Comments on Two Outstanding "Action" Authors

 

A raccoon has joined Susan Coventry's menagerie.

 

 

This stunning photo was taken at 

Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, FL

(no attribution) 

 

Title:  Still Water

 

Posted to Facebook by Regency author, Mary Balogh

 

Last-minute pic addition. Riley and Donald went kayaking on the Indian River  near New Smyrna Friday afternoon, getting to meet a manatee up close and personal. It swam under their kayak, also pushed it a ways. Thank goodness manatees are gentle sea cows that wouldn't think of rearing up and swamping the boat. (Although Riley states she had a few doubts about that before the manatees proved their peaceful ways.) There were also dolphins in the area. All on an absolutely perfect Florida afternoon. Cloudless skies, temp in the mid 80s. 

 

 

Manatee, Donald & Riley

 

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 I planned this blog somewhere around four weeks ago, before realizing my oldest grandchild was actually graduating from college, thus setting off four weeks of the "most read" blogs in the history of Grace's Mosaic Moments. (See below "Book of the Week" for statistics.) A big thank-you to all those around the world who took time out from all the bad news to read a few moments of "what's happening" to a family in Florida.

 

TWO OUTSTANDING "ACTION" AUTHORS 

As most of my readers know, I seldom name names, as I don't want to upset the applecart with my many Regency-author friends. But the two authors named today are so far from Regency norm—one the author of Fantasy SciFi; the other, writing Regency-set mysteries totally divergent from almost allother  novels in the field that I decided to ignore the "Regency" setting.

The idea for this blog first popped into my mind while I was re-reading Lindsay Buroker's series, The Emperor's Edge. I remembered only that I loved the characters; alas, not that it is page after page of dire events and extreme action—so much so, even though I like "action" and this was a second reading, I still squirmed and winced as I read through the lengthy series. Wow! Yet, action-oriented or not, every character is magnificently drawn, from the members of The Emperor's Edge to the villains, right down to the least significant characters in the story. A true tour de force of characterization.

But yes, the action is non-stop. Over the top. Definitely requiring "suspended disbelief." There are moments so claustrophobic I could barely get through them. A happy ending seemingly impossible. And yet Ms Buroker pulls it off. If you have a strong stomach, I cannot recommend this series too highly.

But, let's face it, most people prefer less intense plots and action. It is noticeable that after The Emperor's Edge, Ms Buroker's series toned down a bit. Plenty of action, but with not quite so much intensity; definitely more humor, a gentler touch. Among my favorite series, the ones featuring an irascible dragon and one where the hero is more robot than human. 

 

During the four weeks of "grad" blogs, I began to read two series by Andrea Penrose. (Still working my way through.) But what instantly popped into my mind was a remark by an agent I was querying way back when, who told me:  "Clearly, you write for the top two percent of the market."  Well, if that's true, Andrea Penrose writes for the top one percent, or maybe half a percent. Her mysteries are hard-bitten, filled with intellectual-style information, chilling action, and truly twisted mysteries. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea. You may learn more than you ever wanted to know about chocolate, but she does translate the many Latin phrases in her second series, and has given us two of the toughest, most independent, most intriguing heroines ever found in novels set in the Regency era. Her portrayal of two young urchins taken in by the heroine of the Wrexford series is a true tug to the heart. Nonetheless, her two Regency-set series are only for those who enjoy a challenge to the intellect.

Summary

If you want your action "off page," as in Cozy Mysteries . . .

If you want your books spiced with hot sex . . .

If you want a tranquil peek into a world of glamour and romance . . .

The above two authors are not for you. But . . .

If you want (or don't cringe at) LOTS of action, often violent . . .

If you want unusually well-drawn characterizations . . .

If you want narration and dialogue that challenge the mind . . .

Take a peek at the works of Lindsay Buroker and/or Andrea Penrose.  

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 Featured Book of the Week

 Limbo Man is as close to an Action tale as I've ever written. Sadly, it's probably the least read of all my books—possibly because so many of my readers are Regency-lovers, and this one is not only contemporary, but the hero is Russian. Oops. The setting ranges from New York City to Florida to Siberia to Iran, with a few other settings in between, including the islands off the coast I could see from my 1830 house in Connecticut. 

 A lost Russian nuke plunges FBI Special Agent Veen Frost into a world-wide chase, from the East Coast to the Mid-West, from Florida to Siberia, on to Iran, and back again. Her only companion, an amnesiac Russian who may have the key to the location of the lost bomb locked in his head.

Author's Note: During the chaos of the break-up of the Soviet Union (c. 1990), ten nuclear bombs went missing. Limbo Man is a tale of "what might have been." 

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The four-week total for the two "Grad" blogs:  51,676 views over 28 days

The viewers of the two blogs came from countries around the world. Listed below in the order of the number of viewers.

US, Germany, Netherlands, Iraq, Brazil, Vietnam, Bangladesh, France, Argentina, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Tunisia, Mexico, Colombia, Ukraine, India, Pakistan, Russia, Other (3,000).  

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