Left: Wilbur curled up with a good book. Right: the entire All Souls trilogy. My friend loaned me Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy (aka A Discovery of Witches series) after I mentioned how I'd been enjoying the TV show (from AMC, on Netflix). I wanted more character development, and she said it was in the books. The series includes: A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, and a companion novella, Time's Convert.
A Discovery of Witches follows modern witch, Diana, who is in denial about her powers and prefers to focus on her academic pursuits as a history professor studying alchemy and how it was an early form of science. On sabbatical to Oxford, she calls up an old manuscript, Ashmole 782, and discovers it's full of magic. After returning it to the archives, she learns this book has been missing for centuries and every creature wants it: witches, vampires, and daemons. Vampire Matthew Clairmont tries to solve the mystery of the book with her, and ends up needing to protect her as well. As the two search for answers about the book, they also learn about each other: that Matthew is more than a vampire biologist and Diana has more power than either of them anticipated. The series follows their quest for the book and the lengths they go to stay together. This series is what happens when you mash dark academia with cozy fantasy. There's danger and libraries and secret magic, but there's also cooking spells in a quaint kitchen, very few on-page deaths, and a lot of sipping tea by the fire. I didn't mind that mash up, and I liked knowing more about the characters. The books had a calm, often safe feeling, despite the stakes. A perfect escapist fantasy for escaping a stressful reality. One thing I liked more about the show than the books (blasphemy, I know), was that the show followed the antagonists as well. I could see their plans form and they didn't just pop up out of nowhere, which is how the books felt. That's the price of sticking with mainly the FMC and MMC POVs in the book. There were a lot of side characters named, and I often just had to let those names float by me because I couldn't remember them all. Unfortunately, despite knowing the characters better, I still felt like the books and show shared the same problem: the romance goes from 0 to 60 in no time. And don't get me started on the resolution of it all, I was not satisfied. This series is for you if you liked the Discovery of Witches TV show, enjoy cozier fantasy, want an older FMC than the usual 20-something, or enjoy dark academia but want it to be a little lighter. This series is not for you if you need a constant fast pace or high tension, if you dislike historical fantasy (most is modern, but the past becomes very relevant), if you dislike fated mates or big age gaps, or if you're not in the headspace to read about miscarriage or a complicated pregnancy. Have you read A Discovery of Witches? How did you think it compared to the show? Let's discuss in the comments!
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Now that I'm back from my January hiatus, it's time to set some reading and writing goals for 2025.
READING GOALS 1) Read my physical TBR Same as last year, although I don't have a backlog, but I do have new books! 2) Find comparison titles for my next book Similar to least year, but this is for a different manuscript with a completely different set of comp-needs. 3) Beat Last Year's Pages Read In 2024 I read 24,133 pages, but I'd like to read even more. Once again, I'm not caring about the number of books, because so many fantasy books are super long, and I don't want to punish myself for reading those thick gems. 4) Keep up with podcast reading I can't believe the Judging More than Just the Cover podcast didn't make my goals for the last few years! I guess it's because I always finish reading on time, but maybe the more I read, the more episodes we'll have? Once again, I won't be setting a goal for the types of books I read because I enjoyed last year's flexibility. WRITING GOALS 1) Keep sending queries until my list runs out or I get an agent This may take more than a year, but if I have minimum 5 pending queries out at a time, I'll be happy. 2) Finish the secret collaboration project Yes, you read that right. I've been working on a project with someone and this looks like the year we'll finish it. 3) Finish the draft of my next novel It's still early days on this one, but with my trusty outline I think I'll be able to get a first draft this year. I fully admit that I should also have social media goals, like growing my platform on BlueSky or Threads or even growing this website's views so that when (aren't I cocky by saying when, not if) I get a book deal, I'll have better reach. However, this is not the year for that growth to happen for a myriad of personal life reasons. So, I'm giving myself a pass to focus my stress elsewhere and let my online presence grow when I have space for it, not because I feel like I have to. Want to share your reading or writing goals? Let's chat in the comments! Time for my annual post of all the books I read in 2024. I read 59 books, 36 of which were fantasy, with my next most common genre being non-fiction, with 10 books. In the next few weeks I'll highlight some of my favorites!
I'll post more reviews of these books in the coming months. Have you read any of these books? Were any your favorites? Let's discuss in the comments!
Happy New Year's Eve! It's time to check in on if I met my reading and writing goals for 2024!
Reading Goals 1) Read my physical TBR Achieved! I read my backlog of physical books and bought more, for a total of 25 physical books. 2) Read what my friends are gushing about Achieved! I read 12 books with my friends, including the ACOTAR series and the Crescent City series. 3) Find comps for my next book Achieved! I found three recently published books that are great comps to my book. 4) Keep track of reading stats, but don't sweat Achieved! I read 59 books and 24,133 pages. Writing Goals 1) See what working with a professional editor is like Achieved! I had the opportunity to work with Jeni Chappelle and it was amazing. Read about my experience here! 2) Polish my manuscript and send my first query for my next book Achieved! I finished in time to pitch at a conference in September and have sent queries since. Keep your fingers crossed! 3) Keep up with my writing groups This one got difficult at the end of the year when work got pretty overwhelming. I had to let go of my highest-volume groups, but was able to keep up with a couple groups that have a lower volume of reading. The covers perfectly convey the tone of the books. Who among us hasn't seen the skits from TikToker and author Hannah Nicole Maehrer about the sunshine assistant to a grumpy (but hot) villain? Now a series (Assistant to the Villain, Apprentice to the Villain, and in 2025 Accomplice to the Villain), the quirky pairing is on the page for all of us to enjoy.
Evie Sage, desperate for a job, takes a position as an assistant to the notorious local Villain. She prides herself on a job well done, so when it appears there's a traitor in the office, she decides to sort out the problem. With plenty of pining for the handsome but not HR approved boss, this book and its sequel are popcorn for fans of romantasy. I enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine pairing at the heart of the book, the pining with an actual reason not to make moves on said pining, and the wit throughout. Both were funny novels that clearly weren't being too serious or dark, despite the main characters being the purported bad guys. There were a few worldbuilding questions I had that were left unanswered, and sometimes the romance crossed into definitely a couple territory, before pulling backwards for no clear reason and being like "wow we made out but does he like me?" Was that enough for me to put the books down? No. This series is for you if you're looking for lighthearted, humorous romantasy, a grumpy/sunshine pairing, or a classic fairytale vibe without it being a literal fairytale rewrite. This book is not for you if you're looking for epic fantasy levels of worldbuilding, if you don't want a workplace romance, or if you want fantasy with a literary flavor. Have you read Assistant or Apprentice to the Villain? What did you think? Let's discuss in the comments! Story Engineering by Larry Brooks and Clue. Photo by Kate Ota 2024 I'd had my eye on Story Engineering by Larry Brooks for a while before I came across it in a second hand shop. My copy is covered in pencil underlining the most random words and phrases, but it's clear where the previous owner stopped reading, as the pencil disappears. A bit tragic that this other author never finished, but it was a win for me, because I got to have this book at last.
Overview Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing is 278 pages (paperback) of explanations of what a story needs, why it needs that, and tips on execution. The six competencies themselves aren't shocking to seasoned writers, but each section discuss a competency in depth, offering examples or exercises. The book ages itself with references to the Da Vinci Code often and a joke about Bill Clinton, but otherwise the advice is fairly timeless. My Experience I highlighted something in most chapters, but the section I've returned to is about character. This book explained one, two, and three dimensional characters in a very practical manner that I'd never seen anywhere before. It changed how I'll see character dimensions forever, and will hopefully help me write deeper ones. A lot of the rest of the information, though useful, was information I've seen before. Story beats and what's happening in them, what is an idea vs a concept, voice, etc. All great reminders, but not exclusive to this text. My only complaint is that the book hyped itself a lot. It often repeated how the six competencies would make me a better writer--and then not explain what they were, and would go on about how important they were with no other explanation. It happened often enough at the end of chapters that I'd just skip ahead to the next one. Is It Worth It? I paid $8 for my used copy from a locally owned independent bookstore. That alone is worth it. If you're looking for a book that gives an overview of what makes a solid story and guides you on how to get there, this is a great option. It's not too in depth on any one topic, so it feels more introductory than I'd hoped, but there were still valuable ideas that helped me as a writer. Overall, I'd say this is worth the read to improve your writing craft. Have you read Story Engineering? What about the sequel, which is on my TBR, Story Physics? Let's discuss in the comments! There's another version of the cover with different colors which is also fabulous. Shout out to the cover designer! The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean debuted this past August, and I found it on a list of new books on Instagram. From the moment I read the concept I knew I had to read it: a zookeeper for Phoenixes is determined to restore her zoo's breeding program but the last zoo to make the attempt had their phoenixes stolen. It's cozy fantasy with a queer romance subplot. I'm using it as a comp for the book I'm currently querying because my book also involves fantasy zookeeping, flirting while working at said zoo, and the theme of letting go of the fear of failure.
Aila is the zookeeper in question, a very shy and anxious animal lover who has her dream job of being the phoenix keeper at her hometown zoo. She's great with her BFF, but with anyone else from guests to crushes, she's not as capable. When the phoenix chicks at another zoo are stolen, Aila's program has the chance to step up and become the next breeding facility. However, Aila can't do it all alone, and must learn to ask for help, including from attractive griffin keepers, if she's going to achieve her dream, and protect her phoenixes. As a former zookeeper, I enjoyed the zookeeping parts of this book, which were realistic despite the animals being fantasy. I really liked the grounded nature of it. I thought the plot was enough to keep be entertained and had specific, achievable stakes. (If you've listened to the podcast, you know I don't always find that the case for things described as cozy.) As a side note, one of my random favorite parts of this book was Aila's family's restaurant. It was a fantasy world fusion as nonsensical as Carlos O'Kelly's, the very real Irish/Mexican midwestern restaurant. If that's not what S.A. MacLean based Aila's family's restaurant on, then I will be blown away. Another thing I liked about this book was that Aila was a really high achiever in school, and was terrified of failing as an adult. (Oh look, it's me!) Her whole character arc, and the theme of the book, was letting go of that fear, figuring out that asking for help is not fear, and realizing you can be successful without that fear. There were some things that didn't always work for me. I'm a person who suffers from second hand embarrassment, so when characters are too cringy (which the author is doing on purpose because the character is supposed to grow, I know!) then I really struggle and have to skip ahead. Since Aila's social anxiety was so bad, I had to skim some of the more painful interactions. I also knew who was helping the smugglers immediately, so there was no tension there, so I experienced less tension than most readers will. There were also a lot of place and animal names, so I admit I didn't keep track of some after a while. This book is for you if you love zookeeping/zoos/wildlife breeding programs, fantasy animals, queer romance, or lower tension (cozy) fantasy. This book is not for you if you have social anxiety that can be heightened by reading about others' social anxiety, if you need higher external stakes, or if you're not interested in a romance subplot. Have you read The Phoenix Keeper? Which was your favorite animal? Let's discuss in the comments! As part of winning the Dark and Stormy short story contest with BARN this year, I got to read five minutes of my short horror story, Waxing Fame, at the annual BARN Dark and Stormy party. It was a fun and full event with amazing published authors from the area who read stories and excerpts of their work. There was also a great liaison from a local museum who talked about a serial killer in Bainbridge's history. Everyone who shared did a fabulous job, and it was a very entertaining night. My reading went well, partially because I'm used to public speaking, but I'm sure many other writers aren't. If you are preparing for your first public reading (or your 100th public reading) and are looking for tips, here are mine!
1. Practice practice practice Read your story aloud at home alone over and over again. You want to make sure you aren't tripping over names, phrases, scene breaks, etc. The more of your story you memorize, the easier it will be to follow my next pieces of advice. 2. Look up! Every now and then as you read (every 3-5 sentences, at most) look up from your paper and in the direction of the audience. Some readings you'll have lights pointed at you so you won't be able to see anyone specific, and other times you'll be able to see each and every face. If eye contact while public speaking makes you nervous, just look at people's eyebrows. Do a sweep, don't just focus on one person. This is most effective when done during dialog, especially anything you want to emphasize, like a prophecy, threat, or joke. 3. Stick to the time Whether you're in a line up with other writers, or you're doing a solo reading, your venue will probably ask you to read for a certain amount of time. Stick to it! Even if you have to stop in the middle of your story, it's fine to leave readers wanting more. They may buy your book or look up your short story to find out what happens. It also builds a good relationship between you and the venue if you're respectful of their request. If you're one of several people reading, sticking to the time is essential to make sure everyone gets a chance to share. 4. Fake It Til You Make It Nervous? The audience will notice. Even if you have jitters in your seat, when you get up to read, put on a smile and pretend you're the most comfortable pubic speaker of all time. Play act as someone else, a you from a parallel universe who doesn't fear public speaking. That can give you a level of distance from your performance so you can say "well it wasn't me the audience was judging, it was the character I was playing." You can also pretend the audience already knows and loves you and your writing. Whatever method of pretending you need to do, give it a shot. Deep breaths, smiling, and standing up straight can even trick your brain into calming down, so by the end of your reading you're not pretending to be confident anymore, you actually are. 5. Roll with the Punches Sometimes chaos ensures, such as something balanced on the podium falling while you read, or a disturbance occurring in the audience. You can pause to make sure everything's okay (certainly don't read through someone having a heart attack, for example), but if all's well, it's fine to laugh off little things or make a comment acknowledging a little chaos, and then dive right back in to the story. No need to point out small things like someone leaving, because maybe they're just going to the bathroom or taking an important call. Don't let interruptions, major or minor, derail you. If you've lost your place on the page, buy a little time with the classic "where was I?" until you find it, then repeat the last sentence before the interruption and chug right along. I hope those tips help you prepare for you next live reading. Have more questions or tips you want to share? Drop them in the comments! What's an Agent's Guide? For anyone not aware, there's a trend going around the writing community, specifically among querying writers. The trend is to create a set of images to post on social media about the novel they're querying and calling those images an agent's guide. It's an overview of the book to give a sense of the vibes, concept, and aesthetic along with some basic facts like genre, word count, and a pitch. These are generally pinned on Twitter (X) to be on the top of the writer's profile so any agents who click on their profile for any reason can see the concept right away. I have a guide on my Twitter and Instagram, but thought it was also be good to have on my website. My agent's guide is below, with alt text descriptions between each image, for accessibility. Alt text: Image 1: An agent's guide to THAW. 102, 000 words, adult fantasy Alt text image 2: Pitch: Famka, an unlicensed magic user, must that her frozen father without being caught illegally wielding magic, or she'll be conscripted and shipped to the border, from which no soldiers have returned. Alt text image 3: Comps and vibes: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, Jade City by Fonda Lee, Eyes Closed by Ed Sheeran, The Good Witch by Maisie Peters, Cold as You by Taylor Swift, Sailor Moon, Frozen (how could I not?) Alt text image 4: Tropes and Themes: cozier fantasy, Dutch secondary world, 1950s aesthetic, messy family, secret workplace romance, fighting evil by moonlight/winning love my daylight, murder mystery, revenge on an abuser (no abuse on page!), burnt out former gifted kid. Note about the creation of this guide: This guide was made using the free version of Canva. AI was not involved.
The Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN) had their first annual Dark and Stormy short story contest this year with a theme of uncanny valley. I entered because I enjoy short horror writing, and I won! I'm so excited to share my story Waxing Fame at the BARN Dark and Stormy party later this month!
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