Book Review: The Ruby Key

I was eager to read this 1.) because I've read two of Holly Lisle's books and 2.) because I love MG fiction. BLUF: The book was okay, but not as good as I had hoped it would be.

Dawn's Recommendation: 3 of 5 stars

What I liked: I liked the MC Genna (human) and the world where they live in the day and Nightlings (elf-like creatures) rule the night. The interaction with the Nightling Kai-lord (aka bad king) and their deal was pretty cool, as was the quest Genna went on. Even the idea of the moonroads was cool, but...

What I didn't like: It was confusing. I was following along pretty good until Genna got to the moonroads and then I found myself skimming more and more. The obstacles put in front of Genna seemed like the author was just sticking them in (and I was just skipping them over).

I liked the themes of loyalty, love, and sacrifice. I liked the old woman fortune teller. I liked the talking cat. I even liked the ending, but, after saying all this, I didn't like it enough to want to read the second book in the series.

Book Review: Warpaint

I’ve been waiting all summer to read “Warpaint” by Holly Lisle, knowing it would be good. I wasn’t wrong! This is the sequel to “Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood”, a sci-fi action book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put the book down (I think I stayed up all night to read it). Ok…on to the review of Warpaint.

Dawn’s Recommendation: 5 of 5 Stars

What I liked: While Warpaint wasn’t as graphic blood/guts-wise or as heart-pounding as “Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood”, it definitely delivers on sci-fi adventure. I love the impossible situations Holly Lisle puts her characters in. She’s got guts as a writer and that shines through in this series! The MC, Cady Drake, a freelance detective-of-sorts (she hunts for lost items) also has a lots of guts as she takes on the bad guys. I was very excited to see the new cast of characters that assisted her in her quest to rid space from Legends (aka vampires*). The places in the book are rich with details and you get a good feel for the unique space stations/worlds.

I liked the “Emergency Cookie” reference throughout the book – that added a smile to the story. I also really liked the ending with the character Herog and its future book possibilities (Man, it is hard to write a review without spoilers!). 

Can’t wait for the next Cadence Drake book! In the meantime, there are a lot more Holly Lisle books for me to read. ;0) She is fast becoming a favorite.

*I don’t usually read vampire books because most romanticize the dark and evil, but this series doesn’t. Here, Cady fights vampires to save humanity.

A New Way to Plan Your Novel

You know I am taking a Holly Lisle's course, so you'll be hearing a lot about Holly in the upcoming months as I read everything she has to offer on her website.  I came across this one today and I can't wait to try it!  I am revising my first novel right now, but I am going to use this method to write the second book in the series.

Notecarding: Plotting Under Pressure 

This allows you to plan all the scenes before you even start writing!

Check it out!

What Causes a "Scene"? Updated

See updates (in italic) below.

I'm studying "scenes" in fiction to make sure I have all the elements a scene needs, but first I needed to know exactly what a scene is. 

So, what makes a "scene" a scene?

I originally thought a scene is a chapter or an Act of a play.  It's not. I realize now, that it should be, if you've done it right! I've found some of my manuscript scenes are lacking critical elements! 

A scene consists of a change that moves the story forward. If it doesn't move the story forward, you need to revise it. All pieces of your manuscript need to have a reason for being there -- one that supports your overall storyline.

Read Holly Lisle's Scene-Creation Workshop and then try writing short scenes along with it!  

It was an eye-opening experience!

Here are the scenes I wrote as I was reading/doing Holly's Workshop. (Note: mine are not very good, but they do have the essential parts of a scene):

1. The desert seemed deserted, but the spider waited, covered by the sand. A small brown mouse stopped to sniff the air and that pause was all the spider needed. With lightning speed, it jumped and within seconds the venom paralyzed the mouse.

2. Sasha quickly went down the isle, systematically grabbing items here and there from the pharmacy shelves. When she got to the counter, she set the shopping basket in front of the cashier, who began to ring up the items. Sasha opened her purse.

"Oh no! I forgot my wallet in the car. I'll be right back!"

She rushed out and when she rounded the corner, she began to run. In her pockets were bottles of stolen painkillers.

3. Tabitha heard wonderful things about Andy McCoy. Jessica couldn't stop talking about him. He was good-looking and from a rich family. He was going to be a doctor. Jessica was totally in love and Tabitha was happy for her best friend. 

She got to meet Andy at Jessica's 19th birthday party.

"Sam, here he is! This is Andy!"

"Hi."

"Hi yourself," Andy said with a smile. "Jess has told me loads about you."


"Hey, Mom's calling me over to meet her boss. I'll be back in a minute," Jess said.


Andy looked at me. "You look even better than the photo Jess showed me."


"Uh, thanks, I guess."


"So, you want to go out?"


"What? You're dating Jess."

"She doesn't have to know."