I've been "Mr. Linky"ed

Somehow, when I wasn't looking, friend and fellow blogger Marta Stephens (of Marta Stephens's Prose & Musings and other swell blogs) named me as a "prolific blogger" (see her post:  http://mstephens-musings.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-day-27-prose-musings-got-mr-linky.html) and I'm now the recipient of the Prolific Blogger Award.  I have the honour of a "Mr Linky" badge and get to pass the award on to other bloggers.

Here's the scoop and the official award rules:

1.   Pass this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers.
2.   Link to the blog from which you received the award.
3.   Link back to this Prolific Blogger post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.
4.   Add your name to the Mr. Linky.

So here are my lucky recipients, a motley bunch of writers who chat about everything from recipes to werewolves:

Pat Bertram:  http://ptbertram.wordpress.com/
Sheila Deeth:  http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com/
Eva Gordon:  http://evagordon.blogspot.com/
Martha Cheves:  http://marthaskitchenkorner.blogspot.com/
April Robins: http://redriverwriters.typepad.com/red_river_writers/
Christine Bode: http://scullylovepromo.wordpress.com/
Margay Leah Justice:  http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/
 

The Honest Scrap Award

I somehow got a mention in this Honest Scrap Award that is being passed around the blog circuit; I guess I must be doing something right. So I'm passing the honour onward.

The Rules:

1. You write an article accepting the award with a link back to the giver, a list of the rules, and a copy of the award image.
2. You add links to at least five other blogs that you consider “brilliant,” and add comments on said blogs, warning the owners that you’re sending innocent victims their way, and asking them to accept the award.
3. You list ten honest things about yourself.



1. Sheila Deeth, fellow writer and all-round nice person, bestowed the award upon my blog. Do check out her blog in return.



2. Here are my five "brilliant" blogs (or at least blogs of brilliant authors):

• Minnette's Worlds- Real or Imagined: An excellent author of the fantasy Starsight novels as well as several historic romance novels.
• Rhetta's Blog: A wonderful author of the non-fiction books Ghost to Coast and T’ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do: Women Blues Singers Old and New.
• Authors Promoting Authors: A great blog that promotes books. Well worth checking out.
• Author's Studio: A group of authors dispensing information, advice and fun tidbits.
• Sam Harper- Homicide: The blog of Marta Stephens' fictional detective Sam Harper. A must read.
  

Also worth a mention are Bertram's Blog and Murder by 4. They were already listed by other people so that's why they didn't make my list.

3. My list of 10 Honest Things:

1. I love action movies. Even the bad ones.
2. I am a huge Bruce Campbell fan
3. I have phobias about snakes, heights and fire
4. I have some artistic talent, and paint as a hobby
5. I collect sword replicas (I've got a fascination with swords)
6. I don't like to talk about myself
7. I'm a total fantasy/sci-fi geek, and proud of it
8. I detest the colour red
9. I'm fond of hot peppers
10. I love comic books
    

Book Review: The Devil Can Wait

My Review of The Devil Can Wait by Marta Stephens

I was impressed by Marta Stephens’ first novel Silenced Cry, and was looking forward to her next book. I was not disappointed, finding The Devil Can Wait even more enjoyable. Again, as with her first book, I was drawn in by the realistic character interplay, especially the portrayal of the often frustrating work of a homicide detective.

The book begins in the middle of a messy crime spree, with the discovery of the latest teenage body in a string of possibly related murders. Short-handed and overworked, Sam Harper and his partner have no leads and a workload of aggravation. Throw in several more strange murders, a homicidal Colombian, a cursed ring that could bring the apocalypse, an attractive, vibrant reporter slated to become a damsel in distress, and Sam Harper is up against the clock to save lives by solving the case.

“He didn’t need one of Jack’s lectures on viable evidence. Not now. What he wanted was a neon sign pointing straight to the killer. As it was, there were as many possibilities for how that tiny bruise got on the boy’s finger as there were reasons to keep digging for answers.”

Marta Stephens does an admirable job of blending a solid crime mystery with an exotic supernatural touch and the undertone of religious beliefs. She never veers into the outrageous or unbelievable, but still manages to keep that small air of “what if”, integrating it all into a fabulous whole.

“The urgency that prodded him two minutes ago was suddenly gone. It’s nothing but hogwash, he told himself. A wives’ tale told to scare the shit out of weak men and innocent children.”

I am fast becoming a rabid fan of Ms. Stephens, appreciating her reliable plot work and her memorable characters. Her superb protagonist, Sam Harper, is a genuine, somewhat imperfect, thoroughly human personality. From his dedication to the job to his rather messy personal life, it is this character that breathes vivid life into the pages of her books.

A definite recommend for all fans of crime/mystery fiction.


Book Link on Amazon.com: The Devil Can Wait
Book Link on Amazon.ca: The Devil Can Wait

About the Author:

Marta Stephens is a native of Argentina who has made Indiana her home since the age of four. This mild-manner lady turned to crime with the publication of the first in her Sam Harper Crime Mystery series, SILENCED CRY (2007) which went on to receive honorable mention at the 2008 New York Book Festival and top ten in the 2007 Preditors & Editors Reader Poll.

Stephens holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism/Public Relations from Ball State University (IN) where she is employed in human resources. She is a member of Sisters in Crime International, Sisters in Crime Speed City Indiana Chapter, and the Midwest Writer's Workshop.


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My Review of Silenced Cry by Marta Stephens

Review of Silenced Cry


Silenced Cry by Marta Stephens is a solid and engaging bit of fiction, and the author is certainly a convincing new voice in crime fiction. Her book carries on the fine tradition of the police crime novel, and I enjoyed it very much.

Ms. Stephens leads the reader deftly through a sordid, tangled mess of an investigation as a long-forgotten child murder case is unexpectedly exposed. Detective Sam Harper is plunged into the messy circumstances, sorting through the investigation’s flimsy evidence while dealing with a new partner. Swirling around the edges are the long reaching ramifications of his old partner’s death and his own thorny attitude on recent events in his life.

“Day three. One clue and no leads. Finding the person responsible for the baby’s death after more than a decade seemed nearly improbable.”

There are no surprises twists or unexpected shocks in the pages of Silenced Cry; it is a fairly straightforward crime novel, with a genuine plot and just the right amount of gripping tension. However, the story-telling is elevated above the average by superb characterization and a believable narrative atmosphere. It is part police procedural, part noir, touched around the periphery with the realistic ugliness of crime, and the complexity of human interaction.

“Owen looked up. The clouds slowly parted to reveal a scattering of stars against the moonless backdrop of the April night. Behind him stretched a row of dumpsters shoved against the wall of the savings and loan. A sour stench rose from them and mingled with the pungent odor of piss from whoever had christened the alley wall.”

Silenced Cry is the first entry in a series; I’m truly looking forward to the next book. I absolutely want to spend more time immersed in the world of Sam Harper.


Marta Stephens holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism/Public Relations from Ball State University, and is a member of Sisters in Crime International, Sisters in Crime Speed City Indiana Chapter, and the Midwest Writer's Workshop. Her website is at http://www.martastephens-author.com/

Silenced Cry won Honourable Mention in the 2008 New York Book Festival, and is available at Amazon and other online retailers. Check out Marta Stephens’ website, http://www.martastephens-author.com/buy_%20it.html for purchase details.

The second book in the Harper series, THE DEVIL CAN WAIT, will be released by BeWrite Books (UK) on November 3, 2008. Look for it in both trade paperback and e-book formats. Marta Stephens is currently working on the third book in the Harper series.