law's and Damon's past will probably feature in later stories, but in this tale, his introduction and subsequent apprehension seemed a bit superfluous.

New Town and Project News

I've complete the editing on chapters one and two, and I'm at ten thousand words. I'll be composing the rest from scratch - the anthology had a limit of ten thousand words, and I need to get to twenty, minimum. I'll start chapter three after my midterms are done.

In other news...

I've moved to a new city, one with all four seasons. There were really only two seasons in the desert regions of California - winter and summer. One day in October, it just stops being summer and immediately becomes winter. If there was a spring or fall, it lasted 8-10 days max. The midwest is a different beast, though, and I've discovered that my t-shirts and shorts just aren't gonna cut it until November.

I really need to find some time to shop.

I got a second job, and in addition to my first job and graduate school, I've got my plate full. Oddly enough, I get a lot more writing done now that I have less time - it seems that when I know I only have an hour or two to get my thousand words for the day done, they come a lot easier.