ARTIFICIAL by Jadah McCoy
I first met Jadah at UTopYA, and got to know her more at this year's UTOPiAcon. We bonded first over our common last name (even though McCoy is my married name) and I was excited to buy her book, ARTIFICIAL, the first in the Kepler Chronicles,…
I’m not a novel, I’m a short story!
That moment when...your novel tells you it's a short story and that 15,000 word project tells you it's a novel. That happened to me last week, after I finished first-draft edits on the novel, which was, as all first drafts are, a hot mess. I…
THE MARKED GIRL by Lindsey Klingele
I was so intrigued by the premise of this book that I had to get it immediately. It even has a great heading at the beginning: "The Night That Started Out Normal." Have a look for yourself:When Cedric, crowned prince of Caelum, and his fellow…
Trust, Reboots, and Magic
Insomnia. The joys. In case my sarcasm isn't already apparent, it's 5:49 AM and Microsoft Word 2013 won't open because Windows 10 is being an asshole. So now, you get me, venting to the ether, because I really want to finish my novella and my…
OUR SONG by Ashley Bodette
I met Ashley at last year's Utopiacon, and this year, I watched her work miracles as a conference volunteer. Her book OUR SONG explores what happens when people lose their identity within a relationship, and it's a story that will keep readers…
Harry Potter: it’s not just for kids
This post will be brief, since I just completed a long drive from Southern California. The reason? I went to place I'd always wanted to go--The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.It was an amazing day. The butterbeer was perfect. All three of us…
Video Interview! ALPHA GODDESS and The Riven Chronicles Series by Amalie Howard
I met Amalie Howard at this year's UtopiaCon, and she was kind enough to grant me my first video interview. She discusses her wonderful books, in addition to her experience with agents and marketing. Have a look!
For more on Amalie and…
Make Yourself: Gaining Tolerance for Vulnerability
I think Kevin Smith is one of the most inspirational people on the planet. You can like Kevin Smith, or dislike him, but you can't deny that he has made himself. He demonstrates that you can put yourself out there, in whatever iteration you…
SINKING by Sarah Armstrong-Garner
I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at Barnes and Noble's B-Fest, and the way she pitched her novel SINKING made me want to read it immediately:Jocelyn washes up on the shore of eighteenth century Ireland, alone, naked, and missing all of her…
Conveyance of an idea vs. what that idea conveys
Many aspiring authors are afraid of putting their ideas out there, in case their concepts might be stolen by others. I used to have this fear too, but eventually, the more I wrote, I realized that concepts in and of themselves can be familiar,…