Music Monday: “Jesus is On the Wire”

In memory of Matthew Shepard, 12/1/76 – 10/12/98. He was found, clinging to life, on a barbed wire fence, on this day in 1998. The young man was beaten and tortured solely because he was gay. His murderers each received two consecutive life sentences, one after pleading guilty and the other after going to trial. The case led to serious discussions and eventual legislation against hate crimes in the form of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Donations may be made to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an organization that (quoting from the site) amplifies the story of Matthew Shepard to inspire individuals, organizations and communities to embrace the dignity and equality of all people.

Weekend Reads: “The Nubian’s Curse”

The Nubian’s Curse (Benjamin January #20)The Nubian’s Curse by Barbara Hambly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unusually for a Benjamin January novel, this is a dual timeline. In it, we see some incidents from January’s 1825 life in Paris that directly impinge on the events in his present 1840 life in New Orleans.

This time, old friends (and a couple of adversaries) have come to town. Belle Wishart’s husband is putting her aside for a wealthy young heiress, Miss Emmett, who is his ward, and she’s not doing well in the whole thing. One member of her household is a slave called Arithmus, whom she has known since traveling with her family in Egypt. Arithmus appears to be on the autism spectrum to the modern reader; at the time, he would have been called a savant. He can remember events in great detail, including what time they took place.

And then there’s Miss Emmett, and her friend Miss Grice … who are vying for the attentions of Hungarian Prince Serafin even as every mother in town is putting her marriageable sons in their way in hopes of netting a fortune.

Mr. Wishart and Mr. Grice soon turn up dead … and it’s up to January and his friend Abishag Shaw, the laconic American sheriff, to figure it all out.

This book is full of all kinds of twists and turns that rely on clues from 1825. It’s a fair play puzzle, with everything laid out along the way … but I was still surprised by the twist at the end. Highly recommended.

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Sample Saturday: “In The Eye of The Storm”

Today’s snippet comes from my second novel. Enjoy!

Treves told Erik that he needed warmer climes to stop the bleeding in his lungs. I, of course, presumed that Honor and I would join them. It was Erik who told me otherwise.


“She’ll not do to Honor what I did to her, and I don’t blame her,” he said. “I took her away from everything she knew to a place where she spoke only some of the language and people hated her for her accent. I should have known better.”


He put a hand on my shoulder then and looked me in the eye; his emerald gaze held me.

“Promise me, Rochambeau, that if Claire needs you, you will go to her.”


“She’ll have you,” I replied.


“I’m dying, Gilbert, and I know it. No amount of warm air will change that. But before I leave this world, I’m going to give her the house she always wanted. I’m going to take her home.”


“A terra cotta-walled house with blue shutters,” I murmured. “She told me once that it was her dream.”


“Indeed, mon ami. Now promise me.”


I gave Erik my word. Shortly thereafter, Erik and Claire closed the house and sailed for France.

San Francisco, 1948

When a mysterious stranger approaches Clarice Kaye in her favorite restaurant, his words trigger a voyage of discovery: “You look just like your grandmother, but you have your mother’s eyes.”

There was only one question in Clarice’s mind: how could he know?

Armed with family diaries that tell of the scandalous grandmother for whom she was named, Clarice embarks on a journey through Paris’ modern art movement, 1906 San Francisco, and the depths of the Opéra Garnier in this long-awaited sequel to In The Eye of The Beholder.

In The Eye of The Storm is the 2015 Silver Medal winner for best fan fiction in the Global eBook Awards.

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