I am overwhelmed and gratified by the number of review requests The Queen’s Quill has been receiving. I am also conscious that my reviews and posts have been few and far between, and I would like to keep readers satisfied by increasing the quantity of reviews, without sacrificing the quality.  I have pondered the idea of taking on another reviewer, but I wouldn’t embrace just anyone–she or he must approach his or her craft thoughtfully and judiciously, have an interest in Indie books, and take a clear but tactful approach to reviewing. In other words, see eye-to-eye with me.

Well, I needed look no further than my Indie co-editor at the HNS, Steve Donoghue. He writes intelligent, witty,  honest reviews. He will bring a polished professionalism to this blog and will be an excellent critic* for the Indie community. And, crucially, he reads a tremendous amount of text in a very short amount of time–opposite of the sluggish approach I am currently limited to.

Steve is managing editor of Open Letters Monthly, an art and literature review site whose aim is to (from the site itself, slightly altered by me)  “write reviews . . .  that combine an informed, accessible examination of its quarry with gamesome, intelligent, and even funny commentary.”  And I like this even more: “Here you’ll find opinions based on our belief that there’s no room in the world for either pretension or pandering.” That’s the goal of The Queen’s Quill as well. So it’s a match made in heaven.

Steve is particularly interested in novels that are set, in his words in “late Medieval and back,” with a special interest in books set in ancient Rome, ancient Egypt, or Bronze-age England.

Do check out http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/ and Steve’s personal reading blog, http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/stevereads/, to get a taste of his literary style.

*I use critic in the textbook manner, meaning “one who engages often professionally in the analysis, evaluation, or appreciation of works of art or artistic performances.” Merriam-Webster