Every reader dreams of having a big, extravagant library: tall oak shelves, high-backed chairs, a crackling fireplace, and an impenetrable wall of books! But, some of us have…simpler budgets.Whether you’re living in the library of your dreams or a small apartment, having a special reading nook is a great addition to any space. I’ve been slowly working to convert my balcony into a reading nook…

My friend sent me a prompt of a crow and a cat walking together. After asking why they were together, I came up with this scene. Enjoy! A Familiar Comes Knocking

I’m suffering from a bit of a mental burnout for a few reasons, so this post is gonna be a bit shorter than usual. But, we just wrapped up a game of Monster of the Week in a group I’ve been playing with for about 6 months and I just wanted to reiterate my absolute delight at playing Tabletop RPGs. I’ve no doubt talked about this before, but I just love story-driven games. Whether it’s decided…

If time travel were possible, why have more than one convention? August 11th 1967

Well, here we are again. Once more, I’m at the starting line for a query letter. Definitely a lot of emotions coming up around this experience, but I know I need to do it. I wanted to talk a little bit about the agent hunting process of trying to find someone who you think will be a good fit for your work. If the act of writing is pure creation, then the process of finding an agent is like an…

A little story about music, heroes, and After Happily-Ever-After. The Last Song CasterDownload

For the last few months, I’ve been trying to think of ways to go on a writing retreat. It sounds quite appealing: arrive at a picturesque location, enjoy some shop talk with other storytellers, maybe hear an inspiring lecture, then buckle down with some well-deserved writing time! Whether it’s three days, a week, or more, the prospect of being in a self-imposed creative exile certainly sounds…

I’m a big fan of podcasts. I listen to them when I drive, filling my commute with entertainment rather than the usual ads and making the morning walk a little more tolerable. I listen to a lot of comedy and news podcasts, but I also offset that with a little extra writing talk. I don’t know many writers in real-life that I can talk shop with, so listening to other people talk about writing lets…

Personally, I love the idea of a wizard in the human world. Not even modern day wizards, but just not wizards in the company of knights. I like the idea of a wizard still helping people, but with politics and intrigue. While working this week, I had the idea of a wizard detective as the lead of an old 1920s radio show and ended up writing this over a couple of mornings before work. I recommend…

If you’re any kind of bookworm, you probably have a TBR Pile: The To Be Read Pile. The endless waterfall of books that you are going to read soon. Maybe it’s a list on your phone. Maybe it’s a section of your bookshelf. Maybe it’s a literal pile on your nightstand, looming overhead until you finally read a few to reduce the risk of the tower toppling over and smothering you in the night. Maybe…

I actually thought of this idea while working on another story. The character was also a fantasy writer (write what ya know, right?) and I needed something for him to write about. The idea was intriguing, so I decided to write that instead. Sometimes you gotta follow the muse where they lead you! Oromi’s Quest

It’s so easy to feel like writing is something that can just be jumped into. We like to think of it like sky diving, a story idea taking us up and then we free fall as the words pour out of us in a smooth, endless string that eventually forms a story. Trying to keep that focus can prove to be the most challenging part. In an age of endless texting, social media notifications or the dreaded ‘just…

Winter always makes me sleepy for some reason. Long stretches indoors, warm cups of tea, huddling under layers of blankets…it’s just so cozy and feels ideal for a long nap. But what if sleeping through the winter was an option? The Big Sleep

When I was working for a court reporting company, I called myself a Lunch Break Novelist. Each day, on my breaks and lunch, I would eat quickly and the break out my laptop to get some writing done while on my lunch break. On a good day, I could polish off a solid 700 words that I was satisfied with before having to head back to my desk. I’d spend time first thing in the morning and pick up right…

A quick piece I wrote about werewolves…because who doesn’t like werewolves? The Curse of SilverDownload

Once more, we’re rolling into the new year. To say that it’s been a rollercoaster feels like an understatement. So much has happened, both good and bad, but it’s been a year of growth. Going into 2022, I’m trying to figure out exactly what my next big project is going to be. I know I want to keep writing, submitting, and working with other writers. It’s hard to set these goals early in the year…

A short exploration on those who make the stars: The Star Forger

Hello again, friends! Today, I’m gonna talk a little about reading. Shouldn’t be surprising on a writing blog that I do enjoy the occasional book with a mug of tea, but I feel like I don’t really talk about it enough. I’d like to talk about a very specific experience I had recently, as well as give a little reading recommendation while I’m at it. I recently encountered the book Every Heart a…

I won’t lie: This one was a nail biter. My computer was in the shop for a bit, so I didn’t have access to all of my files. I managed to have this one pre-written, so I polished it up a little bit and decided to post it here! Enjoy! Key and LockDownload

Hello everyone! For those of you participating, I hope you’re doing well with your word counts! I’ve always said that Nanowrimo is the best experience to tell a story to yourself so you can prepare to write your next draft! Even if you don’t make it to the very end, you can at least say that you tried! And you’ll have more words written than 0 and that’s the real goal! This month, I’ve started…