In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lies in Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild northern frontier, with little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes, and browse the daily papers. The case that catches Captain Jim's attention is being called … Continue reading Book Review: Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
Author: Melissa J. Troutman
Book Review: The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
Did you know Robert Louis Stevenson wrote more than Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? I love his other writings, so when I saw The Black Arrow at a used-book sale, I snatched it up. It sat on my shelf for a few years, however, until I recently found myself in between … Continue reading Book Review: The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
Reading Highlights of 2021
My total book count for the year is 58--including comfort (or book review) re-reads, skim-reads, and unpublished works. Here's the creme de la creme of my 2021 reading. (You can also find some of the new fiction titles on my virtual bookshelves.) Fiction Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. Reread. Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale. … Continue reading Reading Highlights of 2021
Come Play, Mama [Original Poetry]
I am a perfectionist. Which means a lot of things. Some good, some bad. If you're a perfectionist too, you know. If you're not, be thankful--while perfectionism isn't all bad, it nurtures a lot of life-long frustrations. I was dialoguing with a friend about my WIP not long ago, and as I put my struggles … Continue reading Come Play, Mama [Original Poetry]
A Lamentation in Miniature [Original Poetry]
As I'm studying the book of Lamentations--chapter 3 in particular--Charles R. Swindoll's little book The Lamentations of Jeremiah (Swindoll, 1977) has opened my eyes to the depth, beauty, and poetry of this section of Scripture. Did you know that four out of the five chapters or dirges of Lamentations are acrostic poems in the original … Continue reading A Lamentation in Miniature [Original Poetry]
Writers Are Like Moms
Being a writer is like being a mom with kids who never sleep. No matter the time of day, there are always idea-children running around the house chasing each other or sitting in the hallway for you to trip over. They track mud everywhere. They color on the walls. They yell and laugh and cry … Continue reading Writers Are Like Moms
Project Update: KJ Book 1
It's been over a year since I wrote my "Meet the Project: KJ Book 1" post introducing you (vaguely) to my WIP, code name KJ. No, I don't have publication on the horizon yet, but a lot has happened in the past year, and I thought you might like to check in and see where … Continue reading Project Update: KJ Book 1
A New Jersey Driver on Back Country Roads
This back country road was good for my soul. When I come home from work, I usually take US-202, a four-lane highway. It's not an ugly route exactly, but it's not beautiful -- too many billboards and gas stations and car dealerships -- and I hate the stop-and-go of all the traffic lights. Recently, I … Continue reading A New Jersey Driver on Back Country Roads
Book Review: Something I Am Not by Cher Gatto
A father who never loved him … A woman who stole his worth … And a brother he couldn't protect. Where does someone run in the face of his deepest shame?Billy McQueen works hard to keep his life together ... and concealed. At seventeen, he dreams of an escape from the barroom, his father's manipulation, and the advances of his father's … Continue reading Book Review: Something I Am Not by Cher Gatto
Book Review: The Student and the Slave by Annie Douglass Lima (Krillonian Chronicles #3)
Follow the links to refresh on Book 1: The Collar and the Cavvarach and Book 2: The Gladiator and the Guard. Is this what freedom is supposed to be like? Desperate to provide for himself and his sister Ellie, Bensin searches fruitlessly for work like all the other former slaves in Tarnestra. He needs the … Continue reading Book Review: The Student and the Slave by Annie Douglass Lima (Krillonian Chronicles #3)
Melissa J. Troutman 