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Jul 11 2019 
The Vindor map is completed!
MAP MAP MAP MAP!!!Can you tell I’m excited? 🤗
It’s taken a while to create, but the official map of Vindor is now completed:
I’ve had a rough sketch that I’ve referred to over the years as I wrote the books, of course, but it was more of a tool just for me. It wasn’t pretty, and not anything other people would want to look at.
I gave my sketch to Mike Golus at Take Shape Studio (a … Continue reading
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Apr 22 2019 
Mists of Paracosmia Prologue
The Vindor sequel will be released this coming Monday! For those of you who would like a sneak peak, here’s the opening to Mists of Paracosmia:
Prologue
The mist was like none they had ever seen—thick and heavy, with a dull sheen like nickel. It seemed to sense the company’s presence and withdrew a little, revealing the dark silhouettes of round tents.
A young woman with straight red-brown hair dismounted her horse. Tendrils of mist reached out for … Continue reading
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Apr 12 2019 
Mists of Paracosmia – plot preview
Return to the land of
Vindor and explore new nations, meet new allies, and face new perils in the
sequel to Escape to Vindor.Several years have passed since Megan banished the Shadow from Vindor. Now her world faces a new threat: a menacing fog that wipes out identities. It’s an ideal time for Megan to return—but in a strange twist of events, Vindor gets her brother, Arden, instead.
Arden knows nothing about his sister’s secret world, but … Continue reading
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Mar 31 2019 
The Vindor sequel comes out April 29
My dear friends,
What a crazy eight months I’ve had! Major projects included:
Having a baby.
Well, that’s the major one. But among the late-night feedings and sweet baby laughs, I’ve also found time to:
Finish up the Vindor sequel.
That’s right: readers can return to Vindor on April 29, 2019! I’m really thankful for my publisher, Taberah Press, for working with me after the baby’s arrival pushed back our original publishing date. But the extra time has paid off, … Continue reading
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Jul 18 2018 
Want to be a better fantasy or sci-fi writer? Here’s what you should read.
My dear writing friends,
If you’re an aspiring science fiction or fantasy writer, you want to create something fresh and different for your audience. But while we may come up with a few truly original innovations, the fact is many of our ideas (as well as our writing style) have their roots somewhere else.
If you only ever read one genre (the latest dystopian novels, for example, or a handful of YA fantasy series), you’re like a … Continue reading
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Mar 11 2018 
The critical error that can make writers miserable
Dear writer-dreamers:
I know a lot of writers—those who are just starting out, seasoned professionals, and everyone in between. I work with writers, go to conferences, connect with writers on Facebook, and attend writing conferences.
I love this community, but I’ve noticed something that’s troubled me for a while.
So many writers are setting themselves up to be miserable.
This isn’t about a certain technique, or working habit, or anything on a surface level. The error goes much deeper—to … Continue reading -
Mar 03 2018 
A Guide to the Merfolk of Vindor
Dear Paracosmians,
Which fantasy creature first captured your imagination?
Hands down, mermaids were always my favorite, starting from the time I was five or six years old. I spent hours dreaming about living under the sea (and was devastated when I realized that would never happen!), and mermaid doodles filled my notebooks from first grade all the way through college. (Okay, okay, and maybe a few slipped into my notes during boring corporate meetings.)
That probably explains why … Continue reading
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Feb 15 2018 
I want to write a book. Where do I start?
Dear dreamers, So I’m a huge supporter of the idea of writing for your own enjoyment. If you want to write poems or journal entries or short stories for your eyes only (or for a few select friends), that’s a fantastic outlet that will make you a better creative thinker and give you a relaxing … Continue reading -
Jan 18 2018 
Story Tips: Writing believable dialogue in fantasy
My dear storymakers,
One of my writing friends is working on a fantasy novel set in a medieval-style world, and she wanted to know how she could make the characters’ dialogue sound more natural.
The basic advice is to write dialogue the way people speak—but when you’re writing about people in a different world, planet, or time period than your own, there’s a lot more to think about.
So how do you write realistic dialogue for an imaginary … Continue reading
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Dec 17 2017 
To unpathed waters and undreamed shores
Dear worldbuilders,
Have you ever heard a line of poetry or a fragment of a song that just stays with you?
When I was in college, I took a Shakespeare course—actually two of them—in which we covered the Bard’s most famous works (plus some lesser-known, infamous ones). To help us categorize the huge amounts of text we were reading each semester, our professor would have us memorize each play’s most famous lines.
Several of these lines have stuck … Continue reading
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