Tag: Writing Life

The Story of the Story

Today, I wanted to share the surprising history behind Blanc LaBelle. It’s been quite a journey and it seems fair to share it with all of you in the wee hours (yes hours!) before the release.

This book started back in 2020 (the world’s most uneventful year). At that time, I was focused on self-publishing my collection of novellas. It was an experiment for me, trying to figure out how this whole self-publishing thing worked. It was a fun experience and I had an absolute blast leading up to it! Found Mysteries was published on May 29, 2020.

Then, came the wait. Like I said, it was 2020 and I wasn’t working at the time, so I couldn’t really do much beyond sit and wait. I was checking the various places for reviews and it became an obsession. I knew I needed something to occupy my time or I was gonna go bonkers waiting.

A few days earlier, on May 12, 2020, I had written a silly little story about a half-troll in a yellow raincoat needing help with an escape. I liked the character a lot and wanted to explore more of her story. If you’ve read the Chapter 1 Sneak Preview (or even the Blog Snippet), you can probably guess where her story ended up going.

While most folks were making sourdough or picking up a new hobby, but Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter became my focus. Then, the following books became my focus. It was something to fill the hours and became my main focus in the final hours of my Seattle chapter of life.

I moved back to Connecticut in September of 2020. I have vivid memories of working on these books while flying on the plane wearing an N95 mask. What started on one coast, ended over the other. I finished the first draft of the complete series in my parent’s house between looking for a job. I was starting to shop it around, but that quickly got eclipsed by the rush of life. Eventually, it moved to the back burner.

The decision to finally pull the trigger came in therapy. I had been talking about the joy I felt at releasing my first book and I realized that was when I was truly happy. It was something that was made with my own hands and doing it again made me excited. So, I did.

I found a few friends with various skills (people from college, Seattle, online, wherever I could find them). I got a team together and we went through the process of building my Covid Baby.

Now, we’re sitting on the eve of the release and it feels so surreal. It’s such a joy to be able to finally set my story free into the world. Mira, LaBelle, Matt, and so many others are going to catch a lot of attention and so much excitement. I hope you all enjoy this world I created and the characters I created. They’ve been with me for 6 years now (May 12, 2020 to May 12th, 2026) and I can’t wait for you to explore it all!

Thanks for everyone who worked with me on this project, pre-ordered the book, or just listened to me while I was excited about the release (you know who you are). The journey is just beginning, but this is everything it took to get to the starting line alone. See you all in the Under!

Fantastic Nonfiction

Nonfiction can be tough for people to get into. If you’re looking for something that isn’t just “War History” or “Biography”, these are some of my best recommendations for nonfiction.

  • Tiger – John Vaillant
    This is the story of a man eating tiger in Eastern Russia. That is an oversimplification and barely scratches the surface of what this book contains. It is an epic adventure from the initial deaths to the hunt to the ultimate conclusion. It is a story about a hunt to the death, a tracker and prey. The book breaks down the progression smoothly and reads more like a novel than a recounting of a historical event.
  • Physics of the Impossible – Michio Kaku
    As a science fiction enthusiast, I love looking at the big science topics and wondering how plausible they would be. Kaku is a master of this, breaking down the ideas into pieces and asking how close we are. Whether it’s hover cars or time travel, Kaku is very good at breaking the concepts and physics down into something understandable and ultimately deciding how likely it is to be in our future. Whether it’s a few years away or requires a major re-understanding of our laws of physics, this puts expectations into clear categories without being a buzzkill.
  • Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
    When I was in college, we read this one as part of a Intro to Psychology course. Since reading it, I’ve always felt that Gladwell is one of the best nonfiction writers out there. Taking seemingly unconnected examples and connects them with not only solid facts and research, but a very clear connective theme. This book is a great example of that, finding patterns and connections of all the “greats” in whatever their field is. It almost feels like one of those “productivity hack” suggestion, but it truly changes how I viewed “excellence”.
  • Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel – Carl Safina
    As someone who works with animals, the connection between humans and animals has always been something that fascinates me. Our idea of intelligence, empathy, and understanding are all often measured against human performance to determine how “smart” an animal is. But we’re just beginning to understand how animals think and this book is a wonderful exploration of that field!
  • Elephant Company – Vicki Constantine Croke
    This is probably my number one recommendation when it comes to nonfiction. It’s about an elephant logging company in Burma during WWII. There were elements of war history, biography, and animal adventure, but written in a way that was more of a story. Even my mom, who doesn’t read much, thought this was a good read! I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys adventure, history, animals animals and the connections we have to them!

My Favorite Books That Are Nothing Like My Book!

To say “There are so many great books out there!” feels like an understatement! What feels more accurate to say is that there are so many different types of books out there! Last time, I went through some of my favorite “Hidden World” books, but this time around, I decided to talk about my favorite books with plots that are nothing like Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter! Consider this my official recommendation for things to read while you’re waiting for the release on May 12th!

  • Old Man’s War – John Scalzi:
    This one always sticks out to me when the person who recommended it to me described it as “The only war book to make me cry”. I feel that it holds very true, but it’s also just very well written and smart science fiction. John Scalzi sticks out as one of my favorite science fiction authors because in addition to being scientifically sound (if you’re willing to stretch your belief a little), he also writes very funny books! The whole series is great, but Old Man’s War sticks out to me because it was so different from anything else I’d read!
  • The Princess Bride – William Goldman
    Both a favorite book and my all time favorite movie (and yes, I know they’re very different). This was actually a book that the librarian would read aloud to classes when I was in elementary school (I feel like it was…5th grade we got to read this one?). There’s a lot of positive memories in the words of this classic fantasy. Whether you believe in “mawage” or if you’re more a fan of “The Zoo of Death”, this is definitely one I recommend over and over again.
  • Tigana – Guy Gavriel Kay
    This one is the book I say is my “favorite” when people ask. The way that’s written is so smooth and lyrical. Despite being a fantasy book, it’s also very heavily a political intrigue. Stories like that very rarely catch my interest, but the way this book was written really spoke to me. The magic system was so vivid and the characters are so interesting even when they divert into their separate arcs.
  • Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
    This one I put on the list because it’s so hard to describe in a simple way. I read this one a while back and it stuck with me for having such an original form. Each section is written so differently and yet they all connect so smoothly. David Mitchell is one of the most unique writers I’ve encountered and I think this is a great introduction to his style.
  • Andy Weir – Project Hail Mary
    Before anyone says it, I know there’s a movie, but I have not seen it yet. Andy Weir really sticks out to me as an author because I feel like he’s one of the few science fiction writers that forces a “suspension of belief” when discussing real-world science. His interpretation of alien life in this story is far and away (pun intended) some of the most interesting descriptions of extraterrestrials. In addition to being good science fiction, it’s an incredible story about two “best friends” and a real “found family” story by the end.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any favorites that you always recommend to people?

Consider adding these to your TBR!

On Trolls

Mira is not like most trolls. She’s only half-troll, after all, but she’s also different compared to most contemporary depictions. Her clan doesn’t necessarily shun the sunlight or live under bridges, but there are some who fit the brutish stereotype we’ve come to accept today.

Working on this book, obviously, I knew that trolls were going to be an integral group to sort out: from their laws to their biology. From Lord of the Rings to Dungeons and Dragons, trolls have made their way comfortably into modern media. They’re often seen as dim, ugly brutes with only an interest in destruction. I wanted slightly different trolls and did a lot of exploration. They are most popular in Scandinavian folklore, mixed in with Giants and Fiends (often used interchangeably). There are no set rules: there are some stories where they aren’t even villains as we’ve come to expect.

Here’s a few of my favorite stories that I stumbled across in my research.

The Troll’s Daughter:
Believe it or not, this one I found after I had started writing the story. The story goes that a young man is traveling, looking to make his new life. He’s offered a job by a stranger on the road, offering increasing amounts of money once a year for three years. The stranger turns out to be a troll and king of the woods. The troll has the young man work by feeding the animals in his menagerie, allowing him spend his free time in the form of various animals including a hare and a raven. While swimming as a fish, the young man meets a beautiful woman. She tells him she is the troll’s daughter and helps him trick the troll into letting them marry. With the Troll King defeated, all the animals are released and the new young couple have a vibrant forest kingdom to rule over.

Heddal Stave Church Troll:
According to local legend, Heddal Stave Church was built by a troll. Five farmers wanted to build the church and a stranger approached saying he would build the church. His conditions demanded that the farmers do one of three things before the church was finished: the farmers had to guess the stranger’s name before he was finished or he would kill them. They agreed, but the stranger worked quickly and was prepared to finish by the third day. While trying to think of the stranger’s name, one of the farmers– Raud–heard a mountain troll woman singing a song to her baby about her husband. She revealed the troll’s name in her song and Raud addressed the troll by name the day of the deadline. Some stories say that the troll family ran away (despising the sound of church bells) and others say that Finn is still there, turned to stone and holding up one of the pillars.

The Hall of the Mountain King:
The powerhouse musical number actually comes from Peer Gynt (Henrick Ibsen’s opera) is the theme for a great troll king who haunts Peer’s nightmares. Peer, intent on become the heir to the troll kingdom, comes demanding the hand of the king’s daughter in marriage. The Mountain King agrees as long as Peer agrees to live as a troll. When things get too real (including the removal of Peer’s eyes), Peer learns that he actually can’t back out anymore. The sequence ends when Peer is set upon by the Mountain Kings subjects and he wakes up.

Three Billy Goats Gruff:
This is probably where your mind goes to when you think of prominent troll stories. It’s a pretty basic story: there’s a troll that lives under a bridge and threatens to eat anyone who goes across his bridge. The first goat asks him to wait for the next, saying that his brother is close behind and will be a more filling meal. The second goat says the same, offering an even more filling meal with his brother coming behind him. Turns out, the third billy goat gruff was a bit more than this troll can chew. The biggest goat isn’t afraid of the troll and challenges him, ultimately killing the troll so no one is eaten by him again.

These are just a few of the fun stories I’ve found in my research. By diving into the folklore and mythology, you can see the influences that these classic stories in our contemporary depictions of trolls. Find out more about the trolls in the Blanc LaBelle universe on May 12th, 2026 when I release Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter.

Hidden World Fantasy Books

I am a huge fan of hidden world books. Living in Seattle for a while, there were so many places I would visit that felt like they were hiding more than I could see. The 24-Hour Diner had it’s secrets to be certain, labyrinthine bookstores at Pike’s Place contained hidden entrances to somewhere, and local landmarks held hidden stories that only those who knew would tell. The thought of magic, monsters, and more just beneath the surface of our world intrigued me enough that I eventually started creating my own, the Under and the Fold, hidden in plain sight.

There is no shortage of hidden world books, so here is a brief (very brief) collection of some of my favorites that stuck with me.

  • Nightwatch – Sergei Lukyanenko: This is probably one of the closest one-to-one hidden worlds I’ve been able to track down. Sorcerers, vampires, and curses are all in plain sight in contemporary Moscow. Cellphones and computers are used alongside magic and shapeshifting all headed by a secret organization that fights to keep the balance between the magical and the mundane. It’s a bit more grim-dark than the Hedgefield, but it’s probably one of my favorite hidden world stories.
  • Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo: Set in New Haven Connecticut, this is another story where the few know about the fantastical. There are fewer monsters, but plenty of magic to make up for it. The city as a backdrop to the spectacular feels very clear here. Again, we have secret organizations maintaining the balance between those who use spells and rituals and those who do not. Lethe House works very similarly to Blanc LaBelle and his allies: just trying to keep peace with mixed results.
  • The City We Became – N.K. Jemisin: This is probably the most literal ‘Hidden City’ on this list. The city itself becomes a character (multiple characters, actually, but you’ll have to read it). The city is a part of the magic and each district offers a different kind of power to it’s user. LaBelle is a foundation figure in Hedgefield, but he knows the city better for it. The places, while not hidden, have a much deeper influence in the magical sense.
  • Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel – Susanna Clarke: This one is more fitting for a historical fantasy, set in the 1800s rather than a modern setting. Magic is real, but only a very select few (our titular friends) have access to it at the time of the setting. There are spirits, mischievous and monstrous, that coexist with the magicians and slink in the shadows of mortals. The intersection between men and magic is another major theme that I cover in the Blanc LaBelle series (for better and for worse).

What are some of your favorite hidden world stories? Do you love a magical school hidden from human eyes or do you prefer the magic to be right under your nose?

Your next Hidden World love could well be in the universe of Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter, available May 12, 2026!

An Intermission

So, a couple of changes will be coming up in the near future. I’ve got some things in the works, so there will be some things changing priority.

This will be the last scheduled “Blog Post” for a while. I feel like I don’t have enough happening with my writing/publishing journey to justify having a super regular post. I get anxious about repeating ideas or reposting old blog posts. This means the first Sunday of the month will no longer be regular posts. When ideas come up, I’ll probably create a blog post, but I’m running out of ideas to keep up with a monthly Non-Fiction post. I’ll continue doing monthly fiction, both as a way to keep the blog active and give myself the motivation to keep writing even when I run out of ideas. I’m hoping that having this be the primary focus of my time outside of work will mean more quality writing to continue providing to you for free.

Secondly, like many other people, I’ll be closing down my Twitter. I no longer use it and it’s frankly not really bringing in a ton of traffic. If you only follow me there, please consider signing up for my newsletter or following my page on Facebook!

Piecing Together

Every writer–no matter where they are in their writing journey–has a Trunk Book. It’s a story you started when you weren’t ready and had to give up. A story you wrote that never quite came together or a series of ideas you didn’t know how to connect beyond a few scenes and a loose plot. Maybe time got the better of you, or a busy schedule determined that your story would be put on hold, or perhaps you just lost steam about it and moved on to another idea. The Lost Characters, the Abandoned Quests, and the Snippets of Dialogue that you loved all linger together in the bottom of a trunk: digital, physical, or mental.

Personally, I have a particular file on my computer that I call the Graveyard: projects that didn’t quite pan out, short things I wrote in high school, and things that just never settled quite right for whatever reason. Sometimes, like a literary corpse snatcher, I go back to old projects and do a bit of grave robbing to piece together old ideas into something new. I have found myself revisiting this folder a lot recently.

The question that hits me again and again is “What needs to be fixed?” before I can do anything with it. Is it the tone of the story? Does a character not have enough motivation or do their actions seem inconsistent? Who or what would be needed to drive the story forward and what is stagnant that doesn’t seem to fit the pace? Answering these questions help me decide what to do with these old cadavers of story. Some stay in the Graveyard to age a bit, but some seem ripe enough to try and resurrect.

I am, admittedly, guilty of Email Writing a Novel. While working desk jobs–stuck behind a computer with shifting workflow–I would often send emails to myself. When an idea hit me that was remotely more interesting than another spreadsheet or company email, I would email my personal email what was on my mind. Trapped behind a desk, I built gateways to my own adventures. I uncovered an old email thread I had written and decided to tackle it again.

The most important thing about Graveyards or Trunk Books is that it doesn’t destroy things that didn’t work at the time. It saves them so they can percolate in a safe place without constantly trying to fix what’s broken. The most important part of writing is–unsurprisingly–writing. If you’re stuck in a Trunk Book, sometimes it’s healthy to set it aside until you’re ready to stitch together a new monster. Hopefully, your results will be more beneficial than Dr. Frankenstein’s body building.

Expert Insight

I have recently been doing some job shadowing. I’m looking to find work that is fulfilling and gratifying in a similar way to writing while still allowing time for it. Talking with people I know who are well-versed in their fields has gotten me thinking about one of the most important aspects of researching for writing: Experts.

Whether you’re writing non-fiction that is purely factual or a fantasy just barely clinging to aspects of our reality, having the correct view of things is essential to making your writing more realistic. I keep an active list of people I consider experts in everything. Whether they’re long-time professionals or experienced hobbyists, I like to keep track of what my friends consider themselves experts in. An element of realism is important so the audience of a story feels connected. I have friends who are photographers, veterinarians, horse handlers, gardeners, and crafters of all sorts. If I ever decide to include elements of these in a story, I find it better to research on my own and ask questions of these experts in my life.

Shadowing also gives an opportunity to collect important sensory details. All the information in the world is fantastic to bring reality to your writing, but it is equally as crucial to get your reader into the place you’re experiencing. I’ve started keeping a small notebook with me to write down sensory experiences in places I visit. The smell of a horse barn, the sounds of the forest, the feel of soft soil in one’s hands, and the visuals of an active surgery are all fantastic ways to add reality to your writing. Humans are naturally observant, even if we aren’t consciously doing it. Think of somewhere you go every day: your office, your favorite coffee shop, your friend’s house. What do you see when you think of it? What sounds do you associate with it? Any smells that come to mind? Imagine that level of detail in your writing, not just creating a visual snapshot, but adding more realism to the reality you created.

Try writing a description of a room that you’re in without being there (using as many of your senses as possible). Read your description later. What did you include? What did you leave out? Rewrite it again and revisit it in a month. When you can start to create a vivid picture of this place, start doing it with other places.

Now, see if you have a friend who you consider an expert. Ask them over for coffee or a drink and ask them about their expertise! People love talking about things they love, so use this as an opportunity to become a mini-expert in a new field! Learn something new and try writing about their day. Now try working it into a narrative! You’ll find that you can create more realistic worlds in arenas you were previously a novice at. It doesn’t have to be technically perfect, but it can appear very real!

New Beginnings

Here we are again! Another year in which we try to find ways to improve ourselves across the spectrum. New skills to learn, new commitments to ourselves, and new beginnings to the year. Sometimes, they see us through to the end of the year; other times, not so much. Either way, I think it’s healthy to look back on the year and try to figure out where we can use improvement or even just to take stock and see if we’re where we want to be in our lives. The last few years have certainly been full of challenges and changes, but also a lot of things that have improved us (or perhaps are still in the course of improving us). Whatever the circumstances, I always like to try and put some goals down in order to fully take advantage of the year, especially when it comes to my writing. So, here are my Writer’s Resolutions for 2023:

Write for 1 Hour Every Day: I have, admittedly, slipped a little bit in the past few months. I’ve gone through some pretty drastic changes in my work life and part of me is still recovering from the ricochet of all that. Still, going into 2023, I’m feeling more comfortable about that situation and I’m ready to start committing my time more intentionally. I want to get back to writing at the same interval every day. My old schedule doesn’t quite fit with my new routine, but I’m trying to carve out time to work on my writing more diligently and keep that consistent every day (the easiest way to form a habit is repetition). I want to make that time sacred and keep to it as much as I would to any work schedule.

Submit Once A Week: The easiest way to win at poker is when you’re holding all the cards. Granted, that’s not how poker is supposed to be played, but the metaphor stands. I want to regularly and diligently query my novel and submit my short fiction to magazines, etc. I blame this falling off on a number of factors, but won’t go into that. The point is, I need to do more to get my work seen and read if I want it to go anywhere. So I want to submit more of what I write rather than let it simmer in my hard drive while running off of hope. You can only win if you play.

Find a Writing Group: This one is one I should have done a while ago, but with the state of things when I moved back, it got more and more difficult to make that happen. I would like to find a group of individuals who also write. This would be partly to talk shop, but also to share victories and commiserate on the challenges. Writing classes and workshops are great to work on your craft, but there’s the emotional aspect of things that a lot of non-writers don’t fully appreciate. Having that built-in support network of people who are also working on telling stories would be a tremendous help to getting that social aspect of writing life back on track.

So, there you have it. Three, solid, actionable goals for 2023. It will require some discipline on my part, but I think there’s a way to make it all come together in the end. More goals will probably come up as the year progresses, but there’s never a bad time to start thinking ahead and getting things in order. Do you have any goals for the coming year?