Tuesday, October 13, 2020

The Problem with Equality: Book Review by MLHolton

A clear-cut forest ridge. The pulp and paper industry ravages global forests ...

Equality is a much-lauded quality, but in truth, it is a perpetuated falsehood.

What the heck, really, is ‘equal’?

As example, I was recently looking at two tomatoes that I had picked from the same tomato vine in my garden. One was perfect in every way. The other was mangled and ruined by a parasite. Both pieces of fruit came from the same tomato vine, both had the same genetic make-up, and yet, one, through no perceptible fault of its own, was ravaged by a parasitic bug. (One does wonder: was there some inherent blemish in the skin of that particular piece of fruit that permitted the bug to get in?  Hard to say. Other factors could have been involved: wind currents, innate larvae or fractional differences in sun and water nurturing, etc.)  The fact remains: two pieces of fruit from the very same vine offered two very different kinds of fruit.

I have run into this ‘inequality' again in the recent reading of two debut novels. One is a stand-out effort with a writer showing much promise. The other was a mess from start to finish. Both works spring from the same vine of language, English, and yet, the results were so starkly different. 

Why so?  I believe, at core, it comes down to a love of the English language. When English is well loved and well used, it is a precise tool that has the ability to both conjure and convey thoughts in the minds of others. Truth instantly resonates. If a writer appreciates the precision of English, they not only admire and revere their successful predecessors' efforts, they work hard to craft a literary offspring worthy of inclusion in the long written history of that language. If, on the other hand, a writer does not care a fig about the English language, that disregard, disinterest and disrespect are immediately evident. This 'writer' simply doesn't care - and it immediately shows in the careless crafting of their work. 

The one that is a mess will not be discussed in detail in this review. Suffice it to say that after I plowed through to the bitter end, I was embarrassed for the author that so much precious paper had been wasted on that crude vanity effort. (I really did try to overcome the terrible writing and just focus on the story to find the merit. But even then, cookie-cutter stereotypes, preachy diatribes and long-winded alliterations overwhelmed the interesting kernel of a tale ... Yes, ‘a story’ was in there but it was 100% lost in the appalling story-telling. This wannabe-writer desperately needs a very patient and good editor in order to learn the basics of structure, compelling 'voice' and plot development. But, even then, sadly, a good editor cannot teach a love of, or for, the English language.)

In comparison, Kelly Miller’s debut regency romance, Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley House', was a thoroughly refreshing read. 

Not only was the mother-vine of the English language used with alacrity, this well-paced novel kept my interest from the get-go. 

This was my first read of ‘fan fiction’. 

In this instance, the title is a supposed projection of Jane Austen’s classic, ‘Pride & Prejudice’, with a revisit to the famed characters loved by so many, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. 

At the start of this story, we discover that they have wed and had a child, a boy, who they have named Bennet.

I personally don’t think it necessary to have read the Austen classic to follow or enjoy this ‘drama piece’. More to the point, ‘Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley House’ is a carefully-crafted Regency Period fan fiction. 

Throughout, Ms. Miller was very careful in her choice of detail. She judiciously uses arcane words to describe everyday occurrences and wardrobe highlights. Old-fashioned words do lend authenticity to this hybrid form of historical fiction. Details from grand manor estates, the supportive stables and horses therein, the exquisite gowns, top-coats and hair-pins - all swirl around the poised personalities of the good and not so good characters. We are successfully transported to another era.

The early injection of a visible other-world nemesis, the Angel of Death, is an unexpected out-of-the-gate starter. The angel, a 'Mr. Graham', inhabits the body of a deceased other who quickly becomes the unexpected house guest at Pemberley House. But his bold introduction and continued presence does not overpower the other well flushed-out cast of characters in the story. Lords and ladies grace the pages in varying degrees of nobleness and pettiness. Their percolating emotions are, in the main, hidden behind well-constructed social facades that act-out in predictable social settings. Periodically, direct and intimate thoughts are given as asides in italics. 

The story unfolds at a trot. 

I was particularly taken by Ms. Miller’s ability to pirouette from scene to scene. The scene changes oscillated with the on-going under-current of the narrative and pulled the reader on. (Will she or won’t she? Did he or didn’t he?) These underlying and interwoven dilemmas added heat to the stateliness of the exposition. As example, the diabolical machinations of an ill-tempered conniver, Lady Catherine, and her hood-winked accomplice-in-crime, Lady Rebecca, are offered in clear contrast to the consistent good-will and abiding love between Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam. 

When additional family members arrive for a surprise birthday celebration, the emotional drama intensifies. The Angel of Death, aka Mr. Graham, while hitherto well-tempered to the circumstances, begins to loom over them all. We press on to a measured canter that suddenly breaks into a gallop  ...

‘Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley House’ is a mannered novel, (in more ways than one). But if you are intrigued by the rule of families by families, the on-going economic advantages of marriage to protect family status and the long-standing reality of family legacy, you will be quietly captivated by this well-written story as it explores the persistent social tensions that threaten true love.

Kelly Miller is a writer who knows what she is doing. She has provided readers with a strong but simple story, underpinned with a solid moral structure - albeit with a bright flare of the fantastic.

‘Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley House’ deftly displays the vices and virtues that plague and enhance humanity - in any age. Thankfully, it is well-worth the paper it is printed on.

Pick up your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Takes-Holiday-Pemberley-Prejudice-ebook/dp/B07SWY9RCH

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Cover Design - A or B?

 

Author Margaret Lindsay Holton Books

Now listed on AllAuthor.com - Link on image to go there. 

Otherwise, just let me know. A (Trillium) or B (The Gilded Beaver, 2nd Edition)?

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Culture Days 2020 - Ontario - CANADADA:TAKE-TWO

SUPER EXCITED to be part of the upcoming month-long Culture Days 2020 Celebration across Canada, from Sept 25th to Oct 25th. --- Shouting out from Southern Ontario! Link to: https://culturedays.ca/en/events/4b6455d1-5313-4455-8d1a-32fa353b0025

https://culturedays.ca/en/events/4b6455d1-5313-4455-8d1a-32fa353b0025
 
Look for province-wide events, self-guided tours, a
and interactive videos on the main page via the link above. 

 I'm offering up FREE access to my 

spoken-word & music album: CANADADA: TAKE TWO

'Who are we? Where have we come from? 

Where are we going?' --  Have a listen! 

https://canadada.bandcamp.com - via mlh


Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Niagara Novel, TRILLIUM, on Fire!

Renee Sferrazza Instagram Wine Influencer
When an international wine #influencer on Instagram, with a following of over 10K, gives a super 5-star rating for your novel, expect a swift reaction from her attentive audience. Within one week, Renee Sferrazza's positive post about TRILLIUM  has 600 likes with over 125 comments and commitments to purchase, voiced by #winelovers from all around the globe! - Now, that's social impact!! 

Her rating is also a tremendous boost for the real life setting of the novel, the  #winemaking region of the #Niagara peninsula, sandwiched, as it is , between the southern shore of #LakeOntario, #LakeErie and the grand meandering Niagara River, (yes, the location of famed #NiagaraFalls. 

THANK YOU RENEE!! - @wine.by.renee - and to all the other great gals affiliated with Instagram @sips.aroundtheglobe & @wineandbubblelover. I am most humbled, grateful and honoured that you found TRILLIUM "captivating"!

Booklytical TRILLIUM review
Equally, when a more traditional #bookreviewer at Booklytical criticizes, in detail, the failings of the novel from their perspective, and then goes on to give the work an 8 out of 10 rating, that's really not too shabby either. Certainly, the criticism hurts, but the overall book rave as - "a stand-out gem"-  does compensate. With that rating, I know that the story did work its magic ... eventually!
....

Book reviews really are the circulating life-blood of an author's efforts. It tells #writers what does and does not resonate. It tells us where work may be needed, and where too one excels at the craft. It has been mentioned, as example, a couple of times now, how my capacity to generate imagery is "like a painter." As a highly visual person who believes that the use of colour, form, and design intimately expresses our current humanity, this comment is always very welcome. I know my imagination has successfully grafted onto the reader's imagination.

I have also heard that some readers long to know more about one of the central characters, Anna Di Angelo.

Dear Anna IS an integral part of the evolving story. In fact, the story wouldn't have its name or have even come to fruition without her experimental childhood mucking about.

In response, I have just finished an interview with a very engaging website, The Protagonist Speaks, where I've given more rein to Anna's thoughts and motivations. That's releasing October 24th.

It was a difficult task to exude her personality in written form because Anna, as an illiterate character in the novel, neither reads nor writes.

Yet, to my mind, she is the epitome of a free spirit. Her thoughts, I believe, ought to exhibit the same kind of tendency. She goes where the wind blows. She responds to what the wind is doing. She reacts, she responds, she interacts. She dips, she dives, she swirls. She is a child of the Earth. She also has this uncanny ability to observe Nature in a unfiltered and unbiased state. As a result, Anna has an incredible knack for growing things. There will be more from her at the end of October ... 

In the meantime, please do pick up & enjoy 
the "epic!" & "gorgeous!" TRILLIUM 
as either an ebook or paperback. 
 
Your thoughtful reviews are always appreciated. 
Thank you. - mlholton

Monday, August 17, 2020

Fantasy Map Done for Historical Fiction: TRILLIUM by Margaret Lindsay Holton


Growing City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on Southern Shore of Lake Ontario c
It has been my desire for quite some time to DO A MAP that would somehow convey 250 years of evolution on the Niagara peninsula where my third novel TRILLIUM is set - while, at the same time, convincingly convey the fictional aspects of the story about three diverse families who are inescapably intertwined over land, lust and loot ... It was a nagging writerly-type problem ....

Detail from TRILLIUM book MAP
I searched and searched for the Right Person able to undertake this demanding commission, then stumbled, quite fortuitously, on Dutch artist, Chaim Holtjer. 

I was first introduced to Chaim Holtjer's 's inventive work via Twitter. He followed me at @TrillLINDSAY and I followed him back ...

I started to look around his posts and thought "YES .... great fantasy - yet grounded in a believable realism."

We soon connected via FIVERR, and the rest, as they say, is history. Literally.

The fantasy of #HistoricalFiction ... Chaim started with my word premise of what I wanted and needed. (I supplied about 200 words of same, and attached a Google map of the area.)  He responded with a rough sketch that incorporated the basic points as I'd requested.  I responded with a 'mark-up' on that sketch. And then, left him to it ... It took him 2 weeks from start to finish.


(Calligraphy is NOT his strong suit)


Granted, Chaim is not the best calligraphic artist I've ever known ...
But he does SUPER EXCEL  in interpreting landscape, real & imagined. And the price is right.

His FINAL map - uploaded into the paperback and ebook editions of TRILLIUM today - is a wonderful compliment to the story! It will most certainly assist new readers to place those three dynamic fictional families into the ever-evolving region of #Niagara ...

Dive into TRILLIUM !! 

Deepen your understanding of the fascinating history and unique people of the area. Explore the unique times we've lived in. Gain better understanding of the challenging times we live in now. As many readers and critics say:
(And SOON expect an amazing #audiobook rendition, narrated by fab actor > Jens Hansen!)

P.S. If any past readers of TRILLIUM would like a copy of the map, let me know!