New Hope (1977) versus Phantom Menace (1999) The group dissects the science in Star Wars—New Hope against Phantom Menace—to see how each movie successfully deploys world building. How can a writer craft their world in a subtle, timeless way while still engaging the reader in the details of the world’s mechanics? Check out the podcast […]
Category Archives: Craft
Interview with Nina Kiriki Hoffman
LATEST INTERVIEW: NINA KIRIKI HOFFMAN We may have fan-girled out a little bit talking to the amazing Nina Kiriki Hoffman! Over the past thirty-odd years, Nina Hoffman has sold adult and YA novels and more than 300 short stories. Her works have been finalists for many major awards, and she has won a Stoker and a […]
Your Own Hero's Journey with Bronwynn Dean
Record your own epic story through this guided class. Begins Tuesday, 10/16!
Free Library Workshop!
Come to the Springfield Public Library on September 10th!
Interview with Mikko Azul
We were inspired to write after our talk with Mikko Azul about her novel The Staff of Fire and Bone! She shared her inspiring writing journey and the details of her richly detailed story world. Mikko Azul wrote her first book in second grade, proudly scribbling the cover with crayons and binding with yarn. She […]
Free Library Workshop with Linda Clare
Your Character’s World Get to know your fictional character and the world they live in. Whether you love to write contemporary, historical, fantasy or sci-fi, your character is the centerpiece of any story. Linda shows you tips for researching, assembling a unique character from a blend of real-life persons, and how to describe and introduce […]
Interview with Heather Ransom
We had the great privilege of talking to Heather Ransom about her young adult sci-fi novel Going Green (and we get to hear Heather read from the opening of the book for us!). Heather Ransom is a science fiction writer and educator. When not teaching middle school science, Heather enjoys exploring the great out of […]
Interview with Jeff Wheeler
Talking with Jeff Wheeler was so inspiring! We took a deep-dive into his creative process, including the surprising inspiration for The Queen’s Poisoner! (Plus he reads us a bit from the beginning.)
Interview with Cidney Swanson
What a blast talking with Cidney Swanson! Daryll Lynne is a big fan of the Ripple series, and James is focused on indie publishing, so Cidney hits that sweet spot of great stories and successful self-publishing. We cover a lot of ground in this interview. Bonus—Cidney reads from her newest book, Siren Spell! Cidney Swanson […]
Interview with Eric Witchey
We had so much fun talking with Eric about many things, but especially about his new novel Bull’s Labyrinth. (Eric reads the whole first chapter—so, so good!) Eric Witchey has sold more than a hundred short stories in many genres to publications like Clarkesworld, Writers of the Future, Writer’s Digest, and many others. He has […]