Stumbled onto the "Modern Witch" series on amazon.com, then discovered Debora Geary's other books...and it was book-love at first read. On the surface, her books easy, fun read, brain candy, and entertainment. Goes down smoooooooth. I know, I know, I've raved and reviewed her books like crazy, and unless you are a fan too...you're probably sick of hearing about it. Just finished "Witchlight: Witches Under Way" late last night...and have another pent up fan-girl rant to vent in your direction
Another layer down, and you see real writing skill. Her characters are deep, complex, real, and downright lovable. I have to keep reminding myself they are just fiction. Her characters are so complex, so relate-able, so well-developed, it is easy to find a little of yourself (or someone you know) in her characters. It is a heady, empowering thing to find that kind of association with a loving, accepting, couragous, wise and delightful community of witches. If you've ever for one minute wanted to be a witch as a little girl, like Tabatha on "Bewitched" with her "wishcraft"...then this stuff is irresistable.
There is more here than just good characters. Story pace, crisis and resolution...all that technical stuff that makes for truly memorable, get-in-your-head-and-heart story telling is right there....in spades.
At the heart of it all is the element that turns great fiction into art and literature. Her writing touches emotion, psyche and mythos. She shows us self-discovery, self-acceptance, personal growth, the love of a parent for their children, respect , responsibility, love, generosity, fun, romance, courage, wisdom, community, and much more. The very best of all is the way she shows us the very real magic in our very real everyday world. She shows us the Earth magic in a pot of spaghetti sauce, the Fire magic in a knitted baby blanket, the Air and Water magic in a walk in a summer rain...and the mind witchery of writing, poetry, and just being a good friend.
The icing on the cake is shared pop culture references. Any group of people who eats that much Ben & Jerry's is OK in my book. She mentions Firefly - and then has Aervyn and Melvin essentially come to the conclusion that "wisdom [is] shiny". Yes, Browncoats - I think she means it exactly that way. Which makes her the best writers in the 'verse in my opinion.
"The trick is to find passions that fuel your soul" - Debora Geary
"Shelflight" is a series of posts where I highlight something that seems cool, is interesting, or has been inspiring or helpful in my little geek world. It's all just my opinion, and I'm not compensated for any of my fan-girl ravings.
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