Characters with physical disabilities

I attended an online lecture on writing using characters with physical disabilities and thought that the presenter did a very nice job of reminding the audience of salient points.  I hadn't thought much about some of the ramifications of having one's character(s) with a physical disability such as lack of sight, hearing or voice although I do seem to be encountering more stories lately that feature someone who has learned to compensate for a physical handicap. I was fascinated by the concept that some of the normal techniques used to indicate emotion (e.g. lowering one's voice) naturally couldn't be used with a deaf person just as facial expressions or gestures couldn't be used with someone who is blind.


The Iris Johansen character named Dr. Kendra Michaels in the novel Sleep No More was blind until the age of 20, then had an operation which allowed her to see.  She is exceptionally observant and has a personality similar to the great Sherlock Holmes.  This is the latest title in the ongoing series featuring Eve Duncan who is a forensic sculptor (i.e. she takes bones, in particular skulls, and creates an image of the child who has been killed and helps in his or her identification).  I enjoyed this title more than the last (What Doesn't Kill You) because even though I like Agent Catherine Ling, that story just didn't enthrall me.  Fortunately, Eve and her delicious Joe Quinn feature prominently in Sleep No More in a suspenseful tale.  My review for Sleep No More should be available over the next few weeks and my review for What Doesn't Kill You is at this link under ELF2060 (but probably pretty hard to find...it's titled, "Catherine Ling's Story").
    



Shiloh Walker's main character in If You Hear Her, is a blind chef named Lena Riddle.  I was really puzzled by the concept of being able to cook without being able to see since I tend to have very rudimentary cooking skills and have been known to make my hubby very nervous when I start brandishing a knife...and I have vision (although I can't say I am fond of my bifocals) and can see what I am cutting up.  This book was very intriguing to me because of that novelty but I quickly became ensnared in the mystery and suspense.  We have been watching the television show Master Chef featuring Gordon Ramsay (although I still think his mouth should be washed out with soap) and one of the finalists is an impressive blind chef named Christine Ha.  Watching her rise through the ranks until reaching the finals has been truly awe-inspiring and one of the funniest moments for me was seeing Gordon Ramsay ask her if he had been 'punked' because the dish she prepared was virtually identical to the sample that had been presented to the contestants.  Remarkable woman!

All three titles that form the 'Ash trilogy' are fun reads.  If you missed it before, my Amazon review for If You Hear Her is at this link under ELF2060, for If You See Her is at this link and for If You Know Her at this link.
   



Maya Banks has a character with a physical disability that causes her family to think that she is brain damaged in Never Seduce a Scot.  The exploration of the interaction between the heroine and her family and the different reception that she gets from the the hero is at the heart of this romantic story.  My Goodreads review is at this link.  The book will be released on September 25, 2012.



I realize that I have posted about most of these titles before but I was fascinated to realize that it has become such a commonplace trend to feature strong characters who compensate for one disability by strengthening themselves in other areas.  All of them remind us to work with what we are given rather than waste effort bemoaning what we lack or have lost (0:

Sorry, freebies offer expired...but there's hope for the future also...Shiloh Walker and Dark Thoughts blog

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate the day.  I regret that my source of pineapple jellybeans dried up since they stopped having that flavor as one of the five in the package!  It was a source of sadness when I discovered that last year.  Those of you who gave up something for Lent--don't overdose when you resume partaking of whatever it is (0:

Update:  April 11, 2012
Sorry, the freebies I originally posted about are no longer available BUT there are going to be free books for children on Kindle on April 19  (Thank you author Stacey Juba for the notice).  Please look at this link if you are interested.

In case you were wondering, I have become part of Shiloh Walker's street team.  It is interesting to discover more details about an author whose books I enjoy immensely, most recently those which were part of her Ash Trilogy: If You Hear Her, If You See Her, and If You Know Her.  One of the things that I have learned from being part of the team from its inception is how hard authors work to publicize their works...and she is definitely a prolific author.  Hunter's Rise was just released and is part of a series but unfortunately the publisher did not like the sales from the last book and has not asked for another which translates into a story that we are not going to see (yet...she says hopefully).  I have been privileged to receive a copy of the newest Grimm title, Grimm Tidings and will post a review on April 15.  I followed Ms Walker to one of her guest blogs and was intrigued by her list of 'Memorable Heroes'...stop by the Romance Reader at Heart blog at this link and see how her list compares to yours.

I am tickled to have won two titles this week!  One to celebrate Elisabeth Naughton's release of Enraptured (thank you Cheryl Brooks!) and one from Portia da Costa to celebrate her release of In the Flesh).  Thank you ladies!

And last but not least...Mary with her Dark Thoughts blog always has the most interesting pictures on her blog but today she is sharing freebies and money-making internet sites at this link.  Thanks Mary!

If You See Her

If You See Her by Shiloh Walker is the sequel to If You Hear Her.  Great read but it's a good thing the final in the trilogy (If You Know Her) is already out.  Now I just have to get my hands on a copy!  I enjoyed revisiting the beleaguered citizens of the town of Ash, Kentucky as they continue to search for the deranged killer that has terrorized some of them.  There are nice clues sprinkled throughout the story but there are a few occurrences that I was less than pleased with involving Law as well as Sheriff Nielson.  The action picks up immediately after the events depicted in If You Hear Her as Remy Jennings (the lawyer) wrestles with the conundrum of whether to act on the apparent crime against Law.  The conflict between his head and his heart is an overall theme and his careful assault on the emotionally fragile Hope is a delicate dance that is beautifully described.  An enjoyable story that does a great job of hooking the reader into the series and whets one's appetite for the next book.

 My Amazon review is at this link under Elf2060.  I would appreciate a 'yes, this was helpful' vote if you feel it is appropriate.

Now, I know that most of you will not realize that I put a very truncated post about this up earlier today but the problem was that I visited Ms Walker's blog earlier and posted a comment.  It wasn't until I posted it that I realized that it would append the title of the last post from my blog...which, if you look at the post below, is an advertisement for Gemma Halliday's newest book (which starts with a bang, literally!  More when I finish reading it...) and I didn't realize it until it posted in the comment section.  Well, I thought that was pretty crass...advertising someone else's book on an author's blog...so I tried to delete it...oops...couldn't find a way to do that.  So then I started panicking that she would think I was some awful person...so my next comment was to tell her to delete my comments but I didn't want to compound my sins by having the same link so I came to this blog and posted something about If You See Her which I had read but hadn't written the review for yet....anyway, if you have read this far...Ms Walker replied to my frantic e-mail...she wasn't bothered at all (-:   You just never know how somebody will react.  Fortunately she is a very gracious person as well a fantastic author!

My thanks to Netgalley for loaning me an e-copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

If You Hear Her

 If You Hear Her by Shiloh Walker is a wonderful start to a mesmerizing suspense trilogy.  Ms Walker always has thorny characters who are honed in a crucible of emotional upheavals and there are plenty of strong yet vulnerable people introduced in this fantastic read.  I suspect that the heroines and heroes of all three have been introduced in this initial rollercoaster novel.  Fans are fortunate that all three books have been (and will be) released close together.  Fortunately, If You See Her is already out. Depending on the speed with which you read, you may want to wait a week because the final book, If You Know Her, will be released at the end of this month.  That way, you won't be biting your nails, gnashing your teeth and growling because of the cliffhangers!  My Amazon review for If You Hear Her is at this link