Memoir 5+/5

Jeanette McCurdy never wanted to be a child star, but her abusive-dependent relationship with her star-struck and money-hungry mother was too complex for her to be her own person until her mother died. This true story sent me hunting to look up Jeanette McCurdy to check out her filmography. Gripping and heart-wrenching on every page, it provides one lens into the money- and star-power-driven culture of Hollywood.

Had a wonderful weekend at Can*Con in Ottawa. Sat on 2 panels, did a signing and had a party to celebrate Gathering of Ghosts, which comes out in a week!

Thriller 4+/5

When the death of her parents brings Clare back home to care for her brother, a mysterious outbreak sweeps through the town—an outbreak with symptoms frighteningly similar to those of her schizophrenic brother. I loved this thriller. Everything about it worked.

Fantasy 3/5

When her well-to-do father is murdered in 1920 London, Jaqueline Melrose won’t quit until she finds his killer…even if the hunt takes her to Otherwhere. This stylish book sings, particularly the sections following Jaqueline, her gutsy widowed mother and naïve twin sister—as well as the gangster, Booth. Sections exploring the philosophical slow the pace.

I’m adding a subplot (Uncle Carl’s story–he’s a spy!) in The Shadow Spy’s Daughter that I’m very happy with.

No news yet on when to expect Gathering of Ghosts from Laksa Media. I HOPE to have copies at the World Fantasy Convention and Can*Con later this month…

*bites fingernails*