I’ve always believed that we can only ingest so many words from other people until we’re compelled to spill some back out. Long before we understand plot arcs, character construction, or theme, most of us fall first in love with reading. For me, reading in childhood began as an escape from a frantic, stressful family … Continue reading The Art of Reading Like a Writer: What Books Have Taught Me About Craft
Reading Inspiration
Five Favorite Reads from 2025 (The Books That Stayed With Me)
A page from my reading journal featuring poetry by Mary Oliver and Kafka on the Shore. I’m currently knee-deep into the fifth draft of my current #WIP, but I also don’t want to abandon my streak of blogging once a week since March 2025. This week, I wanted to do a (late-ish) round-up of my … Continue reading Five Favorite Reads from 2025 (The Books That Stayed With Me)
How Atmosphere, Ambition, and Mystery Inspired My #WIP
I'm nearing the end of writing my current #WIP. It's not done done but it's getting there. I've completed the fourth draft, and I'm currently giving the manuscript (and myself) a rest for a week or two. The way things stand now, the novel will be published in 2026. As soon as I have a … Continue reading How Atmosphere, Ambition, and Mystery Inspired My #WIP
How To Create a Personal Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Guide
Happy New Year everyone! Since this is my first post of the new year, I thought I’d share a wonderful tool that has really made a difference in how I approach my personal learning. Last summer, I began watching some personal curriculum videos on YouTube. As a long-time teacher and academic, I think these videos … Continue reading How To Create a Personal Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Guide
Books To Curl Up With This Winter
Since I’ve been in a Victorian mood lately, with working on my literary scholarship about Dickens and researching the Victorian era in general, I wanted to focus on winter books with some of the same themes you’ll find in Christmas at Hembry Castle, stories about love and loss, memory and redemption, the pull of history … Continue reading Books To Curl Up With This Winter
Embrace the Cozy: My Ultimate Autumn Reading List
I've made no secret of the fact that autumn is my favorite time of year. After a rough summer of 100+ degree heat, the cooler weather and pretty-colored trees in my neighborhood are a welcome relief. While we're not quite in autumn yet in Southern Nevada, even 89 degrees Fahrenheit feels cooler after such hot days. … Continue reading Embrace the Cozy: My Ultimate Autumn Reading List
The Allure of Dark Academia: Why This Genre Casts a Powerful Spell
One of my most popular posts is this guide to the Dark Academia genre. I wanted to look a little more closely into the topic since reading Dark Academia novels has become one of my guilty pleasures. I’ve said before that I must live under a rock since I heard about Dark Academia maybe two … Continue reading The Allure of Dark Academia: Why This Genre Casts a Powerful Spell
Top Summer Reads of 2025: My 5 Favorite Picks
The Joy of Summer Reading It goes without saying that I read a lot during the summer, especially these days when I’m hardly leaving the house because it’s so hot outside. I know you’re thinking but you live in the desert…of course it’s hot! True, but the heat hit us sooner this year and we’ve … Continue reading Top Summer Reads of 2025: My 5 Favorite Picks