Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday...
Review: Sherlock Holmes Investigates: The Pink Jewel Conundrum by Philip van Wulven
I adore Sherlock Holmes and when I saw this short story, "Sherlock Holmes Investigates: The Pink Jewel Conundrum" by Philip van Wulven, was currently free for the Kindle, I had to pick it up. I'm glad I didn't pay for it. The story is also available in the collection Sherlock Holmes Investigates: The Hampshire Expedition.
The story starts off promising enough. Holmes and Watson are the consistent with Doyles character as is the tone of the story. After a formal royal event, Holmes and Watson are requested to stay in town by the Mayor of Portsmouth to help him with a personal matter. A precious gem has disappeared from chain of office that was left on the desk in the locked library. A perfect mystery for Homes to solve, would you say? And it does give him a chance to show off his knowledge, both of human nature and of the natural world. It's just overall a let down. The story left me feeling like "That's it? That's all you had." It's...
About eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies (with Kindle Fire Giveaway)
Tina Haveman is the founder and CEO of eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies. Tina was born in Europe, left there at age eight, then traveled to several countries with her parents, to finally settle in Australia for many years. She immigrated to Canada in 1973 where she has lived since.
After raising a family of five as a single mother, she finally found time to concentrate on her writing. In 2000 she started her own publishing house with a partner but became too busy with eXtasy and Devine to continue her involvement and withdrew to focus entirely on eXtasy and Devine.
Tina devotes all her time to her publishing house and authors and is grateful for the success her company is experiencing. “After many years of struggling to keep my head above water while raising five children on my own, I have much to be thankful for,” said Tina. “While the company affords me a comfortable living now and I have quite...
Review: Three Sisters by Helen Smith
Three Sisters by Helen Smith is ostensibly a mystery, but the mystery aspect was the weak point in my opinion. The story centers on Emily Castles on bonfire night. She has been invited to a party in the big house at the end of her street by the new owners, whom she has never met, and turns out to be a rather grand, and bizarre, party. There are an eccentric group of performers, stilt-walkers, and knife-throwers, and Emily and her "regular" neighbors. Emily is a rather emotional, still grieving over the loss of her dog, who she talks about and thinks a lot, so much so that one of the other characters, Joe, the man she is attracted to, comments on it. During the party one of the knife-throwers seems to be killed by a misthrown kitchen knife but minutes later she reappears, quite alive. Emily is certain she saw the young woman die, but where is the body? In the midst...
Game Night: Shadowrift (and a thanks to Longbow Games)
It's been a while since I've had a boardgame post, but I had a couple of things I wanted to talk about.
First, a few weeks ago we went to the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, always a great time of games, friends and food. And I won a t-shirt.
Kinda cool, huh? My thanks to Longbow Games who were there promoting their upcoming game Hegemony Rome.
We picked up one game while we were there, Shadowrift from Game Night Productions. The game's designer, Jeremy Anderson, sat with us for about an hour, explained the set-up and rules, and played a full game. It was a lot of fun, a cooperative deckbuilder where you work as a group to defeat the monsters killing folks in your town.
Haven Town is facing total annihilation at the hands (and teeth) of a horde of monsters from beyond the Shadowrift.
You the heroes must band together to drive them back. To do this, you will need powerful spells,...
Flash Fiction: Beyond His Reach
His portrait stares at her, reminding her of the way he used to be, before. During the days that's all she has of him, his picture mocking her. She hears the servants whispering, gossiping over the reasons he's so often gone from their home. He's found another lover, he's spending all his time in the gambling dens, to even more outrageous suggestions, he's a spy for the queen, he's become a criminal. If they only knew, the truth is even more horrible than anything they could imagine.
Seven days ago he woke her as he slipped into her chambers in the small hours. "Darling," he said as his hand glided down the side of her face and neck, stopping in the hollow at the base of my neck. His fingers, long and gentle, were cold, and his touch made her tremble with a fear she couldn't understand. "I found him." She looked up at him, confused by sleep. "Who?"
"It's all true," was all he would say. She knew then, her mind clearing, the monster he...