How One Children’s Fantasy Book Inspired Me to Rethink My Artistic Process…

Lyra’s Oxford Philip Pullman published his trilogy, His Dark Materials in 1995.  The three main books in the series included: Northern Lights (The Golden Compass in the U.S.) The Amber Spyglass The Subtle Knife Lyra’s Oxford is a companion novel to the set, along with Once Upon a Time in the North. When I was … Continue reading How One Children’s Fantasy Book Inspired Me to Rethink My Artistic Process…

YA FRIDAY: 3 Books to Add to Your Shelf

  In an earlier post this Monday, I previewed three books: Pax by Sarah Pennypacker, Ghost by Jason Reynolds, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman for IMWAYR. For this week's YA Friday, I'd like to keep the tradition of previewing a book I have read, one book that I'm partway through, as well as one … Continue reading YA FRIDAY: 3 Books to Add to Your Shelf

Fantasy Fans United

Knowing that there is a wealth of people interested in fantasy fiction, world building, swords and sorcery, magic, and medieval-inspired stories and novels, we couldn't help but pose this question this week. If you like to read or write fantasy fiction, like this post, and comment!

The Witch’s Uprising – Making Noteworthy Titles for Young Adult Novels and Middle Grade Lit

While working on a novel is the thrilling, the process is often fraught with little challenges. For example, finding the correct title for the book, section titles for the book's major divisions, or the simply picking names for each character and town are often difficult tasks. Rushing the process is never a good idea; however, … Continue reading The Witch’s Uprising – Making Noteworthy Titles for Young Adult Novels and Middle Grade Lit

Where have the posts been? What is “A Thousand Watchful Eyes”?

A few years ago, while working with students to create real and believable characters, I came up with an idea for forming a short story contest at our school. The contest involved creating a piece of flash fiction, no longer than a page. Students were asking how to develop a character and a story in … Continue reading Where have the posts been? What is “A Thousand Watchful Eyes”?