Badly done, Amazon, badly done indeed!
Tech Reviews / January 20, 2013

WARNING – THIS POST CONTAINS LONG RANT. PROCEED AT OWN RISK For those of you in Canada who purchase Kindle books from amazon.com, you may have noticed that the site has been pushing you to switch your account to the newly opened Canadian Kindle store at amazon.ca. It appears in the last few days, the vast majority of Kindle books are no longer available from amazon.com for customers with a registered Canadian address. I have been a loyal Kindle customer now for several years and now I have suddenly found myself cut off from services on which I rely, some of which, for me, raise Amazon above the competition. In Jeff Bezos’ presentation in September 2012 to launch the new Kindles, one of the new innovations promoted was Whispersync for Voice with Audible books. I was very excited about this, and since its launch, I have made extensive use of this service. Naturally, I am very disappointed that it appears I will no longer have access to it for future purchases. It is infuriating that Canadian users had access to this service and now have had it removed. For me this is a significant deterioration in the service I have…

Badly done, Amazon, badly done indeed!
Tech Reviews / January 20, 2013

WARNING – THIS POST CONTAINS LONG RANT. PROCEED AT OWN RISK For those of you in Canada who purchase Kindle books from amazon.com, you may have noticed that the site has been pushing you to switch your account to the newly opened Canadian Kindle store at amazon.ca. It appears in the last few days, the vast majority of Kindle books are no longer available from amazon.com for customers with a registered Canadian address. I have been a loyal Kindle customer now for several years and now I have suddenly found myself cut off from services on which I rely, some of which, for me, raise Amazon above the competition. In Jeff Bezos’ presentation in September 2012 to launch the new Kindles, one of the new innovations promoted was Whispersync for Voice with Audible books. I was very excited about this, and since its launch, I have made extensive use of this service. Naturally, I am very disappointed that it appears I will no longer have access to it for future purchases. It is infuriating that Canadian users had access to this service and now have had it removed. For me this is a significant deterioration in the service I have…

Reading A Memory of Light – SPOILERS
Audiobook reviews , Book Reviews / January 14, 2013

So, I have just finished reading A Memory of Light, the final book in the Wheel of Time. I thought the best way to review it would be to show and discuss the various texts I sent to my friend Natasha while reading. The texts were written as I was reading, the comments after I’d finished the book. I started reading from Chapter 3 as I had already read the prereleased prologue and first two chapters. There are of course spoilers for the entire book here. Proceed at your own risk: Random thoughts Surprised how much impact Moraine had on the negotiations at the Fields of Merrilor. Thought her Crowning Moment of Awesome would be at the end at Shayol Ghul Certainly, she did have a big influence on the discussions, and it’s true the Dragon’s Peace would have failed without her. However, I’m not certain these actions were worth Mat’s eye to save the world. Elayne as Commander-in-Chief of Team Light? I think not. Yes, I know she’s been trained in politics since she was a babe in arms, and I know there’s a precedent with Egwene as the youngest Amyrlin Seat ever, but really? Hold on, Lan. Team…

Reading A Memory of Light – SPOILERS
Audiobook reviews , Book Reviews / January 14, 2013

So, I have just finished reading A Memory of Light, the final book in the Wheel of Time. I thought the best way to review it would be to show and discuss the various texts I sent to my friend Natasha while reading. The texts were written as I was reading, the comments after I’d finished the book. I started reading from Chapter 3 as I had already read the prereleased prologue and first two chapters. There are of course spoilers for the entire book here. Proceed at your own risk: Random thoughts Surprised how much impact Moraine had on the negotiations at the Fields of Merrilor. Thought her Crowning Moment of Awesome would be at the end at Shayol Ghul Certainly, she did have a big influence on the discussions, and it’s true the Dragon’s Peace would have failed without her. However, I’m not certain these actions were worth Mat’s eye to save the world. Elayne as Commander-in-Chief of Team Light? I think not. Yes, I know she’s been trained in politics since she was a babe in arms, and I know there’s a precedent with Egwene as the youngest Amyrlin Seat ever, but really? Hold on, Lan. Team…

Blog Tour – Cephrael’s Hand – Interview with Melissa McPhail
Book Reviews / January 4, 2013

Please enjoy this interview with Melissa McPhail, author of the spellbinding epic fantasy, Cephrael’s Hand. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.   1. Your debut novel, Cephrael’s Hand was the winner of The Written Arts Award for both the best fiction and the best Sci-Fi/Fantasy categories–congratulations! So tell us, what was the inspiration behind this story, and can you tell us a little bit about it? I started the first version of Cephrael’s Hand when I was going through a difficult time in my life. I needed the cathartic joy that I’d always found in writing. I didn’t set out to write a novel—just to write. That first draft had no planning, no world-building, no design. It was pure creative inspiration. And it was awful! But the characters… I had brought them into being, and they insisted that they had a story to tell. It took my growing as a writer—and over a million words tossed into the trash—to finally tell their story properly. Cephrael’s Hand is the result of a philosopher’s approach…

Blog Tour – Cephrael’s Hand – Interview with Melissa McPhail
Book Reviews / January 4, 2013

Please enjoy this interview with Melissa McPhail, author of the spellbinding epic fantasy, Cephrael’s Hand. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.   1. Your debut novel, Cephrael’s Hand was the winner of The Written Arts Award for both the best fiction and the best Sci-Fi/Fantasy categories–congratulations! So tell us, what was the inspiration behind this story, and can you tell us a little bit about it? I started the first version of Cephrael’s Hand when I was going through a difficult time in my life. I needed the cathartic joy that I’d always found in writing. I didn’t set out to write a novel—just to write. That first draft had no planning, no world-building, no design. It was pure creative inspiration. And it was awful! But the characters… I had brought them into being, and they insisted that they had a story to tell. It took my growing as a writer—and over a million words tossed into the trash—to finally tell their story properly. Cephrael’s Hand is the result of a philosopher’s approach…

Review of Cephrael’s Hand by Melissa McPhail
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / January 3, 2013

I am reviewing the free copy of Cephrael’s Hand I was provided as part of the Novel Publicity Blog Tour in which I am taking part. The copy I was given starts with a multiple page glossary explaining the world of Cephrael’s Hand and its inhabitants. The fantasy geek within me started clapping her hands with glee at this; such a glossary usually means extensive and detailed world building, such as that of the Wheel of Time of A Song of Ice and Fire, and Cephrael’s Hand didn’t disappoint. What I liked I found the point of view characters to be engaging and enjoyable. Although the major protagonists started out separately, and indeed in separate parts of the world, the way in which their paths all began to weave together was very well done. It was also enjoyable that the reader and other characters have a strong idea of Trell’s identity before he himself does. I look forward to seeing how the characters develop and evolve in coming books. Personally, I always appreciate when non PoV characters are ambiguous, as is the case here. It was fun to speculate what Phaedor the zanthyr’s motivations might be, and there are many…

Review of Cephrael’s Hand by Melissa McPhail
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / January 3, 2013

I am reviewing the free copy of Cephrael’s Hand I was provided as part of the Novel Publicity Blog Tour in which I am taking part. The copy I was given starts with a multiple page glossary explaining the world of Cephrael’s Hand and its inhabitants. The fantasy geek within me started clapping her hands with glee at this; such a glossary usually means extensive and detailed world building, such as that of the Wheel of Time of A Song of Ice and Fire, and Cephrael’s Hand didn’t disappoint. What I liked I found the point of view characters to be engaging and enjoyable. Although the major protagonists started out separately, and indeed in separate parts of the world, the way in which their paths all began to weave together was very well done. It was also enjoyable that the reader and other characters have a strong idea of Trell’s identity before he himself does. I look forward to seeing how the characters develop and evolve in coming books. Personally, I always appreciate when non PoV characters are ambiguous, as is the case here. It was fun to speculate what Phaedor the zanthyr’s motivations might be, and there are many…

Guest post by Melissa McPhail, author of Cephrael’s Hand
Miscellaneous / January 2, 2013

Please enjoy this guest post by Melissa McPhail, author of the spellbinding epic fantasy, Cephrael’s Hand. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.   My Take on Magic Systems A guest post by Melissa McPhail   One of the most enticing aspects of writing fantasy is developing a magic system. The author’s magic system is inextricably woven into their world and contributes greatly to the reader’s vision of the world overall. The way a system is created either makes the world seem real or unreal, depending on how well the author has grounded the system with laws and limitations. For example, scientists in our own world have defined laws—inertia, gravity, the periodic table—that describe the physical limitations and properties of energy. We don’t expect a stone to rise upwards when we throw it, but we might believe it could float if it were somehow made of helium. Likewise in a fantasy world, it’s important to codify the system with laws and rules (and to stick to those rules once established), to set boundaries for…

Default Title
Uncategorized / January 2, 2013

Please enjoy this guest post by Melissa McPhail, author of the spellbinding epic fantasy, Cephrael’s Hand. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.   My Take on Magic Systems A guest post by Melissa McPhail   One of the most enticing aspects of writing fantasy is developing a magic system. The author’s magic system is inextricably woven into their world and contributes greatly to the reader’s vision of the world overall. The way a system is created either makes the world seem real or unreal, depending on how well the author has grounded the system with laws and limitations. For example, scientists in our own world have defined laws—inertia, gravity, the periodic table—that describe the physical limitations and properties of energy. We don’t expect a stone to rise upwards when we throw it, but we might believe it could float if it were somehow made of helium. Likewise in a fantasy world, it’s important to codify the system with laws and rules (and to stick to those rules once established), to set boundaries for…