It was tough to come up with a recommendation this week. There was nothing new in the "to be read" pile so I'm re-reading Tanya Huff's "Keeper" series, but I already profiled her several entries ago so no luck there. Then I started watching the hurricane aftermath coverage and thinking about the city of New Orleans and how much of an effect it's had on a lot of things I've read. With it's associations to voodoo and vampires (among other things), it's been a rich breeding ground for stories from some of my favorite authors. This lead me to think about one of those authors, Barbara Hambly in particular.
She's based in Southern California, but has always mentioned New Orleans as being her "second home" and her ex-husband lived there until his recent death. She's used the city's colorful history as the background for her "Benjaman January" series. She hasn't posted an update on her site since the tragedy occurred, but I'm sure it's going to have an effect on her writing.
Although she's lately turned to historical fiction with not only the January series, but also "The Emancipator's Wife" and "The Patriot Ladies", she's written prolifically in both sci fi and fantasy. She's created her own universes as well as dabbling in both "Star Wars" and "Star Trek." She's even got a couple of vampire books.
My personal favorites are the Windrose Chronicles, the Darwath Trilogy (which is actually 5 books, not 3), "Stranger at the Wedding" and "Bride of the Rat God." Her "Winterlands" series has been popular with fans, as well, althought it's not my personal favorite.
Anyway, there's enough variety here and such a huge volume of work that just about anybody can find something to suit their tastes. Her latest fantasy novel, "Circle of the Moon," comes out in the fall.
Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe!
KJ
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