Blog
Redemption by Motherhood – Lady Featherington’s Mic Drop
I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who binged watched Netflix’s Bridgerton recently. I just finished my watch through last night, and there was a quote from Lady Featherington in the final episode of season two that really intrigued me.
Sisters – New Digital Art
I’ve completed my latest digital art, featuring Gwen and Josephine from Little Owl. This isn’t from any particular scene from the book, but I just wanted to paint something happy. This is how I picture the sisters hanging out when life is a little less exciting. These little slices of life are beautiful to look at and are certainly desirable for our day to day lives, but they don’t make very exciting fiction lol.
Adam’s Mom
The Adam Project took the time to really appreciate this underrated role of the grieving, single mother. Despite her low screen time, she’s not a placeholder. She’s a real character. And I don’t mean to be beat a dead horse here, but they accomplished it without having Ellie speak to a single other female character. Which I think is very cool. Because it is and always will be my stance that a woman doesn’t need another woman around to be a woman.
Coming Soon: The Glass Wheel
If you’ve been following me on social media, you probably already know I’ve started writing a new short story called The Glass Wheel. But I haven’t gotten into to much detail on those forums – mostly because it’s hard to get wordy on Instagram, lol. But now that my deadline is looming (March 13th!!), it’s time to start getting the word out for real!
Digital Art – Cael
Cael stood near the front door, his hat in his hands. Our farm hand, the one we’d taken on when we’d expanded into two new fields a few years before. He’d always been this distant, beautiful thing on the far side of the yard, a private daydream just for me. I used to watch him from this very window as he bundled up the flax to dry in tidy little towers, or stood staring at the sunset.
February Query Update
Well, as many of you know, I have begun querying Little Owl in earnest about two weeks ago. And let me tell you, it’s hell. Querying a novel is literally setting yourself up for daily rejection, but it’s the only way to get into traditional publishing. So I have to just do my best to stay positive and keep moving forward.
How to NOT Give Your Characters “Depth”
So we were doing a little brainstorming how to add a bit more oomph to her character, when she happened to Google it… just to see what comes up. And let me tell you, the results got me seeing red.
How Important is Setting in Romance?
Someone asked a question on Facebook today that really got me thinking. That’s what I love about online communities. They make me look at the various aspects of story telling in different, specific ways. I don’t think I have ever thought much about WHERE two characters get nasty, and therefore I’ve never thought much about why I haven’t thought about it. But when someone asked for ideas for “romantic locations for two characters to make love” today, I thought to myself, “Why haven’t I ever thought about the romantic setting?”
Drink your beer and tell us your story…
“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.”
The Marsh Road – Digital Art
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 first full illustration – environment and all! The Marsh Road!
Body Positivity, the 90s, and You
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.
Serpent & Dove – Review
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.
Breathless – Review
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.
Restless – Review
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.
Plot Driven vs Character Driven
Is it really so crazy for one story to be both plot driven and character driven at the same time? No!