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Secret Summers
Ninian thinks of himself as an average 11 year old boy with normal interests. According to his Grandfather, he was named for the patron saint of Scotland. Summer vacation is here and he looks forward to the easy days of backyard, books and just hanging out. But he is invited to visit his estranged aunt Claire who lives in an old, cliff-side house on the Oregon coast. Almost as soon as he arrives, he begins encountering events both mystical and mysterious; me meets a new friend, discovers a magical lighthouse that changes things that it touches, and explores the world of Faerie, as well as his identity as his own twin sister! Suitable for all audiences, this mystery is especially fascinating for those who are intrigued by folklore and feminism.
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Glynda Shaw
10 books5 followersGlynda Shaw is a Seattle native, an aerospace engineer, a social worker, and an experimenter in alternative energy and biosystems.
"Currently for different reasons, I especially enjoy reading the novels of Patricia Cornwell, Tess Gerritsen, Mary Downing Hahn, Lisa Jackson, Lee Child, John Sandford, Lisa Unger. There are many others of course but those are the ones I drop everything to read when a new title appears.
Throughout my life I have enjoyed and respected Poul Anderson Isaac Asimov, A Bertram Chandler, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Howard Pyle, Mark Twain. More recently; Stephen Baxter, Bernard Cornwell, S. M. Stirling and of course always, Robert Louis Stevenson.
I also read a fair amount of history, technology and science. Charles Sheffield, Freeman Dyson and Gerrard K. O'Neil and probably my current favorite writers of speculative technology.
My writing influences are varied and include feminism, gender issues, the fact of my own blindness and cultural issues,including my Celtic background and a love of the Pacific Northwest and also of the American South. Most of my life a seem to have been a very small minority yelling about something or other and not always winning but generally remaining on my feet.
I try to root my stories in places I’ve been and can describe credibly. I’ve been known to take vacations places so I can get the setting right. I like to show my characters making independent decisions and creating lives that fit them even if not acceptable to all of their neighbors.
Those are the sorts of people I tend to like also; folks who know stuff and aren’t afraid to ask the questions “why not?” and “Why do things have to be this way?”
I like to champion things that are old but still good but also new things that are good but not just because they’re new and trendy. One of the most charming images I can think of, the author of which has been lost to my memory, was that of a young woman on a horse, surrounded by a force field actuated from the saddle; and she able to tesser from planet to planet, having extraordinary adventures."
"Currently for different reasons, I especially enjoy reading the novels of Patricia Cornwell, Tess Gerritsen, Mary Downing Hahn, Lisa Jackson, Lee Child, John Sandford, Lisa Unger. There are many others of course but those are the ones I drop everything to read when a new title appears.
Throughout my life I have enjoyed and respected Poul Anderson Isaac Asimov, A Bertram Chandler, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Howard Pyle, Mark Twain. More recently; Stephen Baxter, Bernard Cornwell, S. M. Stirling and of course always, Robert Louis Stevenson.
I also read a fair amount of history, technology and science. Charles Sheffield, Freeman Dyson and Gerrard K. O'Neil and probably my current favorite writers of speculative technology.
My writing influences are varied and include feminism, gender issues, the fact of my own blindness and cultural issues,including my Celtic background and a love of the Pacific Northwest and also of the American South. Most of my life a seem to have been a very small minority yelling about something or other and not always winning but generally remaining on my feet.
I try to root my stories in places I’ve been and can describe credibly. I’ve been known to take vacations places so I can get the setting right. I like to show my characters making independent decisions and creating lives that fit them even if not acceptable to all of their neighbors.
Those are the sorts of people I tend to like also; folks who know stuff and aren’t afraid to ask the questions “why not?” and “Why do things have to be this way?”
I like to champion things that are old but still good but also new things that are good but not just because they’re new and trendy. One of the most charming images I can think of, the author of which has been lost to my memory, was that of a young woman on a horse, surrounded by a force field actuated from the saddle; and she able to tesser from planet to planet, having extraordinary adventures."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 21, 2016
This story pulled me along and made me curious throughout.
The theme of a boy needing to wear girl's clothing and pose as a girl was interesting but didn't overpower the narrative. I wanted to know all about the mysterious box, the even more mysterious lighthouse, and the link between the two. I also appreciated the fact that the Pagan element in the book was properly and sensitively done.
Generally speaking, this was a fun and unconventional read.
The theme of a boy needing to wear girl's clothing and pose as a girl was interesting but didn't overpower the narrative. I wanted to know all about the mysterious box, the even more mysterious lighthouse, and the link between the two. I also appreciated the fact that the Pagan element in the book was properly and sensitively done.
Generally speaking, this was a fun and unconventional read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review