Has a book ever consumed you? Hooked you so completely that you smuggle it to work and read surreptitiously under the desk, and stay up all night devouring chapters to find out what happens? I read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in one sitting, curled in my dad's blue armchair that matched the... Continue Reading →
How to Write a Novel, Part 2: Crafting Characters
Last year, a friend told me she had an idea for a story. “That’s awesome!” I said. “Tell me about your characters.” “The heroine is kind of a rebel who sees things differently,” she explained. “Then there’s another girl who represents the establishment.” I stopped her and threw down some emergency novelist knowledge: characters are... Continue Reading →
Sentenced: Struggles with Short Stories
Stephen King must have a much more affectionate relationship with short stories than I do. The past two months I spent writing pieces for ASU’s cli-fi short story contest—submitting them just a few days shy of the deadline last Friday—didn’t feel like a passionate, mysterious encounter. More like a home invasion. Let’s review the charges:... Continue Reading →
Schrödinger’s Star Wars: Multiverses in Popular Fiction
“Did you see the new Star Wars movie?” I texted my friend last weekend. He’s one of the few people in my circle who shares my lifelong affection for the franchise, so I was eager to discuss it with him. “No,” he replied. “I don’t want to see what they did to it.” For him, a... Continue Reading →
“Blue Karma” A Finalist in Shelf Unbound Indie Book Competition
Blue Karma made finalist in the Shelf Unbound indie book competition. Thousands of authors submitted their novels (so I'm told) so top six is a terrific accomplishment. Sarah (@sarahplusbook), the dystopian editor for Shelf Unbound, reviewed Blue Karma this summer and encouraged me to submit it. Thanks, Sarah: here's further proof that authors need to listen to their readers! Seeing my book... Continue Reading →
Review: His Dark Materials trilogy
First, a confession: it took me much longer than it should have to read this trilogy. My dad bought The Golden Compass in a local children’s bookshop when I was about ten years old (I recall the store fondly because it had the best reading nook I’ve ever encountered: an artificial tree molded into the... Continue Reading →
Wild Type 