The demise of Blue Feather and the role of small companies

I've been thinking for a while about what to say about the news that Blue Feather is closing.  I keep trying to straighten out the jumble of thoughts I'm having.

First, like everyone, I'm sad to hear about Blue Feather.  I talk to Emily Reed a lot and I know she's been struggling to keep the company going by herself while she dealt with children and a full time job and life in general.  I thought highly of Blue Feather before I ever met Em.  She focused on quality and not quantity, which appeals to me more and more.  She also published "different" authors.  By that I mean those that didn't always fit the cookie cutter mold.  I didn't care for every book the company put out, but I found them refreshing in their uniqueness.  How can you argue with a company that brought us Joan Opyr, Kieran York, Chris Paynter, Erica Lawson, Kelly Sinclair and others?  And I would defy anyone to find a mistake in a Blue Feather book.  Yes, this is a great loss indeed.

I don't think we give our "smaller" publishers enough credit.  It's almost funny talking about smaller publishers among small publishers.  Even Bella and BSB are small in comparison to mainstream companies, but our small presses are truly small. 

My sister Leigh and I toured the Bywater plant when we visited Marianne Martin recently.  It didn't take much.  We stepped from the house into the garage and there it was.  There is a little office with a copier and then the books are stockpiled in another section of the garage.  If you order a book from the Bywater site, you might not know it, but it's sent to you by Marianne Martin herself.  Yet, when I looked on the shelves, there was Joan Opyr, Bett Norris, Wynn Malone, Jill Malone, Georgia Beers and Marianne.  I suspect there are similar setups at Affinity, Bedazzled, Sapphire and the others.

In the rush to self-publishing, we need to give the really small presses more credit.  They usually can't hire full staffs.  They hire editors and cover artists by the job and when you email the company, you're just as likely to hear directly from the owner.  They don't have warehouses, secretaries or whatever.  They may use a distribution company, but that's about it.  Yet, many of the words I used about Blue Feather would also apply to these companies.  Bella and BSB turn out huge numbers of books now, but, with a few exceptions, they have a disturbing familiarity.  It's the really small companies that are taking a risk on some of the more daring writers.  For that reason alone, I hope we don't lose more of them.

Chris Paynter and Karen Badger have already announced they're going to self-publish.  Karen has a snappy logo for Badger-Bliss Books.  I hope they do well.  Catherine Wilson gave a wonderful presentation at the GCLS conference about how time encompassing this is if you really want to sell your books.

To the other authors, don't disappear on us.  There are companies that will probably come to you.  Find a place where you are comfortable.  Let us know what you're doing and keep the books coming.

No Corpse Is an Island by Gato Timberlake

Publisher:       Blue Feather Books

Elizabeth Taylor (yes, that’s the name) knows she’s not that good at being a private detective.  As she says at the end of the book, she’d rather be known as the most stylish and best looking PI than the cleverest.  This could explain why the story falls flat.

Taylor is hired to find the research papers of Stan McCormick, her roommate’s dead fiancé.  The circumstances of McCormick’s death are suspicious, which makes the case more interesting for Taylor.  Her investigation takes her to Grafton Island and the college where McCormick did his research.  The island, which sits in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, is caught in a war between the original settlers, mostly fishermen, and the new arrivals who are interested in developing the waterfront property.  The characters there are as peculiar as the ones Taylor meets at the college.  When Taylor falls for one of the island women, she decides she has to prove who the killer is so that it won’t interfere with her love life.

No Corpse Is an Island is a light weight mystery.  The story is alright, but it never develops the suspense or tension that most readers expect for this type of book.  The detective seems more interested in a possible girlfriend than she is in the case.  Timberlake moves along telling the story, but there aren’t any great confrontations or frightening threats.  Taylor does receive some messages, but even those don’t seem to carry much weight.  Most of the book is spent presenting a rather long list of potential killers and why they might be the killers, but they’re very run of the mill.  There is a little twist at the end when the killer is revealed, but the story just doesn’t have any kick to it.

The best part of this book is the description it gives of the bay islands and the lifestyle that exists on them.  The Chesapeake Bay islands have been settled since the earliest days of the American colonies and have developed a very unique existence.  Timberlake certainly captured that well.  The reader can feel the ocean breezes and smell the salt, as well as appreciate the characters who live there.  That alone makes the book enjoyable.

Someone looking for a book to spend some time with will find No Corpse Is an Island acceptable and it’s very informative about life around the bay.  Mystery lovers will probably find a lot lacking however.

Rebellion in Ulster by Angela Koenig

Publisher:                   Blue Feather Books

To those who say lesbian novels don’t deal with serious or topical issues, that they don’t present sophisticated or well developed characters or plots, that they’re basically erotica disguised as romances, the answer is, sure, some of them are.  The answer is also that, if you want something different, you’re not reading the right books.

Rebellion in Ulster by Angela Koenig is a very intense book from a different perspective.  Jeri O’Donnell is a Rhodes Scholar from the US who decides to use her time in Britain to meet her extended family in Ireland.  Unfortunately, Jeri’s cousin Fiona is a gun runner for the Provisional IRA and uses Jeri’s rental car for her work.  A shoot out with British soldiers ends with Fiona dead and Jeri in the infamous Armagh Women’s Prison.  While there Jeri transforms from an American who understands very little of “The Troubles” between Britain and Ireland into a loyal soldier for the IRA.

What is the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?  The answer usually depends on which side of an issue you stand on.  Koenig presents this story with a slight bias for the Irish, but there is some sympathy for the British standpoint also.  Jeri feels she owes her life to the Irish cause as a replacement for Fiona and she becomes an expert at what she does - killing, gun running and bombing.  Occasionally however she wonders if she is doing the right thing.  As the book progresses the reader is able to see her internal struggle with what she believes and what she questions.  Along the way she meets a host of friends and lovers who shape the person she becomes and a crisis at the end will force her to make an important evaluation of her life.

Rebellion in Ulster is about a lesbian, but not lesbianism.  Jeri could just have easily been straight.  That might turn some readers away from the book, but it shouldn’t because it’s a very strong story with a complex and interesting central character.  There is also a bonus to this book, unlike anything this reviewer has experienced.  Holding the book provides a sensual experience not usual with a paperback cover.  It almost feels like suede.  Holding that book awakens your fingertips before the words reach your eyes.  It's not only a good story, but will remind you of why you like to hold a book in your hands.

The Midas Conspiracy by Jennifer McCormick

Publisher:                   Blue Feather Books

Cybil Reynard is a mercenary who can be hired for just about any job if the sum is right.  Her latest assignment is to track down two agents of the Valori race and retrieve information they have stolen from Midas Pharmaceuticals.  The Valori are humanoids that many already distrust, so Cybil has no hesitation about killing the agents if that is necessary; however, she begins to have doubts when she encounters Leara Sorani and her bodyguard Kitani.  They defy practically everything Cybil has been told about the Valori and their mission turns out to be noble.  Midas is developing a vaccine that will eliminate all races except those originating on Earth.  Instead of being enemies, Cybil, Leara and Kitani find themselves in an uneasy alliance to save the universe, an alliance where neither side really trusts each other.  Things don’t get any easier when they find themselves involved with Cipher, a type of intergalactic peace keeping group of fearsome warriors, and its mysterious leader Enigma.

This is an outstanding first novel for Jennifer McCormick.  The story is very reminiscent of what appears on television or in the movies, but she handles the genre of science fiction with great ability creating races, planets and technology that seem realistic.  The characters are appealing and lead the reader to care about what happens to them, even when they don’t behave very well.  The one true villain comes with a wicked twist to the story that is totally unexpected.  It keeps the story fresh when it might have become routine.  The only “weakness” is in the Valoir.  McCormick mentions several times that they don’t have an assigned gender.  It’s a race that can be male or female and they alter the roles during their lifetimes.  The characters she presents come on strongly as “female” though.  A few more “male” traits needed to be included to sell the description.  The story moves at a good pace though and provides enough drama to keep the interest high.

The Midas Conspiracy begs for a sequel.  It isn’t necessary for the story, but the reader will probably want to find out what happens to Cybil and Leara.  Even readers who don’t normally enjoy science fiction will probably find this book very enjoyable.  It’s worth giving a try.

Clandestine by Cheyne Curry

Publisher:      Blue Feather Books

Tia Ramone and Jody Montgomery come from different worlds.  Tia is a former CIA operative whose career was ruined when she was accused of botching an assignment.  Jody comes from a prestigious and wealthy family, though she prefers charity work and aiding homeless animals to the society functions her mother would like her to attend.  Those worlds collide when Tia is blackmailed into kidnapping Jody.  Tia realizes that her drinking problems have gotten her into this situation, but she can’t understand why anyone would want to do something like this to Jody.  Anthony, Jody’s husband, appears to be a successful businessman, but appearances can be deceiving.  As Tia comes to know her hostage better she develops feelings for her and wants to help Jody.  She just needs to find a way to get both women out of the situation alive.  Anthony has some definite ideas about thwarting that.

This could be a standard romance of rich girl meets poor girl of her dreams and off they go happily ever after.  Curry is a better writer than that however.  She knows how to present her characters to create just the effect that she wants and that keeps them interesting.  Tia could easily be a character that the reader doesn’t like, but, instead she comes off as a “Sad Sack” who deserves a break.  Jody is almost too innocent in her view of the world, but when juxtaposed against her mother and her husband, she becomes a sterling example of a human being.  Curry doesn’t pull her punches either.  Jody’s mother and husband come off as being just as vicious and double-dealing at the end of the book as they appear from the first.  There is no softening of the characters to redeem them.  Curry creates a story that is a romance with a little adventure in it and some really despicable characters who are trying to thwart the lovers.  That leaves the reader cheering for her main characters.

Clandestine is an interesting book to read.  The main characters are appealing, the pacing is right and it holds the reader’s attention.  Those are all of the ingredients for an entertaining experience.

A Kiss Before Dawn by Laurie Salzler

Publisher:      Blue Feather Books

A Kiss Before Dawn is a romance and a story about horses, two things almost sure to appeal to many people.

Chris Martel works very hard to make her horse breeding business successful.  She devotes her time to her horses, her dogs and her eighty-one year old neighbor, Frances Cook, the only real friend Chris has.  Occasionally she visits a lesbian bar to pick up a woman, but she prefers to be alone and doesn’t make commitments.  Chris isn’t impressed the first time she meets new vet Mary Jo Cavanaugh because Mary Jo is over confident and handles a situation with a horse badly.  Things begin on a rough note, but, with Frances acting as a matchmaker, the women become friends and discover that they have a number of common interests.  A romance grows between them and when a woman from the past tries to wreck vengeance on Chris, it clarifies for the women what they mean to each other.

A Kiss Before Dawn is a standard romance.  The characters are set up, tension arises between them and then it’s resolved.  The two major characters are well defined and there is a lot of information about horses, maybe too much as the plot drags in places.  The flaw in the book is in the pacing.  It meanders along as the relationship develops and covers a lot of information that doesn’t obstruct the plot, but really isn’t necessary.  It might be argued that this is because Chris is slow to trust anyone, but the primary reason seems to be that it adds length to the story.  Then when the crisis arises it appears out of nowhere.  There’s practically no set up and it concludes quickly.  The situation doesn’t ring true and it appears to be there simply to add a stressor to the story.

Anyone looking for a decent story to read and something to pass the time will find this book suits both purposes.  It’s a good example of a first novel and shows enough promise to give the author a try when another book comes out.

Review by Lynne Pierce 

 

In the Now by Kelly Sinclair

Publisher:      Blue Feather Books

In the Now is about past life regression, reincarnation and the irresponsible behavior that scientists can sometimes engage in when they follow the challenge to see if they can do something instead of considering the consequences.

Psychiatrist Carla Turner is asked by a close friend to help his drug company test a new unapproved medication on one of her patients.  The medicine is intended for people with substance abuse problems and it’s supposed to make it easier to hypnotize the patient so that a suggestion can be planted in his subconscious to help him overcome the addiction.  Carla chooses her favorite patient Amy Duran to experiment on and there is a startling resolution to the session.  Amy is regressed to a past life where she was Isao Watanabe, a Japanese World War II veteran, and, when she comes out of the hypnosis, Amy is dormant and Isao is living in her body.  That leads to a scramble by the drug company and the doctors to find a way to bring Amy back.  Instead the two personalities merge and an entirely different person is created.  Imagine a drug that would let you visit your previous lives and pick the personality you would like to live as.  Carla is horrified by the idea and only hopes to regain Amy, who was always very important to her.  The drug company however sees a chance to make a fortune on an opportunity and doesn’t want anyone standing in its way.

If In the Now doesn’t have you evaluating your personal beliefs as you read it, you’re not reading it correctly.  Sinclair questions society’s preconceived ideas about religion, reincarnation, and the roles of men and women.  Ethical problems abound in this book.  There are the doctors and scientists who irresponsibly pursue this drug as a puzzle to be solved without considering the consequences.  There is the drug company which wants to make a risky product available to make money.  The biggest dilemma however concerns the rights of the individual.  How do you regulate what someone may find out about his previous life and deal with the reaction?  Suppose you regress and discover that you were Attila the Hun, the Marquis de Sade or Adolf Hitler?  Suppose you spend this life with a prejudice against another religion or race or gender and then discover that you were a member of that group in a past life?  What is the ethical situation of erasing one life to substitute it with another or of blending lives together to create a new entity?

It should be clear by now that Kelly Sinclair does more than simply tell a story.  The story is there, of two women who are attracted to each other, haven’t acted on that attraction because of professional reasons and then find the opportunity taken away from them by an unintended consequence.  The most interesting part of the story is when Isao emerges and recounts the experiences of his life, which is then followed by a Japanese man and an American woman from different generations trying to find a way to coexist in the same body.  The twists and turns all of the characters go through to attempt to resolve these issues will keep the reader’s mind challenged and entertained.

The one fault in the book is the head-hopping that it does.  At times it can be difficult to tell which character’s head the reader is inside and this gets worse towards the end of the book.  Some sections could have been expanded a bit to allow for development, but unlike figuring out which character you’re listening to, the gaps in the characters and plot aren’t a serious issue.  

In the Now is a different type of book.  Those who have read Kelly Sinclair’s other books expect a story that is entertaining and that makes your brain work considering new possibilities.  They won’t be disappointed in this story.  Don’t be afraid to have to work a little with this book.  It’s worth it.