Thursday, May 16, 2024

Autumn and the Silver Moon Stallion

I have loved reading books about horses for as long as I can remember. From Black Beauty and Misty of Chincoteague to Horse by Geraldine Brooks, it is a genre that I enjoy as much now as I did as a child. In Love and War by John Jakes, Charles Main's connection with his horse, Sport, was one of the most moving relationships in the book. If any of these are favorites of yours as well, you won't want to miss today's guest! Enjoy a snippet from Autumn and the Silver Moon Stallion by VP Felmlee.

~ Samantha

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Autumn and the Silver Moon Stallion: An Excerpt

Guest Post by VP Felmlee

As one, Becky, Autumn, and Silver Moon looked up just in time to see a tower of water coming over the top of the canyon, right towards them.

Autumn turned to run.

Becky turned to run.

Silver Moon was still coming down the trail, watched as waves hit the ground, then rose up like a living thing several feet in the air before crashing down first on Autumn then on the girl.

More water was coming from above, splashing and crashing, ramming its way from canyon wall to canyon wall, shoving anything in its way forward, relentless and unstoppable.

Without thinking, Silver Moon jumped in.

Becky looked back, trying to see Autumn, swallowing ice-cold water in the process. She spat it out, then saw the palomino struggling to get her footing. The water was too deep, and was forcing them along at an incomprehensible speed.

Becky grasped a large boulder. She couldn't hold on to it. Her body banged against an outcrop, driving the air from her lungs.

I have to watch where I'm going, she thought, don't look back, look forward.

The filly was trying hard to get to Becky, who was just ahead of her. The water pushed her against the canyon walls, forcing her to one side, then another. Instinct took over, her legs began to move. I have to keep my head up.

She was now whale-eyed, growing more terrified with each second. She couldn't avoid the boulders and slammed into them time and again.

She began to panic.

Silver Moon was strong and big but he was almost no match for the churning maelstrom the canyon had become.

Just ahead, he saw Autumn losing the fight to keep her head up. He saw her disappear, briefly emerge, then disappear.

KEEP READING AUTUMN ND THE SILVER MOON STALLION

An abused, neglected filly is abandoned on a remote country road, left to die.

A young woman grieves the loss of her best friend, the champion horse she had built her life and future around.

The heir to one of the largest ranches in Wyoming comes home to face the ire and disappointment of his grandfather.

A world-renown scientist clashes with the U.S. government over a brutal, decades-long war to decide the fate of thousands of mustangs, a beloved icon of the American West.

Autumn and The Silver Moon Stallion is their story of love, hatred, and death. Will their struggles give them hope to fight for their beliefs, or tear them forever apart?

Connect with VP Felmlee

V P Felmlee is the author of The Abandoned Trilogy: Price Tadpole & Princess Clara; Good Boy Ben; and the third book in the series, Autumn and the Silver Moon Stallion. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she has a degree in geology, and has been active in historic preservation and animal welfare issues. Her articles have appeared in several magazines, and she has won numerous awards.

She will be the 2025 president of Women Writing the West and lives in Grand Junction, Colorado, with her husband, two dogs, and six cats.

Connect with her on her Website, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon Author Page, and Goodreads.

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Final Thoughts on Shardlake

Shardlake on Hulu, copyright Disney+

The ending of Shardlake episode two left me with some big questions about what changes were going to be made to the story. Forget that Jack wasn't even supposed to be at Scarnsea, now he had committed an action that didn't make sense, didn't add to the story, and could have huge consequences when Matthew discovered it. Except that didn't turn out to be true. Well, it was true that Jack's run-in with Goodhap didn't add to the story, but in the end Matthew - our justice loving, truth seeking Matthew - just sort of shrugged it off.

Well, alright, I guess.

Alice's part is done very well in the series, and it holds almost precisely with Dissolution, with the obvious exception that she doesn't run away with Mark Poer since his character has been chopped to give us and earlier introduction to Jack Barak. Ruby Ashbourne Serkis does a fantastic job bringing Alice to life and seeming very genuine in the role. She's a woman who has empowered herself in an era when women didn't have power, but her story is still believable and doesn't creep into anachronisms.

Ruby Ashbourne Serkis as Alice in Shardlake
copyright Disney+

I've strived to be a positive voice among Sansom fans who refuse to believe that Disney could do him justice. Are the books better? Of course. Was the show still worth watching? Absolutely! It included some great moments from Dissolution that I loved seeing on screen.

What I really missed were the moments that make readers really love Matthew and make the series more than a bunch of historical mysteries. I started out thinking we were going to get this. In episode one, Matthew has some private moments where he beats himself up, and we got a peek at his vulnerable side. Unfortunately, that didn't happen much for the rest of the series, though we see his heart break a little bit when he returns from London to find Jack and Alice embracing.

But where was Kate??? Matthew's memories of Kate, his love for her and admitting it too late - is it just me? I think this is an important part of Matthew's character. It's part of why he has a shell and why he's softer than you think underneath. It makes your heart break a little more for him when he realizes that Alice has also found another more appealing.

As for the mystery, besides a few minor tweaks, much of it is the same as the book, so I won't give spoilers here. For me, Sansom's mysteries, well done as they are, were always secondary to following Matthew on his personal journey through the series. I hope those who have discovered Shardlake through the show will read on in Dissolution and beyond to join us on Team Matthew.

Will there be another series of Shardlake? Your guess is as good as mine, but if there is, I will look forward to seeing Dark Fire brought to screen. What do you think?

This post covers episode 3&4, click here for episode 2, and here for Hello, Shardlake. Goodbye, CJ Sansom.

Or join me on Goodreads to discuss the books!

Friday, May 3, 2024

Shardlake: Episode Two

Now that I'm on to episode two, I feel like I'm in investigative mode, watching for scenes and lines that I can find in the books.

Minor complaint - why the red, block letters for the title screen? Wouldn't it be nice to see something that evoked the 16th century? Ah well.... They're keeping it super real with the cold though! Everyone's breath is frosting the air, cheeks are pink. Tough gig.

Right away, I love watching Matthew question Guy as they discuss the discovery of Singleton's body. Knowing the friendship that grows between them, it made me smile to watch Guy be like, "well, it sure wasn't me!" and Matthew give him that definitely not convinced look. He gives EVERYONE that look, and, to be fair, they deserve it. Have you heard Abbot Fabian's theory of who killed Singleton?

When Matthew vows that he will find the truth in that low, threatening tone. Chills. Wondering how I ever thought he seemed vulnerable. (But also hoping for more scenes that reveal his vulnerability.) And then Barak shows up in that ridiculous outfit. Sorry, this is becoming a bit too stream of consciousness.

Matthew's disability is not on display in this episode the way it was in the first. It's as if the show's creators decided we all know about it now, so it need not continue being a problem. Matthew doesn't struggle to get on his horse, he runs after Simon (oh, poor Simon).... It is no longer the constant impediment that it is for him in the books. Perhaps they worry that viewers would find it overdone, maybe they would get bored? That's the great thing about readers of series that contain thousands of pages. We have patience and love those details, like in Dissolution chapter fourteen when Matthew looks at Mark, "envying the play of smooth, symmetrical muscles down his back."

To address an anachronism that I've seen mentioned online. The men are not wearing hats. Matthew wears no lawyer's coif. Alas, it is true. I assume the producers wanted us to admire Barak's wavy locks.

Speaking of Barak, he is passionate about closing down this monastery and doesn't really care who killed anyone. Since he didn't appear in Dissolution, I can only compare this to Mark, who in Dissolution chapter nine asked, "But why would any of them kill Singleton? Surely it gives Lord Cromwell stronger grounds for closure?" Just so, but no one is asking this question as of episode two.

Oh, Matthew, when he denies Jerome's story of torture. He's just too honorable to believe the evil truth about people. Brother Jerome doesn't carry the injuries he should (& this is actually important because it's how Matthew knows he couldn't have murdered Singleton), but the man is bold in the face of Matthew's condescension. "The real traitors are Cromwell and his King!" Ouch. Tell us what you really think. Of course, at this point, Matthew doesn't buy a word of it. He's brilliant but human. And Barak has no doubt that Jerome is a crazy old traitor.

Poor Mark Smeaton. It's easy to forget these were real people. How anyone admires Henry VIII is entirely beyond me. (Even if he looked like Jonathan Rhys Meyers, which he didn't.)

Matthew's investigation of the marsh was quite a bit more dramatic than it was in Dissolution chapter twelve, but it was a nice little scene between him and Alice. "I thought that was my last breath." Oh, dear Matthew. Much nicer than Brother Edwig finding him.

Just like when I read the books, I'm all caught up in the characters and not paying enough attention to the mystery. Matthew has heard conversations about building. He's ordered an analysis of Brother Edwig's account books. (Am I the only one who misses his stutter?) There's lots of money within the monastery. Perhaps they're not eager to hand it over to their benevolent king.

Goodhap has been scuttling around, whining about leaving. (Big swerve from the book with this guy. Not sure how I feel about it.) We meet Copynger, but he hasn't spilled the tea about Orphan yet. I assume we'll hear about her in episode three.

Sadly, still no memories of Kate. I feel like we should have been introduced to her by now. Will she be left out? I hope not.

Barak, what did you do?!?!

I'm having such a difficult time deciding what's a spoiler. Do I assume everyone has read the books & watched the show? Let's just say, there's a bit of a mess to be cleaned up, and they still have a killer on the loose.

What are you loving about the show so far? (I mean, besides Arthur Hughes as Matthew, of course!)

Did you miss my post about episode one? Find it here: Hello, Shardlake. Goodbye, CJ Sansom.

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Hello, Shardlake. Goodbye, CJ Sansom.

The first time I heard a rumor that Matthew Shardlake would get a TV series, I vowed to blog about each episode. Many of my readers know that I have long been a fan of author CJ Sansom and his loveable Tudor era lawyer, Matthew Shardlake. I, along with thousands of other fans, had been eagerly awaiting the May 1 debut when we received news that Sansom had passed away on April 27 at age 71 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Christopher John Sansom
(Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)

CJ Sansom is one of the authors who inspired my own writing. If only I had his skill to recreate another time and place and to bring to life characters, who we love so much that my husband thought Matthew was a real person because of how often I talked about him! Reaching for his books will now be tinged with a bit of sorrow, but I am thankful we have them to keep picking up.

The joy of Sansom fans is muted today as we remember his brilliant written works, watch one brought to life on screen, and know that we will never again hold a new Sansom novel in our hands. Besides his masterpiece Shardlake series, Sansom also wrote an alternate post-WWII history, Dominion, and a novel about the Spanish Civil War, Winter in Madrid. I have loved every one of his books and have read most of them more than once. I feel we are especially blessed now to watch Shardlake and honor the fantastic writer who created it.

Readers can be some of the greatest critics of their favorite characters and stories brought to screen. I get it and am often the same way. We love them the way they are written and think it is sacrilege to make changes, but I was greatly encouraged to hear actor Arthur Hughes talk about being selected to play Matthew Shardlake. Yes, Arthur, we've all fallen in love with Matthew.

Many of us had our own ideas of who should play Matthew, whether or not Jack Barak should even be a part of this part of the story, and how on earth Sean Bean ended up selected to be Thomas Cromwell. I've even seen complaints that the actor's disability is not precisely the same as Matthew's in the books. (Hughes has radial dysplasia rather than Matthew's severe scoliosis.)

But Matthew didn't carry a sword . . . . and if he did it wouldn't be one like that! Noted. Now let's move on.

Screenshot from Shardlake
copyright Disney+

Because these things aren't what is most important about Matthew Shardlake. What has made me wonder if I can order a Team Matthew hoodie was his character, his brilliance, his love for others, the way my heart hurts when he is ruthlessly dismissed because of his deformity. The friendship between Jack and Matthew is one of the best things about the series, and if the show can demonstrate that better by bringing Jack on scene a little earlier than is strictly correct, it is a change I accept. (Sorry, Mark.)

After all, friends, we are only getting FOUR EPISODES. The audiobook version of Dissolution is 14.5 hours long. Let's give the show's creators a little grace, shall we? And give me a bit of grace as well, because here I am going on, and I haven't even got to the first episode yet.

EPISODE 1

I stayed up until midnight to watch episode one as soon as it became available, something I have never done before. My husband was out of town, typically a reason for me to leave the TV off for days, but here I sat in the middle of the night, ready to watch Shardlake.

The first glimpse we get of Arthur Hughes as Matthew, he is washing and dressing for the day, and his disability is on full display in a way that would have horrified poor Matthew. Anyone watching who does not already know the story, begins with learning Matthew is a hunchback, a deformation that would have defined his entire character to many of his 16th century contemporaries, but we soon learn there is much more to him.

In public, Matthew is confident, giving people orders that he anticipates will be obeyed. He is brilliant, called upon by Cromwell because of his perseverance in finding truth. But the show's creators sneak in a couple of scenes where Matthew is doubting himself, and this was fantastic. I wondered how they would portray the Matthew I have grown to love, a man full of contradictions and emotions. Appearing every bit the King's Man to the monks of St Donatus, he mentally thrashes himself for even considering that Alice could think of him as a potential mate.

My favorite scene (straight out of Dissolution, chapter 3) was when Matthew was watching poor, abused Simon Whelplay light candles. His mind returns to a memory of himself as a young, crooked-backed acolyte, proclaiming to the priest that he would like to devote himself to God. When the priest laughed contemptuously, pointing out that Matthew certainly does not appear to be created in the image of God, I wanted to take that little boy into my arms and comfort him, just as I have felt so many times when reading the books.

I know, you're wondering when I'm going to talk about Jack Barak. At this point, Barak seems to be an amalgamation of his character and that of Mark Poer, Matthew's assistant in Dissolution, who does not appear in the series. The introduction is similar to how we meet Barak in Dark Fire, if he is a bit more cheerful and less brooding than I pictured him. He's not rugged and dangerous so much as he is irreverent and arrogant - so far at least. I'm still mulling over what they're doing with Barak's character.

It was a bit odd for him to be checking out Joan, who is supposed to be Matthew's plump, competent, middle-aged housekeeper, but whatever. Moving on.

We also meet several of the monks, including Guy Malton, who becomes a long-standing character in the series. Unlike in the book, there is no reaction to his race, which is just as much disadvantage to him in Tudor England as Matthew's disfigurement. But, I guess modern TV producers didn't think they could get away with referring to a middle-eastern man as a "black old moldwarp." Fair enough. In the show, unlike the book or history, Guy is not alone in being a non-white man in the monastery, so it is a nonissue.

Brother Jerome is also wandering around, exclaiming things he shouldn't, though he doesn't carry injuries from being racked by Cromwell as he should. Simon spills some juicy tidbits when he collapses from illness and starvation. Prior Mortimus finds fault in everyone, is always angry, and must be the killer - because his name is Mortimus! Just as in Dissolution, at this point, EVERYONE appears guilty, and you almost expect an Orient Express type murder occurred where they each played their own part.

Who else is waiting for Matthew to have an emotive memory of Kate? I have my tissues ready.

Of course, I'm watching from the point of view of someone who has long been a fan of this series, so I'm curious what viewers think of it if they haven't read any of the books. What were your thoughts on episode one? I hope to post again soon on the next episode!