Book Review – Fool Moon

08.25.2011

Angelique Mroczka Reviews , , , , 4 Comments

Fool Moon (Dresden Files Series #2) by Jim Butcher

Publisher: Roc

Year Published: 2001

Available in: Hardcover, Mass Market Paper, Kindle, Nook formats

Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 for paper or e-format download

ISBN: 0451458125; 978-0451458124

Pages: 352

Available from:  Amazon.com, Publisher, your local book store

Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by: Angelique Mroczka

Synopsis of the book: Harry thought things were bad after he closed the last two cases he was working on, but they just keep getting worse.  There are bloody paw prints near some horrific crime scenes and his friend from the Chicago Police Department thinks he knows more than he is telling.  Dresden has to find the killer before he is the next one in a body bag – or in jail.

Review: While Storm Front was mostly action, we find out quite a bit more about Harry and his sordid past in the second novel.  This information gives us a better idea of his motivation for doing some of the crazy things that he does and why helping others is so important to him.  We also learn how close he was to crossing over to the “dark side” at one point in his life and how he has to keep those feelings in check each day.

It took more effort to get through this book than the first one did.  The main reason that I saw for that was Butcher didn’t give Harry very many breaks between life-threatening situations.  With the plot intensifying at such an overwhelming rate, I had a hard time keeping up and had to put the book down a couple of times.  It also felt much longer due to all of the tension.

Magick in his world is not that much unlike our own even though it is exaggerated for the purpose of entertainment.  Many of the philosophies and rules that he adheres to are consistent with modern magickal beliefs.  And by being a wizard, Dresden may have magick on his side, but he is definitely not all-powerful.  He has limitations on how much power he can use and is foiled quite often by technology, which is something that we take for granted.

Overall, Fool Moon was a good story and I plan on continuing the series.  With as much fiction as I read from the female perspective, it is actually very refreshing to look at the world through the eyes of a male character and author.

Would you recommend this book?  Yes

Book Review – Storm Front

08.11.2011

Angelique Mroczka Reviews , , , , Leave a comment

Storm Front (Dresden Files Series #1) by Jim Butcher

Publisher: Roc

Year Published:   2000

Available in: Hardcover, Mass Market Paper, Kindle, Nook formats

Suggested Retail Price:  $9.99 for paper or e-format download

ISBN: 0451457811; 978-0451457813

Pages: 384

Available from:  Amazon.com, Publisher, your local book store

Rating: 4/5

Reviewed by: Angelique Mroczka

Synopsis: Things aren’t looking too good for the country’s only openly-practicing wizard, Harry Dresden.  When two new cases fall into his lap, he thinks that his financial woes are at an end.  Little does he know, but he is going to end up with much more trouble than he bargained for.

Review: I decided to finally check out the Dresden Files series after an almost unanimously positive poll of our authors and readers on the PWC Facebook page.  Since I had seen the shortly-lived Television series, I had an idea of what I was getting into when I picked up the first book.  Let me tell you, I was most definitely not disappointed.

Butcher tells the story through the eyes of Harry Dresden, a wizard that uses his power to help others while trying to make a living and staying out of trouble with the White Council.  As a wizard, Harry has many idiosyncrasies and does not communicate well with others, especially women.  What he lacks in social skills, he makes up in heart, courage, and just plain dumb luck.

Dresden’s Chicago is much like ours with one big exception – there are some people aware of the things that go bump in the night and they have a police force tasked with handling it.  Harry is called in to consult on some of these cases and must combat the all too familiar force of public ignorance about magic while he is fighting to save the day.  His struggle to be who he truly is in the face of so much adversity is inspiring.

Storm Front was a paranormal mystery packed full of action, magic, and even had a small hint of romance.  If you are looking for a book to get your mind out of the mundane, this one is most definitely for you.

Would you recommend this book?  Yes

Why I Created PWC and Why it Matters (to Me)

08.05.2011

Angelique Mroczka Articles , , 2 Comments

Angelique and Scott Mroczka

My name is Angelique “Angie” Mroczka and I was inspired by the Divine to create the Pagan Writers Community (PWC) in August of 2009.  This may sound rather hokey, but the idea was just there one day when I was driving to work.  At the time I was neither an avid writer nor did I have anything serious in the works.  Like many others, I fantasized about having a bestselling book and making my living as a writer even though I could barely get myself to blog consistently.  This changed with the beginning of PWC.

PWC was officially started with a fan page on Facebook.  I invited almost everyone in my own friend list that I thought would be interested over to check out the page.  Things grew very slowly until I started the Featured Author program and created the PWC blog.  Durk Simmons, Jared Lopatin, David P. Smith and Raven Starr were the first few authors that took a chance on me and the small community of people that PWC had attracted.

From there, the group exploded and I found myself spending several hours each day before work and at home coordinating a Feature schedule that stretched several months into the future.  In late 2009 and early 2010, I had the honor of interviewing Philip Carr-Gomm, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Donald Michael Kraig, Christopher Penczak, Damh the Bard, and Ellen Evert Hopman.  By that time we had a staff of fifteen who wrote monthly columns, shared stories, and wrote reviews that were published twice a week.

From that point, my writing Muse started to beg for some attention and I decided to take a leave of absence to spend some time working on my own projects and blog, The Balanced Witch.  In my absence, the blog continued to run at a much slower pace and the Featured Authors program faded out of existence.  The amazing staff that we had amassed began to get busy with their own lives as well and the new content on the blog finally came to a close.

In the Spring of 2011, I decided it was time to return my focus to PWC and bring it back to life.  Having learned from my mistakes the first time, I knew it was important to take things at a much slower pace than I had the first time around.  I started by spending a few months getting the community on Facebook active once again.  Then I introduced the Featured Author program once again, which has had an amazing response in the few weeks since I announced it.  We are already booked through the end of 2011 and I am in the process of communicating with other professionals in the publishing industry to help provide additional information and assistance to our writers.

The purpose and mission of the Pagan Writers Community is still the same as it was when I first started it – to provide education, inspiration, and promotional opportunities to alternative-faith writers of all genres.  We currently aim fulfill this mission through our Facebook page and group presence, our PWC blog, and the Featured Authors program.  At a later time I hope to add online classes, start an anti-illiteracy campaign, take PWC on the road to promote local authors at live events, and eventually plan a conference.

The reason that I put in the time in with PWC is because I enjoy doing so.  I love to read all the blurbs for our Featured Authors’ books so I find more to add to my own library.  I enjoy seeing what projects all of our various authors are working on and finding out what everyone is reading.  Most importantly, I am passionate about books and helping people achieve their literary dreams.

So with that, I would like to welcome you to (or back to) the Pagan Writers Community blog and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any comments, questions, or concerns.

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