HMS Privet is a cursed ship – every first lieutenant serving aboard her dies gruesomely. Lieutenant Daniel Leigh is determined to solve the mystery and volunteers for the place himself, putting his life in desperate danger. Little does he suspect that he will fall in love with the Captain, John Meadows, and end up fighting not only for his own life but for the soul of his lover too.
This is a unique and delightful little book. I should declare an interest at once, because I proof-read it and am kindly listed as ‘editor’. But I agreed to proof read it because, having read the story, I had already fallen in love with it. In the best tradition of the Victorian penny dreadful, it is a rip-roaring story without great literary pretensions, but with buckets of verve and charm. Ghosts! Mortal peril! True love of the m/m persuasion. Derring-do on the high seas… It has all of these things. Above all, it’s an entertaining short story told with great wit.
It’s also embellished with four original drawings which – I think – are worth the price of the book on their own. The front cover gives you an accurate impression of the style. Like the story, they are deeply charming, and I believe my copy will end up falling open at the kiss on p59
The book is professionally put together and nice to handle. The quality of printing, paper and cover is very high. The first in a planned series (each volume kept short in order to keep the prices down) it’s available through the author’s website HERE
I think it says something that I’ve already bought two copies – one for me and one to give away, and on the strength of this one will be buying the rest of the series sight unseen. It’s the perfect thing to while away a couple of hours on a windy night, and I hope I will eventually have a shelf full of the series 🙂
December 18th,2007
book review |
14 Comments
This is an interesting article about ‘citizen reviews’ and why people would prefer to read book reviews written by ‘ordinary people’ over book reviews written by the organs of literary snobbishness like NY Times.
The Writing Way
I don’t think there’s much of a mystery. You want to know whether people like you have enjoyed the book, and NY Times is not stuffed to the gills with people like me. Also, free reviews are free, so why pay?
And on the subject of ‘ordinary people’, I got some lovely spam in my ebox this morning. I’m sure it could pass for poetry:
Such a change. I in danger of becoming effeminate! Only to
choose me, only to clasp me to thy bosom, was given as part
of that plea for mercy which is? Well for once he didn’t
have a thing to say. Phoebe for her charming simplicity
and high spirit. Desire to rescue thee he seizes her arm.
the bastard harry interrupted, with remarks on the advantages
richard’s dark head, and put him away gently, receiving
towers. That is all. It reminds one without moving until
we say the word!39 i am gratified,5′.
Chapter xxxv: kirkbyres malcolm felt considerably net) all
his information may be found some day to that, he said,
depends upon many things. You hand.) lord loam. And here,
sir, is our little . Just her face—it— it’s turned everything
upside tone of the note accompanying it indicated a somewhat
whan ye was sittin’ at the fut o’ the bored craig. Upstairs,
and she helped me with my aunt’s what ‘but one finds it
very hard to work, i think, banisters and is peering down
and after that.
Peter and Josh from ‘Captain’s Surrender’ as you’ve never seen them before.
Over here on ‘In Their Own Words’
December 17th,2007
book,
fun,
writing |
No Comments
Captain’s Surrender by Alex Beecroft
Score: 4.75 / 5 – Reviewer Top Pick
Reviewer: Vee of Night Owl Romance
Online: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=1033
Joshua Andrews and Peter Kenyon are two gay men who are forced to bunk together aboard Captain Walker’s naval ship. Captain Walker, a sadistically cruel man who revels in beating and killing, has made it clear there are spies among the crew and any show of passion will be dealt with in a gruesome and lethal manner.
Thus sets the backdrop of Captain’s Surrender. While Josh and Peter escape death at Captain Walker’s hands, there is the societal and biblical damnation that fosters in Josh a deep-seated self loathing. And there’s the expectation that Peter take a wife and ‘make’ heirs for his family.
While each works up the ranks of the Navy to become captains themselves, they have stolen, intense and passionate moments. After a battle with the Colonists that sinks Josh’s ship, he awakens in the arms of a Native American man. As Josh recuperates, the Indians who are caring for him show him a different outlook on gay men. They revere them as being special and better. This helps Josh accept his nature and his love for Peter.
The conflict in Captain’s Surrender and the forbidden nature of the romance between Josh and Peter is probably the strongest and most realistic that I’ve ever read. Ms. Beecroft is unflinching in her portrayal of the volatile society in which they lived.
However I had a very hard time stomaching the cruelty dished out by Captain Walker and admit that after reading a couple of very vivid passages where men were beaten, I didn’t want to continue the book. I was greatly relieved when the pair were no longer under the captain’s thumb.
The truth is the feelings of revulsion I felt are a compliment to the author’s writing. She managed to invoke the sense of despair and dread the men felt. The love/lust scenes were equally as good showing at their paradoxical nature.
I felt Ms. Beecroft’s prose, setting of time and place, and historical accuracy were excellent.
Heh. So yesterday I was complaining loudly how I didn’t like 90% Proof at all any more, now that it had been edited to within an inch of its life.
So today I decided to read it again, and in one of those strange things that happen to stories, overnight it’s become quite good again.
This is a good thing. But mystifying. How can it be that a story you thought was rubbish one day, the next day you really enjoy? On any particular day, how can you tell whether your judgment is accurate or not?
Still, I am reassured that I didn’t send Freya’s Bower a story I’d be ashamed to be associated with! That means I can concentrate, this coming week, on the final proof read of ‘Captain’s Surrender.’
And speaking of the final proof read…. Publishing appears to be in some respects like the armed services. There’s a lot of ‘hurry up and wait’ involved. I’ve had nothing to do on the book for a couple of months, but now I’ve suddenly got to get the proof reading done by Wednesday. I’m getting used to long periods of (apparent) inactivity interspersed with panic, but it does remind me a bit of Lord John Grey’s Prussian troop movements. Except without the accident prone, unfortunately celibate, homosexual noblemen, of course.
December 9th,2007
writing |
10 Comments
I got this from one of my egroups:
Freya’s Bower invites you to submit your short stories with mm content for an all mm anthology. Any genre story: fantasy, western, contemporary, science fiction,horror, historical. We’d like to have a nice mix of genres for this anth.
Stories should be between 6,000 to 10,000 words, but we will consider manuscripts a little shorter or a little longer. For submission guidelines as to what Freya’s Bower will accept as story content, please visit
http://www.freyasbower.com/content/view/12/59/
Double-space your manuscript. Include a header with the title of the story, your name and numbered pages. Indent each new paragraph .5 inches. If there is a scene break, indicate it with a centered ***.
All submissions must include:
1. your full name, a pseudonym if used,
2. a brief synopsis, subject or genre,
3. the story attached
4. ‘Submission to mm anthology’ must be in the subject line,
5. Mail submissions and/or direct queries to kmfrontain@yahoo.ca
Submissions for the anthology closes December31, 2007. Deadline may be extended.
I’ve extensively edited 90% proof and sent it off. That was the story which was rejected with the nice rejection letter quoted in ‘Sweet rejection’. After re-doing it according to all the advice, it now has no run on sentences, and is 2,000 words shorter. I don’t like it as much any more, though. If it doesn’t get through this one, I think I’ll retire it as a bad job and just write something new instead 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBuWRwV06Po
OK, it might need a bit of tweaking but, as it’s home made, I’m quite proud of it 🙂
December 5th,2007
book,
fun,
promo |
25 Comments
Naked men on the covers of books are maybe not to everyone’s tastes. So I thought I would make a dustcover which could be used to hide them when in public 🙂
This was my first attempt:
Read the rest of this entry »
December 4th,2007
book,
fun,
promo |
6 Comments
A big
to my reviewers!
I sent the galley proof version of ‘Captain’s Surrender’ out to various websites to see if they fancied reviewing it prior to its release. That way people would have an idea what it was about and whether it was any good before they bought it.
Wow! I’m absolutely over the moon about the two I’ve received so far.
From Erastes at Speak It’s Name
Now this is what I’m talking about. If you want a taste of what floats my boat when it comes to gay historical fiction, (no pun intended), then this is it.
Read the whole review HERE
From Lee Benoit at Rainbow Reviews
Thrilling! On every level, Captain’s Surrender is thrilling. Alex Beecroft spins image, voice, character, setting, and story into a captivating whole, accomplishing the rare feat of inducing in the reader a forgetfulness that we are, indeed, reading…
I said at the beginning of this review that Captain’s Surrender thrilled me. It satisfied a craving I’ve had for decades, for a certain kind of book, the kind that’s so seldom written it’s an almost violent surprise when one crosses my path. It drilled right down to the bedrock of my psyche, dug out that part of me that whiled away childhood afternoons with elaborate seagoing, swashbuckling epic fantasies, then set it in the sunshine beside my adolescent longing for a more bent, more tolerant world. Add to that damned good writing to satisfy an adult self with high standards and broad tastes, and you’ve got a keeper. And something to recommend with impunity.
Read the whole review HERE
To say I’m chuffed would be understating the issue 🙂 I am absolutely on cloud 9!
December 3rd,2007
promo,
writing |
5 Comments
