The Imaginary Life of Abigail Jones – a Review

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑙 𝐽𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 is a captivating read, and the things that took place in Abigail’s life made me look forward to turning each page. The author’s vivid descriptions of seemingly insignificant details brought them to vibrant life.

The Children on the Hill – a Review

Most people know something about 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑖𝑛 by Mary Shelley. They might not have read the book, but still they know at least one thing about the story: it’s about a monster made by a human, a mad scientist. But who is the real monster? Is it Frankenstein? Or is it the mad scientist?

Wilbur and the Watering Can – a Review

Rose and her daughters, Magnolia and Lily, are gardeners. They normally have one big garden, but Magnolia and Lily want to have their own garden this year in which they will grow pumpkins, tomatoes, snow peas, and other veggies. While watering their garden, they discover a mystery. A leaf is moving and going kerplop all by itself. Underneath the leaf, they find a new friend: a toad.

The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses – a Review

Urban fantasy describes a subgenre of fantasy in which the real world collides with the decidedly supernatural or magical world. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑛 𝐵𝑜𝑦𝑠: 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑆𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑠 is an urban fantasy adventure for young people.

Pantser, Plotter, or Plantser? – Guest Post by Shawn Mackey

I’ve used all three of these methods at some point. Initially, I was more of a pantser and went in with whatever was in my head, usually the beginning and end with a few moments in the middle. These books mostly didn’t work because I was just starting out and didn’t know how to set a scene or write decent description and other technical stuff.

This World of Love and Strife – a Review

Lumina City is full of werewolves, vampires, and demons. Corruption and evil fill this city. It is the Vanguard’s job to protect the world from demonic forces. But the Vanguard in Lumina City are corrupt. Instead of helping the citizens in their fight against their foe, they are using their powerful positions and elite combat skills to become rich.

From the Screen to the Page (and Back Again?) – Guest Post by Arnon Z. Shorr

When I was asked to write a guest post for Lisa’s Writopia, Lisa noted that my graphic novel is an expansion of a short film. She wanted to know: is there a feature film in the works? The question got me thinking about the unique journey my story has taken – from the screen to the page – and the future that may be in store for it.

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief – a Review

Have you ever read a book that you couldn’t put down because you were so caught up in the story and its world? That is what reading Skandar and the Unicorn Thief was like for me. Everything else going on in my life faded in importance to what was happening in this book. It was written for those eight to twelve years old, but the story grabbed hold of my imagination and refused to let go.

Creating Echoes of Dragons – Guest Post by C. Borden

I recently released my first fantasy novel, 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘴, and I would love to share how this book came to be. It has been a long journey for this first novel in the Awakening series, but so many aspects of my culture, my personal life, and my journey as a writer have come into play so that 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘴 really feels like an appendage of myself.

Untamed Isles: The Path Awakens – a Review

The captain and crew of the 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑑, caught in a storm on the raging Northern Sea, fight for their survival. The storm quiets all at once, and they find themselves shipwrecked on an island full of jagged, broken slopes of shining crystal. And somewhere out beyond all the crystal, a beast howls.

Mirabel the Aes Sedai (or How to Build Worlds) – Guest Post by R. Collins

After many months of mistakes and banging my head against the wall, I came up with a few principles related to creating fictional worlds. I’ve never written them down before and they’re by no means perfect, but they may help you craft your own world or at least generate some thoughts on how you would approach it.

Girl in Ice – a Review

In the brutal bone-freezing cold of the Arctic Circle on a remote island off Greenland, a young girl has thawed from the ice, and she is alive. A miracle? Yes, but no one can understand what she is trying to say, and she acts scared of everyone. Val, a trained linguist, is one of the few who understand the dead Nordic languages. So she is contacted by the researchers already there to come and work with this girl.

Boulder Girl: Bad Moon Rising – a Review

In my review of𝘉𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘸, I said, “Until I’m able to read the sequel to this unputdownable book, I will keep wondering what is going to happen when the story continues.” I was so excited when I finally held 𝘉𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭: 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 in my hands. It was read over the next couple of days. The wondering was finally over; this thrilling story proved to be an extremely satisfying sequel.