Musings

For Margaret Izard, it’s about layering history and myth into the very bones of the story—giving the magic weight and grounding the fantasy in a world that feels real. ...Each story in the [Stones of Iona] series focuses on the search for a magic Fae stone, a Stone of Iona. Via a Fae fable, the characters learn which stone needs finding. Blending the fable into the plotline and how it unfolds became the series’ backbone.

I didn’t plot Crushing before I wrote it—as if the story was already written, and I only needed to extract it from my mind. All I knew was my protagonist (Atarah) had five days to fall in love or the world was going to end. This is a common sentiment for young adults, but I made the emotional crisis into something literal. The Crush-it dance, which we would call a Valentine's Day dance, provided a finish line to inject a race against time feeling.

Guest Post by J. Von Tobel: When I set out to write my recent novel, Fated to be Monsters, there was only pain in mind. I was still writing dark fantasy exclusively and my stories went accordingly. The worlds were bleak. The heroes were brave. The odds were against them. The book was going to end with the FMC broken, alone, and betrayed. The man she loved taken prisoner and the vile antagonist would force her into self-imposed exile.

Angels in the Crosswalks of Seattle: An Interview with Nikki Frank, Author of KILLING SHADOWS (The Wild Rose Press, September 18, 2024)

Through Elizabeth's Eyes: When I sit down to write, I hope to craft a story that pulls the reader in. If done well, the reader is immersed.

An Interview with Author AA DaSilva — This month AA DaSilva joins us to discuss her current release, PERIPHERY (The Wild Rose Press, 2024)

Curse of Flame is the story that brought J. Von Tobel back to writing. This story is about that spark inside of you that won’t go away.

Never Mess with a Leprechaun: This month, we welcome Jane Greenhill author of THE LEPRECHAUN'S CURSE (The Wild Rose Press) to the blog.

Chelsey M. Ortega joins us to celebrate the book birthday for her YA paranormal novel, BONDWITCH (The Wild Rose Press, October 16, 2023).

On Enchanted Forests and Elemental Magic: An Interview with Barbara Robinson, author of A Cure for Spring Fever (The Wild Rose Press).

As a writer, my memories and emotions influence my fiction. What's more, I liken being a fiction writer to being a method actor.

Astral Projection and A Dream of Flying: An Interview with Kimberly Baer, Author of the paranormal-sci-fi young adult novel, OUT OF BODY.

Skyward: Memories of childhood become faded things. Sometimes the details escape us. So, we fill them in with our imagination.

On Love, Dragons, and Controlling One's Own Fate: Interview with Author Shirley McCoy, DRAGON SONG (The Wild Rose Press, October 23, 2023)

Inspired—Passion for Vintage Fashion: An Interview Sandra L. Young, author of The Ghostly Diva (The Wild Rose Press, May 1, 2024)

FOX TALE by Author Karen Hulene Bartell is a paranormal romance set in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan.

I have a new found love for writing poetry despite adamantly declaring, "I'm not a poet," for years.

Interview with Karen Hulene Bartell, author of KISSING KIN.

I have boxes of keepsakes and in these boxes are talismans evoking the memories and stories related to a particular place and time.

On that particular day, I was on the city bus on the way home from school playing the “what if” game... This is the day I met Paolo.