I have to brag about this book! Piranesi is the most elegant, masterfully woven tale of magical realism I have red to date this year — if not the last few years, to be honest. Though on the surface it’s a quiet, richly detailed labyrinthine literary adventure, underneath the narrative lies a symbolic depiction of one […]

As Kristen Kieffer remarks, “To create in the midst of strife is a powerful and revolutionary act.”

  For fans of Clue, this is your classic whodunnit murder mystery, complete with a number of characters named after the familiar colors on the game board. While The Maid begins a s a lighthearted caper, the plot winds through a series of unexpected twists and turns, enmeshing you in the question of whether or not you’re dealing […]

  Recently, I walked into my first drawing class not knowing what to expect. I’m a writer, but I wanted to explore other avenues of creative expression. Not only does it make great artistic fodder, but it’s fun, right? Letting our creative sides run wild.  I quickly realized I was surrounded by a number of […]

  Brooms up!  Little did I know I was in for such an adventure when I picked up Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster. This book transported me to Victorian London in a way no other book has – from the point of view of a young orphan chimney sweep named Nan Sparrow. Her […]

  Some days I’m a veterinarian, running through diagnostic trees and fine-tuning treatment plans for a variety of diseases and medical conditions. Other days I’m at my computer in front of the page, hashing out strings of words in pursuit of a story that’s playing out in my head, anxious to capture the images in […]

  When a book starts with “What had happened was…”, you know it’s going to be good. I didn’t even realize I needed this book until it literally *dropped* into my lap by (almost) pure happenstance. <and targeted marketing> Don’t let the innocent exterior fool you. Princess Floralinda and the Forty-flight Tower is more than […]

  I would be lying if I said the holidays haven’t affected my writing the last few weeks. While a joyous season in many ways, this is also an incredibly difficult time of year for me. My dad passed away three months ago and his absence is palpable, still a fresh wounding. Grief absolutely saps […]

  If you’re looking for a classic Gothic thriller that will keep you up late at night, search no further than The Woman in Black. Though closer in length to a novella, Susan Mills delivers the solid punch of a much weightier work, hitting all the plot points you long for in a traditional haunted house […]

  Recently I was asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” It’s an excellent question, and one that made me chuckle. My immediate thought was, I worked for hours to wrestle that idea into shape! It didn’t just happen. When I considered the question a bit longer, my next thought was, I have no idea […]