SEARCH RESULTS

Photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash This was a tag created by BookTubers Thoughts on Tomes and My Name is Marines . I watch both of their channels regularly and I always appreciate the thoughts and criticism they give to books that they have read. While I don't have a YouTube channel that features criticism from me of the books I've read, I thought I'd do this tag anyway because, as you know, I love tags and they're easy to do when I'm busy! ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ 1. How do you rate books?  Give a quick rundown of how you do your star ratings (or if you don’t use star ratings, how you evaluate books). I only publicly rate books 3, 4, and 5 stars. If a book is a 1 or 2 star, I tend to DNF or complain about it to a friend or family member. Anyway, a 3-star rating means I like it, but there are some flaws. 4 stars means I really liked it. 5 stars means it drew out my emotions and left a lasting impression. 2. How do you approach reviewing books?  What’s your review style? Are you analytical, emotional, casual, or structured? I stopped writing reviews of books years ago because I kept getting solicitations and I dislike more books than I like, so...I halted all book reviews. I review animation, though. I would call myself quite structured...in fact, too much so. I am also overly thorough. I'm trying to redo how I write animation reviews so that way they aren't so time consuming. 3. What’s the book that made you a reader?  Whether it was your first favorite or the one that got you hooked, what book started it all? Mortimer the Frog. It was in first or second grade. All I remember are the illustrations. 4. Do you have a genre niche?  Are there certain genres you gravitate toward? Or do you read widely across genres? My genre niches are young adult fantasy, adult fantasy, horror, and BL. I'm exploring romantasy now, too. 5. Do you generally prefer character-driven or plot-driven stories?   If the characters are good, I will follow them anywhere, even through a terrible plot. So, I would say character-driven stories. 6. What’s a book you love so much that you don’t care if others don’t like it?  What’s that one book you love enough for everyone? This isn't a book but a webcomic from Korea. It is really, really dark, with violence and noncon and dubcon...like, I'm sure tons of people will hate it. But I thought the story was addictive and the art gorgeous. I had no idea what was going to happen next. Everyone can hate this one, and I will still like it. 7. What’s a book you love so much that if someone  doesn’t   like it, you know your reading tastes don’t align? The book or books where a difference of opinion is a strong indicator of different reading preferences. If people don't like this book, not only will they not like my reading style, but they probably won't like what I write, either, as I aspire to make things just as well written and creative as Rogerson does. 8. What’s in your “trash pocket”?  What books, tropes, or themes that you know are bad but you love them anyway? My "trash pocket" is reserved for BL comics, and BL comics only. Omegaverse (but I don't like mpreg), noncon, dubcon, blackmail, only one bed, manipulation...I love a great deal of fluffy BL but I like a lot of admittedly problematic stuff, too. I wonder what this says about me. 9. Do you have any dealbreakers in books?  Something that, if present, immediately turns you off from a book. Racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQIA...those are the ones that hit me immediately. Also, if the narrative voice or dialogue is annoying. 10. What’s a strong opinion you have about a book released within the last year?  Whether it’s overrated, underrated, or just a take you need to share. I haven't been keeping track of when books release, so I'm sure this is more than a year old, but I cannot stop thinking about this book. It's so good. 11. What do you look for in writing?  What makes a book stand out to you? Is it prose style, themes, voice, structure, or something else? I think voice is more important to me than I realize. I can't get behind an annoying narrative voice. Characters also stand out to me, too, as well as their dialogue. 12. How do you decide what to read next?  Do you plan ahead, mood read, or follow external factors (hype, recommendations, ARCs)? My wallet usually decides what I read next, unless the desire to read a specific book overpowers me. I keep an ongoing wishlist on Amazon and Barnes and Noble of books I want to read, and I look up their prices almost every day. If they are cheap (especially eBooks), I will buy them. I need to rely on the library more often, though! 13. Where do you get inspiration for your BookTube content?  What sparks your video ideas—other creators, trends, personal reading experiences? I don't have a BookTube, but I watch BookTubers who review books, criticize the publishing industry, do fun little challenges or tags, or report publishing or genre news. 14. If you could make any book go viral right now, what would it be?  A book you think deserves more attention and why. I know it's totally cringe to toot my own horn or beg for help, but friends, this is a genuinely good book and it's just not pulling in numbers in terms of purchases or reviews. Most people don't even know it exists. So yes, I want my novel to go viral. 15. Who are some BookTubers with reading tastes similar to yours? Probably Thoughts on Tomes, A Clockwork Reader, and A Model Who's Read.

Image from depositphotos I was busy drafting future posts for the blog today, and then happened to see it: 300 posts have been published on this blog! From anime reviews to chatting about fairytales to about a bajillion different readers' tags and tracking my journey from burgeoning writer to published author, I'm glad you've been on this journey with me. Here's to 300 more!

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash What do you think is the most important thing for today's kids to learn in school? READING COMPREHENSION. As a college professor and former standardized test grader, I've seen many different ages and grade levels, and what they have in common is the inability to make sense of what they have been reading. It is absolutely frustrating to answer questions when the answer is literally in the document in their hand or in Canvas. They just have to read. They don't. Students cannot identify the main idea of a text, or where to find evidence in the text that supports that idea. And from my experience as a published novelist, from skimming reviews I can also tell you that in some of them, the reading comprehension just isn't there and reviewers have invented stuff that never happened, or missed the point entirely. It's not enough to be able to read--to sound the words out with your voice or your mind--you need to understand what has been written.

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash Write about something you would still buy if it cost twice as much as it costs today. While it would be stupid for me to do this, as libraries exist, I have a love of books and collecting books and buying books...so I would probably still buy them even if the prices shot up. Of course, that would mean hardcovers would be $40-60 or so, so I would have to ration the books I want to buy.

Photo by Zach Lucero on Unsplash It's been a good while since I've done one of these. I have a few on the blog but they were before my writing life changed--before I got my book published. I wonder how my answers will change now? This comes from Tumblr (remember that?) from Writcraft . I cannot find the original post anymore as I've held onto a screenshot of this activity for years and only now found it on my hard drive. Anyway, let's play! ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Tell us about your WIP! I'm working on the draft of The Name and the Key, the first book in a trilogy that was just signed by Oliver Heber Books. So...I'm not drafting in the hopes of being published--this is a done deal. The trilogy is scheduled for publication in 2026 and 2027 and I feel like I have to keep pinching myself as this is a dream come true. The Name and the Key follows Lily's story, where, as a young girl, she discovers her mother's body in the marshes, and is haunted by what she thinks is her mother's ghost. It's far more complicated than that--the haunting is not what it seems. The spirit follows Lily through all reflective surfaces: mirrors, glass, and still water, and begs Lily to "open the door" and be let out. Lily has no idea how to stop these visions or save her mother and it plagues her into young adulthood. Her childhood friend Andresh is acquainted with darker magic from his time abroad, and knows a way to save Lily from the curse, but his own secrets may destroy them both. Where is your favorite place to write? There is only one place that's set up for me to write, and it's at my desk (I recently got a new one after using a decades-old childhood desk). My laptop is there and that's where I do all my writing. If I handwrite, there's a notebook on top of the desk that I'll scribble in. Basically this desk is home base for creativity and I made it look pretty with fake flowers and a book-themed pencil and pen supply jar. What is your favorite/least favorite part about writing? I love coming up with characters and hate plotting. Do you have any writing habits/rituals? I used to wear hats while writing (putting on my "thinking cap") but now my new habit is wearing my fancy fingerless gloves to type. I get cold in my room very easily and these gloves keep me warm but allow me to type at the same time. Top five formative books? Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (series) Daughter of the Forest The Ill-Made Mute Bad News Ballet (series) Sorcery of Thorns Favorite character you've written? I want to say Lirien from Son of the Siren so badly! But it's going to be Andresh from The Name and the Key. He was a blast to write when he was a part of my graduate thesis, and he's a lot of fun writing the revamped book, too. He's just so charming! Favorite/most inspirational book? The most inspirational book for me is one of my formative books: Daughter of the Forest. It's a historical fantasy retelling of the fairy tale The Wild Swans. It was rendered so beautifully and made me feel so many emotions as I read it. It was the book that made me want to give writing fiction a serious try someday. Do you have any writing buddies or critique partners? I used to. My friend Jay was a critique partner briefly...but I couldn't keep up with critiquing Jay's manuscript in return, and I wasn't writing my own work fast enough, so I sort of petered out of doing critique exchanges. I still consider Jay a writing buddy, though. And I keep up with some of my fellow writers from Seton Hill, too. Favorite/least favorite tropes? My favorite trope is Only One Bed and my least favorite trope is Enemies to Lovers because it's so hard to pull off well. Pick an author (or writing friend) to co-write a book with. I think it would be fun to cowrite a book with Holly Black or do a horror manga with Junji Ito. What are you planning to work on next? After my trilogy? I honestly have no idea. I would like to give something with unicorns or vampires a try. Which story of yours do you like best? Why? I can't say much for my trilogy because I'm still writing it and still figuring the story out. And even if I consider the plays and musical I wrote, I wouldn't pick those stories, either. I'm going with my debut, Son of the Siren. That was a challenge to write because I combined multiple fairy tales into a single narrative, but it's one of the most original stories I've ever told. I never thought I'd be able to write a traditional quest fantasy, but I did! Describe your writing process. What does it take for you to be ready to write your book? So, here's the thing. I never quite feel ready to write a book. As long as I continue to have problems outlining and plotting in advance, I don't feel ready. I just hop in with vague images and snippets of prose and go from there. But to even get my butt in the seat, I have to feel like doing it. This means I can't be exhausted or depressed. The thing is, almost everyone will tell you that if you want to write, you write through the sadness and exhaustion. You're supposed to "do it anyway" instead of only when you "feel like it." I have not been able to work this out yet, but someday I hope I do. How do you deal with self-doubt when writing? This is probably the wrong thing to do, but I seek validation of some kind. Positive words about my work can really turn things around for me. Sometimes I just need a good pep talk reminding me of how far I've come. I have on my PC a "Writing Validation" folder with screenshots of positive reviews of Son of the Siren. I hope to get more with other books. But the plan is, whenever I feel down, I try to reconnect to my readers who enjoyed my writing. That should make me feel better! Cover love/dream covers? I just think this is a beautiful, colorful, romantic cover. I would love to have something like this for my books. What things are you most comfortable writing? Lyrics and rhymes. I can usually come up with them very quickly and I do a good job with the rhythm/meter so things fit nicely when you read them. I miss writing songs for musicals, so when I wrote Son of the Siren , I got to write rhyming curses and riddles in addition to songs. It was so much fun! Tell us about that one book you'll never let anyone read. I wrote a musical when I was twelve called A Gypsy's Tale. I did not know that the word "gypsy" was pejorative. I just became obsessed with them after watching Esmeralda in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. I wrote every stereotype you could think of into this show, because I didn't know any better about doing research or breaking through those stereotypes. I just thought the Roma were a bohemian, magical people. So....I ended up writing the most racist thing ever and I don't want anyone in the world to see it. I know I was only twelve, but...some of this came up again later in life, like my graduate thesis. That version had a culture based off of the Roma, and even though I did research then, I found out I was still relying on stereotypes to tell my story. I just couldn't shake the Disney influence. That's a huge reason why I decided to rewrite The Name and the Key : no more Roma culture is in the book. There is no Roma-based race in the book. I am not the voice or representative of a heavily marginalized people. How do you cope with writer's block? I try to watch movies that take place roughly during the same time period as the book I'm writing. I particularly get inspired by costumes, so I'll watch both fantasies and historical drama for decadent clothing. I will also listen to classical or instrumental music to see if that inspires anything. Usually, though, I end up stopping my writing until I can figure out what my problem is. Any advice for young writers/advice you wish someone would have given you early on? I'm going to quote myself from an interview I gave: "Try not to compare your success to others. Publishing is wildly unpredictable and we are all on our own paths in our own time." What aspect of your writing are you most proud of? I love creating characters, and if I were to toot my own horn, I'd say a lot of them are fully fleshed-out, realized people. Tell us about the books on your "to write" list. I've had ideas for these books (but I'm not going to give you a blurb to protect my writing): The Clockwork Prince Kill it with Fire Stolen Fruit Most anticipated upcoming books? A Forgery of Fate The Nightblood Prince Never the Roses Rose in Chains House of the Beast Hemlock & Silver Katabasis Do you remember the moment you decided to become a writer/author? In third grade I attempted to write seriously--short stories, a "book"--and I wrote my first play in fifth grade, with my first serious play in seventh grade. I thought in seventh grade that I was going to be a playwright for the rest of my life. When I wrote Melancholia in 2006, I thought I was going to be a playwright, lyricist, and composer for the rest of my life. I even applied for an MFA in that field. But there were two moments in my life where I thought about it and decided to write fiction. The first moment was when I was 18 or 19 and finished reading Juliet Marillier's Daughter of the Forest. That book made me want to write fiction. Later, when I was 25, I had a deep think after I withdrew myself from NYU's waitlist for their writing musical theater program...I just didn't think playwriting was sustainable for me, and it was time to move onto something else. That being fiction. What's your worldbuilding process like? I select a time period to emulate based on a point in history to get a taste for things like food, dances, clothing, manners, culture, etc. But because I write fantasy, I next look into what kind of magic and magical creatures I want to put into my story. Then I build the world around these observations. I don't want to be a hard worldbuilder, but rather a light worldbuilder who only reveals what is necessary when necessary. This has not proven popular with all of my readers, but that's how I do it. What's the most research you've ever put into a book? For Son of the Siren I needed to research what happens when an animal loses a limb. I searched for deer, specifically. After lots of looking around, I came across a YouTube video of someone filming a three-legged deer who stopped by their backyard. Now, this is really interesting: when the deer walked slowly, it limped and moved awkwardly because of the missing leg. But when it broke into a run, it moved so fast , like the limb had never been missing in the first place. I saved the video to my PC and used it for my book. Where does your inspiration come from? Do you do certain things to make yourself more inspired? Is it easy for you to come up with story ideas? My inspiration comes from costumes, fairy tales, magic, music, manga and anime, art...and from books or stories that I've read that I'd like to put my own spin on, or borrow an image or motif from. For example, Sorcery of Thorns made me want to write about demons in the new version of The Name and the Key. How do you stay focused on your own work and how do you deal with comparison? So, I'm a little bit of a hypocrite because I have a hard time following my own advice and do make comparisons to other writers. Basically I get kind of bummed that I haven't found the same amount of success as other writers. But then I have to tell myself why it wouldn't have been possible for things to go any other way than how it went. I am on my own path in my own time. Is writing more of a hobby or do you write with the intention of getting published? I have always written with the intent to get published someday. Although I like writing for myself, I've always written with an audience in mind, and it's really hard to get an audience if you don't publish your work. Do you like to read book similar to your project while you're drafting or do you stick to nonfiction/different works? I may read in the same genre as the book I'm writing, but I don't read similar books because I'm afraid I might be influenced too much. I also continue to read outside the genre, too--I'm always reading horror or manga! Top five favorite books in your genre? These are some of the YA fantasies that I really enjoy: Sorcery of Thorns The Folk of the Air (series) An Enchantment of Ravens Among the Beasts and Briars Camelot Rising (series) On average how much do you write in a day? Do you have trouble staying focused/getting the word count in? I've never been able to get myself to write every day. My goal at one point was 500 words a day, but sometimes I'm just too exhausted to write or have concentration issues. I do have trouble staying focused on meeting my word count goal, and usually I have to use an app like Pacemaker to help keep me motivated. But even then, it doesn't always work. What's your revision/rewriting process like? Unpopular writing thoughts/opinions? I've seen a lot of writers say that when it comes to dialogue tags, the only phrase you really need is "said" and that you should try to avoid other words. I don't agree with this. You don't always need a dialogue tag in the first place, and secondly, if you do use "said," it might get too repetitive and boring. Of course you have to do things in moderation, but people gasp, cry, sob, ask, etc. Post the last sentence you wrote. To protect my work, I will not post anything until it is published. Post a snippet. To protect my work, I will not post anything until it is published. Do you ever write longhand or do you prefer to type everything? I write longhand in inspiration notebooks, where I attempt to plot through bullet points, and write notes to myself on what to change. But when it comes to writing my books, I always sit down and type it on my laptop. How do you nail voice in your books? I honestly don't know how to answer this question. I think it's up to the reader to determine whether or not I nailed something. But I do think I'm good at voice--a lot of that comes from the practice of playwriting. Do you spend a lot of time analyzing and studying the work of authors you admire? No. I just work with the first feelings I felt reading their writing. I don't analyze or study. I just go, "Wow, I really like this; what if I did a variation of it? How do I make it my own?" Do you look up to any of your writer buddies? The SHU romance and mystery writers are really good at what they do--they know their market, pump out work consistently and pretty quickly, and are pros. Are there any books you feel have shaped you as a writer? I've mentioned this before, but it's Daughter of the Forest. How many drafts do you usually write before you feel satisfied? I draft multiple times while drafting. If something isn't working, I save the writing file, number it, and then open a new file of the same work and make my substantial changes. I think Son of the Siren had eleven different versions at some point. Even then, with the book being published, I still don't feel like it's perfect. I sometimes think about the interactions between Lirien and the Queen and go, How could I have made that better? But I did the best I could. How do you deal with rejection? Depending on how badly I wanted something, I usually cry to myself, but immediately run and tell the people I love about what happened so I can be comforted. I really rely on other people to calm me down, help me out, and validate me. My family always makes me feel better. Why (and when) did you decide to become a writer? I became a writer when I was a child because I wanted to write things better than what I read. I also wanted to prolong the magic of the books I was reading, to recreate the feelings and emotions I had as a reader and pull them out of my audience. I wanted to write what other people weren't writing. First or third person? I like both! Son of the Siren is written in third person, while The Name and the Key trilogy is written in first. Past or present tense? I'm slowly acclimating to present tense as a reader, but I don't think I could write in it. I default to past tense every time I write. It's what feels comfortable to me. Single or dual/multi POV? Right now I'm for single POV, but this is because I'm still developing my writing skills and haven't worked out how to write multiple POVs yet. The closest thing I've got is with my trilogy-- The Name and the Key and The Fear and the Flame are told in first person from Lily's POV, while The Step and the Walk is told from Andresh's POV. Do you prefer to write skimpy drafts and flesh them out later, or write too much and cut it back? I like making cuts. I do it all the time. But that ends up with a skimpy draft after all is said and done, and usually I have to go back and add more. For example, Son of the Siren was first wrapped at 79,000 words, but later grew to about 84,000. Favorite fictional world? Elfhame from Holly Black's Folk of the Air series. It's beautiful and dangerous. Do you share your rough drafts or do you wait until everything is all polished? I share excerpts of my rough drafts with people because I want feedback and reassurance. I know I have a dependency on other people to feel better, and that probably isn't healthy, but it's a big reason why I share some of my WIP. It's hard writing alone until everything is done. Are you a secretive writer or do you talk with your friends about your books? I've learned to talk about it less, but I still talk to my friends about my books. I share if I have an idea that really makes me happy or feels inspired. Who do you write for? Myself and my audience. What is the first line of your WIP? To protect my writing, I'm not going to share anything I've written until I'm published. Favorite first line/opening you've written? "Late on the night of Lirien's eighteenth birthday, his father walked into the sea." I thought this was a brilliant opener, but it ended up getting cut based on beta reader feedback. First, although I had always pictured Lirien as 18, I was told by a few people to age him up because of his interactions with the Queen ("make it less disturbing"). So Lirien became 20. Next, there was nothing wrong with "his father walked into the sea," but the lines after it confused readers because they couldn't tell if Lirien was talking about himself or his father, and I couldn't find a way to fix that misunderstanding without cutting the line, sigh. How do you manage your time or make your time for writing? When I'm teaching, the best I can do is write on the weekends, because during the week I tend to exhaust myself after class and not want to do anything. Plus, teaching online doesn't mean you do your one class and then you're done--you have to be plugged in all the time for office hours, answering student questions, grading, etc. And the only thing wrong about weekend writing is if I haven't finished all of my grading yet...then I have to grade on the weekend, and writing gets pushed aside. But! I'm hoping my time management will continue to improve based on my most recent term teaching. I taught only one course but it was the best at managing time and grading than I had ever done before.

Photo by Bruna Mendonça de Araujo on Unsplash What are you recovering from right now? A regular schedule. It's not that my teaching schedule was so bad that I need to "recover" from it; it's more like my body is recovering from the classes that were later in the evening and from hours of grading. The downside is I've lost a bit of self-discipline that I need to get back on track with, especially since I have a lot of writing to do!

Photo by János Venczák on Unsplash. The Beat Logo (c) The Beat/Heidi MacDonald I am a bit on the late side finding this out. The announcements for all nominees and categories were made on the Comic-Con website as well as The Beat on May 15, and I found out through a late log-in to our team's Slack just now. Oops. Anyway, I thought I'd talk about how amazing it has been to write for The Beat (who I sometimes call Comics Beat) and how that all came together, and to celebrate their nomination and look brightly into the future. I first joined The Beat staff in 2023 when one of the staff openly sought writers through Twitter/X. She was looking for writers specifically for manga and anime. I don't know what possessed me to reach out, other than I didn't think I had anything to lose, and I shot her a link to my anime reviews on this website. To my surprise, I was welcomed to the team! I wrote my first review on both the manga and anime My Happy Marriage and from then on contributed here and there to roundtables and similar types of articles. However, I never really figured out what I wanted to do on my own as a writer, and I also had a slew of health problems that had me drop out of the ring (in terms of writing individual articles) for almost a whole year. I was straight MIA and had no idea what was going on. I reached out to the head of The Beat to express my desire to continue writing, and how I hoped to get back on track. Soon after that I was connected with my editor, who looks over my posts for The Beat and has been essentially reteaching me how to write. She is so wonderful to work with and very supportive, with a solid critical eye. When 2025 hit, I dove into writing for The Beat as much as I could given my time constraints with teaching and working on novels. I would do maybe 1-2 articles a month, and it took me (still kind of takes me) a bit to get a feel for reviewing manga. It's a visual medium but I tend to overlook that to gab about the plot (I am so guilty of summarizing all the time!). I need a little extra help until I get a true knack for writing about manga but I think I'm improving! On top of that, a PR rep covering works and news by TOKYOPOP reached out to me after catching one of my BL manga reviews, and now I'm part of the TOKYOPOP Beat. I am regularly sent manga, light novels, and press releases to cover on The Beat. Life got busier for certain, but I'm so happy with this turn of events. Anyway, when I found out The Beat got nominated for an Eisner, I felt so proud. They are a really great and supportive team to write for, and they cover SO MUCH in the comics and pop culture world. I can't believe I was so warmly welcomed to the team, and what a team they are. It's nice that all of our hard work is being recognized by the Eisner Awards and I would absolutely love it if we won. I hope to do right by The Beat and continually improve my writing skills as a reviewer of a brilliant, visual, and unique method of storytelling. My interests lie in BL, horror, and fantasy, but with my new role reviewing works by TOKYOPOP, my tastes should expand even more, and I hope I cover a diverse array of manga for The Beat. Things can only continue to go up from here, and thank you to The Beat for believing in me! If you want to read all of my Beat reviews, you can see them compiled here .

Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash Complete this thought: "I wish an alarm would notify me whenever..." I wish an alarm would notify me whenever I need to work on my book. I tend to only write when I feel like it (not professional at all) and writing via an alarm might make it easier for me to make writing a habit.

Note: I wrote this review years ago while I still had my author website on Blogger. In 2021, I lost everything when I transferred to Wix. But somehow I found this review in one of my old files on my PC. I am resurrecting it because I'm very proud of it. But please know that I don't review books anymore now that I've become an author. The Darker Side of Childhood; The Darker Side of Imagination Douglas Clegg's Neverland  weaves together a story of family secrets, the loss of innocence, and unfettered imagination in a unique Southern gothic masterpiece. When I read Neverland , I thought of another work of dark fiction, Brom's The Child Thief . The Child Thief  utilizes J. M. Barrie's' Peter Pan as its source material, and reimagines the titular character as an impulsive, troubled, violent young boy who steals children away to a Neverland that resembles our darkest dreams. When Brom explained his reinterpretation, he noted that when he read Barrie's Peter Pan, the Boy Who Never Grew Up was a joyful, plucky childhood trickster who also had elements of cruelty and an occasional thirst for blood. "Here is a quote from the original Peter Pan," Brom writes on his website. ''The boys on the island vary, of course, in numbers, according as they get killed and so on; and when they seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out […].' Thins them out? Huh? What does that mean? […] How many children had Peter stolen, how many had died, how many had been thinned out? Peter himself said, 'To die will be an awfully big adventure.'" If Barrie's Neverland is the place of enduring childhood, then it's reasonable to assume that joy and playfulness will exist there eternally, as well as cruelty and danger. Douglas Clegg's Neverland  is a work that speaks to the harsh truth of childhood:  children can be cruel, deadly, and dangerous, and a child's imagination can accommodate both the beautiful and the obscene. Neverland  opens with ten-year old Beau, who travels with his family every summer to Gull Island, North Carolina, to vacation at his Grammy Weenie's decrepit Victorian house.  The vacation serves as a family reunion every year, where Beau's parents, grandmother, and sisters share the house with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Except every year, tensions between family members grow stronger, everyone argues with each other, and relationships start to fall apart. The "Peter Pan" of this story would be Sumter, Beau's cousin and a young, peculiar boy who has christened an abandoned shed in the forest "Neverland." It's the ultimate clubhouse--isolated, filled with old junk and trinkets, superstitions, and an air of mystery.  And its number one rule is no grown-ups allowed.  It's the perfect safe haven for Beau and Sumter whenever the adults squabble and drink; a place they can truly call their own. When Sumter invites Beau to Neverland for the first time, it's to share a secret. Sumter claims he has found "god" in the shed, a spirit he calls "Lucy." From that moment on, the book dives into an intense, disturbing journey where childhood games become dark rituals, dreams become nightmares, and a child 's imagination knows no boundaries. Clegg is a master of characterization and creates an authentic voice with his depictions of Beau, Sumter, and the other children in the novel. He absolutely nails the dialogue between these characters. I never once doubted their age or their behavior, and I felt a sense of youthful nostalgia when I read their interactions with each other. Beau and Sumter are well-rounded characters, and although Beau is the more sympathetic of the two, I still cared for Sumter even though he is more emblematic of the hyper, mischievous child who doesn't know when to quit. It's hard to love or pity a child who should be kept in permanent time-out; the fact that I cared for Sumter despite this is a tribute to Clegg's ability to give his characters a sense of depth and humanity. The suspense and tempo of the novel is well-measured. Between scenes of genuine horror are small moments filled with micro-tension, courtesy of the messed-up family dynamic in Grammy Weenie's house. There's a constant sense of unraveling at work here, so the stakes always feel high; there's always something to lose. But the horrific moments are truly memorable. Neverland has conjured images I will never be able to forget. A child's imagination is of the purest kind, in that there is no agenda or logic or rules--it is unadulterated thought and emotion. To construct nightmarish visions with that same kind of purity leaves me breathless. I can't stress how genuinely freakish and bizarre some of the imagery is in this book, images that grew from the mind of a child…images that grew from the mind of an author who is aware and open to the power of a child's mind. Neverland is a haunting work that explores the darker regions of childhood, of play and ritualism, and the pure, limitless power of imagination. When there are no boundaries--when there's no such thing as Never--anything can and will happen.

Photo by Dustin Humes on Unsplash What was the last thing you read, heard, or saw that inspired you? This one is kind of tricky. There's not a lot that leaves me feeling inspired. The last book I read years ago that inspired me was Margaret Rogerson's Sorcery of Thorns. That inspired me to add demons to The Name and the Key because her interpretation of them was so, so cool. While nothing new has inspired me, whenever I work on my book, Rogerson's novel will pop up in my head and re-inspire me.

Photo by Dmitry Dreyer on Unsplash What is the biggest trigger for stress in your life? I had to sit and think really hard on this one, because a lot of things stress me out--my job, my finances, my health--but I think the biggest one has to be whenever I'm unhappy with writing/my writing career. I've made writing such an important part of my life. Healthy or not, it's also my identity. So when the words won't come or there are a lot of problems with the text, I stress. If the book isn't performing well in sales or there are bad reviews, I stress. The healthiest thing for me to do would be to find another way to define myself and my life, but I haven't figured that out yet.

Image from depositphotos. I'm busy plotting my trilogy and am halfway through the plot of Book Two, but I took a brief break to do some quick research and worldbuilding. I thought I'd share some of it with you because it's just so interesting! If you're into old magic, that is. I'm going to get into some occult stuff here, so if that's not your cup of tea, feel free to skip this post. ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ I'm working on a grimoire! A grimoire is a magical occult text often filled with spells and invocations. Some of the ancient ones out there in the world--we're talking centuries old--contain instructions on how to summon and subdue demons. Demons are a part of The Name and the Key trilogy. I got inspired to add them after reading Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, as her interpretation of demons is so freaking cool. I read her work and saw a great possibility there to add something dark and interesting to my already dark (and hopefully interesting!) story. Plus, I've always been fascinated by ancient magic, especially when anime and manga adapt it: Fullmetal Alchemist, Devils and Realist, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic ...these are some examples of series that have a magic system relying on the historical, esoteric, and arcane spells that have been documented in history. I've always found the interpretations of such magic to be interesting when I've seen it pop up in anime and manga. One of the most famous grimoires in existence is The Lesser Key of Solomon . It's a compilation of spells and invocations of demons whose publication is said to be around the 1580s, but supposedly is far older than that, as it is purported to have been written by King Solomon himself--the famous king blessed with wisdom and the ability to subdue demons. The anime Devils and Realist features demons from The Lesser Key by name, such as Dantalion, and a descendant of King Solomon who later possesses Solomon's ring. In Magi, the Labyrinth of Magic , the djinn are named after the demons of The Lesser Key , such as Focalor, and there is a magical ability known as Solomon's Wisdom in the series, too. These are just a few interesting examples of how this grimoire has been interpreted by modern storytellers. I'm using The Lesser Key of Solomon as a guidebook and inspiration for the grimoire that appears in The Name and the Key Trilogy . The grimoire that appears in my trilogy is called The Book of Simoneth , and is a book of invocations for demons. I researched English from the 1500s ( this OED guide was particularly helpful with spelling examples) to get it as close to sounding like The Lesser Key of Solomon 's time period as possible. And I chose to write it in verse because I love making rhyming poetry, and making it sound like a proper summoning spell, while keeping a specific syllable and rhyming pattern was a great challenge for me. As of writing this, I have already completed my first "demon invocation" from The Book of Simoneth. The rhyming pattern is written in a series of couplets that bounce back and forth between seven syllables and eight syllables per line. In the novels, that specific pattern is called "lullico meter" as an ebb and flow between a sacred number 7 and a cursed number 8. (Numerologists out there--I'm totally making this up). I only need three summoning spells total for The Name and the Key Trilogy as I'm only working with three demons over the course of the books. So, the grimoire I'm making is quite short, indeed. But I'm trying to treat it all with care to make the reading experience for the reader as "real" as possible--I want them to feel like they are looking at a piece of occult history. Perhaps most importantly, it's been really fun to write.