Good news, folks — the beta reader draft of The Whitemaiden is finished and has been sent to volunteers! To celebrate the release, here’s a profile of one of the side characters — Dirmad Canda-Rell, Catirna‘s friend and our heroes’ most steadfast ally. Annnd here’s a list of Whitemaiden characters already profiled on this blog: Catirna, the protagonist … Read more
Fika is a Swedish term for having coffee, frequently with some sweet dessert, and often with colleagues, friends, or family. I’ve loved this idea ever since I first heard of it, and this year I’ve started my own variation: poetry fika, in which your coffee break date is actually a poet, speaking to you through words on … Read more
So it recently came to my attention that there’s this spiffy online toy called Live Portrait Maker, which is kind of like Bitmoji, except more limited and more painting-like. With a few mouse clicks you can design a nice-looking portrait with an array of hairstyles, expressions, skin colors, clothing, and other features. Naturally I had … Read more
Earlier posts acquainted you with the main heroes of my novel-in-progress, The Whitemaiden — namely the healer sisters Catirna and Alruna and the sage Axel. Now I think it’s time to present one of the villains! Meet Galyek Basilekel*, the dreaded captain of the guard at the Thornwood Citadel. WAIT. HOLD UP. That’s not Galyek. That’s Josef. … Read more
My sister mentioned this poem at a party over the weekend, long after I’d forgotten having written it. She had shared it with her friends, and even now she can vividly recall both the metaphor and her response to it. It’s nice when a work means enough to someone that they remember and talk about … Read more