Every year, my writing critique group gathers in August for our annual writer’s retreat. My plan for the weekend was to work on a sequel to Bedlam Bewitched. While looking through my notes, I found a document that I’d written years ago outlining the “rules of magic” for my Bedlam universe. I thought this was […]
Category: Fantasy
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 […]
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. […]
Inspiring Bedlam
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 […]
The Raven Boys: A Review
If you’ve read my previous “Favorite Fantasy Reads” blog post, you’ll know that The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorites. I loved this book and subsequently devoured the whole four-part Raven Cycle series. So I was excited to learn that The Raven Boys has been adapted into a graphic novel, scheduled […]
Bedlam Review in Books & Pieces Magazine
A big THANK YOU to Jill Hedgecock for her kind review of my debut YA fantasy novel, Bedlam Bewitched! Her book review appears on page 185 of the January 2025 issue of Books & Pieces Magazine. This monthly literary magazine is free and features short stories, book reviews, and interesting articles. You can read this […]
Bedlam Bewitched Review in the Diablo Gazette
A big THANK YOU to Jill Hedgecock for her generous review of my debut teen fantasy novel, Bedlam Bewitched! Her kind review appeared in her “BookEnds” column in the December 2024 issue of The Diablo Gazette. You can find it on page 17.Several of my talented writer friends also had feature articles in this issue. […]
Art Embraces Words & Signed Copies
Art Embraces Words Halloween Event On Saturday, October 26th, I had the honor of participating in the Lamorinda Art Council’s Art Embraces Words Halloween Event. The program held at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center featured three local authors and two artists. I joined my fellow California Writer’s Club authors, Marlene Dotterer and Jill Hedgecock, […]
Book Launch And Reviews
I had a great time Saturday at my book launch party celebrating the publication of my debut fantasy novel! Thanks to everyone who came to my book reading and signing! Reviews of Bedlam Bewitched “Bedlam Bewitched will cast a spell on readers…Bedlam Bewitched is a mixture of magical rom-com, conniving swindlers, and an adorable ghostly […]
My Book Birthday!
It’s my book birthday!!! I’m thrilled to announce that my debut teen fantasy novel, Bedlam Bewitched, launched today. You can buy it as an eBook or in paperback. The eBook is available for purchase on Amazon and as part of their Kindle Unlimited program. You can purchase the paperback directly from Amazon and Ingram Spark, […]