Here’s to the last blog of the year! Not including school books, I read 50 books this year! That’s much more than I expected. Let’s dive into my reads from the last third of the year. The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall (3/5 Stars): Unlike the earlier entries in the series (which I reviewed …
Continue reading Reading Recap 2023 – Part 3: Mysteries, Histories, and Adventures
"Mythics" was the original series name - I brainstormed different names for the series in my planner. It's on a November calendar page, but I didn't commit to writing and working on the series until December 2013. The Myth-Keepers, my longest actively worked on series, turns ten years old this month. It is very surreal …
Hey there. It’s been a while. 2023 has been the sparsest year for writing updates (I at least get four, one per quarter, but this is only the third of the year) and one of the longest droughts since the last update (which was in May!). But I will admit up front: it seems odd …
Continue reading December 2023 Writing Update: A Year of Little Progress
The fantasy trend of 2023 continues! I finished one trilogy, read another, took a break with some middle grade, and dove into some old classic epic poetry. Let’s dive into the mini-reviews! The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (3.5/5 Stars): As I mentioned in Part 1 of this year’s Reading Recap, I was a …
Continue reading Reading Recap 2023 – Part 2: From Ancient Epics to Modern Fantasy
Welcome to a rambly writing update! There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in. A Finished Draft Finishing a draft is a quiet affair, though it feels like it shouldn’t be. While publishing is certainly a big deal, I almost feel like finishing the rough draft is more worthy of celebrating. Finishing a …
Continue reading May 2023 Writing Update: A Finished Draft, A Started Sequel, and A Rut
As a writer, I love good stories. There are some books, movies, and TV shows that continue to stick with me over the years, as well as excellent tales I’ve only recently discovered. Some I appreciate for their impact on my writing; others, I love simply because they excite me and move me. Trying to …
Welcome to the first Reading Recap of the year! I’ve decided to split my reading recap posts into three parts this year, as the first few months of 2023 were full of many great books, both fiction and nonfiction. So far, the year has a strong fantasy bent, which will likely continue through the rest …
Continue reading Reading Recap 2023 – Part 1: Mistborn, Princess Bride, Norse Mythology, & More!
Writing is hard. You’d think after a decade of serious writing, I’d have it figured out. But part of the problem for writing as long as I have? Story ideas grow and get tangled together and make it tricky to know how all the plots, characters, and world-building piece together. Tied up with that, with …
Continue reading March 2023 Writing Update: Rough Drafts Are…Rough
Welcome to the final Writing Update of 2022! Today’s post will not only give a recap of my progress since my last update, but take a look back at the year as a whole. Let’s start with 2022 in review. Looking back at my writing goals, made at the start of this year, I ended …
Continue reading December 2022 Writing Update: Small Victories, Goals, and Looking To 2023
Normally, I wait until end of December to release my annual Reading Recap, a collection of mini reviews the fiction books I read for the first time over the year. However, my list is growing SO large that I decided to split up the lists rather than cutting books from it. It’s exciting that I …
By Madelynn Orion 