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Duology Done Well

Sic of Crows and Crooked Kingdom book covers for post on Duology Done Well

It’s summer, and time for leisure reading. I have several YA fantasy titles in my TBR pile, some of which are the first books in a two-book series, aka a duology. I’ve read of couple of these, only to reach the end of Book 1 to find no resolution, a lot more questions, and a cliffhanger ending. Wait! What? I turn the page expecting more, but no. That’s the end. And I feel so cheated. I’ve paid good coin for this paperback (or sometimes even the hardcover book). I’ve spent hours reading, invested in these characters and their struggles. But I feel as if I only received half a novel.

Well, it is a duology, you say. Yes, and…that means the first book should introduce a major story arc that extends into the second book. That said, each installment should also deliver a story arc of its own. The end of Book 1 should resolve some part of the promise made at the beginning of the book, while furthering progress toward the overarching goal. I shouldn’t feel as if the author just chopped the book in half at “the turn” and made one epic novel into two.

Not only duologies, the second installments of trilogies often have this problem for me as well. The first book will have a complete arc and deliver a satisfying conclusion, but then the second novel will not, instead ending with the dreaded cliffhanger. Call me contrary, but these do not entice me to buy the sequel to find out what happens next.

I’m currently reading Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows Duology. Now this is a duology done well. I thoroughly enjoyed Six of Crows. Bardugo builds a rich fantasy world populated with complex, compelling characters. Although the book concludes with a wicked twist that sets up its sequel, the heist that anchors Six of Crows was brilliant and very satisfying. I’m now about two hundred pages into Crooked Kingdom. I look forward to seeing how this ends, confident that Bardugo can deliver on the full promise of the series.

Can you recommend another duology that you thought was particularly well done? Can you identify a clear arc in each installment, as well as the overarching storyline?

Editor Scam

Image of a magnifying glass for post on an editor scam

This past month, I received an inquiry out of the blue purportedly from an editor with a traditional publishing house. My first thought was this must be some sort of scam. But curious, I looked closer.

The email was addressed to me by name. The sender identified himself and his publishing house, then mentioned my debut novel along with a line of praise for it. The editor then inquired about my current and forthcoming projects, even offering to speak with my agent if I had representation. The tone of the email was professional and courteous. No telltale typos. No request for money. Could this be real?

So I did some digging. I looked up the publishing house. Yes, it was legitimate, and they publish books in my genre. Furthermore, I looked up the editor—an acquisitions editor acquiring YA fiction for the named publishing house. I found articles about him in PublishersWeekly.com and PublishersMarketplace.com. The SCBWI Market Survey also listed both the publisher and editor. I also searched on the Absolute Write forums. So far, everything checked out. And I allowed myself to get excited.

Yet questions persisted. How did he hear about me? How did he get my email address? While preparing my response, I took a closer look at the sender’s email address. That’s when I spotted an extra letter embedded in his company URL. My eyes had skipped over the subtle typo. I’m glad I found it before I responded. But how disappointing!

How cruel to impersonate a real publisher to prey on unsuspecting authors. What was their endgame? What would have happened if I had responded? I doubt the scammers wanted to steal my work. I imagine they would have offered to publish my book, but then charged me fees and left me dangling.

The bad guys out there are getting more sophisticated every day. I’m thankful for resources like the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and the Absolute Write forums. My takeaway from this cautionary tale is to stay vigilant, and to independently verify everything!

Do you have other recommended resources for identifying the literary scammers?

Place as Character

Cover of Bedlam Bewitched in garden setting for post on Place as Character

Have you ever read a novel in which the setting itself becomes a character in the story? Often this is the case when the central conflict of the plot is man vs. nature, such as in Jack London’s Call of the Wild. In these instances, the location (e.g., wilderness, mountain, ocean) serves as the antagonist. In fantasy novels, sometimes the magical world, or some part of it, becomes a character in the tale as well. Isn’t that just world-building, you say? Yes, and…it’s more than that.

In Bedlam Bewitched, I thought of the enchanted bookstore as a character. With its mystery novels that disappear at will and comic books that play practical jokes, Bedlam Books certainly drives the plot and complicates things for both Cory and Jack.

But the bookstore also stands in for Cory’s Uncle Horace. Still reeling from her father’s abandonment, Cory turns to her favorite uncle for help. But as we discover in the very first chapter, Uncle Horace has died, leaving Cory his share of the bewitched bookstore. Everything about the magical shop from the feel of the old leather tomes to the lingering scent of Horace’s pipe tobacco reminds Cory of him. As Horace “wasn’t the sort to hang about after death moaning and groaning,” Cory looks to the shop to divine his guidance. Saving Bedlam Books is not only her second chance, it’s her way of keeping Horace alive.

Have you ever thought of setting as character? Can you think of another novel in which place becomes a character in the tale?

Inspiring Bedlam

Bedlam Bewitched book with tea and cookie for Inspiring Bedlam post

In a past author Q & A, I was asked what inspired me to write Bedlam Bewitched. Good question. Normally, I consider myself more of a plot-driven writer. I start with a general idea for a story and begin writing from there. But in Bedlam, the character came first—Cory Smyth, my plucky, witchy FMC.

Cory (or rather an older version of her) first appeared as the narrator in one of my short stories. She views life through a “romance novel” lens. Her favorite books inform and color her every perception of the world around her. These romance-hued observations made her a delightful unreliable narrator. She was so fun to write and inhabit that I decided she needed a novel of her own.

Once I knew my main character, Cory’s love of books suggested the magical bookstore which became the setting for the story. Of course, she needed a worthy opponent in the grumpy, buttoned-up, literary-fiction-loving Jack. Throw in Cory’s mother and aunts—three meddlesome, whiskery, weird sisters, who run Cory’s life—and the story took off.

What about you? What generally comes to you first? Plot or character?

Plotting

Photo for blog post on Plotting

This past December, I attended an excellent presentation on Painless Plot Pointers given by David Macinnis Gill. David is the author of young adult and middle grade novels and has taught plot structure for the MFA program at Vermont College.

In his workshop, David walked us through the new Three Act plot structure. The traditional plot structure divides a novel into three roughly equal acts: beginning, middle, and end. But with this updated method, the Second Act is expanded, taking up about 50% of the book. The new Act 2 consists of three parts with a “Turn” in the middle and two mirror journeys on either side. The Turn occurs roughly at the midpoint of the book. This incident damages the hero so they cannot go back and challenges their beliefs, redefining their journey ahead.

David walked us through the key scenes of each of these Acts and introduced his “Sticky Note Plotting” method for identifying and ordering these scenes. When he’s working on a novel, he uses actual sticky notes to record his scene ideas and position them in the plot grid. Then he employs the resulting outline to guide him as he drafts his novels. We had an opportunity to apply his technique in a group exercise as part of the workshop.

As for me, I’m more of a pantser than a plotter when drafting a novel. But as I’ve just completed the first draft of my latest novel-in-progress, I’m now in revisions. This gave me the perfect opportunity to analyze my manuscript and identify these plot beats in my own story. It’s helping me find places where I can strengthen my story and character arcs.

Cover of The Sticky Note Plot by David Macinnis Gill for post on plotting

If you wish to learn more about David’s plotting method, check out his book. The Sticky Note Plot: A Step-By-Step Guide to Plotting Novels That Sell is available on Amazon in several formats. You can find it here.

Sweetheart Sale

Bedlam Bewitched book cover image for Bedlam Sweetheart Sale post

For Valentine’s Day, I’m running a limited-time sweetheart sale of Bedlam Bewitched. For three days only from Friday, February 13th through Sunday, February 15th, 2026, you can purchase my book at a special discount price.

Looking for an escapist teen fantasy with a side of cozy mystery and romance? In Bedlam Bewitched, a teenage witch must save her uncle’s chaotically-enchanted bookstore from scheming adversaries and swindlers from her past. Can Cory work her magic to save the bewitched shop? Or will her efforts cost her the business and perhaps even her life?

Purchase the eBook for $2.99 (List price $4.99) in this Amazon KDP Countdown Deal.

Click for Bedlam Bewitched eBook sale

Visit the link above to take advantage of this offer. Don’t wait too long. Much like the enchanted mystery novels in Bedlam Books, these bargain prices will soon disappear.

A New Year, New Goals

Photo of Bedlam Bewitched book cover surrounded by confetti for Post on A New Year, New Goals

The turn of a New Year offers time to reflect back and look forward. I’m not much for resolutions, but I do set writing goals for the coming year. Looking back, my writing goal for 2025 was to complete a first draft of my novel-in-progress. I didn’t quite get there, but I did make significant strides toward that objective. In 2025, I penned 21 chapters. I just finished Chapter 29, which brings me to about 70,000 words. Only two more chapters to go! Thus, my goal for this month is to complete that first draft and begin revisions.

To help with those revisions, I recently attended a couple of informative craft webinars presented by the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). In one session, Jessica Vitalis gave an excellent presentation on using symbolism to transform your writing. We’re all familiar with the use of metaphor and simile to create vivid imagery. But she explained and illustrated several more: mood, motif, allegory…

Another was “objective correlatives.” I’d never heard this term, but I have actually used this technique without knowing what it was called. Objective correlatives are objects that represent an emotion in the story. In Bedlam Bewitched, Cory carries her favorite romance novel in her apron pocket. For her, it represents a source of reassurance and hope. We see that in an early scene, when she finds a box of romances in the basement and formulates her first plans to save Bedlam Books. The romance novel also informs a pivotal plot twist, but I won’t spoil that here.

One of Jessica’s final bits of advice was not to worry about symbolism in your first draft. Get the story down first. Once you have that draft, you can look for the symbols that are organically present. She suggests creating a “mind map” to brainstorm possible meanings around those objects. Then you can incorporate this symbolism to add depth to your story in subsequent edits.

Now, I’m off to pen my final chapters. But armed with these new tools, I’ll soon be ready for revisions.

How have you incorporated symbolism in your work? Can you think of examples from a favorite novel or story?

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair

Photo of program, top hat, and gloves for post on the Great Dickens Christmas Fair

For the past several years, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair has been on my holiday radar. I first spotted it while researching Bay Area outings for when my guests visit over the Christmas holidays. Unfortunately, the timing never worked out. The fair closes the weekend before Christmas, and my guests arrive a few days later.

This year, I decided that we should not wait for visitors. So about a week ago, I attended my first Dickens Fair.

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is a step back in time to a fictional Victorian London. For a few weekends in December, the Cow Palace is transformed into a maze of streets and alleyways with Dickensian names, lined with eateries, pubs, stages, and artisan shops. Mostly, we wove through the “streets”, checking out the wares in the shops and stopping for lunch. Of course, I had to try roasted chestnuts. Entertainment ran continuously on a several stages, where you might hear carolers, fiddlers, or a bit of theater. You could even dance at Fezziwig’s if you were so inclined. Wandering these streets, you’ll meet actors dressed as various characters from the Dickens novels, plus an assortment of other gentlemen, ladies, chimney sweeps, sailors, and a few scoundrels.

But it wasn’t just the professional players who had dressed for the occasion. What surprised me most were the number of attendees who came dressed to the nines in full Victorian garb. There were ladies and even young girls in hoop-skirted gowns with bonnets carrying reticules. Gents sported vests and cravats under coats and top hats. Some improvised with Steampunk-inspired apparel. And if you wanted to upgrade your attire, the vendors inside sold period clothing and accessories.

Dressing up looked like such fun. We decided that next time we should come in costume, too. The gents would have an easier time than the ladies putting together something that could pass for authentic. But for the women, corsets, floor-length gowns, lace collars, and bonnets aren’t exactly something you could pull from your closet. Clearly, some of these folks made a serious investment in their look. I’d wager this fair is a yearly tradition for them.

Have you ever attended a Victorian or Renaissance Fair in costume? Or chose to cosplay for a convention? Who did you go as? How did you create your costume?

Happy Christmas!

SCBWI Oktoberfest 2025

SCBWI Oktoberfest 2025 schedule and badge image for blog post

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Oktoberfest 2025—a local writing conference presented by the San Franciso North & East Bay chapter of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Every other year, on the third Saturday of October, my regional SCBWI branch organizes this one-day in-person event. The conference features an inspirational keynote speaker, followed by a choice of breakout craft sessions and connection opportunities. The conference also offers a menu of optional extras, such as a manuscript critique, a meeting with an agent or editor, or a headshot photo shoot.

This year, my goal was to refresh my craft and find some inspiration, so I focused on the breakout sessions. I’m currently working on drafting the final chapters of my next novel, and hope to be revising early in the new year. Thus, I was particularly interested in Jennifer March Soloway’s session on “Beginnings and Endings” and the industry panel session on “First Ten Pages.” Those first pages have a heavy lift. They need to hook the reader, present the promise of the story, set the tone, and establish voice all in a few short pages.

Likewise, the ending needs to complete the arc of the story. Has the protagonist changed or grown? Have we delivered on the promise made in the beginning? And did we do it with a surprising twist? Oh boy! It’s little wonder that we writers spent so much time writing…and rewriting…those opening and closing pages.

I also really enjoyed Nadia Salomon’s session on “Using Mentor Texts to Tell a Better Story”. She discussed how other books and resources, aka “mentor texts”, informed and shaped her own writing. These stories helped her to identify theme, story structure, emotion, and even marketing for her own work. Although she is a picture book author and I’m a YA novelist, her talk had something for me too. I came away with a couple tips for finding my own mentor texts.

Reflecting on what I learned, I’m inspired to get back to my draft with renewed energy. And I have a couple more tools in my back pocket to help me navigate this writing journey.

Finally, do you have a favorite first line of a book? What was it about that opening that pulled you into the story? Did the ending deliver in a way that satisfied and surprised you?