In my book, there is a scene with my bad guy, Siles, where he sacrifices children. A beta reader did not believe that Siles was a bad guy. I ended that debate when I added the scene. But I also am passionately against the trafficking and slavery of children. Sexual abuse. Organ harvesting. Today, I […]
So, I’m writing. This past year has been a challenge. It’s been full of pandemic. Trying to promote a book during pandemic is both easier and harder than it could be. It is easier in the sense that a lot of opportunities are virtual. I was ghost writing a book and that made writing my […]
Lola Ford is an SPFBO author from 2020. I read her book recently and was impressed enough by the book to want to do a spotlight interview. I know! We have both been cut. SPFBO is over except for those glorious winners. But Lola’s book is a perfect example of why you should read not […]
One of the things I have been very aware of over the past few years is a phenomenon I call “writer brain.” It exists in most humans I think. Some of us more than others. I first understood it, dimly, when I watched Ally McBeal back in the day. The show explains it, demonstrates it, […]
Yes, I’m going to be on TV. The show is called Fairytale Access and it is on multiple stations throughout the country as well as being broadcast on YouTube. So that is fun! I have a lot of interviews and podcasts coming as well in the next few months. All good things. So I’d really […]
It’s been out since Jan 20 but I’m just now getting around to announcing it on my blog. Sorry! It’s been quite a week. So yes. You can now buy Sorrowfish on audio at Amazon and Audible. It is also supposed to be distributed by Apple but I haven’t been able to find the page […]
I don’t know who needs to hear this today. But I was reflecting on my lunch and decided I’d put it out there. I had made CORD soup. CORD soup is Clean Out the Refrigerator Day soup. I start with tomato soup and add two cans full of water. Then I throw in whatever is […]
I see this question being asked on Reddit/Fantasy quite a bit. Some form of it. It absolutely amazes me. Honestly, my reaction is… What are they teaching in the schools these days? The reason fantasy was set on medieval European settings, specifically in English? Should be obvious. But for those of you who skipped English […]
I sort of hate Jim Butcher right now. A lot. See, I read his livejournal, which is a blog about writing. He details there what he did to write Dresden. For those of you who don’t know, Jim was a student at the University of Oklahoma and enrolled in a creative writing class. He got […]
I submit to you that while the Harlan Sanders Lifetime movie is not specifically mentioned in Revelation as a sign of the End Times? It should be. Especially when the lead is played by Slater. That is all.
Ok, so I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news first. I’m not done yet. I wrote as much as I could but I had to go back and change a lot. I took out a character and merged her with another character. I also am rewriting a whole section. I really […]
I woke up with this. I think I dreamed about it. Sometime during the night I decided writing and design were the same thing. I remember my first Elements of Design class. We had to make these notebooks, a page at a time. We made the pages from construction paper and had to find examples […]
Trying to finish my first draft of book 2 this November. I won a writing retreat for the week of Nov 4 and will be in Vermont working on it, but I’m also trying to finish my edits on the ghost book before Nov 4. Which is fun. But today I am doing Nano prep. […]
You may have noticed. I have weird dreams and sometimes write about them. I do not have dreams as weird as Sara’s. However last night was pretty close! FUN FACT: A third of the Bible has to do with dreams, dreaming and interpreting dreams. I thought that was mighty cool. Anyhow. So I have been […]
J. Rushing entered his book, Radio, into SPFBO6. This dark urban fantasy takes place in 1928 Paris, with the protagonist, Marduk. Yes, that Marduk, the Babylonian god. He has been reimagined, along with myriad other gods, not as a god, but as a creature able to Broadcast to the minds of “Monos.” They can also […]
Danielle Mathieson Pederson entered SPFBO this year with Lasera, Book One of the Mer Archives. This YA urban fantasy follows Valerie, a senior in high school as she navigates her final season as a high school diver. Valerie has suffered deep loss in her young life, but she finds hope and healing when she meets […]
Chris Ing submitted Heart and Soul Fist to the SPFBO 6. It’s a rollercoaster of a book with a well-developed Spirit world, and a seventeen year old protagonist who will steal your heart. I read the book over the weekend and found it to be charming. Jane Choi, the main character, and her family belong […]
I was cut in the nicest possible way. J.A. Andrews actually broke the news to me. I have a chronic health issue that flared today. It sent me to bed this afternoon. I crashed and when I woke up, the news was in my messages. Janice is very kind. I’m glad I heard it from […]
G.M. White entered The Swordsman’s Lament into SPFBO 6 this year. I read the book and was very impressed with his main character, Belasko. He’s an aging duellist and the king’s champion…and he’s also a foodie. Mr. White writes a heck of a fight scene. The story quickly picks up when Belasko is enmeshed in […]
Patrick Sampire entered Shadow of a Dead God in to SPFBO6. This mixture of high fantasy with a hard-boiled mystery worked. I loved the book. I’m a big fan of both Carol Berg’s “Dust and Light” duo and Harry Dresden and this book scratched the same itch in a wonderful way. The world felt Greek. […]
Allegra Pescatore wrote Where Shadows Lie and entered it in the SPFBO6. The story has a large cast and intricate plot, centering around the royal family and the rebellion against them. Princess Elenor is taken by the rebellion when her brother, the heir, tries to assassinate their father. This is a complex and mature story […]
The Alchemy Dirge surprises you with its wit and well-drawn characters. This entry into SPFBO6 was penned by Ryan Howse. While it is book 2, it does stand alone. I had no problem entering the world…and what a world it was. Aeon exists, a city several hundred years after Ragnorok, in a world that contains […]
Todd Herzman wrote A Dark Inheritance and entered it into SPFBO6. It’s the tale of three siblings, separated when a blood mage comes to town and captures the eldest. Their parents are dead. The middle child, Ella, soon goes looking for him and finds herself entangled with a group of people with aligned interests. The […]
Zack Argyle entered Voice of War into SPFBO6. This was the first SPFBO book I read after joining the competition. It was a fantastic start. While it did have the obligatory dark opening, the story itself wasn’t all dark and had moments of wonder, especially in the forest kingdom. The magic system is unique, with […]
Brandon Lindsay wrote Shoreseeker, Book One of the Farshores Saga and entered it into SPFBO this year. This is a well-crafted world with an interesting magic system …and very well-written book! The prologue is gruesome, but the rest of the book isn’t quite as dark (keep reading). It follows the main character of Tharadis, the […]
Raymond St Elmo entered The Origin of Birds in the Footprints of Writing into SPFBO this year. I loved this book. Loved it. No reservations, no problems, I absolutely recommend this book. Warning… It’s a bit strange. Imagine being let inside the head of a man who is very smart, so smart he seems mad […]
Alexzander Christion entered By the Hand of Dragons: Alinguard in SPFBO6. The book is a standalone and a quick read. It follows the young Shefa, king of the magical land of Fuumashon on his first adventure to AlinGuard, a prison where the evil inmates have taken over. The story suffers from a lack of editing. […]
Matthew Sylvester wrote Hell Hound for SPFBO 6. It’s a unique book in the contest. It’s Urban Fantasy with a lesbian, Half-Indian-from-India, foul-mouthed witch assassin as a protagonist. I’m not being clever calling her a witch. She’s actually a witch. When I say foul-mouthed, I mean it. The book has loads of swearing. There’s an […]
D.H. Willison wrote Harpyness is only Skin Deep and entered it into SPFBO 6. I read the book the week after it was booted from the contest, and I’m glad I did. It’s a fun adventure about Darin, a guy who gets an opportunity to escape his humdrum life and live on a planet with […]
Clayton Snyder entered The Oblivion Psalm into SPFBO 6. He’s known for a lot of other work (which you can see here.) This was not the type of book I normally read, but I picked it up as soon as the contest commenced. It’s dark, very very dark. This book is “dark madness” and very […]
SPFBO Author J.A. Andrews has written Dragon’s Reach and four other books which make up the The Keeper Chronicles. This is the first book in her new series The Keeper Origins, a prequel series. I read Dragon’s Reach, after reading her other books and was delighted (as usual). This classic fantasy story introduces us to […]
I was chatting today with some writers and explaining how I rate a book. It’s different than the way I think most people do it. I can find something good in almost any story. All stories have value. I hate giving out bad reviews and honestly? I have been a coward and have not given […]
In no particular order, these are songs I have listened to for book 2. I can only use titles because titles can’t be copyrighted. But if you want to hear a playlist for book 1, you can find it here. I’m not saying these songs will be in the book. I’m just saying I have […]
I love The Princess Bride. It’s probably my favorite movie. It was magical and beautiful and wondrous and nearly perfect. I love Inigo Montoya. I love Vizzini. I love Andre the Giant’s character. I love Buttercup and Westley. We quote the movie constantly around our house. Rob Reiner directed the film and I will forever […]
So I sent my latest recordings off to my coach. Ron is a saint, honestly. And he came back with bad news. My voice was still too quiet. I adjusted the gain and sent it back to him. Better! It was better. So I’m pretty sure I could have kept going. But… I realized I […]
Lorica is a word that means “Breastplate.” I got the idea from St. Patrick. His Lorica is here. I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,Through belief in the Threeness,Through confession of the Onenessof the Creator of creation. I arise todayThrough the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism,Through the strength of […]
Book Two has a heist in it. Let’s get that out of the way. There is one. Heists are fun to write. I’ve been looking at various heists throughout literature and seeing them everywhere. I love the shows “White Collar” and “Leverage.” They have gorgeous heists in them. In movies, the heists we see are […]
For those of you living under a rock for the past 5 years, there is a little war contest for self-published authors that takes place every year. It’s called the Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off and it is hosted by Mark Lawrence. To enter, one must be self-published. It’s important because out of these books, the finalists […]
UPDATE TWO: OOPS. So I got an email today. They didn’t award “Tabor’s Work.” They awarded “Fell Folk.” Which I haven’t shown to anyone. I shall post it tomorrow in its entirety. I’m really freaking out that they liked it. UPDATE: They sent me a sweet badge! Check it out! I have a long relationship […]
I studied Welsh for a few years before I wrote Sorrowfish. I took some online classes and puttered around my house, muttering in it. On Halloween I was practicing while waiting for the kids to come by. I was sitting on my porch with a fog machine, dressed in a witch’s hat. My husband laughed […]
