A Case for Civil Disobedience

I’ve recently read Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, Solitude, and Life Without Principles (⭐⭐⭐⭐ My rating). The world and society, in general, have become a place I do not recognize but I know thanks to my love of history that many have felt the same throughout the course of human history. At first, I thought, perhaps I didn’t like change, being a creature of habit. Upon further reflection though, I realized that wasn’t the issue. I realized, like Thoreau that in order to be happy, in order to thrive, I must live according to my nature, and that nature is to be free. Not freedom from responsibility or freedom from consequence, but free to choose. Freedom to live life according to my conscience.
As indicated by his quote above, if something is deprived of the ability to live according to its nature, it dies.
What is the nature of a person’s thoughts? They are private, firstly, and therefore are essentially unknowable by others lest I make them known. I make choices based on those thoughts and my thoughts are informed by my experiences which I have gained as a direct result of my choices.
If my interpretation of the nature of my thoughts is true, then to deprive me of my ability to make a choice, about anything, is essentially an attempt to control what I experience and therefore influence my thoughts. It amounts to something similar to Orwell’s 1984 and the use of Thought Police. I always found this concept very interesting because it seems like an impossible thing to accomplish, controlling how and what someone thinks. Our thoughts are our most intimate of human experiences. Lately, though, I now understand how such a thing could be possible. Censorship and laws that limit an individual’s freedom.
It doesn’t stop with censorship and the like though does it? This is where Thoreau’s concept of Civil Disobedience comes in. Many influential people have employed the concept as a way to counter injustice and corruption, but more people need to follow their courageous example.
Freedom is not now, nor has ever been freely acquired. Complacency, apathy, and indifference have plagued society. The world is screaming with examples. Let’s not waste the opportunity in this time of change to make a difference that means something. Start small.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” Lao Tzu

Book Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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I was on such a high after reading Crown of Midnight (the book before this one) that I was really disappointed with Heir of Fire, at first. I read almost 20 chapters before the pace picked up enough to keep me interested, and then it was great! We meet some new and very exciting characters in this book as well as some new places to explore. We get to see Celaena embrace her truths more and more as she faces larger and more terrifying challenges. We also get a deeper and more detailed look at the dark adversaries that Celaena and company will have to face, setting the stage for some very epic moments to come.
As always, Maas excels at word building and creating complex yet relatable characters that pull you into their world. For me, that is the very best kind of storytelling. If you get the chance to read this series and make it to this book, don’t let the slow beginning dissuade you. What comes after is worth it.

100-Word Micro Fiction Challenge 2022 Update!

Back in April, I entered NYC Midnight’s 100 Word Micro Fiction Challenge. I was given 24 hours to write a fiction story of no more than 100 words using criteria provided to me by NYC Midnight.

I was given Drama as my genre, the action I had to include was Finding Cash and I had to include the word Ready.

There were 6,973 writers participating in 118 groups with approximately 59 writers per group. The top 15 writers from each group have been selected to move on to the second round.

I am excited to announce that I was selected in the top 15 of my group and will be joining the 1,770 other advancing authors in participating in the second round this upcoming weekend!!

Here is my original 100 Word Micro Fiction, that won me the opportunity to see round two:

Not Enough

I watch them play, oblivious, as I hold the letter in my hand. Foreclosure. The word hits like a freight train. I knew it was coming, but I wasn’t ready. What will I tell them?  How will I fix this?

Selling things held near and dear, everything of value. Anything to find a little cash to end the nightmare. Desperate enough to search the sofa for lost coins.

Found some; not enough.

“Let’s go on an adventure,” I say and their little faces light with excitement. I close the door behind us, and look at them, “ Are you ready?”

Thanks for reading!!

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

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Wow, wow, wow.

Occasionally, sequels can miss the mark, whether they’re a book or a film, but not this time.

Crown of Midnight is a brilliant sequel to Throne of Glass. I could not put it down. In the moments I managed to separate myself from it, all I could think about was reading more.

Maas does an excellent job creating deep and complicated characters and weaves their growth seamlessly into the storyline. The more I read, the closer I felt to the characters and the more I empathized with all their struggles and pain. All great books should cause the reader to feel something. I want to feel their joy, their pain, their excitement, and fear. I want to live in their world with them, and Maas provides that opportunity. I haven’t enjoyed a book as much as this one in a while.   I was captivated from the first page until the last.  If I had to pick only one word to describe this book, I would choose MASTERPIECE. I loved it.

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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It has taken me a lot longer to decide to read this series than I would have liked. I started with the Throne of Glass novella collection, The Assassin’s Blade, in mid-May and have been devouring the following books since.


Throne of Glass was an excellent series starter with exciting characters and masterful world-building. Celaena, our firey protagonist, finds herself in an interesting position in this book. A deadly and difficult competition that really gives us an opportunity to watch her character grow and face ever more complicated challenges. I really enjoyed the style of Sarah J. Mass’s writing. With evocative descriptions and relatable characters, I had no trouble immersing myself in the Throne of Glass world. As soon as I finished reading it, I rushed out to buy the next two books in the series. I would highly recommend you read these books if you haven’t yet discovered them!

Shortlisted!!

At the beginning of April 2022, I stepped out of my comfort zone (highly recommend) and entered a short story writing contest that required me to write a 1500-word story with a theme of ‘Happily Ever After.”
The contest was The Write Practice’s Spring Writing Contest in partnership with the online magazine Short Fiction Break.
I am so excited to announce that my short story, “Beezlebub’s New Beginnings Bingo” was shortlisted as a favorite of the judges!! While this means I was not an official prize winner, I am still over the moon that my story was selected from hundreds of others and recognized by the judges.
Sharing my writing with others is exciting but makes me feel incredibly vulnerable because it’s essentially putting a piece of my soul out there for the world to see and more often than not, the world can be cruel and constructive criticism is a skill that few people have mastered.
Therefore, writing requires a person to have thick skin, unfailing perseverance, and a willingness to take risks. I’m so glad I did!
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the story, here is the link to read it on Short Fiction Breaks online magazine:

Beezlebub’s New Beginnings Bingo

Happy Long Weekend!

Book Review: The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

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I admit I am a bit late to the Sarah J. Maas fandom, but I do prefer not having to wait for the books in a series I love to release. I find the wait excruciating **cough** GRRM, Rothfuss, et al. **cough**
I immediately fell in love with Maas’ writing style and The Assasin’s Blade was a perfect appetizer for what I anticipate will be an emotional rollercoaster ride of a series.
This book is especially great if you prefer shorter stories as it is actually five novellas contained in one book. We are introduced to the fiery, young assassin, Celaena Sardothien, and her life as Adarlan’s Assassin and with each novella, we are given another glimpse into who she is and how her values and principles challenge her and her life as an assassin.
There is just a hint of her past laced throughout each story that creates the right amount of intrigue leaving the reader desperate for more details. Celaena is deadly with a blade and her tongue, and she is surrounded by a cast of interesting and well-written characters that really enhance each story as it unfolds.
I laughed, cried, and raged reading this prequel to the Throne of Glass series, and to me, that is what makes a great story and distinguishes a great writer from a good one. I want to feel what the characters are feeling. I want to be changed in some way when I close the book at the end. I want those moments that are so real, that I have to close the book and close my eyes just to process them.
This book fulfilled all my expectations. I absolutely recommend it.

Book Review: Mastering Character Arcs: How Fifteen Universal Journeys Can Power Up Your Novel’s Cast by Lewis Jorstad

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I received an advanced copy of this book with no obligation to leave a review. All opinions are my own.
As an aspiring author, I have been reading a lot of books to help improve my craft and if I had to recommend only one book to a new author that would really accelerate their writing journey, it would be Mastering Character Arcs by Lewis Jorstad.
I found this book enormously helpful. Jorstad gives a step-by-step blueprint for how to navigate the complex process of creating realistic and dynamic characters. If you are like me, and do not have an education in writing, and are therefore unfamiliar with a lot of the industry lingo and buzz words, you will LOVE this book.
Each arc is broken down, explaining not only what it is, but how to use it with concrete examples followed by thought-provoking questions that you can ask yourself about your own writing. I cannot say enough good things about this wonderful tool that Jorstad has created for writers of all backgrounds and experience levels. This is a must-have in your writing toolbox.

Writing Contests, 30,000 Words, and a Series Title!

Mellon says, “Take a Break!”

As it turns out, I love entering writing competitions. They are exhilarating and so valuable for my growth as a writer. Possible awards aside, the community of writers and the challenge of not always writing in a genre or about a topic that I am comfortable with is great for my author muscles.  Also, getting to read all the other entries is wonderful.

As I write this, I anxiously await results from the Spring Writing Contest where I entered my short story “Beezlebub’s New Beginnings Bingo.”  You can read it here:

Beezlebub’s New Beginnings Bingo (shortfictionbreak.com)

I also have completed my 100-word story for the first round of NYC Midnight’s 100 Word Flash Fiction Contest.

Fingers crossed that I make it to round two!

I loved the experience with NYC Midnight, so I decided to register for their 1000 Word Flash Fiction Contest that is coming up in June. Essentially it is the same idea as the 100 words only instead of 24 hours, I will have 48 hours to complete the story (1000 words versus 100) based on an assigned genre, location, and object assignment. The contest consists of 4 rounds, so that means I may have the chance to write four separate short stories! I am pumped!

Also, I recently submitted a poem to the Canadian Author’s Poetry Competition, which I am excited about. The contest doesn’t close for a while yet so the wait for results will be agonizing!

Finally, I decided to submit the first 10 pages of the novel I have been working on to the Page Turner Awards (UK), in the Writer Mentorship Category. If chosen, I will have the opportunity to be mentored by someone in the industry for up to a year in some cases. I will find out if I am successful in September! Ugh, more waiting!

I have one more exciting announcement!

The name of my novel, which will hopefully be the first book in a series, finally has a TITLE…

The Oraculis Chronicles !!!

In truth, that’s the name of the series and each book will have a unique subtitle but it’s a place to start!

I have surpassed the 30,000-word mark and even though I have been busy, I am still making progress. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and come on this journey with me ❤

Book Review: Japanese History by History Brought Alive

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I received a copy of this book from BookSirens.com.

As a history enthusiast, I admittedly know very little about Japanese History. I hoped this book would give me a look into the basics of the rich culture and history of Japan and its people. I was not disappointed. History Brought Alive does a great job starting at the beginning and moving through the culture or country’s historical journey with a clear and concise explanation that includes mythology and socioeconomic aspects which creates a hunger for more in the reader.
I learned a lot from this little tome, and there were a few surprises with respect to what I thought I knew as well which is always exciting. I have read and reviewed several of HIstory Brought Alives books and I definitely recommend any of them, especially this one if you are interested in history but maybe don’t have a lot of time to really dig in deep. This is the perfect size book to get your toes wet and see if you want to explore further!