Not a ton of writing last week, but I did finish my sister’s biography (I think–I just sent it to her to do a final check before submitting) to the publisher. Also, I met with the co-author of my nonfiction book on courage, and we have pretty much set the details of the launch. It will be held in an art gallery! It’s August 15th, the night before our local convention, and fairly close to the hotel so hopefully we’ll get some readerly / writerly traffic from that.

Fantasy 5/5

Angel Crawford wakes up dead—or, not quite. Revived after a car crash as a zombie, her family see no difference in her, but now she has an insatiable hunger for brains. This book amazed me. The characterization is perfect, as is the setting that gave birth to Angel and the circumstances that drive her forward. Highly recommended!

Lots of family issues this week – 3 significantly ill children all needing support. BUT! I did meet with my publisher and came up with a timeline for Book 4 of my series. It’s good because there’s no immediate deadline–he’s very understanding (small press!).

Historical 5/5

In Nazi-controlled Amsterdam, violinist Marijke and her husband are arrested for aiding Jews and sent to separate concentration camps. Marijke survives by allowing herself to be used in the camp brothel, but though she never stops trying to find her husband, she is ashamed by what she believes he must think of her once they reunite. This was a riveting story, particularly those sections told by Marijke and Karl, the Nazi officer obsessed with her. The sections following Luciano in Argentina were less gripping for me.

Not a lot of writing this week. I spent five days hiking the high alpine with my family, which was very relaxing. But–no writing!