Book Review: Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer
I think Palmer’s Inventing the Renaissance justifies its size and then some.
And for the genre reader, this is a chonky, valuable book for showing that the past is a different country…and yet the people in it are awfully human. One can get a real appreciation for authors like Jo Graham and Guy Gavriel Kay by reading the full-on history that Palmer provides here…
Guest Post: The Hobby-Writer’s Tale by Basil Mahon
I took up book writing after retiring from regular work. It’s a wonderful hobby, but a harsh one. Being able to write well is not enough. To gain even the most modest success you need passion for your subject, great perseverance, and a measure of luck. I am one of the lucky ones, having had three books published which together have sold about 50,000 copies and been translated into five languages. This hasn’t made me rich but I have the tremendous satisfaction of knowing that every day someone, somewhere in the world, is getting enjoyment from reading my words. Perhaps something of what I’ve learned on the way may be useful to someone setting out on a similar path. I hope so. There’s something paradoxical about writing a book. It’s a solitary activity—there’s no escaping the sense of isolation when one faces the first blank page. Yet, to me, the joy of writing lies in the fellowship with readers, in the sharing of enjoyment.
