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.

#TBR Challenge – It Came From the 1990s!: Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader’s Companion

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

It Came From the 1990s!: Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader’s Companion by J. Daniel Gifford and James Gifford was published in 2000, but that’s the end of the 1990s, it counts! This is a nonfiction catalog of all the writing … Continue reading →

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My October Reading Log

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis is fantasy romance novella set in an alternate nineteenth century England (Angland) where women do politics and men do magic. Humans have an uneasy truce with the powerful Elves. The protagonist Cassandra Harwood, a unique … Continue reading →

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My September Reading Log

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Payback in Death by J.D. Robb is fifty-seventh in this futuristic mystery series, and I continue to enjoy, from a writerly perspective, how Robb/Nora Roberts manages to both provide enough information for new readers and reward longtime readers with … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Spooky (Gothic): All Clear by Connie Willis

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

October 16, Spooky (Gothic): All Clear by Connie Willis (2010) is the second half of Blackout, which I read for the September Drama theme. It actually does fit the Spooky theme a bit, as the characters navigate London during the … Continue reading →

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Quick Stovetop Fudge Drops

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

Quick Stovetop Fudge Drops 1/4 cup milk 1 cup sugar 4 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 cup oatmeal [preferably uncooked rolled oats] 1/2 cup diced nuts, salted peanuts, or fruit … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Drama!: Blackout by Connie Willis

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

Blackout by Connie Willis came out in 2010, the first of two books that are really one book, so it ends on a cliffhanger and continues in my next month’s book, All Clear. Does it fit the theme? Oh, yes, … Continue reading →

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My August Reading Log

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Encore in Death by J. D. Robb/Nora Roberts is fifty-sixth in this massive series, which I continue reading not only because it’s a comfort read for its familiar characters and justice prevailing, but because I enjoy seeing, from a … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Everyday Heroes: Dancing Bearfoot by Elva Birch

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

August 21, Everyday Heroes: Dancing Bearfoot by Elva Birch is a confection, a short paranormal romance set in Alaska between single dad Leland/Lee, who owns a construction company, and his daughter’s preschool teacher, Patricia. Lee is a big bear of … Continue reading →

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My July Reading Log

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki (Author) and Jesse Kirkwood (Translator) is set in contemporary Japan and opens with a former tv scriptwriter whose career took a downward turn; she is now writing scripts for a dating … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – What a Wonderful World: The White Mosque: A Memoir by Sofia Samatar

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Victoria Janssen

What a Wonderful World: The White Mosque: A Memoir by Sofia Samatar (2022) hasn’t actually been on my TBR for very long; I just couldn’t wait any longer! I’ve been a fan of her poetic prose since reading her 2013 … Continue reading →

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