I will be very honest and admit that I had never ever heard of this book until it was mentioned in a conversation between Edward and Bella in Midnight Sun. But, like Edward, I decided I needed a copy to try it out. Now, I can say that I am very glad I did! Jo Walton’s Tooth and Claw was a very fun and entertaining story of life, death, love and money – among dragons!
Personally, I loved it all. The array of characters was delightful and the culture they live in fascinating (so like ours, and yet so different). The story itself is charming. The time period has a Regency Era feel to it (thus the Jane Austen reference), with the strict social mores and class distinctions that make romantic development particularly challenging and exciting. But then adding dragons to the mix brings a whole new level of complexity. For instance, these majestic creatures “blush” and reveal a color change for romantic attraction if they are female. Yet they are still animals, turning by-the-book courtroom proceedings into a fight to the death and consuming their own young if the hatchlings are too weak. They act human, but they are not human (and of course, y’all know how I am fascinated with monsters, especially ones that reveal our own humanity). It’s a story worth reading to be sure! What I really loved was the interplay of fantasy with what would otherwise be a historical romance. Dragons and Jane Austen are not two subjects that I would have imagined blending well together. Yet it worked! Instead of feeling the story was too complex or off-putting in anyway, I see within these pages proof that the mixing of genres can create a richer story. I actually take quite a bit of encouragement from this. I’ve long felt the need to explain or prepare readers for the kind of books that I write, as if the various elements I’ve intertwined may not make sense to everyone. Sure, I think my stories are worthwhile and that’s why I continue to write them, but in the back of my mind there were always doubts. “Paranormal romance” and “Christian” are just not the kinds of themes that naturally mix! And while a successful combination of unrelated story concepts here doesn’t automatically mean that mine will work out just as well, it is reassuring to know that creating something “different” can sometimes be a very good thing. Who knows? Maybe I’ll start a new trend ;-P. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/tooth-and-claw-dragon-drama-with-a-hint-of-jane-austen P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!
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And by that subtitle, I’m not referring to the characters falling in love on the first page, but to myself, falling in love with this trilogy from the very start! XD The story of Will, Jem and Tessa is well worth reading and involves evil automatons, explosive inventions, and the mystery of Tessa’s own past, all rolled into three delicious novels :-D.
The Infernal Devices (Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess) are written by Cassandra Clare, the same author as The Mortal Instruments, but these are historical fiction instead of contemporary fiction. It’s amazing how deducting 100 years (these stories start in 1878) eliminates all the “objectionable material” I complained about in the original 6-part series! Magnus Bane is not flamboyantly gay or covered in glitter, the one character with questionable morals turns out to be a good man putting on a false front, and the characters aren’t jumping into bed together. In fact, the one “lovemaking” scene (if you can call it that) is purely implied and features zero details – plus, the characters happen to be facing imminent death and misery, so you’re desperate for them to have a small measure of happiness anyway. And the “ribald humor” of that era wouldn’t even be considered PG-13 by today’s standards; talk like “I seek scandal and low brow women” sounds amusing rather than crude. It wasn’t just the that the story was clean and appropriate, however. I also loved the characters! Will is hilarious – clearly sarcasm is a Herondale family trait XD. Jem has a wonderfully steady and calm personality, in fact, I would have married himself! And Tessa was awesome. She’s a bookworm, like me! She’s also very practical – she can put her emotions aside and focus on what’s important at the time. I could relate to her far better than I ever could with Clary from The Mortal Instruments. Even the minor characters were adorable, such as Henry the absent-minded inventor and his penchant for setting things on fire, along with his wife, the indomitable Charlotte. (Plus, getting to see their marriage blossom was another fantastic aspect of these books!) But my favorite part of this trilogy was probably how well-woven the love triangle was. This may in fact have been the best love triangle I’ve ever read! And I say that because the author did it right: none of the sneaking behind someone’s back or trying to talk someone out of an engagement like you might find in contemporary stories. This love triangle featured a deep sense of honor – there were no tricks or betrayal, all parties were honest and forthright in their commitments – there was only love that is and love that cannot be. And, thanks to the unique nature of immortal characters, both sides of the love triangle were able to be lived and enjoyed fully :-D. I’m not sure I can fully express how much I loved and enjoyed this set of books. I find myself inspired to uphold the standards of a bygone era; even if it means going back in time by a century or more, these are the morals and ideals I want to read and write about. I will gladly recommend these novels to anyone without reservations, and in today’s world, that can be a challenge. I can only hope that others are able to say the same for my stories ;-). What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/the-infernal-devices-love-at-the-first-page P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list! The Mortal Instruments were a New York Times bestselling series, and there’s ad copy across the front and back ends of the books saying that “fifty million readers can’t be wrong,” yet there were many elements to these books that made it hard for me to truly enjoy them. A lot of what I had trouble swallowing had to do with how the author created relationship drama. There was the barely contained passionate incest between Clary and Jace that lasted for books 2 & 3 (I almost gave up then and there, I kid you not – if I hadn’t read ahead and discovered they weren’t really siblings, I probably would have stopped). There’s at least one same-sex relationship, and I’m not into that, especially when it’s so descriptive ><. There’s the part where Simon is kind of two-timing with Isabelle and Maia, and the “we’re not really dating/ it's just casual” excuse was way past its expiration date. There’s poor Isabelle feeling burdened with the knowledge of her father’s affair. There’s Maia jumping into bed with Jordan so soon after they are reunited, yet as the series ends you learn she was planning to break up with him already (his untimely death just happened to save her that step). All these elements are drawn from the real world, yet there are no consequences for these “wrong” actions and that gives the audience the impression that all of this is considered acceptable. And that’s not what I want to see when the whole reason I’m reading is to escape from reality. Then there’s the Clave. For whatever good they may accomplish, the Clave remains as a governing body that accepts racial discrimination, unfair punishments, and the torture of children to verify the accuracy of information. And there’s no indication that this particular system of government will be altered or improved in the future. Not all the members of the Clave are so cold-hearted, and we all know that discrimination and unfairness are very human tendencies, but still. One tends to expect better from the supposed guardians of mankind. And, for the romantic in me, I struggled with Clary and Jace’s relationship. I really, REALLY liked Jace as a character (I guess I have a thing for the “tortured hero struggling to overcome his past” – ahem, Jesse! – plus he has so many amazing one-liners, I’m totally jealous XD) and it was so frustrating to wait for their relationship to finally *happen*. It literally takes all 6 books for them to really be together. If it’s not one thing, it’s another: there’s that whole we-think-we’re-siblings issue, or there’s Sebastian controlling Jace’s will, or Jace is having issues because he's haunted by his past, etc. I wanted them to have a happily-ever-after, and it did eventually get there, but it’s almost too little, too late. There were only a couple of scenes in the entire 6 volume arc where Clary and Jace truly had the chance to be happy together – and when the struggle far outweighs the success, I kind of start to give up. All that to say, they were exciting, action-packed books. The plot was driven (a touch slow in the first book, but the pace picks up quickly after that!), the villains were wicked and the darkness was personal, the characters were colorful (perhaps too colorful, in some cases O_o) – yet it wasn’t all that “fun” to read. Maybe I’m picky, but there were just so many elements that detracted from the story that I couldn’t really enjoy it. And if it’s not fun to read, what’s the point? I guess that explains why I write what I write – because I want to be able to enjoy it! What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/the-mortal-instruments-hard-to-enjoy P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list! The Mortal Instruments are a 6-part fantasy series by Cassandra Clare. The novels follow Clary Fray as she stumbles into the world of magic and the supernatural. Over the course of the story, Clary discovers she’s a Shadowhunter – a Nephilim destined to protect the human world from demon invasions. She and her friends – both old and new – must battle the evil that springs forth from a past she doesn’t even remember. Love and life are both on the line as this group of teens fight to save the world! Interestingly, one element of The Mortal Instruments that I appreciated was the author’s stance on religion – which is to say, it was hardly mentioned at all. (Only Simon is described as having a religious identity – he’s Jewish, but it was mentioned the same way you might say someone’s favorite color is orange.) I felt slightly apprehensive as I started this series; the Shadowhunters are Nephilim, created from both humans and angels, and I’ve already had a disappointing experience reading about angels and humans in Fallen. But when it became clear that faith wasn’t going to play any real part in this story, I relaxed. I’d rather religion be ignored than displayed incorrectly. In fact, I think what Jace says in the first book – that if God exists, He doesn’t care about them – is exceedingly accurate. As Nephilim, they are not part of God’s chosen people, and therefore God is just as likely to ignore them as anything else. Since they do in fact serve to protect humanity, I can where God would tolerate their existence, as opposed to simply wiping them off the face of the earth, but go no further. (This is assuming a world in which “all the stories are true,” as the foreword in each volume states; you know how I like my fiction to be compatible with my beliefs from the real world!) Although, despite the story’s avoidance of religion in general, there were what appeared to be an abundance of Bible quotes. However, no reference information is provided – either in the text, or as a footnote or endnote. So there’s no way to know for sure if those quotes were actually from Scripture. At first this frustrated me – it sounded like the Bible, I wanted to know where in the Bible it was from, if it was! But as the story wore on, I realized that since all of those “quotes” – if indeed they are quotes – are pulled out of context and used to refer to something other than intended. For example, they are used as clues for deducing a location or as tidbits explaining parts of Nephilim history. So perhaps it was for the best that those lines aren’t actually labeled as Scripture. If you’re going to use it, use it right or don’t use it at all! XD Of course, I include strong religious themes in my stories because I’m trying to make the point that God is mightier than magic, and I enjoy the challenge of weaving my faith into my fantasy in such a way that is respectful and appropriate for sharing Christianity. I don’t often quote the Bible in my books (perhaps that will change, so far it just hasn’t seemed right for the story), but if I do, my goal is to do it in such a way that no one comes away disappointed :-). I have more to share on these books, but in the meantime, what do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading ;-). P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/the-mortal-instruments-faithless P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!
I do believe I’ve mentioned Charlie N. Holmberg a time or two… or ten XD. My most recent post was on her Numina trilogy, but there have been numerous others. This time, it’s another of her stand-alone novels, The Will and the Wilds.
The story follows Enna and her dealings with the mysting Maekallus, which run the gamut of fighting off other magical creatures, using an enchanted stone, and preventing a war between two realms. As per usual with Ms. Holmberg, the story takes you into a captivating fantasy world and features a subtle romantic twist. In other words, I loved it! My only complaint with these books is that I struggle to put them down. (But even then, is that really a bad thing? ;-P) And partway through the novel, I realized something about this particular story that might explain why: it’s because the book is written in present tense. Ms. Holmberg’s use of present tense provides a strange sense of urgency. It feels as if the story itself – happening right now – is beckoning you onward, compelling you to continue. Past tense, which is more commonly found in storytelling, subconsciously reassures us that all these events have already taken place, therefore we are not required to rush into reading them (unless, of course, the story is just that exciting). Another of her books is also written in present tense – Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet. Though I don’t recall exactly if I felt the same driving compulsion to read that novel all the way through at once, I’m sure I felt something similar. I can honestly say that I’ve never actually tried writing a story in the present tense. I’m not even sure I’ve considered it. My automatic default – as it is for most writers – is to write like everything already happened in the past. I’ve dabbled in different perspectives: first person is my favorite, though I have a few stories that do better with omniscient third… still, both of those are fairly common in the writing world. I don’t know if I would be able to break the past tense habit. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel compelled to try. But now, after feeling its effects, I’m curious. I think it takes a special kind of story to play out well in present tense – and I won’t lie, I’m rather addicted to my first person past POV – but maybe someday I’ll find just the right book to try something new ;-). What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/the-will-and-the-wilds-and-the-present-tense P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list! In line with the trend that is becoming more and more common, I wrote a post on a series, then realized I had more to share! So this time I’m returning to finish what I started last month, namely the discussion on Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion trilogy. Perhaps what intrigued me the most in these stories was how the setting impacted the message of the story. Ancient Rome makes for a fascinating backdrop – all of its problems seem so modern, so much like what we face today, which makes the story very relatable. At the same time, the ancient timetable (beginning immediately after the fall of Jerusalem) made the inclusion of religion feel very natural. In this time and place, religion and politics were interconnected and very much impacted one another. And while that is still true for other countries around the world, here in American society it’s possible to go about your day-to-day life without even thinking about religion. Sometimes it’s challenging to find ways to connect faith into modern stories; whereas the defeat of the holy city and the persecution of Christians by Roman emperors were very much the crux of what drives Hadassah’s story. As helpful as it would be to write stories based in times of religious persecution or historical signification to make the faith element feel like a solid part of the plot, I doubt I will ever take that plunge. I honestly don’t think I have the patience or desire to do the research that a full-length novel would require. The short stories outlining the history of Jesse and Alex were enough XD (which can be found in The Supernatural Reasons Why I Love You). But finding more ways to tie in the faith – not just in the character’s thoughts, but perhaps also in what those around them see or experience – now that’s a goal I will definitely aspire to ;-). What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/mark-of-the-lion-part-2-location-location-location P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!
I took one look at the covers of this series by Francine Rivers, and I thought, “Finally! An adult romance that I won’t feel guilty or embarrassed about reading!” XD And I was not disappointed!
The Mark of the Lion series follows Hadassah, a Jewish slave girl, for the first two books and then Atretes, a former gladiator, for the last volume. Hadassah’s journey takes her from the fall of Jerusalem to Rome, where she eventually comes to love the son of the family she serves and shares her faith with them in a time of cultural corruption. Atretes’ story travels from Rome to his homeland of Germania as he reclaims his son and discovers Christ along the way. Both are wonderful historical romances, with plenty of (clean!) passion and a strong emphasis on the Christian faith. There was so much I loved about these books! I found myself involved with the characters and their struggles and was constantly looking for more time to read :-D. I loved seeing the invisible hand of God in the choices and actions of others that led Hadassah to where she ended up. I loved seeing the calm acceptance of fate in the believers (Hadassah, Prometheus, Rizpah) versus the anxiety and desperation of nonbelievers. And I especially loved seeing Hadassah through the eyes of the family she served – the sense of peace and joy she emanated was so clear. It made me wonder, “Is that what we look like? Do other people really see us that that way?” The stories were very encouraging and made me want to deepen my own faith so that I would better reflect God’s love and be that light on a hilltop for others to see. I think the one *tiny* detail that bothered me in these books was the author’s dismissive treatment of medicine in the second volume. The way the story is written, it seems as if medical care is useless and the only true healing comes directly from prayer. As a nurse who actively works in the medical field, I understand that while God is in control, and while spiritual healing is just as important (if not more so) that physical healing, there is still a fair amount of physical healing that can and should be done! But that detail was minor and ultimately didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. I felt mollified in knowing that ancient Rome did not have the medicine we have today – prayer may in fact have been the more effective healer in those days – and also by the fact that the effectiveness of medicine wasn’t the point of the story. The point was the power of faith, and what better way to show that then with a scarred healer whose prayers bring miracles not otherwise possible? I have more thoughts on this wonderful series, but I’ll share them next time! What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/mark-of-the-lion-christian-writing-at-its-finest P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!
I remember the first time I encountered the story of Inkheart: my father and I had just moved into a new apartment in Dallas, and we rented the DVD (do people still do that anymore?) since we hadn’t unpacked our movies yet. It was a fun movie (thank you, Brendan Fraser) and years later I finally found the time to read the book.
Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy (Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath) follow Mo and his daughter Meggie on their adventures with characters from a book known as “Inkheart,” first in their world, and later in the “Inkworld” itself. The catch? Both father and daughter can “read” books to life! That premise alone is most intriguing part of the story: being able to read aloud, and the words in a book come true. It’s every booklover’s secret wish. Of course, as the story goes on and the twists get darker and darker, you see very clearly that you must be careful what you wish for. A subtle lesson can be found tucked within these lengthy pages: as much as man might desire to try, there’s only one person who can speak words into being without disastrous consequences, and that’s God. I will say, I was mildly disappointed in these books. Each book is quite thick (over 500 pages each in paperback), yet the books felt very long compared to the actual plot. I felt like I spent most of the series just waiting for something to happen. And speaking of waiting, the main characters seemed to spend more time being captured or imprisoned than any other heroes I’ve ever met! On the plus side, those same characters (and especially the villains) were very well-fleshed out. There’s also a lot of imagery and scene-building, which probably explains why the story felt slow – maybe not much was happening, but you could picture it really well XD. And something I really enjoyed that was rather unique to these novels were the quotes from other books that the author placed at the beginning of every chapter, setting the tone for what was about to happen. I was especially excited to see lines quoted from books I’d already read ;-). Including quotes from other places isn’t a new concept in books; though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used quite as frequently as here in Inkheart. And with one per chapter and 50 chapters or more per book, that’s a lot of quotes! So far, the lines I include at the start of my novels are actually ones I’ve written myself – and I’m happy to continue that pattern, as long as I have inspiration to do so. However, I have been known to quote other novels within the text of the story itself. Look for superscript numbers (corresponding to the endnotes page) in my books to see what other stories I think are worth quoting! What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/inkheart-big-book-small-story-and-lots-of-quotes P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!
I’m generally not a fan of stories that don’t have a classic sort of happy ending. So, picking up a post-apocalyptic fantasy on a recommendation from a friend was a bit of stretch outside my comfort zone. But I have no regrets!
The Book of M by Peng Shepherd follows the stories of a handful of characters as they make their way through a world where losing your shadow means losing your memories. And once people start losing their memories, the entire world starts to change. The consequences of lost shadows turn out to be just as disastrous as the solution is fantastical – and the journey from one to the other is nothing short of a miracle. *Spoiler Alert for the next paragraph!* I think this may be the first time I’ve read a book that didn’t have a traditional “happily ever after” and actually been okay with the ending. You see, you spend most of your time following Ory and Max (a married couple you meet at the very beginning) and hoping that they will be reunited and that Max’s memories will be restored. What you don’t realize right away is that on their separate adventures, they’re actually growing apart. They’re almost becoming new people as they adapt to all the changes in the world around them. And then Ory starts to move on, to begin again with someone new, because it really does seem as if Max is gone. So when Max is supposedly rescued and restored, it seems almost cruel. Ory doesn’t seem to be relieved or excited for his wife’s return :-/. In a way, I’m actually glad it wasn’t the real Max. It was a terrible shock at first – one person’s memories attached to another person’s body – but the ending gave me hope that they would all find a fresh start in this brave new world. Perhaps the initial memories that make things so complicated for “M” (as the hybrid character names herself) will fade, the way early childhood memories often do. Perhaps Ory will get a real chance at a relationship with someone who knows him as the man he has become over the course of the story. Most importantly, that same mistake will not be made twice, and a proper solution for restoring shadows was found. So, not a “happy ending” in the normal use of the term, but definitely a hopeful ending, and I can accept that! One of my favorite parts of this book was that books were the solution all along! If anything could grant human memories and restore the lost, I’m glad it was books :-D. And in a way, reading this novel encouraged me to stay very true to my personal beliefs and values in my own books. For if fiction became fact and I needed a book to give me a shadow to restore my memories, I’d want it to be one of my own. I’d be hoping that the details and underlying messages I write would restore some sense of my former self. I should write every book as if it were my last – because you never know, it could be ;-). What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/the-book-of-m-not-quite-happily-ever-after P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!
Last month I started a post on Yona of the Dawn, a fantastic manga by Mizuho Kusanagi. I mentioned that Yona, the heroine princess-turned-vigilante, impressed me with her character growth and Christ-like attributes. But a good hero needs an equally good villain in order to truly shine.
In the case of this series, that villain is Su-Won, Yona’s childhood friend (and the man she’s fallen in love with). Readers quickly learn to hate him when he murders Yona’s father in cold blood within the first few chapters. Yet, as the series continues and Su-Won becomes king while Yona wanders the countryside with her dragon warriors, that hatred starts to fade. We see Su-Won do things that are… good, considering he’s supposed to be the bad guy. He single-handedly helps stimulate the earth tribe’s failing economy. He strengthens their kingdom’s borders and works to defend their lands against invaders. Through the changes he enacts, we start to see the shortcomings of his predecessor, a pacifist king who sought peace above the good of the nation. Su-Won even works with Yona and her friends to end slave-trade in Awa and combat the drug trade that’s affecting the water tribe. He doesn’t reveal that Yona is alive when he finds out, despite the fact that she is technically wanted dead on his orders. He doesn’t worry about taking credit for the work he does (he often participates undercover) and even admits that he doesn’t really care for the throne – it was just a means to achieve his goals of helping the kingdom. In short, he behaves very much like a hero, or at least like a good king. And yet Yona and Hak struggle with his betrayal. After all, he did kill her father outright and has no regrets about it. He doesn’t seem to care for individuals – his focus is very much on the big picture and the overall good of the kingdom. He’s not a very emotional individual and doesn’t seem to get attached to others. I got the sense that he didn’t feel the need to specifically pursue Yona to death, despite the fact that her very existence threatens the power he wields, but should she get in his way, I doubt he would hesitate to end her life. Yet he’s a good ruler and does what needs to be done for their nation to survive and prosper. With such a dichotomy, I found myself wondering, is he truly a villain after all? Unfortunately, the series is not finished yet, and the library only had 31 of the 36 volumes that have been published so far (thus justifying my reasons for buying books instead ;-P). So I can’t quite say if Su-Won will remain a villain, or if he will ultimately redeem himself in some way. But any series that features such compelling characters – such as a princess with the true heart of a servant, or a man who makes a better king than the one he murdered – is well worth the time to read. And I can only hope that I am able to create characters with such depth for my own books! What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading! P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link: https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/yona-of-the-dawn-when-is-a-villain-not-a-villain P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list! |
My Blog:I have two passions: reading and writing. You can't write good stories without first reading good stories - that's my theory, anyway. So this is where I'll share with you the depth of those passions: background on what and why I write, as well as talking about the books that I read and how they impact my writing. Archives
July 2023
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