Reluctant readers, this post is not for you. You are the naturals, already well versed in this most precious of skills that we voracious bookworms lack. Not for you the precarious stacks listing on your bedside table, the shelves overflowing (but already two layers deep!) with acquisitions never read, the…
Books YA/MG fiction The Whispering Mountain (**** – liked) Shades of Milk and Honey (**** – liked) The Boneshaker (*** – enjoyed) Ashfall (**** – liked) Adult fiction Heart-Shaped Box (**** – liked) A Single Shot (*** – enjoyed) The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (**** – liked)…
Ah, the Internet. Where silly writers can post earnest pledges to which they can be held years in the future long after they’ve changed their minds. Well, general public, I am that silly writer. So today, I will be letting everyone with a connection know about the three character motivations I…
Hope all my fellow Canucks are having a fantastic Canada Day long weekend! I’ve been creating treasure hunts since I was a kid. At first, I made them for my sister and her friends at our house. Later, I started making them for both our friends around the city. When…
I know because I’ve made every single one of them, like, a billion times each (rounding up to the nearest billion). These hamstring my manuscripts like nothing else, and they’re so devious! It’s relatively simple to spot when I’ve taken the story on a tangent that has nothing to do…
Books MG/YA fiction Akata Witch (**** – liked) The Shadow Guests (***** – loved) The Doom of the Haunted Opera (*** – enjoyed) Liar’s Moon (**** – liked) The December Rose (***** – loved) Graceling (***** – loved) Saranormal: Ghost Town (*** – enjoyed) The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt (**** –…
(Even you, Elementary. Though I admit your circumstances are slightly different. BUT I WILL *NOT* SPOIL THEM, SO READ ON WITHOUT FEAR!) I love updates of Sherlock Holmes, but I have not yet encountered a single version of Irene Adler who does not make me want to punch the character in…
My name is Sarah, and I’m not a nerd. It’s a tough thing for me to admit. Nerds are cool. I hang out with nerds, date nerds, spend most of my social time with nerds. Nerds have cool toys, make engaging videos, and fight for good causes. And for most…
(PRE-BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT: This is my last Sunday update! From now on, I’m switching to WEEKLY MONDAY POSTS. Just to keep you on your toes.) Once upon a time, I wrote a comedic blog entry making fun of my own embarrassment about writing a make-out scene. Then, I got a stats package…
(But first: All das Beste zum Geburtstag (and always) to my littlest cousin!) Planning murder mysteries can be an educational experience. You learn how your friends deal with competition, who likes to dress up in costumes, and how to cook for fifteen people. You also learn things that are a little more…