The Cure: The Blood Tapestry by Susan Phelan

Vampire erotica!

I was sent this book by a friend who has also joined the Canadian Book Challenge.

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This is the first book by Edmonton author Susan Phelan. She has written two addtional vampire novels.

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This is the erotically charger story of good vampire Valian who wants to regain his mortality. There is also Jack, the bad vampire who has been seeking Valian for ages and wants to destroy him. Then there is Dr. Chancella Tremaine who stands between them. She has been researching the vampire myth for several years and thinks she has found a way to bring vampire back from the dead.

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She is scared of Valian, yet at the same time very attracted to him.

While I won`t quite call the attraction between them explosive, it did raise my heartbeat and certainly kept me turning the pages.

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The only thing that lost me was a sexy vampire who can`t perform completely. As my son would say, you gotta go big or go home. In my image of a vampire, he`s got to go big. My daughter asked to read the book when I was done, but not appropriate in any way for a teen reader, but I won`t hesitate to lend it to a friend or two.

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Thanks so much for the `fun` Canadian read.

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If romance appeals to you, check out the publisher Cerridwen Press. There are several free short stories that you can download.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

This is the second book in the Dark is Rising Sequence by author Susan Cooper. The first book is titled 'Over Sea, Under Stone'.

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This is the story of Will Stanton age 11. The day before his birthday a number of strange events occur. The family animals seem to be afraid of him, the radio goes static whenever he passes by and the neighbour Mr. Dawson gives his a gift and a cryptic message: "The walker is abroad, and this night will be bad, and tomorrow will be beyond imagining." This is only the start of a very unusual birthday and Christmas.

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Will learns that he is one of the 'old ones' and that has been gifted with powers and that he must use them protect the world from the 'Dark' by finding six signs.

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I was quite looking forward to reading this book, but it never really clicked with me. Each time Will was faced with a challenge, he seemed to meet it easily. There was more build up to finding the signs than actually getting them. I reminded myself that this book was written for a younger audience. Perhaps for them, that was enough, that it was all about facing the challenge and being brave and keeping your head.

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I am not going to recommend this for an adult reader unless you are reading it to your child. For a young reader I think they would love it. It has magic, it has secret rituals and a huge amount of control is given to an 11 year old and he holds the key and the adults need him because they can't do what a child can.

Needlework Tuesday

This is it, the only needlework project that I touched all week.

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its block L-5 Chattanooga Charlie. I wonder if it was given its name for the bowties in the two opposite corners? I enjoyed the challenge of making this block and getting the half square triangles the correct size. Mine came out just right. Notice that again I have varied from strictly orange fabric. I figure if I only use orange and nothing else, the quilt will look rather flat when done. Not enough contrast. So this has a bit of green and some burgundy in it. Aside form that, I love this fabric, its one that I could happily have a bolt of and not get tired of using.

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I did do some other 'stitching' but not with a needle rather with words. As some of you are aware, I have taken on the challenge of NaNoWriMo and am spending much of November writing a novel. You can check out my progress over at the National Novel Writing Month website. You could also visit my friend Darilyn's blog 'Tropical Screamer Writes' where she is writing daily about this novel writing experience.

I am writing a mystery and of course it has a bunch of quilters as the main characters. They have been left clues to solving the mystery in 3 quilts that have been donated to a museum. My main character is also working on her version of a 'Dear Jane' quilt and she relates what is happening in her mystery to what Jane might have thought while she was piecing her blocks. Could be similar to what Brenda Papadakis wrote to Jane as she wrote her pattern book, but I don't know as I never did read those passages. At one point my main character (who doesn't have a name) was musing about the blocks she was piecing in honour of her 4 quilting friends. She chose A-7, B-1, H-12 and b-12. These are all blocks that have a component of 4 somethings; hearts, leaves, tear drops etc.

Now I am starting a section that talks about a rare silk quilt and the kimono fabrics that were used in the piecing, only I know very little about silk, so I am off to do some research. Thank goodness for the Internet.

I hope that I will get some more real stitching done this week and manage to keep up with the virtual quilt in my novel. I think I pieced 8 virtual blocks last week. oops, I am falling behind. Funny how my character could also afford to buy much more fabric while shopping hopping than I could.

Better get back to my story. Let me know which block from 'Dear Jane' that I should work into my novel next.

Bye for now and happy stitching.

First Nations/Aboriginal Fridays: George Copway, Kahgegagahbowh

A few weeks back I wrote about Ojibway write/story teller Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh/George Copway. While at my library I came across a children's book that is a re-telling of one of his stories. It has the most lovely of pictures.

'Ladder to the Sky' a legend retold by Barbara Juster Esbensen Illustrated by Helen K. Davie

'Ladder to the Sky' is the retelling of 'How the Gift of Healing came to the Ojibway Nation'

It tells the story of how the Ojibway peoples live a healthy and long life with no illness and death. One day jealousy comes into their midst and from that point life is not so idylic. Eventually one person breaks a taboo and the Great Spirit brings illness on the peoples. The Great Spirit also brings the gift of knowledge about the flowers and berries and their healing properties.

The amount of details in these pictures is amazing. Look below the women's feet at the details of the woven mats.

This painting depicts the gift of knowledge of healing with all the fruits and flowers being given to the people.

This is a lovely retelling of the story. It will appeal to both children and adults.

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Read my earlier posting about George Copway

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Learn more about Barbara Juster Esbensen and her books

See more work by Helen K. Davie

Needlework Tuesday - oops I forgot this item

One of my dearest friends in the world was planning to visit me a week and a half ago. A few days prior to the visit she sent me and email to say that her beloved cat Kahlua, who had lived with her for around 17 years, had passes away.

I felt sad for her. Kahlua was a lovely cat to look at, though I have to admit I didn't know her as she was very reluctant to come out of hiding when ever I was there.

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I wanted to do something to honour her, so what better than to make a wall hanging.

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I used a pattern by designer Pam Bono called 'Cat Naps' and made just a single block. I changed the colours to match Kahlua's colouring.

This finished wall hanging is shown here. It measures 14 inches tall by 16 wide.

My friend really likes it and says it looks just like her cat.

Needlework Tuesday

Turned out this was a good week for finishing projects. or at least finishing those ones that really didn't need much more work.

First pictures shows our dog Atreyu modelling the scarf that my daughter started last winter. She was knitting it on one of those round looms. One strand of fake fur and one strand of some glittery stuff from a project from many years ago that never got made. She gave up and I decided to finish it for her. The dog kept trying to run away with it each time I put it down, so a very fitting picture.


You've seen this scarf before. It had been waiting for its fringe. Wanting to tidy away all those leftover balls of yarn I grabbed an empty cracker box and started winding the yarn around, when I had enough, I cut one edge and started knotting them on. The scarf if a tube, so the fringe serves to hold it closed.

This pair of socks has sat far too long waiting for me to graft the toes shut. I finally forced my self to do it the other day. One toe is poorly grafted and the other is knit together and bound off in one step. I'll wear them and see if I have a preference. Doesn't bother me that they are different and at least they are now finished. Yippee.

Didn't get to my sewing machine at all. My head is still fuzzy from being sick, I think I have a bit of fever every now and then, so I am not going near my rotary cutter. I've made that mistake before. No progress to report on either the Bird Quilt nor the Dear Jane.

I'm Feeling Better

I feel like a new person this morning. Still not 100% but so much better.

Thanks to everyone for their messages of concern and best wishes. Hope that all of you manage to avoid this flu. Its a very different one. No tummy upset but lots of fever.

Take care and thanks again for your messages to both my daughter and myself.