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Gray Area: Morally gray characters and you
Morally gray characters who straddle the line between good and evil can be some of the most engaging to follow. But they aren’t without challenges, especially in romance. Why do we like them, and what are their pitfalls?
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Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Book 2): A charming sequel
The prickly professor Emily Wilde is working on a new project, and is swept onto a new academic adventure to uncover the secrets of Faerie Doors with her former rival, Wendell Bambleby.
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Narnia, and the Problem with Moralistic Literature
This blog explores the pitfalls of moralistic literature, with The Chronicles of Narnia as a prime example.
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A Curious Beginning: A romantic mystery
After a close call with an intruder, Veronica Speedwell is deposited with a curmudgeonly but handsome fellow scientist for safekeeping, where she must unravel the secrets of her lineage and find out who is out to get her.
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Beware of Sharks: The plot missteps of ‘jumping the shark’
If you’ve ever felt a series inserted gimmicky or sensationalized plot points in a weak attempt at keeping your attention, it may have “jumped the shark.” Let’s talk about it.
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The Tainted Cup: A fantasy detective story
An assistant investigator must solve a string of murders involving trees exploding out of people, a powerful old family, and magical enhancements, all before leviathans destroy the sea wall.
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High vs. Low Concept Literature: Choosing your next read
Discover the world of high-concept and low-concept storytelling, and how knowing the difference can guide your reading choices based on your mood.
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Station Eleven: The microcosms at the end of the world
When a flu pandemic kills the majority of humans in a short span of time, the ones who are left must contend with a new world. This story follows an interconnected web of people across the years before and after, from a Shakespeare actress in a traveling caravan to a former corporate professional now living…
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Dialogue-Heavy Books: Engaging, or a writer’s crutch?
Is it possible to have too much dialogue in a book? Let’s talk about why excessive chatter might signal weak storytelling.
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The Four Winds: Depressing and enlightening
This story follows Elsa as famine swallows her life and home, eventually forcing her to make the agonizing choice between staying on the farm (but facing unrelenting dust storms) or going west (but with no certainty of a better life for her and her children).
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