Thanks to some extras from my dad's garden, I decided to try my hand at baking zucchini chips this weekend, with mixed results. The real challenge with these, at least to me, keeping the zucchini from being too soggy to crisp up properly. What I learned is that, the thicker the slice, the more soggy … Continue reading Recipe: Baked Zucchini Chips
I'm still letting my project marinate before I pick it back up with fresh eyes, but in the meantime, I've been making what feels like quality edits to an older project. Reading it aloud has proven useful, as I've discovered I can be accidentally alliterative more often than I realize, and it's helped me pinpoint … Continue reading Odds & Ends: 6/2-6/15
Gareth Brown's The Book of Doors follows Cassie, a young woman working in an NYC bookshop, after one of her favorite customers passes, leaving her a mysterious book that promises "any door can be every door." To the shock of Cassie and her roommate, Izzy, the Book of Doors does just that, allowing Cassie to open a … Continue reading Review: The Book of Doors
The past couple of weeks have been fun for my family. Last weekend we all met up at the zoo for Mother's Day, where I learned that my niece likes snakes, and my nephew was more excited to feed goats than giraffes. He's also finding his voice more and more, which is mostly adorable as … Continue reading Odds & Ends 5/05-5/18
Erin A. Craig's second book in the "Sisters of the Salt" series recaptures and builds on the gothic and sometimes grotesque atmosphere of the first book, but doesn't quite top it in terms of plot.
Happy Easter everyone! My family got together last weekend to celebrate, as my niece had her tonsils out Friday and would not be feeling up to as much activity this weekend. Today finds me alternating between resting and playing catch up on chores. I've wrapped up my latest draft & now I'm taking a little … Continue reading Odds & Ends: 4/07-4/20
The Anelthalien series gets better and goes deeper with each new book, and #4 is no exception.
The past few weeks have been a taste of what I think my ideal writing weather might be. It's cool enough when I wake up that it feels good to curl up on the couch in a sweatshirt with a hot vanilla chai as I type, but gets warm enough in the afternoon that I … Continue reading Odds & Ends 3/10-3/23
Meg Shaffer's novel is two parts Willy Wonka, one part Hallmark movie, with a sprinkle of The Westing Game, which all adds up to one cozy read!
February has certainly not been business as usual. We celebrated my niece's birthday about two weeks ago, then it was my turn with a girls' afternoon out, and finally we surprised my dad with a quick visit (and ice cream cake) last weekend, and I got back to town just in time for one normal … Continue reading Odds & Ends 2/10-2/23
Shubnum Khan's The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is a quiet but beautiful story about the different ways grief and pain can haunt us. Told in dual timelines, the story begins in 2014, as young teen Sana and her father move into an apartment in the rundown mansion of Akbar Manzil in a seaside town in … Continue reading Review: The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years
The new year is well under way, and I've had two great writing weekends to kick it off. This past one was even an unplanned 3-day weekend thanks to a snow day Friday! I'm hoping this kind of progress will continue to be the trend for 2025. I also managed to get all my Christmas … Continue reading Odds & Ends 12/30-1/12
Christian Douglass Writes 