Lately, I’ve been reading series that include novellas alongside full-length novels, which has brought up questions about the roles that novellas play in the overall story of a series and whether or not I think it’s a valuable practice. Specifically, back in July, I read the three Skyward Flight novellas connected to the Skyward series …
Tag: books
Where Did Whitman Court Come From?
Great question. It’s a bit of a murky journey. Here’s a fun fact about me as a writer: most of my story ideas that I’m actively working on came to me in high school or earlier. Unfortunately, though, it’s difficult to determine when an idea first occurred to me or when I started working on …
Writing with a Day Job: Wise Rest
Greetings yet again! This is part three of four in my series on busy writers. Trying to write a novel but only have an hour (or less) a day to write? Working a job you can’t stand but really want to be a novelist? Or shuffling between parenting your kids, managing a house, and working …
Writing with a Day Job: Productivity
I long for a time where I can be a full-time writer. Anyone else? Instead, I’m what some might label a “Midnight Novelist.” (Well, really more of a “Lunch Break Novelist”—I don’t have the stamina to stay up late after a long day of work.) Or, as I like to call it, a Writer with …
Patience, Persistence, and Practicality: Initial Thoughts from Pitching The Queen of Whitman Court
I entered into 2022 with high hopes: it’s time to pitch my novel, The Queen of Whitman Court! I planned to dive right into it, sending out letters left and right and every which way to any editor or agent who might possibly give me a chance— But if you’ve been following along with my …
Happy 1st Book Birthday, Our Company of Fools!
Hello and Happy New Year! Today is a big day because…it’s the one-year anniversary since Our Company of Fools was released! Huzzah! For those of you who may not know what Our Company of Fools is, it’s a young adult fantasy thriller novel about a group of young writers who literally face their demons. It’s …
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Reading Recap 2021
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays! 2021 is coming to an end, and that means it’s time to ring in what’s becoming an annual tradition for me: my reading recap of the year! Since I read nearly 40 books this year, I'm only going to go over a few of the highlights. I’ve …
Rereading the Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
This summer, I reread the Harry Potter books for the first time in a decade. I’ve been a fan of Harry Potter since my elementary school days, though my journey through the whole series was slow, as I was too young for the later books when I first started reading them. I still have vivid …
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My 10th Novel Wasn’t What I Expected…
On September 30, 2021, I hit a special milestone. I finished my 10th original novel. “Finished” used very, very loosely—there’s still a lot of editing to come. The funny thing is...I didn’t expect this book to be No. 10. I’ve been waiting to hit this milestone for nearly three years now, and I never would’ve …
Rereading Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga
Unlike my other rereading escapades over the past year or so, Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga wasn’t technically a childhood classic of mine. The Chronicles of Narnia, Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet, The Mysterious Benedict Society--all of those books, I vividly remember reading as a kid. With Wingfeather Saga, it was a little different. I read the …
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By Madelynn Orion 