books

  • Coming in 2026: Revisiting Olympus

    Coming in 2026: Revisiting Olympus I’m about to have a lot more time on my hands! This is going to be my last semester teaching at CU Boulder (for many reasons, which I’ll probably feel the need to explain in… Continue reading

    Coming in 2026: Revisiting Olympus
  • The Georgetown Christmas Market: Recap

    On Saturday, December 13th, I participated in my first in-person bookselling event (besides my book launch at the end of August). Here are some of the things I learned! 1) I was made aware of the opportunity after joining the… Continue reading

    The Georgetown Christmas Market: Recap
  • Spoiler Alert!

    Spoiler Alert! I don’t care at all about spoilers. Literally not at all. I get it: some stories hinge on the shocking twist, the unforeseeable surprise. And yes, it is nice to experience that feeling once in a while. I… Continue reading

    Spoiler Alert!
  • Reflecting On What I’ve Learned Along the Way…

    Reflecting On What I’ve Learned Along the Way… Whoops! Remember when I started this blog and I said I’d post every two weeks? Well, it’s been two months. Your girl has been busy. Teaching is in full swing, homeschooling is… Continue reading

    Reflecting On What I’ve Learned Along the Way…
  • This Is Probably My MOST Unpopular Opinion

    This Is Probably My MOST Unpopular Opinion OK, I’m prepared to get FLAMED for this. Remember when I wrote the post about letting people NOT enjoy things? If you need a refresher, here it is again. Well, I’m about to… Continue reading

    This Is Probably My MOST Unpopular Opinion
  • Trials and Tribulations

    Trials and Tribulations Battle Royale. The Running Man. The Hunger Games. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The Maze Runner. What is it about the “games and trials” trope that’s so appealing to us? Characters compete in structured challenges… Continue reading

    Trials and Tribulations
  • My Brilliant Friends

    Warning: there’s shameless promotion in this blog post! At least it’s not self-promotion, though. No, in this post I’d love to talk a little bit about my brilliant friends and the amazing stuff they’re putting out into the world. Because…wow!… Continue reading

    My Brilliant Friends
  • On Telling, Not Showing

    On Telling, Not Showing I recently received a rejection from a literary agent for Her Undying Thirst. It was by no means my first; I’ve gotten lots of them. But this one was unusual in that the agent gave detailed… Continue reading

    On Telling, Not Showing
  • Let People (Not) Enjoy Things

    Let People (Not) Enjoy Things It’s become a cliché by now. “Don’t yuck someone’s yum.” “You do you.” Or, as the now-famous comic strip by Adam Ellis urges: “Let people enjoy things.” Does someone like something you don’t? Pokemon? Star… Continue reading

    Let People (Not) Enjoy Things
  • Four Genre-Blending Authors Whose Work I Adore

    Four Genre-Blending Authors Whose Work I Adore Genre-blending is having a moment right now with the immense popularity of “romantasies” like Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series and Sarah J. Maas’s ACOTAR. While romantic subplots are not unheard of in traditional fantasy,… Continue reading

    Four Genre-Blending Authors Whose Work I Adore