I refuse to be merely an ally in someone else’s story. My best friend, Nima, is the heroine of her own story—even the tales she spins about other creatures and characters, she a crucial part of them. After all, she directs them. It’s her job as our Storyteller, and I do not fault her for
“Tales of Wind and Wolves” – FREE on Apple Books Read More »
Today, I’m going to name a few of my favorite YA fantasy novels. Get ready…go! Fire, by Kristin Cashore (also Graceling, which goes along with it) The Winner’s Curse, by Marie Rutkoski Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater Walk the Earth a Stranger, by
Some Favorite YA Fantasy Read More »
I am so excited to share that my next young adult fantasy, Tales of Sand and Stars, has a cover and is available for pre-order on Apple Books! Let me tell you, dear ones, a tale of sand and stars. The Kingdom of Sand found Nima wandering in the desert as a young girl. Now
Announcement: Tales of Sand and Stars is Up for Pre-order! Read More »
When I first started writing novels, I mostly wrote them in notebooks and then later typed them up. I vastly preferred drafting in notebooks, because this was in the days before I had a laptop. Even now, a notebook is much more portable. It doesn’t need batteries. I don’t have to worry about some little
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[Note: this basic story was sent out to my newsletter in March.] Almost four and a half years ago, writing under a different name, I started a young adult fantasy tale during National Novel Writing Month. The story just flowed, and I finished it that month. A few weeks later, I landed a literary agent
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I’m so excited about publishing this YA fantasy, because I’ve been working on it for years! It’s quite a bit different from my Haunted Halls books, though, so I wanted to give people a chance to check it out and decide if it might work for them. So, here’s the first chapter! Chapter One My
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Dragon Dictation is one of those handy writer tools that has saved my time (and my wrists) on more than one occasion. I first seriously considered dictation when I read Chris Fox’s 5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter because he talked up dictation as a time-saving measure. I type pretty fast, though, so
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Maggie Stiefvater’s contemporary fantasy, The Scorpio Races, came out in 2011. I read it exactly one time, but nearly eight years later, it remains one of my favorite books. Why I loved it: the push and pull between the two main characters, Puck and Sean the fantastical imagery of the demonic water horses–they were super
You Gotta Read…The Scorpio Races Read More »
As I wrap up the Haunted Halls: Winter’s Cavern trilogy, I’m already looking ahead to what’s next this year! I don’t want months and months to go by without publishing something, because let’s be honest, I’m sad when I don’t have work coming out regularly. What you might not know about me is that one
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Today’s writing topic is all about outlines and how they work for me. I’m not going to stand here (sit here, really–still haven’t put together my new standing desk) and tell you that every writer must use an outline. For me, it helps. I stress out if I don’t know where the story’s going, and
How I Write: Outlines Read More »