Under Vixen’s Mere is one of those novels that quietly gets under your skin and then refuses to leave.
From the opening pages, the prose immediately stood out to me. It’s spare without ever feeling sparse—clean, confident, and quietly assured. Dialogue and description are held in careful balance, each doing its work without calling attention to itself. Nothing strains for effect, and that sense of restraint builds trust early on, inviting the reader to settle in and follow where the story leads.
What makes this book especially satisfying is its sensory richness. The attention to detail is so precise you can practically smell the bread cooling on the racks, the sharpness of cheese, the damp stone after rain. It is comfort reading with substance: sunshine and laughter paired with the everyday complications life throws at us, and the quiet resilience required to meet them.
This is not a book about capital-H heroes. Instead, it centers on people who engage in small acts of service, kindness, and yes, heroism—not for recognition or glory, but because it was the right thing to do in the moment. These are stories of people showing up when it would have been easier not to.
The Locked Room is clever, cozy without being complacent, and deeply satisfying for puzzle-lovers. If you adore classic detective fiction but crave a fresh perspective, Harriet White deserves a place on your shelf—and very likely, in your reading rotation for a long while to come.
About the Book: A Treatise on Martian Chiropractic Manipulation and Other Satirical Tales Human beings are flawed creatures, and humor is the perfect means to exploit the endless fodder of our shortcomings. This multi-genre collection of twenty-one short satirical stories will leave you smirking, chuckling, scratching your head, and maybe even muttering to yourself […]
I don’t remember it but it soundslike a neat idea! I am sure lots of people would be interested. Unfortunately until my MBA is over I don’t have time for recreational writing! Maybe afterwards though…
I don’t know Alchera, but I might be interested in cafewriting.com – work etc permitting.
Michele sent me to see what Miss Meliss is cooking up :-)
cq
I’m perpetually clueless, so have never even heard of Alchera. However, it sounds like a spiffy idea, and I’d be happy to toddle along if you decided to start hosting something similar.
It’s been far too long since I’ve flexed my writerly muscles, anyway. I do believe they’ve gotten flabby and soft.
Alchera must have pre-dated my arrival in the blogging world.
But the premise sounds interesting.
I’m always open to try a new writing community site, and “cafewriting” sounds particularly enticing.
Meeeeeeeee!
this sounds interesting to me. Please let me know if you decide to do it.
Sounds interesting….
I’m definitely interested.
Would it fall on a certain day? That’s the only conflict I might have. My Monday & Wednesday have specific themes.
~S
I remember the Alchera Project very well. Granted that was a few blogs ago for me. Back when I was still on LiveJournal.
Anyway, that was exactly what led me to your blog. I was doing a search for Alchera Project to see if it was still around.
I would definitely love to participate.