Special Ops Lioness, Faithful Place, Most Ardently, Road Trip, and Hail

One Writer's Journey: A newsletter about reading, writing, and creativity by Sue Bradford Edwards

I’m Watching . . .

My husband and I are several episodes into Special Ops: Lioness. Zoe Saldana plays Joe, a CIA operative who is the head of a crew fighting the war on terror. Her project, Lioness, implants female operatives to befriend the daughters of key terrorists. The problem doesn’t seem to be getting the operatives in place but extracting them again. Laysla De Oliveira is Cruz, the most recent Lioness.

This is a fast paced thriller with some really top notch acting. That said - where is Morgan Freeman?

I’m Reading . . .

Next up in my TBR (to be read) pile is Tana French’s Faithful Place. Here is the publisher’s description:

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was a nineteen-year-old kid with a dream of escaping his family's cramped flat on Faithful Place and running away to London with his girl, Rosie Daly. But on the night they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show. Frank took it for granted that she'd dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank, now a detective in the Dublin Undercover squad, is going home whether he likes it or not.

If you haven’t read French’s work, it is a gritty look at life in Ireland. I highly recommend her Dublin Murder Squad series.

I’m Listening to . . .

I just started listening to Most Ardently which is billed as a Pride and Prejudice Remix. This is book #9 in the Remixed Classics series. Each book is written by an author from a marginalized group who reimagines a classic novel through their own lens.

In this case, Elizabeth Bennett is only himself when he is dressed as a boy called Oliver. But convention says that Elizabeth has to entertain suitors and become a wife. Will Oliver have the courage to live his own life, not knowing what the future may bring?

This is a fascinating book in large part due to the historical details that Novoa weaves throughout the story.

My Writing . . .

I put my writing on hold for almost a week for a fast trip to Texas to visit family. My son wanted my aunt to meet his fiancé. In addition to getting together several times with family, we stopped in Waco for the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

Just to prove that a writer is never truly off work, I outlined a graphic novel memoir. Without my laptop, the outline took the form of a list that I emailed to myself bit by bit from my phone.

Something More . . .

Given that we were just home from a long road trip, we didn’t make any big plans for Memorial Day. Sunday afternoon, the weather decided to bring the excitement to us. My prickly pear did not like having its pot filled up with hail! Fortunately it and my geraniums are okay. I hope that all of you have dodged the worst of the weather! Stay well, stay safe, and keep reading.

If you have any comments or questions or things that you would like to see me include in the newsletter, please let me know. And, if you’ve enjoyed it, please share it with your friends.