Author Archives: Victoria Janssen

About Victoria Janssen

Victoria Janssen [she, her] currently writes cozy space opera for Kalikoi. The novella series A Place of Refuge begins with Finding Refuge: Telepathic warrior Talia Avi, genius engineer Miki Boudreaux, and augmented soldier Faigin Balfour fought the fascist Federated Colonies for ten years, following the charismatic dissenter Jon Churchill. Then Jon disappeared, Talia was thought dead, and Miki and Faigin struggled to take Jon’s place and stay alive. When the FC is unexpectedly upended, Talia is reunited with her friends and they are given sanctuary on the enigmatic planet Refuge. The trio of former guerillas strive to recover from lifetimes of trauma, build new lives on a planet with endless horizons, and forge tender new connections with each other.

#TBRChallenge – “Tropetastic!”: Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London hasn’t been on the TBR for that long (October 2024), but it seemed a perfect fit for this theme! I love seeing fandom and fanfiction appear in other genre fiction, especially when there is meta-exploration … Continue reading →

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My February Reading Log

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Paladin’s Faith by T Kingfisher is fourth in the series, featuring Marguerite Florian and the paladin Shane, whom we met in the first book. As with the previous installments in this series, I was more invested in the worldbuilding, … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge – “Vintage”: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

For this month’s “Vintage” theme, I went with a historical novel. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones is gory historical horror set in 1912 Montana that’s in conversation with Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. More importantly, … Continue reading →

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My January Reading Log

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn is first in the “Elemental Blessings” series, a secondary-world fantasy with magic and personality types associated with/linked to elements or combinations thereof. The protagonist, for example, is linked mostly to water, which has a … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge – “Still Here”: Cold Bayou by Barbara Hambly

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

I am behind on the Benjamin January series of historical mysteries on purpose, because I like to save them up for when I have extended time to read and appreciate. Cold Bayou by Barbara Hambly (2018) is sixteenth in the … Continue reading →

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My December Reading Log

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo is horror, a genre I read only rarely, but I was completely gripped by the 1930s rural setting. Leslie Bruin, a trans man and veteran nurse of World War One, now works … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge 2026

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

TBR Challenge 2026 is a fun way to actually read all those books I’ve been accumulating over the years. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it: once a month pull a dormant book out of your TBR pile and … Continue reading →

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My November Reading Log

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb is about finding meaning and purpose in life, and discovering one’s identity. Little Ash is a Jewish demon with hardly any magic, whose Talmud study partner is a genderless … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Celebration!

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey features several celebrations including a wedding, a royal visit, and Christmas in Singapore. This book was delightful. In tone, it reminded me very much of Dorothy Gilman’s work; I felt I was in … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Change of Plans: Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux was very sweet and satisfying, by which I mean there’s a happy ending (of course! it’s a Romance!) and even the villains of the piece become sympathetic in the end, at least to … Continue reading →

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