A Book, A Movie, A Craft Project

A Book, A Movie, A Craft Project

Last night I finished C. Robert Cargill’s excellent dark fantasy Queen of the Dark Things. A sequel to his novel Dreams and Shadows, Queen of the Dark Things chronicles the continuing adventures of the eternally unfortunate sorcerer, Colby Stevens.

It’s a fun romp around the world, leaving Texas behind for the Australian Outback. Overall a heart breaker full of horrific and fantastic elements, Queen of the Dark Things is a quality piece of fantasy. It’s a fast read, and was my escape of choice over the last week while America got a lot weirder.

This novel has me thinking once again about how to handle shifting point of view, and the possible plot mechanisms for moving characters together.

I also watched the British horror film The Awakening, which is on Netflix and a good choice if you enjoy supernatural horror. The Awakening follows professional ghost debunker Florence, who has a grudge against the spiritualist movement that is taking advantage of an England mourning thousands of dead after World War I. It’s a great study in character driving the film, with Florence’s guilt over past mistakes and coping mechanisms driving a large portion of the plot. And the twist is really good; you think you see it coming from a mile away, but you’re only half-right.

While watching the film, I made this thing:

lantern prototype
It’s the prototype of some lanterns I’m making for wedding decorations. I need to find a cheap source of similar ribbon online, as my quest for supplies yesterday only gave me enough to make two of the things. I need a few more clever ideas for decorations, preferably that I can make quickly.

The first issue of my newsletter, Speculations, is out this Friday. If you need inspiration for writing your genre fiction, or you enjoy real news about how strange and wonderful the universe really is, please subscribe.

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