Event: Panel and Book Signing with Lynn Flewelling

Date: July 22-24, 2010
Place: Comic-Con 2010
Convention Center
111 W. Harbor Dr.
San Diego, CA 92101

Thursday, July 22, at Hall H, 1:30-2:30 PM: Once Upon a Time— Fantasy authors discuss whether Epic Fantasy requires bigger-than-life heroes and heroines. Authors include Lynn Flewelling (The White Road), Christopher Paolini (the Inheritance cycle), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings, Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive), Megan Whalen Turner (the Queen's Thief series), and Brent Weeks (the Night Angel Trilogy). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 24ABC

Saturday, July 24, at the Random House booth 10-11:00 AM: Lynn Flewelling will sign books. Her publisher is giving out a boxful of something FREE, and Mysterious Galaxy bookstore will be right next door selling more of her books, including the White Road.

The White Road (Nightrunner) by Lynn Flewelling
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Spectra; Original edition (May 25, 2010)
ISBN-10: 055359009X
ISBN-13: 978-0553590098
Amazon: The White Road (Nightrunner)

Dissolute nobles, master spies, and the unlikeliest of heroes, Alec and Seregil have survived exile, treachery, and black magic. But the road that lies ahead is the most hazardous they’ve ever traveled. For with enemies on all sides, they must walk a narrow path between good and evil where one misstep might be their last.

Having escaped death and slavery in Plenimar, Alec and Seregil want nothing more than to go back to their nightrunning life in Rhíminee. Instead they find themselves saddled with Sebrahn, a strange, alchemically created creature—the prophesied “child of no woman.” Its moon-white skin and frightening powers make Sebrahn a danger to all whom Alec and Seregil come into contact with, leaving them no choice but to learn more about Sebrahn’s true nature.

With the help of trusted friends and Seregil’s clan, the duo set out to discover the truth about this living homunculus—a journey that can lead only to danger or death. For Seregil’s old nemesis Ulan í Sathil of Virèsse and Alec’s own long-lost kin are after them, intent on possessing both Alec and Sebrahn. On the run and hunted, Alec and his comrades must fight against time to accomplish their most personal mission ever.

Event: Panel and Book Signing with Lynn Flewelling

Date: July 22-24, 2010
Place: Comic-Con 2010
Convention Center
111 W. Harbor Dr.
San Diego, CA 92101

Thursday, July 22, at Hall H, 1:30-2:30 PM: Once Upon a Time— Fantasy authors discuss whether Epic Fantasy requires bigger-than-life heroes and heroines. Authors include Lynn Flewelling (The White Road), Christopher Paolini (the Inheritance cycle), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings, Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive), Megan Whalen Turner (the Queen's Thief series), and Brent Weeks (the Night Angel Trilogy). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 24ABC

Saturday, July 24, at the Random House booth 10-11:00 AM: Lynn Flewelling will sign books. Her publisher is giving out a boxful of something FREE, and Mysterious Galaxy bookstore will be right next door selling more of her books, including the White Road.

The White Road (Nightrunner) by Lynn Flewelling
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Spectra; Original edition (May 25, 2010)
ISBN-10: 055359009X
ISBN-13: 978-0553590098
Amazon: The White Road (Nightrunner)

Dissolute nobles, master spies, and the unlikeliest of heroes, Alec and Seregil have survived exile, treachery, and black magic. But the road that lies ahead is the most hazardous they’ve ever traveled. For with enemies on all sides, they must walk a narrow path between good and evil where one misstep might be their last.

Having escaped death and slavery in Plenimar, Alec and Seregil want nothing more than to go back to their nightrunning life in Rhíminee. Instead they find themselves saddled with Sebrahn, a strange, alchemically created creature—the prophesied “child of no woman.” Its moon-white skin and frightening powers make Sebrahn a danger to all whom Alec and Seregil come into contact with, leaving them no choice but to learn more about Sebrahn’s true nature.

With the help of trusted friends and Seregil’s clan, the duo set out to discover the truth about this living homunculus—a journey that can lead only to danger or death. For Seregil’s old nemesis Ulan í Sathil of Virèsse and Alec’s own long-lost kin are after them, intent on possessing both Alec and Sebrahn. On the run and hunted, Alec and his comrades must fight against time to accomplish their most personal mission ever.

Normal Miguel by Erik Orrantia

If you analyze this story, really it’s a very simple one, Miguel is a young teacher living in Mexico City and blaming himself for being gay; he is trying with all his own to make his mother proud, the same mother who is probably reflecting all her disappointed hopes in him; no father around to balance her, in a good or bad way. When Miguel leaves Mexico City for Puebla, in another effort to achieve something worthy in his life, even the job as teacher in a rural boarding school would be better than nothing, he is not expecting to find a new life and love in that rural town. But it’s probably quite simple, in the small community where he arrives, nothing is pointless and everything is known, and it takes no much time to find out that Ruben, the local candy store owner, is also gay, and that he will the perfect partner for Miguel.

In the big city being gay is something dirty and forbidden, it’s abnormal, and Miguel wants with all his heart to be normal. In the little community where he arrives, being gay is a sin, sure, but in a way, being in the open, it’s not possible to hide anything in that situation, makes it more “normal”, more ordinary, and a normal life with his very normal boyfriend, having a very normal relationship, is possible. Ad Absurdum, for once, it’s the impossibility to be anonymous that makes possible for Miguel to be happy; in the big city he had the chance to hide, and in hiding he had no chance to find happiness; in the small town, he has not place where to hide, and he is forced to come out. He is indeed lucky, since he is in a situation where it’s possible to cohabitate, and despite some threats, he will be always the teacher from the town, a somewhat privileged role, and some sort of protection.

There was a out of time feeling in the story, if not for some hints of modernity (like Christina Aguilera), the novel could have been well be set in the ’50 of the XX century. There are no cars, no modern sounds to overcome the voice of nature; Ruben, Miguel’s boyfriend, moves on a horse, and he still bakes candies from scratch. The dangers for the people, especially for the children at the school, are all from nature, not from modernity. Even if Miguel sometime refers to music, I had not heard television or radio sounds. What instead was quite palpable was the hot and cold of the weather, the feeling of the rain on the skin when Miguel takes a walk under it. You sometime felt even what the author didn’t describe, like the sweat or the smell of it.

Miguel is not a strong man, he is not a hero; on the contrary he is sometime weak, and he has for sure a lot of self-esteem issues, probably a baggage from his youth and the love/hate relationship with his mother. Often Miguel tries unconsciously to find a way to punish himself, like with his abusive relationship with the Captain, or when he almost manages to destroy his relationship with Ruben having an affair with Tomas; it’s clearly a punishment since both times he doesn’t find pleasure in those acts, they are degrading, and Miguel is nothing more than an object for those men. It will be a long way for Miguel to admit that he is not to be punished for being gay, that he can enjoy his love with Ruben, that he is normal even if he is not ordinary.

http://www.bcpinepress.com/catalogDetail.php?bookCode=0035 (ebook)

http://www.cheyennepublishing.com/books/miguel.html (print book)

Buy Here

Amazon: Normal Miguel

Amazon Kindle: Normal Miguel

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Normal Miguel by Erik Orrantia

If you analyze this story, really it’s a very simple one, Miguel is a young teacher living in Mexico City and blaming himself for being gay; he is trying with all his own to make his mother proud, the same mother who is probably reflecting all her disappointed hopes in him; no father around to balance her, in a good or bad way. When Miguel leaves Mexico City for Puebla, in another effort to achieve something worthy in his life, even the job as teacher in a rural boarding school would be better than nothing, he is not expecting to find a new life and love in that rural town. But it’s probably quite simple, in the small community where he arrives, nothing is pointless and everything is known, and it takes no much time to find out that Ruben, the local candy store owner, is also gay, and that he will the perfect partner for Miguel.

In the big city being gay is something dirty and forbidden, it’s abnormal, and Miguel wants with all his heart to be normal. In the little community where he arrives, being gay is a sin, sure, but in a way, being in the open, it’s not possible to hide anything in that situation, makes it more “normal”, more ordinary, and a normal life with his very normal boyfriend, having a very normal relationship, is possible. Ad Absurdum, for once, it’s the impossibility to be anonymous that makes possible for Miguel to be happy; in the big city he had the chance to hide, and in hiding he had no chance to find happiness; in the small town, he has not place where to hide, and he is forced to come out. He is indeed lucky, since he is in a situation where it’s possible to cohabitate, and despite some threats, he will be always the teacher from the town, a somewhat privileged role, and some sort of protection.

There was a out of time feeling in the story, if not for some hints of modernity (like Christina Aguilera), the novel could have been well be set in the ’50 of the XX century. There are no cars, no modern sounds to overcome the voice of nature; Ruben, Miguel’s boyfriend, moves on a horse, and he still bakes candies from scratch. The dangers for the people, especially for the children at the school, are all from nature, not from modernity. Even if Miguel sometime refers to music, I had not heard television or radio sounds. What instead was quite palpable was the hot and cold of the weather, the feeling of the rain on the skin when Miguel takes a walk under it. You sometime felt even what the author didn’t describe, like the sweat or the smell of it.

Miguel is not a strong man, he is not a hero; on the contrary he is sometime weak, and he has for sure a lot of self-esteem issues, probably a baggage from his youth and the love/hate relationship with his mother. Often Miguel tries unconsciously to find a way to punish himself, like with his abusive relationship with the Captain, or when he almost manages to destroy his relationship with Ruben having an affair with Tomas; it’s clearly a punishment since both times he doesn’t find pleasure in those acts, they are degrading, and Miguel is nothing more than an object for those men. It will be a long way for Miguel to admit that he is not to be punished for being gay, that he can enjoy his love with Ruben, that he is normal even if he is not ordinary.

http://www.bcpinepress.com/catalogDetail.php?bookCode=0035 (ebook)

http://www.cheyennepublishing.com/books/miguel.html (print book)

Buy Here

Amazon: Normal Miguel

Amazon Kindle: Normal Miguel

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle