CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Being sick for pretty much all of June was not fun, but it did mean that I got a fair amount of reading done. Another of my favourite authors - and a book I remember ordering through book club when I was still in junior high. My, how the years have flown.

Here are the books I've managed to read this month. Two that will become classics - if they haven't already -  and two that are already classics. Give them a whirl!

Here are some of the awesome titles I've spent time with this week. To the Hilt is one of the most memorable stories, with 'Mad Alexander' one of my favourite characters. Well worth looking up, if you haven't read it. And, don't forget the e-books. This month, I read:   The Road Back by Dean Wesley Smith is a short crime story about rattlesnakes and a police chief's missing son. You can find it over at Kobo . The Poop Thief by Kristine Kathryn Rusch , which is a book about familiars and pooh and secrets. This was one of the best reads this month, with a couple of angles on magic and familiars that I had never considered. Awesome, thank you :-). You can find it over at Kobo .  I also had a bit of time for reading rulebooks. Can anyone tell me if Mind Storm Labs, the creators of Alpha-Omega are still in business? The latest news I can see is from 2009 and 2012, so it doesn't look good. I would like them to still ...

Here are the covers of the books I read this month. Did I mention that I was currently reading Dick Francis and that he had published over 30 titles? Well, they're taking a bit to read, and I'm enjoying every minute of it: UPDATE (30/06/2013): And here is the final Dick Francis novel read for June 2013: Whip Hand .

This month saw the start of an attempt to read all the Dick Francis novels I own. Dick Francis wrote over 30 novels in his lifetime, and I count him amongst the best authors I've come across. Whenever I read his work I am inspired to try to write as well as he did. I have only 10 gaps I need to fill in my Dick Francis collection, pending any more co-written work put out by his son Felix. This month, I read the following books:

I am currently on a bit of a Dick Francis kick, and am working my chronological way through his titles. So far, I'm up to Enquiry , which was first published in 1969. It's about a jockey who has lost his licence through being framed and who sets about proving his own innocence, and the innocence of the trainer he was riding for at the time. It starts a little slowly, but soon ramps up to the normal Dick Francis pace - which ranges from rollicking to breackneck.

Of course, the thought of what comes afterwards IF a traditional publisher contracts me is even more worrisome. I guess it’s a case of horses for courses. I have one e-pub I publish with, under a pen-name. I like them and they are good to work with, so I am working on more submissions for them in that genre only, however, they are the exception. The behaviour I’m seeing in the established markets for most of my work has got me wondering how on earth any writer has made a living of ANY kind in the last twenty years. My hat’s off to those who have had the luck and skill to succeed under that regime, and for having the courage and skill to try new options and then share their experiences. When I see posts like this on the behaviour of established, leading publishers, I think that the traditional route is not for me: http://www.thepassivevoice.com/05/2012/kriss-post-spread-the-word/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ThePassiveVoice+%28The+Passive+...

As well as reading the likes of David Weber, Lois McMaster-Bujold, Anne McCaffrey, Alan Dean Foster, Elizabeth Moon, Andre Norton, John Christopher, Ben Bova, Robert Silverberg, Roger Zelazney, Tanya Huff, Rob Thurman, Jan Clarke, Tara K. Harper and Mike Shepherd, I also read romance and this has led me to discovering a number of other authors I really like, Nalini Singh among them. Recently, however, I read a novel called Grimspace . When I bought it, I thought it was a science fiction romance, one of the genres Writing Head #2 is writing. As there’s not a lot out there, I thought I’d read a little of what was. I would not call Grimspace romance. It has romantic elements and a very short (not too explicit) sex scene, but it is primarily one of the best science fiction action adventures I have ever read – and I’ve read a lot. Grimspace is definitely up there with works I’ve read by mainstream authors, and Sirantha Jax as memorable and tough a character as Alan Dean Foster’...

Those of you who know me, know that I am a great fan of Dick Francis . Those of you who don’t know me will probably be wondering why, since his work is neither science fiction nor fantasy, being set firmly in the real world. It’s not romance, and it contains no supernatural or paranormal elements at all. The answer is because Dick Francis is a master storyteller, and one of the few storytellers who was a master of both the short story and novel forms. His work is something I know I’ll have a great time reading, and it contains some of the best lessons a writer can learn: It shows without telling.   Characters are described with brevity and accuracy, and in such a way that they are easily visualised. Character personalities are painted with clarity, and an economy of words that almost always puts me in awe. Sense of place is evoked… dare I say it… with no word wastage or long, dragging paragraphs.   Pacing. While Dick Francis’s work is full of action, ...