All Posts It;s easy to keep taking, once you get your first taste of plenty. Drink your beer and tell us your story… Reading Time 3 Mins Read “I had two brothers,” he said. “Not real brothers, but we grew up together in a workhouse. All of us abandoned, unwanted. Fletcher was the youngest. Brash, confident. And Arlo was the oldest with me in the middle. Nobody ever gave us anything. We had to take it. And we got good at taking what we needed to survive.” Marsh Road I turned so that we could both see the giant. It stood quite still in the marshland on the north side of the road, its legs sunk several feet into the muck. Almost as tall as the towering cypress trees, it gazed down at us. The Marsh Road – Digital Art Reading Time < 1 Min Read Guys, I’m really digging this Procreate thing. It is making it so easy for a hobby artist with minimal skill create gorgeous art, including this scene set on the Marsh Road! It’s long been a dream of mine to be able to draw my characters and scenes, but I haven’t had the ambition to really learn the fundamentals of drawing. (I have way too many hobbies already, lol.) But now that certain tools and apps are available – along with plenty of resources online – my dream is becoming a reality. And I am so into it! Check out my… ti107396 Body Positivity, the 90s, and You Reading Time 6 Mins Read I probably saw it several times as a kid, because even though I remembered NOTHING about it, several of the scenes and lines felt like intense deja vu. But I’m glad I didn’t have any preconceived notions about it, because watching this movie through the lens of current gender politics and beauty standards was a real trip. 40024139 Serpent & Dove – Review Reading Time 5 Mins Read An easy, fast paced read with sharp characters and a satisfying romance. Serpent & Dove was an easy purchase for me. I started with the audiobook from my library, stopped listening about halfway through, and bought the paperback to finish out the story. I also bought the sequel, which I’ll report back on soon. If the various plot points had been better connected throughout the book, this would have been a slam dunk Five Stars!!!! With two thumbs up. 58041933 Breathless – Review Reading Time 3 Mins Read Rating: Three Stars – I have to say, Breathless didn’t quite hold up to the standards set by the previous two books. I still enjoyed it; it’s a fast read and I’m still invested in the overall series. I want to know what happens. But This third book in the series definitely isn’t my favorite of the bunch. 56045889 Restless – Review Reading Time 4 Mins Read Rating: Four Stars – I don’t know how Ava Cates does it, but she really sucks you in. Despite the fact that Restless has just as many technical problems as the first book in the series, it still manages to make me forget everything else while I read it. d7vgkKkZkNAUwxffyNkt8k-1200-80 Plot Driven vs Character Driven Reading Time 7 Mins Read Is it really so crazy for one story to be both plot driven and character driven at the same time? No! 28953499 Someone to Love – Review Reading Time 4 Mins Read Rating: Five Stars – If you’re into historical romance, then this book is for you. Period. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve found a book that I can’t wait to get back to. Someone to Love was exactly that book. The characterizations for Avery and Anna were deep, well drawn, and produced a romance that was both inevitable and satisfying. 26032825 The Cruel Prince – Review Reading Time 2 Mins Read I’m intentionally not leaving a rating this time because I don’t think I’m the right audience for it. I didn’t finish it, but others will probably love it. It turns out I am REALLY not into bully romances. Just, not at all. All the crap that the MC goes through in early chapters at the hands of the other fairies was so upsetting I just… ugh. I don’t read books to feel like that. 42686811 Wicked Intentions – Review Reading Time 5 Mins Read Rating: DNF – I was willing to put up with the mediocre writing, because the smut seemed promising. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the steamy scenes hinted at in early chapters, because it turns out Lord Caire is a magnificent asshole. bechdel The Bechdel Test – A Rant Reading Time 8 Mins Read The Bechdel Test is a metric for female representation in fiction. In this day and age, it is no longer relevant. heart-700141_1920 What Romance Writers Know… Reading Time 4 Mins Read The question often comes up in general writer groups, what can other writers learn from your favorite genre? Guaranteed, someone will say “Romance writers know how to put tropes to good use” within the first five minutes. the-umbrella-academy-allison-luther-diego-1551713187 Luther and Allison – One Plus Three Does Not Equal Four… Reading Time 8 Mins Read Every main character gets a romance at some point during the current two seasons. But Luther and Allison are supposed to be the epic love story. Except they do it so half-assed it hurts to watch. I think this may be the only time I’ve ever seen a tv show or movie break the cardinal sin of “telling not showing.” When Short Stories Suddenly Start Making Sense… The Structure of a Short Story Reading Time 7 Mins Read This post is for anyone else who is learning by doing. Because over the summer (while writing Waking Up the Giants) I had an ah-hah moment. Screen Shot 2021-07-26 at 8.27.09 PM Writing Close – Making Exceptions Reading Time 4 Mins Read This is (in my opinion) one of the most effective tools in the relationship toolbox. Don’t worry, I’ll go into way too much detail as to why, as usual. doctor-who-catherine-tate-1547803395 The Doctor Donna Reading Time 7 Mins Read Okay, I know I said Rose was my favorite companion, but honestly Donna is kind of my favorite, too! waking the giants 1.3 final cover Waking Up the Giants Reading Time 3 Mins Read I am so excited to announce that my latest short story is available now! Waking Up the Giants is one of those niggling little stories that started out one way… and of course became something entirely new and amazing that I would have NEVER predicted. This story started with a song, specifically Waking Up the Giants by Grizfolk. Every time this song came up on my playlist, I always thought, “Man, this could make a great story.” And I was totally right. Harry-and-Cedric-Featured-Social-Media-Image Contrivance vs. Agency Reading Time 4 Mins Read I read an article lately warning authors against contrivances in their stories. But if you read it really closely, you may have spotted the “why” of it all. Why are contrivances bad? Screen Shot 2021-06-26 at 1.01.54 PM Death by Snu Snu – Did Futurama Cross a Line in Sexism? Reading Time 5 Mins Read Okay, let me start this out by saying that Futurama is my all-time, hands-down, no-question, favorite show of all time. But there is one episode that, even though it’s just as well done as every other, toes right up to the line of offensive. In case you couldn’t tell by the title, the episode in question is S03E05 Amazon Women in the Mood. Did this episode cross a line in terms of consent and sexism? How far is too far? Screen Shot 2021-06-18 at 5.38.25 PM Jeff and Annie – How Community Dropped the Ball on a Beloved Romance Trope Reading Time 7 Mins Read I think we can all agree that Community is one of the better caricature sitcoms out there. The acting, writing, and comedy gags are just spectacular. Top notch, especially in early seasons. As a whole, Community is amazing. But for Jeff’s relationship arc with Annie? The writers totally shit the bed. It would have been fine to omit the romance entirely, but to tease us with it and then fail to deliver? Blech. Not cool cool cool. 55775059 Speechless – Review Reading Time 5 Mins Read I have to admit, I was really torn when it came to rating this one. On one hand, the characters and the paranormal aspect of the plot were fantastic. Just loved it. I was strongly tempted to give this book three stars. But at the end of the day, I genuinely want to read the next book. I want to know what happens next! So despite the many technical failings, I have to be honest. It’s a four star book that simply lacks polish. Load More Loading More… You’ve reached the end of the list
It;s easy to keep taking, once you get your first taste of plenty. Drink your beer and tell us your story… Reading Time 3 Mins Read “I had two brothers,” he said. “Not real brothers, but we grew up together in a workhouse. All of us abandoned, unwanted. Fletcher was the youngest. Brash, confident. And Arlo was the oldest with me in the middle. Nobody ever gave us anything. We had to take it. And we got good at taking what we needed to survive.”
Marsh Road I turned so that we could both see the giant. It stood quite still in the marshland on the north side of the road, its legs sunk several feet into the muck. Almost as tall as the towering cypress trees, it gazed down at us. The Marsh Road – Digital Art Reading Time < 1 Min Read Guys, I’m really digging this Procreate thing. It is making it so easy for a hobby artist with minimal skill create gorgeous art, including this scene set on the Marsh Road! It’s long been a dream of mine to be able to draw my characters and scenes, but I haven’t had the ambition to really learn the fundamentals of drawing. (I have way too many hobbies already, lol.) But now that certain tools and apps are available – along with plenty of resources online – my dream is becoming a reality. And I am so into it! Check out my…
ti107396 Body Positivity, the 90s, and You Reading Time 6 Mins Read I probably saw it several times as a kid, because even though I remembered NOTHING about it, several of the scenes and lines felt like intense deja vu. But I’m glad I didn’t have any preconceived notions about it, because watching this movie through the lens of current gender politics and beauty standards was a real trip.
40024139 Serpent & Dove – Review Reading Time 5 Mins Read An easy, fast paced read with sharp characters and a satisfying romance. Serpent & Dove was an easy purchase for me. I started with the audiobook from my library, stopped listening about halfway through, and bought the paperback to finish out the story. I also bought the sequel, which I’ll report back on soon. If the various plot points had been better connected throughout the book, this would have been a slam dunk Five Stars!!!! With two thumbs up.
58041933 Breathless – Review Reading Time 3 Mins Read Rating: Three Stars – I have to say, Breathless didn’t quite hold up to the standards set by the previous two books. I still enjoyed it; it’s a fast read and I’m still invested in the overall series. I want to know what happens. But This third book in the series definitely isn’t my favorite of the bunch.
56045889 Restless – Review Reading Time 4 Mins Read Rating: Four Stars – I don’t know how Ava Cates does it, but she really sucks you in. Despite the fact that Restless has just as many technical problems as the first book in the series, it still manages to make me forget everything else while I read it.
d7vgkKkZkNAUwxffyNkt8k-1200-80 Plot Driven vs Character Driven Reading Time 7 Mins Read Is it really so crazy for one story to be both plot driven and character driven at the same time? No!
28953499 Someone to Love – Review Reading Time 4 Mins Read Rating: Five Stars – If you’re into historical romance, then this book is for you. Period. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve found a book that I can’t wait to get back to. Someone to Love was exactly that book. The characterizations for Avery and Anna were deep, well drawn, and produced a romance that was both inevitable and satisfying.
26032825 The Cruel Prince – Review Reading Time 2 Mins Read I’m intentionally not leaving a rating this time because I don’t think I’m the right audience for it. I didn’t finish it, but others will probably love it. It turns out I am REALLY not into bully romances. Just, not at all. All the crap that the MC goes through in early chapters at the hands of the other fairies was so upsetting I just… ugh. I don’t read books to feel like that.
42686811 Wicked Intentions – Review Reading Time 5 Mins Read Rating: DNF – I was willing to put up with the mediocre writing, because the smut seemed promising. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the steamy scenes hinted at in early chapters, because it turns out Lord Caire is a magnificent asshole.
bechdel The Bechdel Test – A Rant Reading Time 8 Mins Read The Bechdel Test is a metric for female representation in fiction. In this day and age, it is no longer relevant.
heart-700141_1920 What Romance Writers Know… Reading Time 4 Mins Read The question often comes up in general writer groups, what can other writers learn from your favorite genre? Guaranteed, someone will say “Romance writers know how to put tropes to good use” within the first five minutes.
the-umbrella-academy-allison-luther-diego-1551713187 Luther and Allison – One Plus Three Does Not Equal Four… Reading Time 8 Mins Read Every main character gets a romance at some point during the current two seasons. But Luther and Allison are supposed to be the epic love story. Except they do it so half-assed it hurts to watch. I think this may be the only time I’ve ever seen a tv show or movie break the cardinal sin of “telling not showing.”
When Short Stories Suddenly Start Making Sense… The Structure of a Short Story Reading Time 7 Mins Read This post is for anyone else who is learning by doing. Because over the summer (while writing Waking Up the Giants) I had an ah-hah moment.
Screen Shot 2021-07-26 at 8.27.09 PM Writing Close – Making Exceptions Reading Time 4 Mins Read This is (in my opinion) one of the most effective tools in the relationship toolbox. Don’t worry, I’ll go into way too much detail as to why, as usual.
doctor-who-catherine-tate-1547803395 The Doctor Donna Reading Time 7 Mins Read Okay, I know I said Rose was my favorite companion, but honestly Donna is kind of my favorite, too!
waking the giants 1.3 final cover Waking Up the Giants Reading Time 3 Mins Read I am so excited to announce that my latest short story is available now! Waking Up the Giants is one of those niggling little stories that started out one way… and of course became something entirely new and amazing that I would have NEVER predicted. This story started with a song, specifically Waking Up the Giants by Grizfolk. Every time this song came up on my playlist, I always thought, “Man, this could make a great story.” And I was totally right.
Harry-and-Cedric-Featured-Social-Media-Image Contrivance vs. Agency Reading Time 4 Mins Read I read an article lately warning authors against contrivances in their stories. But if you read it really closely, you may have spotted the “why” of it all. Why are contrivances bad?
Screen Shot 2021-06-26 at 1.01.54 PM Death by Snu Snu – Did Futurama Cross a Line in Sexism? Reading Time 5 Mins Read Okay, let me start this out by saying that Futurama is my all-time, hands-down, no-question, favorite show of all time. But there is one episode that, even though it’s just as well done as every other, toes right up to the line of offensive. In case you couldn’t tell by the title, the episode in question is S03E05 Amazon Women in the Mood. Did this episode cross a line in terms of consent and sexism? How far is too far?
Screen Shot 2021-06-18 at 5.38.25 PM Jeff and Annie – How Community Dropped the Ball on a Beloved Romance Trope Reading Time 7 Mins Read I think we can all agree that Community is one of the better caricature sitcoms out there. The acting, writing, and comedy gags are just spectacular. Top notch, especially in early seasons. As a whole, Community is amazing. But for Jeff’s relationship arc with Annie? The writers totally shit the bed. It would have been fine to omit the romance entirely, but to tease us with it and then fail to deliver? Blech. Not cool cool cool.
55775059 Speechless – Review Reading Time 5 Mins Read I have to admit, I was really torn when it came to rating this one. On one hand, the characters and the paranormal aspect of the plot were fantastic. Just loved it. I was strongly tempted to give this book three stars. But at the end of the day, I genuinely want to read the next book. I want to know what happens next! So despite the many technical failings, I have to be honest. It’s a four star book that simply lacks polish.
