I’ve thought of an ending for my book. “And he lived happily ever after… to the end of his days.” –Bilbo Baggins (Lord of the Rings, Tolkien) I could probably find a LOTR quote for most situations, lol, but today this one really applies. Like Bilbo, I’ve just thought up an ending for my series! […]
I've reviewed lots of books and written 20 of my own.
Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull, 2006-2010
I missed this series when it first came out, but I’ve heard it mentioned so many times that I had to read it for myself. Wow! What an awesome middle grade fantasy series! I was hooked in the first chapter. I checked all five books out from the library this summer then had to battle […]
Tomato and Pea: A Bad Idea, by Erik Weibel, 2013
I believe it was back in early 2011 when I first met Erik Weibel. I had been blogging for a few months but had struggled to give my blog a cohesive direction. That was back when I thought publishers would knock down my door if I posted a few samples of my writing online. I […]
Writing in Series
The Taylor Davis series is my second series. I finished the Divided Decade Trilogy last summer. (If you missed it, book one–The Candle Star–is free. See my sidebar for links.) When I was writing book two, I swore I’d never write another series again. That’s because it’s so hard to maintain a high level of creativity into a second […]
The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis, book review
The Silver Chair is my least favorite book in the Narnia series, but that by no means makes it junk. Eustace returns and brings with him a new character, a schoolmate by the name of Jill Pole. Immediately Aslan sets them a task: locate and rescue Prince Rilian, son of King Caspian, who was kidnapped ten […]
Sir Nathan and the Quest for Queen Gobbledeegook, by Mark Simon Smith, 2012, Book Review
MMGM is a weekly meme hosted by middle grade author, Shannon Messenger. My sons both enjoyed this book. The humor is droll, the plot straightforward, and the details random enough to engage young readers. Consider Jubb Jubb Trees that fall into piles of lumber with a precise kick, Hootentoot leaves that scream with fright when they […]
Taylor Davis: Mount St. Helens
This is the fourth in a four-part series about researching my newest novel, Taylor Davis and the Flame of Findul. (Part 1: Medieval Weapons; Part 2: Tyburn Hanging Tree; Part 3: Submarine Technology.) The climax of Flame of Findul takes place within the cone of Mount St. Helens, so I had to learn a bit about the […]
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, book three), by C.S. Lewis, 1952
MMGM is a weekly meme hosted by middle grade author, Shannon Messenger. Lewis does a great job creating different adventures within the Narnian series. Of all the installments, books one and two are probably the most alike. After that, characters begin to shift, settings change, and the plots vary widely. In The Voyage of the Dawn […]
Taylor Davis: Submarine Technology
This is the third in a four-part series about researching my newest novel, Taylor Davis and the Flame of Findul. (Part 1: Medieval Weapons; Part 2: Tyburn Hanging Tree.) The research for Flame of Findul was very minor compared to what goes into a work of historical fiction, but the quest for information still took me […]
The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow, by Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson
MMGM is a weekly meme hosted by middle grade author, Shannon Messenger. This is a fun chance for me to review a book that hasn’t been published yet. Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson run a popular blog that goes by the same name as their book. After keeping in touch for a year or so, I decided […]