Current location:	Cloud 9
Current mood:	shocked
Current music:	My mom going 'Wow.'

My first review for Shaba'amlaillee
From Ann V at Colorful Reviews.
***
As unusual a tactic as it might be, I'm going to start this review by talking about another author - Tanith Lee. Of all the deities in the writing pantheon, she is the only author to whom I light a candle. I mention Ms. Lee because no author's stories lightly receive from me a favorable comparison to her work. It wouldn't matter that I was the cover artist of the (gorgeous) image gracing your erotic short, Shaba'amlaillee [http://www.coyotemoonpublications.com/?q=node/17]. It wouldn't matter that you'd favorably reviewed some of my work or that I have other covers out at Shaba's publisher, Coyote Moon Publications. So why, Ms. Woodrum, [http://www.glendawoodrum.com] am I comparing your work in Shaba to that of an author I find damn near incomparable?

To start with, Shaba, despite its short length, is a fantasy tale (equally sparse and sumptuous) set in a land that you've made both exotic and familiar at the same time. Kaevaer is a hero of unearthly beauty who travels through the harsh deserts of human lands in search of his banished brother. Marked by humans as a demon, it is a dangerous journey for him. You've populated the story with all the elements necessary for high fantasy.

Since this is an erotic short and I don't want to give away too much plot, I'd like to focus instead on how you told Kaevaer's story - in rich, vibrant detail. I could feel the sand whirling around me and see its blood-red tint. Reading of the city, I saw its gilded spires and felt the relief it offered from the desert. In a word, I was transported into Kaevaer's world by the elegant narrative and description. Building a world and populating it with strong characters and a healthy plot in some 40-50 pages is not an easy feat. To layer over that a fluid complexity of language that sings to the reader - well, that, Ms. Woodrum, is what earned you the comparison.
***
To say I'm stunned beyond all belief would be an understatement.