I'm really excited to share that I'm going on a virtual book tour with my book, The Crimson Inkwell, ahead of the release of The Silver Currant later this year. The virtual tour will last all of April. During the month, I'll be doing guest blog posts and sharing features from other bloggers that will…
You may find yourself with ample time on your hands. Even if you love books and not interacting with other human beings, eventually the call for companionship emerges and even us most bookish, introverted people need some social interaction. But how to do it?Well, it turns out there is a whole series…
I've been a fan of The Princess Bride since I was a child. Something about the daring rescue, the high stakes, and the quasi-magical setting had me hook, line, and sinker.When I first read the book by William Goldman, I didn't understand why there were all the modern-day interludes in there. (I…
Red Rising by Pierce Brown is the start of an intense series where Hunger Games meets Ender's Game meets Julius Ceaser.With a lot of sci-fi/dystopian stuff already out there, is this book worth the hype or worth a walk-by? Well today, I'm breaking down whether or not this book would be a good…
The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, is largely touted to be a gripping tale of the rise of America's most notorious serial killer.I'm here to tell you that it isn't true. It's much more interesting than that. The tale that Erik Larsen weaves about the utter transformation of Chicago and…
It took me a while to dig in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It came out in 1996. But I'm glad I finally picked up a copy.An urban fantasy set in a magical world below contemporary London, the book has a lot to offer, and it delivers in true, witty Neil Gaiman fashion.If…
This week, I return to a wonderful place called Evermore Park for its Aurora season. The portal to their town has opened again and welcomed a new, unique set of guests and trouble.Frost lords, Wolf clans, werewolves, weddings... what better place to be instead of writing?Evermore is an immersive fantasy…
It'll soon be an Amazon Original series, and you may be asking yourself. Is the Wheel of Time worth reading? After all, it's a long epic fantasy series, and you won't be finishing it in a week (most likely). You need some knowledge before an investment like that.Well, today instead of writing, I'm…
Last time on Instead of Writing, we talked about the Bare-bones Sketch Challenge. To illustrate the type of sketch I was talking about, I present Uncle Kevin and the Garage Sale Bike.Here's how it breaks down:2 characters: Kevin (laid back) and Kenny (uptight)One setting: A parked carObjective: Provide five-year-old Joey with…
Don't overcomplicate your comedy writing. On this episode of Instead of Writing, I'm trying to strip away all of the crutches and force you to have two characters hash it out.All writers have big ideas. I've just seen too many writers starting out in comedy allow those big ideas to block their progress toward…