Magic Thursday: The Lunar Effect

by Fiona Gregory

Recently, Eastern Australia was lucky enough to witness both a Supermoon and a lunar eclipse and this started the discussion among some of the Darksiders – Does the Full Moon Induce Madness?


A quick google search produced 1000’s of hits and a name for this hypothesis – The Lunar Effect. The word lunatic is derived from the Latin word Luna. In Roman mythology Luna was the divine embodiment of the Moon.


Plenty of people have studied The Lunar Effect, particularly people working in areas that would see increases in crime, mental illness, disasters, accidents and emergency room admissions – health workers and police. There are even references to people who garden or trade the stockmarket according to the cycles of the moon.


As an author, one of my favourite sites for delving into the Darkside is The Skeptic’s Dictionary –A collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions and Dangerous Delusions.  The authors favourite question “What if” takes on a whole different dimension once you start clicking links like hidden persuaders, collective hallucinations and cosmobiology.


Here's the link to the Lunar Effect, specifically.

Source

So, is there such a thing as the Lunar Effect? What do you think?

Darklight On...Fiona Gregory Q&A

Today's Darklight On... is with Fiona Gregory. Welcome Fiona!

How did you come to write speculative fiction? 

I started focusing on writing futuristic romance after I had success with a short story, which was eventually published in the RWAustralia Little Gems Anthology. My critique group had been yawning their way through my current WIP, a contemporary romance, but when I took The Protector along for a critique there was stunned silence after everyone finished reading. Finally someone said “Why on earth aren’t you writing this stuff all the time?”

A futuristic romance author was born…


Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between? 

I always said I was a plotter and I make detailed plans before I start to write. Unfortunately, once I start writing my carefully constructed plans go out the window and my characters go off and do their own thing. I fasten my seatbelt and go along for the ride.



Who are you favourite authors? 

I read across the whole romance spectrum:

   · Susan Grant and Liz Maverick for my futuristic fix,
   · Christine Wells, Anna Campbell and Jean M Auel for my historical fix, and
   · Nikki Logan, Rachel Robinson and Melissa James for my contemporary romance fix.


What are you currently reading? 

· Susan Grant’s The Star Princess - I love a continuity series.

· Counting the days to the release of Jean M Auel’s The Land of the Painted Caves – Book six in the Earth’s Children continuity.

· My library bag – I select five items at random without looking at the back cover blurbs – this month I have a book on self-sufficiency, a health magazine, two novels and a collation of true crime stories. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t.



I see you love the continuity series – do you plan to write one? 

I’d love to. I have an idea for an artificial planet that’s a self-contained hospital and local community. It’s in a neutral zone and injured soldiers from many planets and opposing forces will land, and meet the locals. And each other. Romance central!

Do you have a favourite spec fiction movie or TV series? 

Stargate, Stargate Atlantis, StarTrek series and movies… I could go on and on.

I also loved a little-known series from 1995 – American Gothic – one of the writers was Shaun Cassidy – one of my childhood idols. It only lasted one series but I loved it.



Do have a favourite of your characters? 

My current favourite is my hero in my Emerald entry – he’s gorgeous – brown eyes, great tan, washboard abs. And he’s in the armed forces.



What are you working on currently? 

I’ve just finished my entry for the RWA Little Gems Short Story contest and also posted my second round Emerald entry, a futuristic romance.

My next novel is another futuristic romance – I’ve been spending hours with caravan brochures, planning my ideal spaceship for my hero and heroine to take a trip across the universe. Should be fun.



What is your favourite part of the process of writing? 

I like to run and I use my running time to ‘pre-write’ – my creative process to explore the possibilities for what will happen next. Years ago I did a course that suggested trying to find twenty different options to take the story forward from where you are now. A long run is perfect for this activity.

Unfortunately, my calves are always tight because instead of a post-run stretch I’m more likely to grab a notebook and start writing. My physio despairs…

 Fiona has had a short story published in the last two years of 

Little Gems Anthologies - Turquoise and Topaz. 

We wish her luck for a hat-trick with Garnet!

What We Are Reading

Today we have DarkSiders Fiona Gregory, Paula Roe, Emmeline Lock, and Jess Anastasi (who is turning out to be our resident reviewer J )


Fiona Gregory

Starlight by Astrid Cooper - I fell in love with the cover when I first saw this book and bought it as a result. Am loving it and especially loving the well thought out chapter titles like Starlight Rapture. So much cooler than Chapter one, chapter two.

Body for Life by Bill Phillips and Michael D'Orso. I'm not really into serious weight training, just trying to rehab a badly injured knee and get back to running again. Although there are some pretty great abs, butts and chests in the photos as the back. J

RSPCA Qld Animal Training and Behaviour Centre Intermediate Program Manual. The knee injury was a result of the new puppy - a great dane cross labrador. When I say I'm reading this, I've nearly memorised it I've spent so much time with it. Unfortunately, the dog hasn't read it, so we're going to fail again this time around.

Patiently waiting on my TBR pile: Crimson City, Crimson Rogue and Seduced by Crimson from the Crimson City series. I will get to you, I will.

Paula Roe



To Wish or Not To Wish by Mindy Klasky

I looooved Mindy’s Jane Madison witch series and even though this book is the third in her As You Wish series, you can read it as a stand alone. It’s about an every-girl heroine, a genie and her four wishes, and has the wonderful humor I’m come to associate with Klasky’s stories, combined with likeable characters. Great fun!

Undead and Unworthy by Mary Janice Davidson


A blonde material girl with an obsession for designer shoes who suddenly becomes Queen of the Vampires... talk about clash of cultures! I love Queen Betsy and I also love the way MJ has grown this irreverent, quirky series. This book is a lot darker than the prior six, and even the author admits she’s taken a different tone for this and the next two. I’ve heard some rumblings about terrible things happening to our plucky heroine in the latest Undead and I’m crossing my fingers I haven’t invested my time poorly!




Driven by Megan Hart

This is the first book of hers I’ve read with a sci-fi/futuristic setting, and like all her other erotic contemporary romances, her awesome writing skills shine. Our heroine is a mech pleasure bot, our hero an exiled royal alpha male and the author takes you from a post-apocalyptic earth, into space and onto other planets with ease. I was hooked the entire time. My *only* complaint is the ending felt a little rushed – I would’ve liked to see more of the hero/heroine interacting to get to the HEA.





Emmeline Lock

MOON CALLED, by Patricia Briggs 

I’ve been inhaling a new-to-me author – Patricia Briggs. Briggs comes from a high fantasy background, but I’ve jumped in at her urban fantasy/thriller Mercy Thompson series, beginning with MOON CALLED. The series is available on Kindle/Kindle apps for Aussie readers.

From Goodreads, about MOON CALLED:

‘Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.

Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf. 

She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire. 

But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself ... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.’ 

This series has been my first “sorry kids, you know where the cereal is, Mummy’s reading” effort for the year. Mercy Thompson is a great kick-ass heroine without coming off as invincible. She’s a self-contained, likeable, intelligent character. Mercy is able to save the day/someone’s life/her own skin in various ways that you just don’t see coming. I did a lot of, “Well, how’s she going to get out of this one?", which is, to me, a hallmark of a good read.

The story blends the current day with vampires, werewolves, the fae (including brownies, selkies and gremlins), and of course, Mercy herself. I enjoyed Briggs’ take on the various beings’ magical abilities. The world Briggs has constructed is believable and consistent.

Now, to the men. *Happy sigh*. If something niggles me about the two books that I’ve read, it’s that Mercy seems to keep her men (she has two love interests and a third warming up at the beginning of book three, lucky girl) coolly dangling for eons. Does it make them lesser men because they’re not pushing her to choose? It could, but in the case of this series, I really don’t think it does (they’re good characters). It probably says more about me. Being a disciple of the school of instant gratification, I would like -- if not a whole lotta steam -- at least a bit more effort on Mercy’s part to nail herself a man (ahem). But of course, if she made a decision now, what would the remaining books in the series be about? Come to think of it, for me the lack of sensual scenes is a key difference between this series and what would be a similar series -- Laurell K Hamilton’s very-busy-in-the-bedroom Anita Blake. I do think I prefer Mercy, on the whole. Really, in her defense, Mercy does have a high body count to deal with, so I shall forgive her.

For me, this book puts me in mind of Gena Showalter’s Alien Huntress, Kresley Cole’s Amazons and Mercy even smacks of JD Robb’s Eve Dallas. It’s a great UF/thriller/romantic elements read.

Kindle version

The books in the Mercy Thompson series are:

1. Moon Called (2006)

2. Blood Bound (2007)

3. Iron Kissed (2008)

4. Bone Crossed (2009)

5. Silver Borne (2010)

6. River Marked (2011)

Preying for Mercy (omnibus) (2008)






Jess Anastasi

I planned on reading JR Ward's Crave, but picking up a historical romance from my TBR pile, Sins of a Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan. It had a simple plot, but was actually hard to put down. It was one of those 'woman dresses up as man and becomes a servant in the hero's house' type stories. I was skeptical, I've read a few along these lines and was never quite convinced how dumb the hero had to be not to see that the woman he'd been lusting after was right under his nose. Anyway, Ms Jordan actually did quite a believable job of it. I was impressed. I bought this book becuase it was half price at Rendezvous, so wasn't expecting much. But I really enjoyed it and and next time I'm feel like a histoical, I'll be looking to see what else Ms. Jordan has on offer.

Maybe next month I'll get to Crave...




Thanks ladies!