I recently had the pleasure of reading Nicholas Kaufmann’s newest horror novel, “The Stone Serpent.” This sequel to Kaufmann’s 2021 novel “The Hungry Earth” takes place a year after the events of the first book and follows the main character, Dr. Laura Powell, as she tries to re-establish some semblance of normalcy in her life. …
I went on hiatus from posting to the blog back in March. Now, summer’s at an end here in the Witch City, so it’s time to get back to blogging with a summer recap. For the past few months, my focus has been on short stories, both reading and writing them!
I just read a The Martian, a book loved dearly by a LOT of people. I, however, didn’t love it. In my review, I discuss elements of this book that failed me.
My Very First “Writer” Interview!! Over on the website Interviews from the Void, I had the honor of chatting with Arthur McCabe about a whole bunch of interesting writing stuff. It’s a sign of how inept I am at professional marketing and blogging that I only just thought today of mentioning this on my own …
It took two ridiculously long posts to cover all the fun of ReaderCon 2018, but I gotta say, I had an incredible time. If you’re a fan of science fiction and fantasy stories, you have to get to ReaderCon. You won’t be disappointed.
I went for three days without seeing the sun. Not best practice in terms of health, but it tells you something about how busy I was at ReaderCon this past weekend. Quick disclaimer: This is going to be a long post, as will be the part 2 follow-up. I’m trying to paint a clear picture …
If you’ve ever watched an Olympic sporting event like the floor routine in gymnastics, you might have seen shots of athletes preparing to compete. They stand to the side, eyes closed, twisting their bodies around in odd ways. You know what they’re doing. They’re envisioning their routine, imagining the jumps, the turns, the tucks. The same thing happening to those athlete’s brains as they pre-visualize their routines occurs inside readers’ minds when they read. Provided, that is, an author uses a few key neuroscience tricks when they write.
Regardless of the quality of the actual story being told, the writing can either engage us or bore us. Understanding the neuroscience of reading can help you grab readers by the brain and engage them more effectively.
ReaderCon is arguably the most significant annual writing conference in Massachusetts. Happening each July in the town of Quincy, the event attracts an impressive line-up of fantasy, science fiction, and horror authors. It’s a must attend for genre fans, both readers and writers. This year, I’m going, and I can’t wait!
Mackenzi Lee might now just be near the top of my favorite writers. This excellent piece of YA fiction is filled with wonderful characters you can get behind, hauntingly beautiful language, all topped off with social themes that YA readers are hungry to explore!!