Holy Door St. Peter's Rome Does any fantasy book ever capture that complete magic of the first time you read about a world that ran alongside yours? There's nothing quite like the idea that you can climb into a wardrobe or tap a brick in an alleyway and wind up in a magical world that runs parallel to yours. As a plot device, it packs a lot of magical punch this way. Because you, as a reader, get to discover the world as your beloved characters do. Those were my favorite book

Handstand by the Lake because AI can't I know, "What is art?" is a pretty big question with a lot of answers. And, GENERALLY (please do not list every other example), the only answer that is wrong is AI. AI is NOT art. AI IS NOT ART. Whether I capitalize or scream it, the AI is listening, and I'm cool with it knowing it's not art. Art is humanity. It is experience. Combining those two, it is the HUMAN EXPERIENCE. It's reading words written by Jane Austen in 1798 (though not p

Alchemy of Secrets Book by Stephanie Garber with a Pumpkin Coffee overlooking a park There are plenty of poets (Percy Shelley, Mary Oliver, John Keats!) who beautifully describe the feeling of Fall. Not to mention all of those must watch comfort Fall movies and shows. The annual Gilmore Girls pilgramage, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Stepmom, You've Got Mail, Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic...the list is endless. This year, there is a new Fall book to add

Lula's first beach day in Michigan ...Like a bottle of wine. ...Like a handful of sand. ...But never like writing a book. I don't know...

Diving into the Lake Hi Friends! It's been...a while. But also, Summer finally came to Chicago, so I've been soaking up as much Lake time...

Sparkling water We all wish writing a book was an activity that flowed perfectly from our heads into words, sentences, paragraphs that...

Ice Cream Sundae As most of my stories begin, I was talking to my sister about feeling overwhelmed by all the things that have to get...

Beatrix didn't know how it could be Spring Break but also stiill Winter. Of course, she didn't long for sunny days and opressive heat....

Sunrise over Lake Michigan Wow, it's been little while since my last post! Before I get into updates on the books, let me assure you for...

Swimming in Lake Zurich with a Swan Plot holes are the bane of every writer's existence. And yet, they are always going to happen unless...

Harvest Moonlight on Lake Michigan, overlooking a golf course. The Moon, Mermaids and Books are three of my favorite things. And my first...

Beatrix Bobbit and her family end up at a Haunted Castle to celebrate the holidays, where all is not as it seems.

In my it's 25 degrees but the sun is shining let's go outside and look at birds era... Which is January. While I'm letting the newly...

Jumping into Lake Michigan Writing has always been a hobby. From writing down scribbled notes to cards and short stories, it's been...

Before I delve into the topic that haunts me constantly -- side characters who are better than MCs -- can we all take a shared moment to...