In 2020, I read more fantasy novels than any other genre. Most bestselling fantasy titles are part of a series, from Dune to Lord of the Rings to A Song of Ice and Fire. Young adult fantasy follows this pattern. In fact, some of the books on the standalone list are probably starters for series…
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When we tell our stories about 2020, we might focus on the big moments: the silent streets, protesting, voting, waiting. The little, repeated moments might stand out the most: staring out the window; a bay of faces not quite making eye contact on Zoom; our gut churn when reading the news; lying in bed, staring…
Leave a CommentI’ve started publishing the first chapters of Marcie, a novella about Marcie Ross, the invisible girl from the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Marcie was last seen joining a government program for invisible teenagers, learning assassination and infiltration. And then, nothing. Marcie never returns in Buffy, Angel, the comic books, novels, or any other…
Leave a CommentWhen drafting a cover for my latest freebie short story, I created many, many, many variations of the cover. Most looked pretty awful, but some of them had a certain psychedelic charm that reminded me of 1960s psychedelic poster art. All of these images use (we could say misuse, even abuse) the lovely painting “Cupid and…
Leave a CommentYour heroine’s never been a cat person. She’s never had a pet, and views all animals with mixed alarm and confusion. But when a starving, boney cat shows up on her doorstep, she takes him to the vet right away. She’s not a total monster–and when she sees how cute the vet is, she wonders…
Leave a CommentYour heroine just won a poetry competition. Her poem’s going to be published in an anthology put out by a big publishing house. Now she has two weeks to prepare for the party, where she hopes to meet an agent, publisher, publicist, or someone who can help her publish a book of poems she’s been…
Leave a CommentYour heroine’s stranded at O’Hare for the next six hours. She heads to the airport coffee shop (or bar, depending on your heroine) and strikes up a fascinating conversation with our hero. T She’s so into him, she almost misses her flight–and misses his number, last name, or any contact information to speak of. She…
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