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What’s a Quipu?
Any guesses? Some sort of textile equivalent of a grass skirt? An ancient example of a fidget toy? It’s actually pretty practical. Quipu: an ancient Incan data recording device consisting of variously colored ropes knotted in different patterns But what if . . . the data it stored was a secret message? I looked at this picture and saw a perfect tool for spies. I’m editing the first book in The Prophet Chronicles, and this device will be on the pages. This quipu (KEE-POO) doesn’t just keep a record of crop yields or tax payments. Hurgalan spies carry top-secret information embedded in the quipu’s knots from Ariel, the capital of…
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A Scheming in Parliament
Erica Vetsch has done it again – what a great book. She’s an automatic buy for me, and she never disappoints. A Scheming in Parliament, book 2 in the Of Cloaks and Daggers series, will keep you turning pages. So much scheming! From dastardly to delightful – so many schemes. Villainy had my heart beating fast, and the ingenuity of a plucky girl had me laughing out loud. In both the Thorndike and Swann Mysteries and the Of Cloaks and Daggers series, well-crafted stories allow romance to bloom at an unhurried pace. Fans of Erica Vetsch have grown to appreciate Philippa Cashel’s beauty and strength of character. It’s time for…
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The Governess and the Rogue
Mimi Matthews wraps up the Somerset Stories (for now) with The Governess and the Rogue. If you’re not familiar with the author, she’s a master of clean romance set in the Regency and Victorian eras. Her love stories are beautifully crafted with intriguingly flawed protectors and heroines who are strong and resourceful yet vulnerable. The series began with Gentleman Jim and A Work of Art, and the last four imagine what the children from those two couples might be like. Every book in this series feels like a gift. Stepping into the pages is like visiting an old friend. This time, it’s Jack Beresford, youngest son of the earl. He’s…
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Splendor of the Land
Connilyn Cossette is without reservation my favorite author. When a new book is up for preorder, it’s an automatic buy as soon as it’s listed. And now that she’s doing prequel novellas, that’s even more the case. I’m like a kid with her nose pressed against the candy shop window at 8 am whispering, “Open. Open. Open.” That being said, after I read the first book in The King’s Men series, Voice of the Ancient, I wasn’t looking forward to Gavi’s book. He was a jerk. Oh, I knew the author would make me fall in love with him. But I didn’t want to. After what happened to Shay, I…
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For the Homeschool Grammar Nerds
This is a follow up post to Why I Write. What’s the longest sentence in the Bible? That’s kind of a trick question. The longest sentence in the original Greek and the longest sentence in the modern English translations are in the same chapter, but they’re different verses. In Greek, Ephesians 1:3-14 is one sentence. One sentence! Come on, Paul! I love it, though. I can imagine Paul being so overwhelmed with the awesomeness of God that he just keeps writing. He did this – and this – and we have all this because of it. And then we come to Ephesians 1:15-21. These seven verses are just one sentence…
