A spoiler-free, craft-focused review of Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, examining narrative complexity, character relationships, and the use of nature to explore climate change and moral tension.

A spoiler-free, craft-focused review of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, examining immersion, poetic language, and how rich—but imperfect—storytelling choices shape the reading experience.

A spoiler-free, craft-focused review of The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, exploring storytelling without a single villain, writing about truth with the intent of teaching the reader a lesson, and what writers can learn from it.

A spoiler-free, craft-focused review of The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon, exploring slow storytelling, healing fiction, and what writers can learn from it.

I recommend The Correspondent by Virginia Evans to people all the time. To readers because it’s an amazing story. To writers, because it is a masterclass in form, on how to do multiple points of view, and on how to leave out some answers without disappointing the reader.

Writing a novel isn’t hard because we lack ideas. It’s hard because we lack systems.

Between work, family, and that mysterious ability of laundry to multiply overnight, writing can feel like something you’ll get to “someday.” But someday never comes — unless you make it.

That’s where setting yourself up for success comes in. Not by writing harder, but by writing smarter.

Announcement: Need a book coach - I can help. In January 2025, I got my certification as a book coach in fiction from Author Accelerator. Read more about why I chose this path.

Why I Write. There are so many reasons! It's a complex cocktail of creativity, legacy, impact, storytelling passion, word-love, and the desire to entertain.