This animated masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki is based on a 1986 novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones. It might best be described as a crossover between steampunk and urban fantasy since it has many supernatural elements. It takes place in an alternate universe much like ours, where war is erupting between rival nations. The […]
When novice writers ask their more experienced brethren for advice, we frequently recommend joining a writer’s group. Believe me, it can be very helpful. There are two kinds of fiction writers who resist this advice, who happen to be the ones who need it most. The first is supremely confident, convinced of their own […]
We are pleased to announce the five winners of a signed copy of our steampunk novel Miss Ione D. and the Mayan Marvel. They are Jodi from Georgia, Lindsay from Pennsylvania, Rachel from Oklahoma, Amanda from Virginia and Christine from California. Congratulations to all of you and please leave us a review on Amazon when […]
Today is the 13th of the month, which got me thinking about numeric superstitions. In the west, we commonly think of 13 as unlucky. I’ve seen speculation that this was because of the Biblical Last Supper, with Jesus plus the disciples making 13. Somehow that made Judas unlucky number 13. As a consequence, many multi-story […]
Black Butler is a popular manga series by Yana Toboso that first appeared in 2006. A few years later, A-1 Pictures adapted it as an anime, directed by Toshiya Shinohara. (Noriyuki Abe directed season 3 and the animated movie “Book of Murder.”) The story concerns an orphaned English aristocrat and the butler who serves and […]
Today is the last day to sign up for our Goodreads giveaway of five signed copies of Professor Ione D and the Mayan Marvel. I strongly urge any of you who haven’t signed up to get on Goodreads and do so. I also encourage you to sign up for free offers, because I suspect that […]
* Cheers for Count Zeppelin This year marks the 110-year anniversary of aviation pioneer Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin founding his airship company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin. This came on the heels of the destruction of one of his early airship prototypes (LZ-4) in a storm when it was moored at Echterdingen. Despite this incident, the German public […]
