Category: fantasy

  • Some Advice for Writing a Series

    Some Advice for Writing a Series

    As a member of The Writing Mastery Academy, I get to listen to a couple of webinars each month. These webinars feature guest authors, editors and others in the publishing field. This past weekend, I tuned into webinar with science fiction and fantasy author Scott Reintgen as guest. He spent an hour answering questions members…

  • Friday’s Findings: What I Read This Year

    Friday’s Findings: What I Read This Year

    This has been a record breaking year for my reading. So far, I’ve read 62 books and will probably finish a couple more before the end of the year. In case you’re curious, you can peruse my list of the books I read (in the order I read them). Sorry I don’t have more critique…

  • Dedicated Five Minutes

    Dedicated Five Minutes

    Rachel Aaron is a fantasy and science fiction author. My favorite two series she has written are the Eli Monpress books and the Heartstrikers. Photo by Moose Photos: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gray-double-bell-clock-1037993/

  • And We’re Off: First Day of NaNoWriMo 2023

    And We’re Off: First Day of NaNoWriMo 2023

    I belong to the writing community of Writing Mastery Academy online and I wrote this in the National Novel Writing Month discussion group this morning: “I woke up about 10 minutes before midnight, and figured I should go ahead and do a couple of word sprints. I got about 800 words in one hour, which…

  • Friday’s Findings: Writing Lessons from One Piece

    Friday’s Findings: Writing Lessons from One Piece

    I watched the new Netflix series called One Piece over the Labor Day weekend. I recommend it if you’re looking for both humor and drama. Being a pirate-themed show, One Piece has a lot of swashbuckling fun. Monkey D. Luffa wants the One Piece, a treasure hidden by the executed pirate Gol D. Roger. He…

  • Friday’s Findings: Beasts of London Book Review

    Friday’s Findings: Beasts of London Book Review

    Hidden Secrets and Dangerous Choices Murders in Victorian-era London are so savage they baffle the local authorities. These killings are so gory , they couldn’t have been done by an ordinary human. Supernatural beasts are named as the likely suspects. The police turn to the only one with otherworldly experience: Cecil Morris. And the investigation…

  • Terry Brooks: Sometimes the Magic Works (After 20 Years)

    Terry Brooks: Sometimes the Magic Works (After 20 Years)

    I attended the Imaginarium Convention last weekend, and Terry Brooks was a special guest. In 2003, I bought his book Sometimes the Magic Works, his half memoir, half writing instruction book. I read it and learned a lot. Since then, I’ve read many of his fantasy novels. At the conference, I asked him to sign…

  • “Follow the Coin” Book Review: Blood for Coins

    “Follow the Coin” Book Review: Blood for Coins

    Blood for Coins was a first for me in several ways. It was the first book I’ve read by Cam Wolfe, a YouTuber who reviews novels in the fantasy, horror and science fiction genre. It was the first thing I read on my new Kindle Fire 8 which had just been delivered to my front…

  • Oh, The Heights and Fights: A Door in the Dark, A Review

    Oh, The Heights and Fights: A Door in the Dark, A Review

    I miss the days when my book reading friends and I eagerly awaited the next Harry Potter tome. I’m always looking for a fantasy novel with the wizard academy trope, like The Magicians by Lev Grossman or Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Even the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo falls into that category.…