I started this as a reminder to my forgetful self about which books I'd read and what I thought about them. I hope you find it useful. Fourth Wing was hailed as the romantasy of the year. Fourth Wing is Harry Potter as a soldier with dragons. A rather wimpy girl (Violet) is forced by her mother (a general) to enter a war college and become a dragon rider. Generally, I'm not a fan of books with dragons in them, but I made an exception for this one. It covers just about every

In my on-going attempt at being more organized in all aspects of my life, I brought a little organization here by putting like articles together. This post covers: Tarot : All things Tarot, such as history of Tarot, how-to articles, and Tarot fashion. Witches : All things related to witchcraft, including witch history, witch trials, witch books, witch movies and tv shows, and general articles about witches. Paganism: Spiritual practices, dressing like a pagan, or pagan politi

Click on the titles to read the full articles. Are Black Cats Really Bad Luck? If you name some of the spooky symbols of Halloween, you're sure to mention witches, jack-o'-lanterns, bats, ghosts, and of course, black cats. With spiky arched backs and glowing green eyes, they certainly add to any spooky scene if they creep around your Halloween decorations. Perhaps you or someone you know truly fears black cats, but have you ever wondered why? That fear may stem from the bla

A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family — and a new love — changes the course of her life. As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their combined power doesn’t draw attention. This book came up in my recommended read list several times, and I ignored it. Possibly because "warm and uplifting" often translates to pablum in

I noticed Payback's a Witch when researching genre covers for my own books, The Wheel of the Year series. Payback's cover popped in a long list of Witches & Wizards Romance titles. (Don't judge me for judging a book by its cover!) Someone summed Payback up as Practical Magic meets The L Word. It had me at hello! You could only pre-order at the time, something I rarely do unless I already know the author. (I didn't.) But I took a chance and pre-ordered. An excellent decision.

Advice in writer blogs goes in cycles. Lately, I've read several posts about villains and antagonists. They come with the usual admonition: don't stereotype your villain; humanize him/her. After all, even Hitler loved his dog. More succinctly: The Joker need not apply; Jack Torrance, come on down. It's good advice. Notice whenever someone commits an atrocity, the neighbors say how ordinary the perpetrator was. They would NEVER have guessed. Not in a million years. I am one of