It has been a pretty good week, a pretty good start for 2011. My twitter flock is growing, I've made new friends on facebook, and I have five short stories out on submission to some pretty cool magazines. I also submitted my novel, La Belle Mort, to ABNA. Hopefully the hunt for a literary agent will go better this year and I can get a manuscript sold before the end-of-time in 2012.
My first article for the Best Damn Creative Writing Blog comes out Monday morning. I'm psyched about that and I can't wait to get started reviewing books for BDCWB. I thrive on deadlines, it gets the blood flowing and the creativity burning. I'm looking forward to more feedback as well. They have a lot more traffic than my little blog, so a lot more exposure for my writing.
I finished rebuilding my website and like the results. When I first built it, years ago, the idea was to create an interactive site to attract visitors. Web 2.0 was only conceptual, and the social network boom was just starting. Today, with twitter, facebook, and all the others, it's a waste of resources. It is so much easier, and more effective, to connect with potential readers through the networks than to try and draw them to an obscure website.
My new page focuses on making connection to all of my social networks, and advertising my books and magazines that I'm in. The page turned out pretty simple, which is all it needs to be. I linked my twitter feed there, there is a flow of updated posts, so I won't need to spend much time updating the page. It is my anchor in a sea of social media. A point of contact, like an electronic business card.
As I said before, I dropped my Myspace account to concentrate on facebook, twitter, and deviantArt. I think I will also drop Helium. I haven't posted there in over a year, and even though I still have top ranked articles on the site it just doesn't seem to be worth the effort and time. I have my blogs to write, two I write, and two I ghost write, plus articles and reviews to write for BDCWB, and occasional poems and flash fiction for dA. That is enough online writing, I think. I need some time for short stories and novels.
.
- maxwell cynn
- I'm a novelist, freelance writer, amateur coder, webmaster, and Indie publisher who writes deliciously romantic speculative fiction and book reviews from a wide range of genres.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
How to write a short and succinct query letter
In my last post I mentioned creating a powerful pitch/query/synopsis for your novel. You can read that post, or not. I also wrote a post awhile back on short story writing for novelists, you should read that. But we are here to talk pitches and queries.
Most novelists cringe at the thought of crushing their manuscript into a single page or even a four or five page synopsis. I feel your fear. But it isn't that hard. All literature comes down to plot. Your novel has one, or should. Some writers spend a lot of time on plot, others let the story write itself, but either way you know your plot.
But plot isn't as complex as you think. All romance novels can be reduced to boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. You can play with the genders involved, even make one a space alien, but the plot stands. Simple, one line plot. All genre fiction have basic plots. You may have sub-plots, dead ends, red herrings, but those aren't your true, basic plot.
Look at Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. This novel was originally five books in one huge volume. The American publisher divided it into a trilogy because it was too long to market. How about its one line plot? Unlikely hero overcomes insurmountable difficulties and saves the world. Less than ten words. And that is the plot of most adventure novels. Simple, succinct.
So we have our plot, now to query our epic we first tell a little about Frodo and why he is an unlikely hero. Next we elaborate on those insurmountable difficulties. Last we give the resolution. We don't need to get into Boromir's betrayal, or the unlikely friendship between Gimli and Legolas. We are tempted to drag in the entire Silmarillion as backstory, but this is a pitch. Short and sweet.
If we keep the pitch succinct then we'll have room to explain any pertinent themes we develop or issues we address that give our story market appeal; love, honor, loyalty, diversity, strong female characters; just pick a few. Then we still have room for the author's awesomeness. So here's a sample.
Frodo Baggins is a hobbit, and adventure to a hobbit is cutting through the wood on the way to a friend's house for tea. But dark and powerful magic is rising and Frodo holds the one object that can destroy it. He is soon embroiled in world changing affairs and dangers beyond his imagination. With the help of friends he passes through terrors which would overcome the bravest of men and succeeds where others would fail.
Lord of the Rings is an epic tale filled with mythical monsters, legendary heroes, and powerful men and women engaged in a battle against ultimate evil. Loyalties and honor are tested as some rise to become heroes and others fall to greed and a thirst for power. Friendships are forged, kingdoms rise and fall, and with the destruction of evil a new king ascends the thrown.
J.R.R. Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University from 1925 to 1945 and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature there from 1945 to 1959 and has researched and written extensively on literature and mythology.
There, three paragraphs, and it gives the necessary detail for an agent to want more. The agent will read through the long "party" scenes knowing epic adventure will ensue soon enough. We don't need to move Bilbo's disappearance or the first terrifying appearance of a Ring Wraith to page one as an attention grabber (which I ranted about in my last post). The agent knows she is reading epic literature.
Now, look at your manuscript, find the basic plot which you should be able to state in one sentence, then craft your query. Lead with the hero, or protag, and why they are in this plot line. Then expand a little on plot and themes. Next wow them with your credits or why you wrote this. If you are unpublished you still have an anecdote that led you to write this novel; not why you write, why you wrote this novel.
Now you're done. Edit, edit, edit, and get someone else to read it. Edit and revise some more. The example above is a first draft, it could be polished. Polish you're query until it jumps off the page. This one page is your chance to be published. It should make anyone who reads it want to read your manuscript. That, after all, is the point.
Your synopsis, if the agent wants one, will allow you to offer more; to expand the themes you mention in the query. Tell the story, but stick with the hero/protag. That's who we fall in love with, or who piques our interest. When we read, characters spice the narrative just like setting and mood, but the main character is why we care. I may love Eowyn, but I read LotR because of Frodo.
Okay, you are prepared to impress. Sit down, write a query, and get your manuscript ready for the agent or publisher who will fall in love with your protag. She's out there, waiting for your story. Don't disappoint her. Keep it short, sweet, and succinct. Stay on task and forget the cliché gimmicks.
Good luck,
max
*Please leave your comments. Was this helpful? Have a question? I'd be happy to answer or direct you to someone who can. You can also share this article on your favorite network with the buttons below.
Most novelists cringe at the thought of crushing their manuscript into a single page or even a four or five page synopsis. I feel your fear. But it isn't that hard. All literature comes down to plot. Your novel has one, or should. Some writers spend a lot of time on plot, others let the story write itself, but either way you know your plot.
But plot isn't as complex as you think. All romance novels can be reduced to boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. You can play with the genders involved, even make one a space alien, but the plot stands. Simple, one line plot. All genre fiction have basic plots. You may have sub-plots, dead ends, red herrings, but those aren't your true, basic plot.
Look at Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. This novel was originally five books in one huge volume. The American publisher divided it into a trilogy because it was too long to market. How about its one line plot? Unlikely hero overcomes insurmountable difficulties and saves the world. Less than ten words. And that is the plot of most adventure novels. Simple, succinct.
So we have our plot, now to query our epic we first tell a little about Frodo and why he is an unlikely hero. Next we elaborate on those insurmountable difficulties. Last we give the resolution. We don't need to get into Boromir's betrayal, or the unlikely friendship between Gimli and Legolas. We are tempted to drag in the entire Silmarillion as backstory, but this is a pitch. Short and sweet.
If we keep the pitch succinct then we'll have room to explain any pertinent themes we develop or issues we address that give our story market appeal; love, honor, loyalty, diversity, strong female characters; just pick a few. Then we still have room for the author's awesomeness. So here's a sample.
Frodo Baggins is a hobbit, and adventure to a hobbit is cutting through the wood on the way to a friend's house for tea. But dark and powerful magic is rising and Frodo holds the one object that can destroy it. He is soon embroiled in world changing affairs and dangers beyond his imagination. With the help of friends he passes through terrors which would overcome the bravest of men and succeeds where others would fail.
Lord of the Rings is an epic tale filled with mythical monsters, legendary heroes, and powerful men and women engaged in a battle against ultimate evil. Loyalties and honor are tested as some rise to become heroes and others fall to greed and a thirst for power. Friendships are forged, kingdoms rise and fall, and with the destruction of evil a new king ascends the thrown.
J.R.R. Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University from 1925 to 1945 and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature there from 1945 to 1959 and has researched and written extensively on literature and mythology.
There, three paragraphs, and it gives the necessary detail for an agent to want more. The agent will read through the long "party" scenes knowing epic adventure will ensue soon enough. We don't need to move Bilbo's disappearance or the first terrifying appearance of a Ring Wraith to page one as an attention grabber (which I ranted about in my last post). The agent knows she is reading epic literature.
Now, look at your manuscript, find the basic plot which you should be able to state in one sentence, then craft your query. Lead with the hero, or protag, and why they are in this plot line. Then expand a little on plot and themes. Next wow them with your credits or why you wrote this. If you are unpublished you still have an anecdote that led you to write this novel; not why you write, why you wrote this novel.
Now you're done. Edit, edit, edit, and get someone else to read it. Edit and revise some more. The example above is a first draft, it could be polished. Polish you're query until it jumps off the page. This one page is your chance to be published. It should make anyone who reads it want to read your manuscript. That, after all, is the point.
Your synopsis, if the agent wants one, will allow you to offer more; to expand the themes you mention in the query. Tell the story, but stick with the hero/protag. That's who we fall in love with, or who piques our interest. When we read, characters spice the narrative just like setting and mood, but the main character is why we care. I may love Eowyn, but I read LotR because of Frodo.
Okay, you are prepared to impress. Sit down, write a query, and get your manuscript ready for the agent or publisher who will fall in love with your protag. She's out there, waiting for your story. Don't disappoint her. Keep it short, sweet, and succinct. Stay on task and forget the cliché gimmicks.
Good luck,
max
*Please leave your comments. Was this helpful? Have a question? I'd be happy to answer or direct you to someone who can. You can also share this article on your favorite network with the buttons below.
Monday, January 24, 2011
To thine own self be true
I was preparing my submission for this year's ABNA contest and realized that the excerpt they requested, the first 3000-5000 words, barely reached the first action scene in my novel. If an agent, and this is most agents, want only the first few pages or even the first chapter, they would never make it to the action. So what's a writer to do?
Once upon a time there were great books that started like, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." These days that would get a quick rejection. And J.R.R. Tolkien, a true master storyteller, prattled on forever about Hobbits and their quirkiness before anything actually happened in the story. It was great literature, grand storytelling.
In the world of the blurb, the sound bite, and the movie tie in, that is so last century. Today we start with, "The bullet ripped through flesh like peeling the skin off a rotten tomato." Let's get right into the action. We can find out who has the gun and who is getting shot later. Give us visual, grab us and don't let go. We want to see the story, now.... Get a movie ticket.
Books aren't movies. Even movies made from books are never as good as the books and I've even read books, written after the movie, that were better than the movie. Literature is to be read, savored, imagined, not viewed. If you want to sit back and watch, rent a vid. But I digress in my chosen rant...
It is simple marketing, which is the business of agents and publishers by the way, to sell books. Books sell by cover, blurb, and first page. It's simple, really. Think about being at the book store. You see a book - the cover art - you pick it up and check the back - the blurb and review bites - you open it up and start reading. If you turn to page two you will probably buy the book. You might even buy it without ever opening it, if the cover and blurb are good enough.
At that point the publisher has made a sale, and the agent has made a commission. But to the author what happens next is the most important. Does the reader actually like the book they bought? Do they give it, or recommend it to friends? Do they look for other books by the author? Or do the throw it on a shelf unfinished and forgotten. The business side doesn't care. Sale made, profit made, done deal.
You might think that it would matter. An unsatisfied customer and all that. But the reader doesn't shy away from the publisher's next book, they stay away from the author. They will eagerly buy the publisher's next over-hyped stack of pulp, but they will remember they didn't like "that author." So why should the business side care about great literature? It doesn't make any more money than hype-literature.
Back to my original question, what's a writer to do? Many today grab a scene from the story, doesn't really matter where, beginning-middle-end, doesn't even matter if it's all that relevant to the overall story, as long as it will grab readers. Put it right up front, get the agent, get the sale, then start the actual story in chapter two. I know you've read those books. Hell, Twilight started at the end, with a little prolog, and jumped back to the beginning.
So what am I to do with my novel, ruin the flow of the story by throwing in some dramatic scene from halfway through the book? It would be like the Hobbit starting with Smog, then Bilbo thinking back on how he got there, or A Christmas Carol starting with the Ghost of Christmas-yet-to-come and the grave scene. But to get an agent or publisher, who will only look at a few pages, that's the literature we end up with.
So, again I ask, what is a writer to do? My present course of action, short of selling out my art, is very simple. Knock their socks off with the query and synopsis. Make your overall story jump off the page and bitch-slap 'em before they even read page one. If the cover and blurb carry enough punch that readers will buy without opening a book. If the query/synopsis is good enough the agent/publisher should (notice I said should. This is an untested theory) read the manuscript to see how you worked it all out and if the prose matches the hype.
So my advice, and I'm following it until it proves worthwhile or worthless, is to stick to your story. No bait and switch with a little action scene stuck in on page one that should be on page ninety-five. Be true to yourself and your story, then learn to kick ass with your query/synopsis. I know, novelist HATE writing queries, and dread a synopsis. Tell you what, in my next post I'll talk about writing short and succinct blurbs and queries. You can hit hard with just a few lines.
See you then,
max
*written for the underground press blog
Once upon a time there were great books that started like, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." These days that would get a quick rejection. And J.R.R. Tolkien, a true master storyteller, prattled on forever about Hobbits and their quirkiness before anything actually happened in the story. It was great literature, grand storytelling.
In the world of the blurb, the sound bite, and the movie tie in, that is so last century. Today we start with, "The bullet ripped through flesh like peeling the skin off a rotten tomato." Let's get right into the action. We can find out who has the gun and who is getting shot later. Give us visual, grab us and don't let go. We want to see the story, now.... Get a movie ticket.
Books aren't movies. Even movies made from books are never as good as the books and I've even read books, written after the movie, that were better than the movie. Literature is to be read, savored, imagined, not viewed. If you want to sit back and watch, rent a vid. But I digress in my chosen rant...
It is simple marketing, which is the business of agents and publishers by the way, to sell books. Books sell by cover, blurb, and first page. It's simple, really. Think about being at the book store. You see a book - the cover art - you pick it up and check the back - the blurb and review bites - you open it up and start reading. If you turn to page two you will probably buy the book. You might even buy it without ever opening it, if the cover and blurb are good enough.
At that point the publisher has made a sale, and the agent has made a commission. But to the author what happens next is the most important. Does the reader actually like the book they bought? Do they give it, or recommend it to friends? Do they look for other books by the author? Or do the throw it on a shelf unfinished and forgotten. The business side doesn't care. Sale made, profit made, done deal.
You might think that it would matter. An unsatisfied customer and all that. But the reader doesn't shy away from the publisher's next book, they stay away from the author. They will eagerly buy the publisher's next over-hyped stack of pulp, but they will remember they didn't like "that author." So why should the business side care about great literature? It doesn't make any more money than hype-literature.
Back to my original question, what's a writer to do? Many today grab a scene from the story, doesn't really matter where, beginning-middle-end, doesn't even matter if it's all that relevant to the overall story, as long as it will grab readers. Put it right up front, get the agent, get the sale, then start the actual story in chapter two. I know you've read those books. Hell, Twilight started at the end, with a little prolog, and jumped back to the beginning.
So what am I to do with my novel, ruin the flow of the story by throwing in some dramatic scene from halfway through the book? It would be like the Hobbit starting with Smog, then Bilbo thinking back on how he got there, or A Christmas Carol starting with the Ghost of Christmas-yet-to-come and the grave scene. But to get an agent or publisher, who will only look at a few pages, that's the literature we end up with.
So, again I ask, what is a writer to do? My present course of action, short of selling out my art, is very simple. Knock their socks off with the query and synopsis. Make your overall story jump off the page and bitch-slap 'em before they even read page one. If the cover and blurb carry enough punch that readers will buy without opening a book. If the query/synopsis is good enough the agent/publisher should (notice I said should. This is an untested theory) read the manuscript to see how you worked it all out and if the prose matches the hype.
So my advice, and I'm following it until it proves worthwhile or worthless, is to stick to your story. No bait and switch with a little action scene stuck in on page one that should be on page ninety-five. Be true to yourself and your story, then learn to kick ass with your query/synopsis. I know, novelist HATE writing queries, and dread a synopsis. Tell you what, in my next post I'll talk about writing short and succinct blurbs and queries. You can hit hard with just a few lines.
See you then,
max
*written for the underground press blog
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Social Network Overload: writers beware
I sat down the other day and made a list of my online presence. o.0
I'm on facebook, Myspace, Steampunk Empire, deviantArt, Goodreads, Helium, and Twitter. I contribute to four blogs, post flash fiction and poetry to dA, write articles on Helium, do book reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and my own blog. I also have a website and manage two more. I'm doing a huge amount of writing before I even get started on short stories or my WIP.
Then of course there is the infamous time sink of the social networks themselves. Tweeting, status updates, commenting, random banter, reading other peoples' posts, journals, blogs, etc. and commenting on them... I spend hours just catching up every day. That's hours I'm not writing, editing, submitting, and promoting my own work. So, is it worth it?
There are many benefits to the online world of social networking. Top of the list, of course, is the cliché of writers as hermits. The process of writing is an individual effort. It's not something that can really be shared with anyone, as most of it happens inside the writer. The product is shared, but then the writing is complete. Writing is a lonely, individual effort.
Social networks, shared over the writer's main tool (their computer) give writers a link to the outside world, even while writing. I can be working on a short story or novel and have twitter up at the same time, or facebook, or a chat program. I am connected to other writers who are working on their stories. The trouble comes when the interaction becomes a distraction and nothing gets done. It is much like going to the library to study, and all your friends are there, so no studying gets done.
Writing is hard work. It requires a strong imagination and focus. It is much easier, and seductively simple these days, to banter with friends about writing rather than actually write. One minute you are being productive and the next you get sucked into the time sink of social networking. On the flip side, however, there is that moment that you are stuck for a word, a turn of a phrase, and your writer friends are there to save you. So it is not the available media, but the discipline of the writer that is at the heart of the issue.
Social networks are a boon to writers in so many ways; from the simple interaction with fellow writers, to meeting agents, editors, and publishers, to interacting with readers. The days of Hemingway hiding out in a cottage writing a novel are in the past. It is all about connections and social media these days. But we must have the discipline to manage our time and our networks.
I've looked over what I do, and what I want to do online and tried to bring some order to the chaos. I want to blog more, I want to write more reviews, and I want to spend time with my friends and make more connections. The first thing I did was delete Myspace - I don't need Myspace and facebook. I knew the process would take some cutting back in order to focus on what is more important.
Next is using the available tools to get more from each post - mirroring my blog posts on several networks, doing the same with reviews I write. I looked at my various networks with an eye to diversity and use. That's why Myspace got the axe, too much like facebook. But deviantArt is completely different, so it complements, as does Goodreads. I rarely visit Steampunk Empire, but it's a niche network and worth keeping. Helium is on the fence. I haven't decided if it is worth the time and effort that could go to other things.
As you see, I have begun to organize and prioritize. That is the first step in getting control of the social network monster and freeing more time to do what we do - Write. Blogs and reviews are writing, so they go to the top of the list. Then writing I do for other outlets, dA for instance, and Helium if I decide to keep it. That puts writing first, and all of that feeds to facebook and twitter with a click of a button.
In the end, it all comes down to discipline, organization, and focus. Decide what you want from your social network then use it to the best advantage. Just remember to save some time for the real priority - Writing. After all, that's what writers do.
* this post was written for "the underground press" blog, mirrored on my literary blog which mirrors on my facebook and Goodreads profiles. I will also tweet the link. ;-)
.
I'm on facebook, Myspace, Steampunk Empire, deviantArt, Goodreads, Helium, and Twitter. I contribute to four blogs, post flash fiction and poetry to dA, write articles on Helium, do book reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and my own blog. I also have a website and manage two more. I'm doing a huge amount of writing before I even get started on short stories or my WIP.
Then of course there is the infamous time sink of the social networks themselves. Tweeting, status updates, commenting, random banter, reading other peoples' posts, journals, blogs, etc. and commenting on them... I spend hours just catching up every day. That's hours I'm not writing, editing, submitting, and promoting my own work. So, is it worth it?
There are many benefits to the online world of social networking. Top of the list, of course, is the cliché of writers as hermits. The process of writing is an individual effort. It's not something that can really be shared with anyone, as most of it happens inside the writer. The product is shared, but then the writing is complete. Writing is a lonely, individual effort.
Social networks, shared over the writer's main tool (their computer) give writers a link to the outside world, even while writing. I can be working on a short story or novel and have twitter up at the same time, or facebook, or a chat program. I am connected to other writers who are working on their stories. The trouble comes when the interaction becomes a distraction and nothing gets done. It is much like going to the library to study, and all your friends are there, so no studying gets done.
Writing is hard work. It requires a strong imagination and focus. It is much easier, and seductively simple these days, to banter with friends about writing rather than actually write. One minute you are being productive and the next you get sucked into the time sink of social networking. On the flip side, however, there is that moment that you are stuck for a word, a turn of a phrase, and your writer friends are there to save you. So it is not the available media, but the discipline of the writer that is at the heart of the issue.
Social networks are a boon to writers in so many ways; from the simple interaction with fellow writers, to meeting agents, editors, and publishers, to interacting with readers. The days of Hemingway hiding out in a cottage writing a novel are in the past. It is all about connections and social media these days. But we must have the discipline to manage our time and our networks.
I've looked over what I do, and what I want to do online and tried to bring some order to the chaos. I want to blog more, I want to write more reviews, and I want to spend time with my friends and make more connections. The first thing I did was delete Myspace - I don't need Myspace and facebook. I knew the process would take some cutting back in order to focus on what is more important.
Next is using the available tools to get more from each post - mirroring my blog posts on several networks, doing the same with reviews I write. I looked at my various networks with an eye to diversity and use. That's why Myspace got the axe, too much like facebook. But deviantArt is completely different, so it complements, as does Goodreads. I rarely visit Steampunk Empire, but it's a niche network and worth keeping. Helium is on the fence. I haven't decided if it is worth the time and effort that could go to other things.
As you see, I have begun to organize and prioritize. That is the first step in getting control of the social network monster and freeing more time to do what we do - Write. Blogs and reviews are writing, so they go to the top of the list. Then writing I do for other outlets, dA for instance, and Helium if I decide to keep it. That puts writing first, and all of that feeds to facebook and twitter with a click of a button.
In the end, it all comes down to discipline, organization, and focus. Decide what you want from your social network then use it to the best advantage. Just remember to save some time for the real priority - Writing. After all, that's what writers do.
* this post was written for "the underground press" blog, mirrored on my literary blog which mirrors on my facebook and Goodreads profiles. I will also tweet the link. ;-)
.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Review: Avalon Revisited
Avalon Revisited, by O.M. Grey, is a wonderfully rich romp through (steampunk) Victorian London. The reader is immediately caught up in the drama and intrigue that is the nobility, but wait, Lord York is a vampire, and there's been a murder, several murders, and the culprit appears to be... A Vampire! What is a rapscallion like Arthur York to do? This will certainly curtail his social life. And just when he's found his true love. But she turns out to be a vampire hunter. Is there no end to difficulties.
This wonderfully written novel is filled with delectable twists and turns that keep the reader, and Arthur, on their toes. We are even graced with a cameo appearance by a certain Victorian physician we immediately recognize. One can't help but loving the scandalous rogue Arthur, and with him we are drawn to the beautiful and mysterious Avalon. The plot is well thought out, and artfully executed by the author. The mystery is enigmatic, the sex is titillating, and the end is emotional and romantic.
In a world of cliché and just-like, Avalon Revisited is refreshingly original. It is steampunk at it's best, and romance at it's finest, wrapped around a murder mystery you can sink your teeth into. O.M. Grey has shown her mastery of speculative fiction and I can't wait to see what is next off the presses.
Bravo, Ms. Grey.
Avalon Revisited is available on Amazon.com
The author's blog - Caught in the Cogs - can be found HERE
This wonderfully written novel is filled with delectable twists and turns that keep the reader, and Arthur, on their toes. We are even graced with a cameo appearance by a certain Victorian physician we immediately recognize. One can't help but loving the scandalous rogue Arthur, and with him we are drawn to the beautiful and mysterious Avalon. The plot is well thought out, and artfully executed by the author. The mystery is enigmatic, the sex is titillating, and the end is emotional and romantic.
In a world of cliché and just-like, Avalon Revisited is refreshingly original. It is steampunk at it's best, and romance at it's finest, wrapped around a murder mystery you can sink your teeth into. O.M. Grey has shown her mastery of speculative fiction and I can't wait to see what is next off the presses.
Bravo, Ms. Grey.
Avalon Revisited is available on Amazon.com
The author's blog - Caught in the Cogs - can be found HERE
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