“The Serial Dater’s Shopping List” by Morgen Bailey

The Serial Dater’s Shopping List Morgen Bailey I read a review of “The Serial Dater’s Shopping List” on another blog and it caught my eye as a fun change of pace from some of the stuff I normally read. Besides, who doesn’t want to read about bad dates? Izzy is in many ways your typical […]

What do you call a male ingenue, anyway?

Last week I wrote about how Valya, the heroine of my upcoming release The Dreaming Land, was a “bad girl,” both by the standards of her society and of ours. She’s a bit–well, more than a bit–of a femme fatale, at least in the minds of other people. In fact, I have an ad going right […]

“A Scone to Die For” by H.Y. Hanna

A Scone to Die For H.Y. Hanna Gemma gave up her high-powered job in Sydney and moved back to Oxford to open a tea room. But she soon becomes embroiled not just in scones and toast, but in murder. “A Scone to Die For” is pretty much the quintessential cozy mystery. It has an uber-cute […]

“The Kickass Entrepreneur’s Guide to Investing” by Jeff Wiener

The Kickass Entrepreneur’s Guide to Investing Jeff Wiener Although I am not particularly an entrepreneur of any sort, and my investing tends to be pretty straightforward and in small amounts, I am interested enough in saving for retirement and financial independence to read the odd investing book, which is how I ended up being asked […]

Bad Girls: Writing a Sympathetic Anti-Heroine

When I conceived of Valya, the heroine of The Dreaming Land, I knew I wanted her to be…bad. You know, like a bad girl. And really bad, not just fake bad. But I also wanted her to be sympathetic, which created a challenge. You see, while there are plenty of literary tropes and lots of good […]

“Hands off Baghdad”: Dino MC 47, Russia, Regime Change, and America’s Chickens Coming Home to Roost

“Hands off Baghdad,” Dino MC 47 raps in his 2009 single “They Tell Us.” “Hands off Gaza.” In a song that was relevant then and even more relevant today, the Russian rapper–his stage name is a combination of his nickname “Dynamite” and AK-47–decries the current state of Russian-US and Russian-Ukrainian relations, exhorts Russia’s youth to […]

“Dragon Born” by Aaron Hodges

Dragon Born Aaron Hodges Enala doesn’t know why, but five years earlier her parents took her away from the city of Chole and have been raising her in Dragon Country ever since, her only friend a Golden dragon named Nerissa. But when an unauthorized adventure goes wrong, Enala decides to make a break for it […]

Invoking the Muse: How to Get Inspiration You Can Use III: Keeping a Dream Diary

Last time we talked about various authors who got inspiration from dreams and visions. This time we’ll talk about practical suggestions for keeping a dream/vision diary and transforming them into something you can actually use. Keep a dream diary. Every morning (or whenever you have a dream), jot down a 1-2 sentence description, or even […]

“The Flame of Battle” by Melinda R. Cordell and Pauline Creeden

The Flame of Battle Pauline Creeden and Melinda R. Cordell Dyrfinna loves battle, commanding, and dragons. But her dreams of becoming a dragonrider or getting her own command may be in jeopardy because she can’t control her magic–or her temper. After a tragic accident, will her friends and family ever forgive her? This is a […]

“The Semester of Our Discontent” by Cynthia Kuhn

The Semester of Our Discontent Cynthia Kuhn Lila Maclean, brand-new assistant professor straight out of grad school (Oh, as if! What a delightful fantasy!) has arrived at Stonedale University to start her first job. She knows she’s going to have to watch out for department politics and the intrigues and backstabbing surrounding the tenure process. […]