The day after husband's oncologist used the 'C' word at his 4-year followup visit, he got up early to go fishing. (A common occurrence in our household, as our friends and acquaintances know well.) When he returned, he was mumbling to himself as he walked in the front door, but I caught only the tail [...]
Have you ever wanted something in your life so badly you can't imagine living without it? Have you ever felt that if someone just gave you a chance, you know you could succeed? This? Is every writer I know. Every dreamer. We write, we create. We make real our fantasy worlds, give breath to characters [...]
How do you sum up a weekend adventure that had approximately 865,342 high points? I'm not sure I can, but I'll at least attempt to highlight a few moments that made my time at the #UCIJretreat2021 amazing and memorable and oh-so-worth-it. (That's Unforgettable Characters & Incredible Journeys, in case you were wondering.) A few months [...]
We don't talk enough about how difficult writing really is. I mean, as writers, we talk a lot about how much we love writing. Characters - yay! Plot - so good! Setting - build those worlds, Queen! Tropes - all the tropes! "I can't wait until you can all see what I see in my [...]
I shoot some stats just about every year, mostly to prove to myself that, yes, I *am* actually moving forward in this thing called a writing career. Given the craziness of 2020 all around, *I* wouldn't even blame me if I'd chosen to fall off the face of the earth, or hide under a blanket [...]
Every writer knows one of the very best feelings in the world is the moment a shiny, new idea takes shape in your head, and you can't shake it. And when that shiny, new idea involves collaborating with your 14-year-old kiddo, it's even better. A few months ago, my very artistic and talented daughter had [...]
Did some cool things this past week. Set-up The Heart of Death (The Tarrowburn Prophecies, Book 2) for publication, put it on Goodreads, queried a handful of literary agents with a different manuscript, and shared my query spreadsheet with a fellow writer so he can begin his foray into querying a YA fantasy. Yes, I [...]
I missed March, April, and most of May on the blog. I bet you can all guess why. Wow. What a heck of a year so far. Global pandemic, hundreds of thousands dead, and so many people refusing to do something as simple as wear a face mask to protect themselves and others. It's mind-boggling. [...]
Hey, guys! So, it's, uh, February 29th. I almost missed posting this month. But, whew! Just made it in time. Okay, so peace out until sometime next month when book 2 is done and I can finally start breathing again. (Yep. That's it. That's the blog post.)
With all the technology that exists today, why, oh why, hasn't a 16-year-old tech whiz come up with a way to record our thoughts as we fall asleep each night? I would hand my money over in a heartbeat. I'd pay yesterday. I'd take a second mortgage on my house to cover payments. And so [...]
L. Ryan Storms 