The long-awaited date is here at last--Windswept exists and you can buy it! Alinor is a magical, dangerous place: the shattered shards of the broken world shift around without rhyme or reason—and the monster-infested seas are no exception. Gale, an honest fisherman with the power to drive the wind, has never been beyond the safe … Continue reading Today’s the Day!
Windswept Pre-Order!
IT'S OFFICIAL! WINDSWEPT COMES OUT JUNE 15th!! Alinor is a magical, dangerous place: the shattered shards of the broken world shift around without rhyme or reason—and the monster-infested seas are no exception. Gale, an honest fisherman with the power to drive the wind, has never been beyond the safe waters of his home. Though he … Continue reading Windswept Pre-Order!
Windswept Cover Reveal!
-About Windswept- -Read Chapter One- Windswept is nearing publication, so stay tuned!
A Writer’s Guide to Paragraphs
So we're going back to the basics today, because it's come to my attention that a lot of people are confused about paragraphs. That's okay if you are. Paragraphs are tricky things, and it took me years to figure out how to make them work. Part of the problem is the way they're taught in … Continue reading A Writer’s Guide to Paragraphs
A Writer’s Guide to Speech Patterns
So the other day I was talking to someone, and they mentioned how they struggle to write characters with different speech patterns. No matter how hard they try, every character they write sounds the same. This is a pretty common problem, so here I am to talk about it! I always like to start these … Continue reading A Writer’s Guide to Speech Patterns
A Writer’s Guide to Filter Words
This is one of those details that can take a good story and make it great. We'll start with definitions, as we usually do: Filter Words: extra phrases meant to establish a character's perception. They filter the story through the main character's senses. Example: He saw, she felt, he remembered, they heard, etc. There's nothing inherently wrong with … Continue reading A Writer’s Guide to Filter Words
When Plot Bunnies Attack
"Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." — John Steinbeck A plot bunny, if you don't already know, is an idea that pops out of nowhere and refuses to go away. It just sits there, looking at you, asking to be written--and then … Continue reading When Plot Bunnies Attack
A Writer’s Guide to Background Characters
It’s easy to rely on stock personalities for background characters. They're in the background, after all. Who's going to notice that Guard #5 is the same guard from every other piece of media ever? But if you throw in at least one personality trait that contrasts with what readers expect, you can bring these bit-part … Continue reading A Writer’s Guide to Background Characters
A Writer’s Guide to Strong Female Characters
Okay. This post is going to be less about How To and How Not To and more about what a Strong Female Character is, and what a Strong Female Character is not. "But Mara," you might be saying, "obviously a strong female character is a female character who is strong. It's all there in the … Continue reading A Writer’s Guide to Strong Female Characters
Today’s the Day!
Wardbreaker is officially available for purchase on Amazon! Do you like ebooks? Great! Do you prefer print copies you can hold in your hand? Even better! Both are available now! Click here for the ebook Click here for the print book Go buy it, leave a review once you've read it, and let's all be … Continue reading Today’s the Day!
Mara Mahan 