REVIEW: The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains / Rodney Jones

TITLE: The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains

AUTHOR: Rodney Jones

PUBLISHER: Red Adept Publishing

AVAILABILITY: Amazon US (paperback), Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (paperback), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book), Smashwords (multiple e-formats), Barnes and Noble (Nook e-book), All Romance (multiple e-formats), OmniLit (multiple e-formats)

APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 252 pages

Recommended for readers seeking 19th century American historical fiction and/or innocent romance.

GENRE

Romance—Young Adult/Historical Fiction

The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains is a nightmare to shelve. It contains elements of a variety of genres, being about a pair of teenage sweethearts, one from 2009 and one from 1875. Although it involves time travel, this book hardly counts as science fiction, as the time travel device is never explained and unimportant. The book is primarily concerned with the life of its teenage protagonist, John Hartley, a lad from 1875 who finds himself in 2009. The majority of the book takes place in 1875, and so it could also be considered historical fiction to some extent.

PACE

In The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains, Jones takes his time to develop his characters and paint a rich setting, detailing each scene with care. John’s conversational narration and the uncertainty of how things can possibly work out between John and his sweetheart from the future keep the pace moving forward even though this book isn’t a traditional page-turner (even so, I finished it much sooner than anticipated—curled up with it one night and finished the next).

PERSPECTIVE

First person past. John Hartley, a 17-year-old boy living in 1875, narrates this book in a conversational voice. Since he speaks from the point of view of someone living over a century ago, some of his word choices are a bit old-fashioned.

CONTENT REVIEW

John Hartley, a 17-year-old miller’s nephew living in 1875 Vermont, wanders into the woods near his hometown one day and finds himself in 2009. Clueless and confused, he meets the vivacious Tess, a girl his age. She soon gets over her disbelief over meeting someone from the past and does what she can to help John find his way back to 1875.

John, who narrates the novel, is immediately likable. His voice, down-to-earth and often contemplative, shines through the writing in a way that makes it easy to forget that he’s a character on a page. Honest, humble, and kindhearted, he hasn’t a wicked bone in his body. The only remotely negative thing anyone could possibly say about him is that he may be a bit too nice and thus vulnerable. His wide-eyed wonder at the curiosities of 2009 is funny and endearing, especially in his interactions with Tess, who (gasp!) runs around with bare, shaved legs and cusses more than a girl ought to.

Tess is one of those characters that you either love or hate right off the bat. Spunky and smart-mouthed, she comes off as a bit obnoxious as she teases John for his naiveté. And yet it’s that very spirit that draws John to her, that keeps her in his mind even after he finds his way back to his regular life. Not much is said about her back-story other than that she is the child of divorced parents. But actions speak louder than words, and despite her somewhat annoying mouth, her willingness to go out of her way to help John reveals her fundamentally kind nature.

When Tess unexpectedly shows up in 1875 after John finds his way home, trouble ensues. Why is she there? How can John explain her presence and strange behavior? The events that unfurl in the latter part of the book lead to an ending that completely blindsided me (and I’m rarely shocked by twist endings), so much so that I yelled out loud at my Kindle app. And yet, by the time I reached the last sentence, I found myself utterly satisfied with the way things worked out.

The majority of this novel takes place in John’s time, 1875, and the historical setting and everyday culture are believable and clearly well researched. There are barn dances and trips to town, old time justice and contemplation of courtship. The time travel element of this novel is left unexplained, as it is unimportant. It is an Act of God, the hand of the almighty Jones throwing John into Tess’ world to see what he’ll do. Neither John nor Tess have any way of knowing or controlling how or when they’ll end up jumping through time, only that it has something to do with a certain stretch of woods.

The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains is a charming tale of young love that blossoms from the most unlikely of circumstances. Engaging and absorbing, it swept me away and left me with a smile on my face.

THE NITPICKY STUFF

This book is impeccably edited.

This book contains a few instances of the “s” word but otherwise is completely G-rated.

AUTHOR INFO

While a past resident of Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, New York, and Vermont, Rodney Jones now resides in Richmond, Indiana, where he whiles away his days pecking at a laptop, riding his ten-speed up the Cardinal Greenway, taking long walks with his daughter, or backpacking and wilderness camping. Rodney's interests include: art, science, politics, whiskey and chocolate, music (collecting vinyl records), gardening, and travel.

Like his Facebook page, Follow him on Twitter, or Visit his Website 

Disclosure: Red Adept Publishing is also the publisher of my own novel, Artificial Absolutes. I bought and read this book on my own, and the above reflects only my honest opinion.

REVIEW: The Seeds of a Daisy / Alison Caiola

TITLE: The Seeds of a Daisy 
AUTHOR: Alison Caiola 
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
AVAILABILITY: Createspace (paperback), Amazon US (paperback), Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book), Barnes & Noble (Nook e-book), iTunes (find it in the iTunes store)
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 366 pages

Recommended for readers seeking character-driven dramas.

GENRE

Drama—Women’s Fiction

The Seeds of a Daisy is the story of a young woman dealing with emotional turmoil following her mother’s devastating car accident. This novel is full of raw emotion and high drama, set against the backdrop of Hollywood politics.

PACE

Let’s just say I devoured this one. I started reading during lunch and finished by mid-afternoon. Caiola’s conversational style and flair for drama make this novel a suspenseful and absorbing read.

PERSPECTIVE

First person present. The book opens with Lily Lockwood, a successful TV actress, in the hospital following her mother’s accident. As she comes to grips with the tragedy, she reflects on her past, and much of the book consists of her flashbacks.

CONTENT REVIEW

From a distance, Lily Lockwood has it all. She’s the star of a popular and acclaimed TV series with a handsome boyfriend poised to become a big time Hollywood leading man. But in her own eyes, her life is unraveling. That boyfriend, Jamie, is cheating on her with his costar on a film set miles away, and Lily’s mother, Daisy, is comatose following a devastating car accident.

The Seeds of a Daisy opens with Lily by Daisy’s side in the hospital, begging her to return to the realm of the conscious. As she waits for news from the doctors, she reflects on her life and relationship with her mother, who raised Lily alone and guided her through the mad world of Hollywood. When Lily goes through Daisy’s possessions in search of a living will, she discovers things about her mother’s past that she could never have dreamed of, things that reveal the woman behind the tough-cookie career queen Daisy the bestselling author was known as.

Caiola writes with a natural, conversational style that brings Lily’s voice to life. The realistic dialogue and easy, fluid prose carry the story forward in a way that makes the pages turn themselves. The reader is privy to all of Lily’s thoughts and raw emotions as she faces the madness her life has become—her grief, her anger, her hope, and then some. Each moment is a suspenseful one for Lily as she waits for news from the doctors and comes to grips with reality, and that suspense carries over to the audience, making this book an unexpectedly fast-paced page-turner. Although the story is told from Lily’s point of view, The Seeds of a Daisy, as the title implies, is as much about Daisy—her effect on Lily and the world around her. Lily spends much of the book reflecting on her somewhat codependent relationship with her mother and learning to stand on her own and take charge of her life.

Behind the mother-daughter drama is a colorful supporting cast and a fascinating glimpse of Hollywood politics. While the reader sees Lily as a vulnerable young woman, the rest of the world views her as a celebrity to be gossiped about. Paparazzi mob her in the hospital lobby, trying to get a snapshot of her distraught face for the tabloids. So when Jamie flies back to be with her, is he actually trying to comfort her, or is this another publicity stunt? Meanwhile, Daisy’s longtime friends flock to Lily’s side out of genuine concern.

Also, I must note that this book seems incredibly well-researched on the hospital drama front. The medical jargon and explanations—dry and impenetrable to both the reader and Lily—add to the story’s realistic atmosphere. Although the book’s set-up, with the Emmy’s and the paparazzi hovering in the background, may seem glamorized, the story itself is very down-to-earth. Lily may not be the most eloquent speaker, but her words ring true even though she sometimes seems to have trouble expressing her emotional frenzy.

I didn’t mean to read The Seeds of a Daisy in one sitting, but I ended up getting so absorbed in the drama and the characters that I couldn’t put it down. Entertaining, gripping, and sometimes tear-jerking, it’s the kind of book that’s easy to get lost in.

THE NITPICKY STUFF

I received an advance copy of this novel, which has since been edited, so I can’t comment on typos and the like.

This novel contains a handful of mild sex scenes and some adult language.

AUTHOR INFO

[from the back cover]
Alison Caiola's many years in Hollywood, first as a PR Executive and then as a writer, makes her qualified to write about the entertainment industry and the behind-the-scenes craziness that ofte it often spawns.

Like Daisy, the mother in The Seeds of a Daisy, her son JD Daniels is a successful and award-winning actor. Alison recently wrote, directed, and produced the television series The Tyme Chronicles. She currently resides on the beautiful North Fork of Long Island with her Malti-Poo daughter-dog Emma, surrounded by vineyards, farms, and wonderful friends.

Visit her website, Follow her on Twitter, or Like her Facebook page

RELATED: An Interview with Alison Caiola

REVIEW: New Dawn: Deception / James M. Butler

TITLE: Deception (New Dawn)

AUTHOR: James M. Butler

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

AVAILABILITY: Amazon US (paperback), Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (paperback), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book)

APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 228 pages

Recommended for fans of sweeping space epics

GENRE

Science Fiction—Space Opera

New Dawn: Deceptiontakes place in a future so distant Earth has virtually become a myth. Humans have spread out across the galaxy and regularly mingle with alien civilizations.

Deception is  the first novel in a series and ends on a cliffhanger.

PACE

Deception dives right into the stakes from the very first chapter: the existence of humanity itself is in danger. Deception’s rich and extensive universe takes time to set up, and the novel alternates between faster-paced action sequences and slower-paced moments.

PERSPECTIVE

This book is written from various third person limited points of view.

CONTENT REVIEW

Gennifer Altich stumbles upon a race of luminous beings after crashing on an uncharted planet. Mesmerized by their heavenly nature, she readily believes them when they tell her they’re humans who have evolved to a higher level of existence and agrees to do everything in her power to spread their gospel and get other humans to believe in them. Little does she know, these beings are in fact aliens who feed on the life force of organic creatures and who seek to use Gennifer to lure more victims.

New Dawn: Deception opens with extremely high stakes: billions of lives are at stake, and possibly the entire future of humanity. The story then takes the reader to different corners of this dangerous and mysterious universe, zooming in on the lives of certain individuals. The boxer who flees her home and finds herself captured by pirates. The admiral trying to save her space station from deterioration. The football player who stumbles upon a powerful alien stone. The rock musician who is shanghaied by interstellar crime organization. This is but a glimpse of the expansive universe New Dawn: Deception takes place in.

These seemingly disjointed stories eventually start weaving together, and we are introduced to a second threat to humanity: a race of sentient robots hell-bent on the destruction of organic life. New Dawn: Deception is the type of book that takes some patience to read because there are so many different plot lines and characters to keep track of. Although it takes a bit of effort to read, the payoff is a rewarding experience. Butler takes the reader across an expansive and richly detailed universe, the kind that can spark countless stories.

The title of this book, Deception, is also the main theme that runs throughout the novel. The first—and most major—deception is the alien trickery that occurs at the beginning. Gennifer, under the influence of psychic forces, becomes something of a proselytizing religious fanatic on behalf of the aliens, drawing more people into the lie. Meanwhile, in other parts of the galaxy, characters deceive each other left and right in order to achieve their goals, whether it’s to break a person down, save a high-stakes project, or simply to bargain for a better price. The nastiness and dangerous nature of Butler’s galaxy leaves little room for good guys. And yet, here and there, there are moments of goodness.

Because of the fragmented style of storytelling, there is no one main character. Some characters get more “screen time” than others, but New Dawn: Deception is fundamentally an ensemble show. After her dramatic opening, Gennifer is relegated to the background. Meanwhile, the kidnapped boxer, Maryse, takes center stage for several sections, even though she doesn’t seem directly involved with the main conflict.

Personally, my favorite part about New Dawn: Deception was the secondary conflict involving the sentient robots. Because of a past conflict between mechanical and organic beings, artificial intelligence is all but banned in this galaxy. Unknown to humanity, the robots have been evolving and plotting over the years. Their view of organic life as a threat is in sharp contrast to the perspective of the aliens, who view organic life as prey. The organic beings, meanwhile, aren’t making the best case for their existence, with all the terrible acts they commit.

New Dawn: Deception contains a vast array of speculative elements—starships, psychic forces, robots, aliens, criminals, militaries, shadowy organizations… There is far too much going on in this universe for one book. It is the first in a series, and the story ends on a cliffhanger. Fascinating and clever, it goes above and beyond the standards of its genre.

THE NITPICKY STUFF

There are a teeny, tiny, barely perceptible handful of typos.

This book contains some violence and adult language. A horrific rape is implied but not described in described in detail.

AUTHOR INFO

[from the author’s Amazon page]

James M. Butler has traveled around the world. Part rock musician, part screenwriter (he's had a work optioned by Lion's Gate) and part novelist, James is perfectly at home with the written word.

James has tutored in many subjects, from Psychology to Geography. He prefers history and excels at the subject.

Originally from the swampy hell of south Florida, James has been called many things in his life, and cynical, sarcastic and sardonic are just three of them. He has also lived in various places around the world. Currently, James works as a care giver for the Developmentally Disabled at a group home somewhere in Ohio…

RELATED: An Interview with James Butler

REVIEW: Keeper of the Black Stones / P.T. McHugh

TITLE: Keeper of the Black Stones (Stone Ends, Book 1)

AUTHOR: P.T. McHugh

PUBLISHER: Glass House Press

AVAILABILITY: Amazon US (paperback), Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (paperback), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book), Barnes & Noble (paperback and Nook e-book)

APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 247 pages

Recommendedfor fans of time travel adventures such as Michael Crichton’s Timeline and the movie Back to the Future.

GENRE

Science Fiction—Young Adult/Fantasy

Keeper of the Black Stones walks the line between science fiction and contemporary fantasy. As a time travel adventure, it fits in with sci-fi novels such as Michael Crichton’s Timeline or the movie Back to the Future. On the other hand, the time travel device utilized, a set of black stones, seems magical. The protagonist, Jason, is able to communicate psychically with them, and little explanation is given as to how they work other than a mention hereand there about physics theories. Much of this novel takes place in 1485 England at the edge of the War of the Roses, in which Henry Tudor overthrows Richard III. For this reason, it also contains elements of historical fiction.

Keeper of the Black Stones is the first novel in a series, and while a self-contained story, the ending is a real cliffhanger.

PACE

Keeper of the Black Stones hooks a reader in with the promise of adventure, introducing the time travel element at the very beginning. The pace ebbs and flows, with some parts being as page-turning as any thriller and others slowing down to allow the reader to take in their surroundings—to get to know the characters and settings. As the stakes are raised, the pace speeds up, and by the time I reached the second half, I’d defenestrated any notions of putting the book down.

PERSPECTIVE

This book alternates between first and third person. The majority of the book is written from Jason’s first person past perspective, in his voice and describing only what he sees. The rest of the book alternates between the various third person perspectives of other characters, such as Jason’s grandfather, Doc, and the villain, Dresden.

CONTENT REVIEW

Keeper of the Black Stones opens in 15^th century England, where the Earl of Oxford leads his army. The Earl is actually Dr. Richard Evans, a time-traveling professor on a mission to stop Lord Dresden, another time traveler, from changing history. Jason Evans, the Doc’s fourteen-year-old grandson, stumbles upon his grandfather’s journal. Although incredulous at first, he is soon pulled into the quest. The titular black stones, devices that allow one to jump through time, call to him, sending him visions of disaster to come. The power-hungry Dresden plans to alter the outcome of the War of the Roses for his own purposes and kill Doc. It comes down to Jason to stop him.

At first glance, Jason is anything but the man for the job. At his high school, he’s the introverted dork the other kids either pick on or ignore. However, he possesses an internal strength that surprises even himself at times, a foolish determination to do whatever it takes to save the day. McHugh’s decision to write Jason’s scenes in first person makes the reader privy to Jason’s thoughts, making it easy to sympathize with him. As he finds himself in situation after situation, Jason pushes past his fears with dogged resolve.

Keeper boasts a colorful cast of characters. Jason is accompanied on this adventure by his best friend Paul, who has the tendency to crack bad jokes at inappropriate times, including an homage to Back to the Future. Protecting them both is a no-nonsense body guard called Reis, hired by Doc to keep Jason safe from 20^th century forces pursuing the black stones. And then there’s the arrogant and tough Tatiana, a girl Jason’s age who blackmails her way onto the trip to the 15^th century. She is Dresden’s estranged daughter, and she bears a hell of a grudge.

Dresden, meanwhile, is a classic psychopathic villain, one who admits outright that his goal is one of oldest in existence: he simply wants to rule the world. With the time traveling power of the black stones, he plots to change history to his own advantage, never mind that it could endanger the existence of the universe.Truly despicable and sharply conniving, he makes a great antagonist, one you can’t wait to see squashed and yet love to watch in action.

The plot twists and turns in so many directions that it’s virtually impossible to predict what will happen next. The build-up to the time jump contains all the elements of an action movie—mysterious motives, shadowy figures, and an explosive gunfight. Although stopping Dresden is the primary plot of this novel, one gets the idea that there are more forces at work. Jason’s journey into the 15^th century is filled with danger from every angle, from medieval thugs to capture by Dresden’s men. McHugh does an excellent job of setting the scene, including historical details that create an immersive experience. Encounters with Richard III and Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII, add an exciting element of “what if?”

In Keeper, McHugh has given us a thrilling combination of fantasy and historical fiction. It’s a time travel adventure that had me restlessly flipping through the pages. Jason's spirited voice—snarky at times and thoughtful at others—breathes life into the story and escalates it to something truly absorbing. Clever, courageous, and wonderfully nerdy, this is the kind of tenacious underdog we all like to root for.

THE NITPICKYSTUFF

I read an advance copy of this novel, and so I can’t speak to the final version. I can tell you that the version I read was quite clean and error-free.

This book contains action movie and medieval style violence, but nothing particularly graphic or gruesome. Its content is suitable for young readers.

AUTHOR INFO

P.T. McHugh was born and raised in New Hampshire and currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, two daughters, and a dog named Bob, daring to dream of alternate worlds and cheering for his beloved New England Patriots.

Visit his website, Like his Facebook page, or Follow him on Twitter

RELATED: An Interview with P.T. McHugh

Disclosure: Glass House Press is the publisher of my series, Flynn Nightsider. I received anadvance copy of this book and was asked for my honest opinion. The above reflects only my true thoughts concerning the book.

REVIEW: The Jealousy Glass / Gwen Perkins

TITLE: The Jealousy Glass (Artifacts of Empire Book 2)

AUTHOR: Gwen Perkins

PUBLISHER: Hydra Publications

AVAILABILITY: Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book)

APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 274 pages

Recommended for fans of medieval and sword-and-sorcery type fantasies.

GENRE

Fantasy—Sword & Sorcery

The Jealousy Glass takes place in a medieval-style world of magic and noblemen, reminiscent of the Game of Thrones series. Like its prequel, The Universal Mirror, The Jealousy Glass focuses on a small group of people maneuvering around the political ins and outs of the Empire of Anjdur. The magic in this novel is understated, and most of the story focuses on empire’s politics—the new ruler, the people loyal to the old ruler, the empire’s relationship with the island of Cercia, etc. As such, it reads more like historical fiction.

The Jealousy Glass is the second book in the Artifacts of Empire series. It can be read without reading the first book, as the story, while dealing with the fallout from The Universal Mirror, is divorced from the main plot of the first book, and Perkins does an excellent job of filling in the necessary details. Quentin, one of the main characters in the first book, is largely absent, and the story focuses instead on Asahel and Felix, who had a supporting role in The Universal Mirror. The Jealousy Glass ends on a cliffhanger.

PACE

In The Jealousy Glass, Perkins takes her time to set up her world and develop her characters. It’s not exactly a plot-driven page-turner, but it’s certainly engaging. There’s a fair amount of tension in the second half of the book, involving personal mysteries and political intrigue.

PERSPECTIVE

Third person. Most of this book reads like third person limited, and there are a few moments that seem to take a more omniscient perspective. This book rotates between the perspectives of the main characters.

CONTENT REVIEW

The island of Cercia has recently undergone a regime change and can’t afford enemies at present. Thus, the new leader, Quentin, sends his good friend, a common-born man named Asahel, and his not-so-good friend, a former noble named Felix, to broker an official truce with the powerful Empire of Anjdur. Shipwrecked near the empire’s shore, Asahel and Felix make their way toward the capital, Aulis, to meet with Empress Irena, who rose to power after defeating her sister, Sophia. After arriving at Aulis, they find that the empire is not as stable as it seems, as many are still loyal to Sophia, and Irena will do anything to hold on to her throne.

The Jealousy Glass reads more like a medieval political drama than a traditional fantasy. Asahel and Felix find themselves dealing with a situation they don’t entirely understand. Not only is the history of Anjdur somewhat opaque, but they are uncertain as to Quentin’s motivations. Why send a commoner like Asahel as an ambassador? And why pair him with Felix, who has plenty of reasons to resent Quentin after Quentin threw him under the bus during the revolution and then stripped him of his lands and titles?

These questions—and Felix’s refusal to divulge much personal information—create a lot of tension between the two main characters, whose personalities are as different as night and day. Asahel is the epitome of goodness—kind, loyal, and simple in the best possible way. He seems incapable of the kind of scheming that surrounds him. Felix, on the other hand, is perfectly willing to scheme. Glib and witty, he is a highly entertaining character to watch. Much of The Jealousy Glass is dedicated to the interactions between these two, developing each one and exploring their relationship.

During their trip to Aulis, they pick up a third Cercian, a cleric by the name of Nicolas. The concept of a Cercian cleric is an interesting one, as the Cercians are staunchly atheist. They believe in the Nietzschean idea that with no worshippers, the gods must be dead. The citizens of Anjdur, on the other hand, are very religious. Sophia was believed to be the voice of their God, and thus the loyalists believe Irena’s ascent to be nothing short of blasphemy. One of the most fascinating elements of The Jealousy Glass is the interaction between Nicolas, whose role as a cleric is mostly to be a counselor and advisor, and the Anjdur citizens who see his atheism as heresy.

The magical aspect in The Jealousy Glass is understated and largely in the background. Cercia was formerly the island of magicians—practically a prison for them, as attempting to leave was punishable by death. There is not much magic in Anjdur, and so the citizens are astounded by Nicolas’ simple card tricks, which seem absurdly simple to Asahel and Quentin, both of whom wield real magic. Magic is chiefly used as a bargaining chip in the truce negotiations, as it is the one thing the tiny island has to offer the mighty empire.

Perkins writes with a distinct and almost archaic voice, transporting the reader back in time to a more mystical era. The old-fashioned lilt serves the story well, adding another layer to Perkins’ immersive world. While the universe her story takes place in is a fascinating place, it’s really the characters who take the spotlight. Through dialogues and internal thoughts, what’s said and not said, they come alive on the page.

THE NITPICKY STUFF

I received an advance copy of this novel, which has since been edited, so I can’t comment on typos and the like.

This novel contains some scenes with medieval-style violence, which are pretty mild. There are no sex scenes and no adult language.

AUTHOR INFO

Gwen Perkins is a museum curator with a MA in Military History from Norwich University. She has written for a number of magazines, exhibitions and nonfiction publications. Her interest in history fueled the creation of the world of The Universal Mirror, inspired in part by people and events of the medieval and Renaissance periods. 

Visit her website, Follow her on Twitter, Like her on Facebook, or Find her on Google+

RELATED:

An Interview with Gwen Perkins

COMING SOON:

A Character Interview with Felix 

BOOK TRAILER:

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Gwen Perkins

Gwen Perkins, author of the sword-and-sorcery novel The Jealousy Glass (sequel to The Universal Mirror), answers questions about her characters, world, and series as a whole. Visit her website, Follow her on Twitter, Like her on Facebook, or Find her on Google+.

 

The Jealousy Glass deals with the fallout from your first Artifacts of Empire novel, The Universal Mirror. When you wrote The Universal Mirror, did you already have The Jealousy Glass in mind? How did you go about planning your sequel?

When I wrote The Universal Mirror, I wasn't sure whether or not it would do well enough for my publisher to consider other books in the series.  Mirror itself is actually a midpoint in what I consider the whole story of Cercia—my original planned series began in my own mind with the origins of Cercian atheism and how that came about. 

The Jealousy Glass is part of a different story that hints at that history but also builds on some of the themes in Mirror.  I knew that, as with the first book, I wanted to try writing about ideas that affect me today but to do so using a fantasy environment as my backdrop.  A number of historic themes also were woven into the narrative, something that I love to do—even things like the plants that are referred to in the book have some mythological or historic symbolism.  Each novel set in the Artifacts-verse builds on the others but, I hope, creates more possibility for future stories, not only my own but those that readers may dream about on their own.

The Jealousy Glass takes the reader away from the island of Cercia, where the first book was set, and introduces them to the Empire of Anjdur. Why this change in location?

There's a couple of reasons for this.  The first was that because of the ending of Mirror, I felt that readers really expected to see Asahel and Felix travel off the continent.  After all, they'd managed to break the prohibitions against leaving—it would have seemed a little odd to just keep them at home after that.

I also wanted to provide a look at other cultures on Cercia's Earth.  There are a number of things that I don't like about Cercian culture that provide a great deal of conflict for my characters and that no revolution was going to fix within a couple of years—their behavior toward women, the poor, and outsiders, notably.  Additionally, I didn't explore areas of magic and religion as much as I felt I could have—taking the characters to a place where they were strangers was a way for me to show them in contrast to a very different worldview.  I have plans for characters to return to Cercia after their experiences on Anjdur.  The journey that they have undertaken will allow them to see some of the problems within their own isolated nation more clearly.

Why did you choose to leave Quentin, one of the main characters in the first book, on the island while sending Asahel and Felix on their journey?

Oh, I'm not done with him yet.  One of the things that I do while writing my novels is plot in my head what's happening in other places beyond those we see onscreen.  While I won't say too much, Quentin and Catharine are involved in events in Cercia that have just as much import to Asahel and Felix as what's happening in Anjdur during Glass.

In The Jealousy Glass, the good-hearted merchant Asahel must move out of his comfort zone and act as a diplomat on behalf of Cercia. How did this change in circumstances affect your portrayal of him as a character?

Asahel

Asahel's arc in the Artifacts of Empire series is that of slow growth.  He's someone who's always been passive and often dominated by other people.  That made him ideal to someone like Quentin to send  overseas to represent Cercian interests—from Quent's point of view, Asahel was certainly going to act as he was told to act by the Cercians but was moral enough not to turn sides. 

As time goes on, Asahel is beginning to develop a character of his own outside of his dependence on his best friend.  You see a hint of it in Mirror, he grows a little stronger still in Glass, and this will continue in further books.  Learning independence is a slow and difficult process, however, and I'm trying to retain that in these stories as much as I can.

The character Felix, who had a supporting role in the first book, is one of the main point-of-view characters in The Jealousy Glass. What was it like developing his character?

Felix

It was surprisingly easy.  Part of that may be that, of all my characters, the one that I've gotten the most feedback on is Felix.  Readers tend to love or dislike him, more so than my other characters.  While I don't want to say too much and spoil book 2, I have a suspicion that this may be even more true for that novel.

The tricky part about taking a minor character in this position and turning him into a point-of-view character is the constant fear that he'll be "ruined."  I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little nervous about how my readers will feel now that I've put him centerstage.  Time will tell.

One of the most fascinating characters in The Jealousy Glass is the atheist cleric (!) Nicolas, who clashes with the staunchly religious citizens of Anjdur. Why did you choose to include this religious element in your novel?

Nicolas

In the first book, The Universal Mirror, while it's not the central point of the story, it's made clear that the Cercians are a nation of atheists, something that I think is a little unusual in a fantasy setting.  I've received a lot of questions about that and I wanted to develop the concepts more so that others could see what my perception of Cercian atheism was. 

It's interesting to me how strongly people reacted to Nicolas in the beta reading phase of my novel and I think that alone was proof to me that it was a place I wanted to go.  The concept of an atheist cleric resounded with some people whereas others were not comfortable with it or didn't find that it worked for them.

As I considered atheism in Cercia, I had to think about what exactly religion has meant to me and to people that I have known.  It can be a very important thing in people's lives—it provides a source of community, of inspiration, and of comfort.  Just removing that aspect of life doesn't mean that people don't still need the values and ideas that religion provides.  The Cercians did once have religious institutions—I could not see any culture completely abolishing so many of the important concepts that faith gives us.  For that reason, I developed the clerics to fulfill the social needs that the Cercian destruction of their churches created.  Now, because of the odd relationship between Cercians and their dead God, clerics don't really have an easy time of it.  Nor do they have the same level of respect that a monk would have in medieval Europe, for instance.  (These are themes that will be explored more in The Oracle Bones, the third novel.) 

Just because a person doesn't believe in God doesn't mean that they don't have a sense of morality or the same basic human needs and values that a person raised with a religious background would.  This is a valuable thing to consider, I feel, whether or not a reader agrees with me on this.  I hope that this novel can create some conversation between those who read the story about some of these concepts within it.

Would you rather be born a native of Cercia or Anjdur, and why?

Empress Irena

Definitely Anjdur.  In some ways, both Cercia and Anjdur are extremely restrictive and harsh environments but I think that there is more opportunity within Anjdur.  Women hold a definite place of authority within the Empire (and always have) while the environment is slightly more welcoming to outsiders, provided they fit in quietly.  All that said, that applies more to the reign of the Empress Irena.  I'm not quite so sure I would have liked to have lived under the thumb of her sister Sophia.

Tell us about a typical writing day for you. Do you do your best work at the crack of dawn? In a coffee shop? Surrounded by caffeine?

Typically, I write best lying in bed with a cup of coffee next to me and a big notebook to scribble in.  Most of my first drafts are written longhand and typed into a computer after the fact.

The Jealousy Glass ends on a cliffhanger. What teasers can you give us for the third book in the Artifacts of Empire series?

The third book focuses on the war within the walls of Anjdur even as invaders attempt to storm the city of Aulis from outside.  There will be unexpected revelations, ghosts from the past that will return to haunt some of our heroes, and… not everyone will make it out alive.

The Jealousy Glass is available at:  Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book)