The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry
ChrisMB
With the conclusion of Patient Zero, I found myself wondering if I would like its sequel, The Dragon Factory, even a fraction as much as I had liked the first…
Anticipating A Dance with Dragons
Overlord
We are under a week away from our “Dance with Dragons” and evidently the world is excited. Just six months ago I made a post saying that A Dance with…
Rhythm and Time – Part 3: Dialogue
Amy Rose Davis
You can read the rest of this series here: Part 1: Give Your Writing a Beat of Its Own Part 2: Add a Little Harmony with Adjectives It’s a good…
Occupational Hazards of Being a Fantasy Writer
Ashley Barnard
During the month of June I drove right past my street at least four times on my way home from the grocery store. My eight-year-old daughter, who is no stranger…
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Jo Warne
As the title suggests, this novel is about a young woman (dob. 1976, my age, so yes still young) who was born a witch. One day whilst researching in the…
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Kit
Imagine a world where people are given special talents; those so blessed are called Gracelings, and their talents are perfect. The Grace could be anything: cooking, horseback riding, swimming, hand-to-hand…
Middles – Part 1: Mushy Middle Syndrome
You can read the rest of the Story Structure series here: Part 1 – Story Structure: Beginnings Part 2 – Revisiting the Three-Act Structure Part 3 – In the Beginning……
Unicorn City
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Philadelphia Comic Con with my dad. While a smaller convention than the better-known ones at Chicago, San Diego, and New York,…
Sandman Slim: A Novel by Richard Kadrey
Chloe Smith
Vacation season is coming and it’s time to give yourself a break, stretch out by the pool or on the beach, and distract yourself with a relaxing summertime read about…demons,…
Winter has come… And gone.
“Winter is Coming” – it is all we heard for months and months before April’s premiere episode of Game of Thrones. HBO really went for it – they literally shoved…
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Jennie Ivins
In a forest that time wouldn’t touch, was a creature who would live forever. A creature of immortal beauty and purity: a unicorn. She spent her days admiring her own…
Rhythm and Time – Part 2: Add a Little Harmony with Adjectives
Two weeks ago, I started my series on rhythm and time in writing by talking about verbs. I think verbs are the bass line for all writing, because if you…