So I know this was from the soundtrack of that angel movie, but Alanis Morrisette's absolutely haunting "Uninvited" also works uncannily well for a human seduced by a faerie. Just sayin'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErSCdHJdUgU
5 Reasons non-YA is getting published as YA
There's a growing trend in Young Adult books, and it has to stop. I'm not the first to notice or call this out, but an awful lot of "young adult" books--particularly in genre fiction like fantasy--feature "teen" characters that think and act more like 30-year-olds. Or they contain content that can be inappropriate for the …
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Music Monday: “Silver & Gold”
Voodou's "Silver & Gold" was on the very first playlist that inspired my new adult faerie fantasy project.This one was chosen more for its sound than its lyrics, with lilting bells and whirling vocals that sound like an Unseelie dance.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MzlguxyNC0
5 Ways I Trimmed Word Count
I have a very strained relationship with word counts. I'm a chronic over-writer, so I usually have to cut thousands of words between the first and final draft. In can feel like pulling teeth, but many of these tricks will also make your prose stronger. So why do you need to cut words, anyway? There …
Music Monday: “The Mess I Made”
Are you ready for some good, solid romantic angst this week? Parachute's "The Mess I Made" is the perfect distillation of romantic regret when you watch the person you love walk away, knowing it's all your fault. It's one of those songs I play on repeat, think about my characters, and cry. Which characters? Ah, …
The 5 Best Decisions I’ve Made On My Writing Journey
After the last Friday 5 post, I’d like to switch things up by swapping out the negativity for some positives. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve also made a few decisions that completely changed my writing life for the better. 1. Participating in NaNoWriMo. For those who aren’t familiar, NaNoWriMo is National Novel …
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Music Monday: “Frost”
Time for some good old-fashioned heartbreak. For those of you writing a tragic romance and needing that perfect, poignant song for inspiration. Ever had that relationship that could have been something magical, but just seemed to fall apart? And yet you still can't help but wonder "what if"? Vertical Horizon's "Frost" is a hidden gem, …
The 5 Worst Mistakes I’ve Made On My Writing Journey
We all make mistakes. And learning from the errors of others can certainly be much easier than experiencing the sting of your own. In that spirit, here are a few of my most cringe-worthy choices in my writing journey, and what I learned from each one. 1. Editing before revising. So your manuscript is complete! …
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Music Monday: “Where The Wild Roses Grow (not that version)”
This was one of my top 5 songs of 2018 on Spotify, and it's no wonder.For gorgeous strings in a haunting, lilting melody, look no further than this cover of Nick Cave's "Where the Wild Roses Grow" by Eklipse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R676m5Tdhxs
5 Bipolar Traits I Gave My Main Character
In my blog post “Writing with Bipolar II”, I detailed a little bit about my own struggles with mental health. I also mentioned that I accidentally gave one of my main characters the same form of bipolar that I have. Bipolar has a lot of symptoms, and not all of them are well-known. In this …
