28,174 is the current wordcount on the HD rewrite. Not bad, since I've really tried to work on it every day. I had a little trouble with Chapter 10 at first, but then I decided to prolong the suspension a bit. So far, so good.
I read Lilian Jackson Braun's newest Cat Who mystery over the past couple of days. I'm a few behind--Mom said she got the one that came before this one as a paperback (and I have it now--we're trading) and I think there's one more I don't have.
But reading it reminded me a lot of Charlotte MacLeod, and the fact that there won't be any new books by her ever again.
And the fact that Lilian Jackson Braun is getting up there in years as well. What will I do without a new Qwilleran mystery? I can't imagine the horror. (I have wanted to live in Pickax ever since I started reading the series, by the way.)
That made me realize that most of my favorite authors aren't spring chickens either, and while none of them seem to be in any danger of dying, I will probably outlive them. And that makes me sad. Favorite authors should be honorary immortals, in my not-so-humble opinion.
Why am I thinking about death all of a sudden? Argh.
(Probably because I put Malachi in a pickle, and while he won't die, he's not going to be very happy with me, either.)
So then I thought about it, and realized that all the authors on my bookshelves are older than me. Some of them quite older than me. Maybe I just read outside my age bracket or something, but doesn't anyone my age read and enjoy cozy mysteries? Does anyone my age write them?
Perhaps it's because fantasy is my first love that I see so many fantasy writing places and lists and books, but I see hardly any for mysteries. And since I rarely read fantasy anymore (I'm way too picky) I am probably missing out on many good mysteries.
Here are some of the authors I like:
Mystery:
Lilian Jackson Braun
Charlotte MacLeod
Susan Conant
Stephen Greenleaf
Joan Hess
M.C. Beaton
Kathy Reichs
Mystery/Thriller:
Jonathan Kellerman
Faye Kellerman
Nelson DeMille (I *heart* John Corey)
Fantasy:
Terry Pratchett
Tim Powers
Charles DeLint
Robin McKinley (Deerskin and Sunshine)
James Blaylock
Emma Bull (Finder, especially)
Tanya Huff (the Blood series)
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Terri Windling
As I said before, I'm very, very picky when it comes to fantasy. I buy books to reread. If they aren't rereadable or interesting enough, then I feel that I've wasted my time and my money. And I don't have money to waste.
With that in mind, any suggestions for new authors I can try? I'm not looking for anyone 'trendy'. I read for enjoyment and for the characters. And I don't read much science fiction at all. In truth, my favorite science fiction book is probably Catspaw by Joan Vinge.
Oh, and I don't usually enjoy fantasy set in other worlds. At least not anymore. My favorite sub-genre is urban fantasy, or a close kin to this world. However, while I enjoyed Laurell K. Hamilton's first few Anita Blake books, I stopped reading them after they turned into porn.
I like vampires, but again, I'm very picky about vampires. P.N. Elrod's Vampire Chronicles are very good, although I'm quite behind on those. I'm also very, very picky about humor.
And Neil Gaiman's short stories are great, but his novels just don't work for me. Just an FYI. (Except for Good Omens, which I had him sign, and which is one of my favorite books. However, Terry Pratchett wrote that as well.)
Can you tell this is why I'd rather just write books? It's a lot cheaper, for one, and I can't cheat and flip to the last page to know the ending. :)
I read Lilian Jackson Braun's newest Cat Who mystery over the past couple of days. I'm a few behind--Mom said she got the one that came before this one as a paperback (and I have it now--we're trading) and I think there's one more I don't have.
But reading it reminded me a lot of Charlotte MacLeod, and the fact that there won't be any new books by her ever again.
And the fact that Lilian Jackson Braun is getting up there in years as well. What will I do without a new Qwilleran mystery? I can't imagine the horror. (I have wanted to live in Pickax ever since I started reading the series, by the way.)
That made me realize that most of my favorite authors aren't spring chickens either, and while none of them seem to be in any danger of dying, I will probably outlive them. And that makes me sad. Favorite authors should be honorary immortals, in my not-so-humble opinion.
Why am I thinking about death all of a sudden? Argh.
(Probably because I put Malachi in a pickle, and while he won't die, he's not going to be very happy with me, either.)
So then I thought about it, and realized that all the authors on my bookshelves are older than me. Some of them quite older than me. Maybe I just read outside my age bracket or something, but doesn't anyone my age read and enjoy cozy mysteries? Does anyone my age write them?
Perhaps it's because fantasy is my first love that I see so many fantasy writing places and lists and books, but I see hardly any for mysteries. And since I rarely read fantasy anymore (I'm way too picky) I am probably missing out on many good mysteries.
Here are some of the authors I like:
Mystery:
Lilian Jackson Braun
Charlotte MacLeod
Susan Conant
Stephen Greenleaf
Joan Hess
M.C. Beaton
Kathy Reichs
Mystery/Thriller:
Jonathan Kellerman
Faye Kellerman
Nelson DeMille (I *heart* John Corey)
Fantasy:
Terry Pratchett
Tim Powers
Charles DeLint
Robin McKinley (Deerskin and Sunshine)
James Blaylock
Emma Bull (Finder, especially)
Tanya Huff (the Blood series)
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Terri Windling
As I said before, I'm very, very picky when it comes to fantasy. I buy books to reread. If they aren't rereadable or interesting enough, then I feel that I've wasted my time and my money. And I don't have money to waste.
With that in mind, any suggestions for new authors I can try? I'm not looking for anyone 'trendy'. I read for enjoyment and for the characters. And I don't read much science fiction at all. In truth, my favorite science fiction book is probably Catspaw by Joan Vinge.
Oh, and I don't usually enjoy fantasy set in other worlds. At least not anymore. My favorite sub-genre is urban fantasy, or a close kin to this world. However, while I enjoyed Laurell K. Hamilton's first few Anita Blake books, I stopped reading them after they turned into porn.
I like vampires, but again, I'm very picky about vampires. P.N. Elrod's Vampire Chronicles are very good, although I'm quite behind on those. I'm also very, very picky about humor.
And Neil Gaiman's short stories are great, but his novels just don't work for me. Just an FYI. (Except for Good Omens, which I had him sign, and which is one of my favorite books. However, Terry Pratchett wrote that as well.)
Can you tell this is why I'd rather just write books? It's a lot cheaper, for one, and I can't cheat and flip to the last page to know the ending. :)
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