THE READING ROOM
Notes from
other worlds.
Book recommendations, mythology, science fiction, favorite tropes, and occasional dispatches from behind the stories.
FEATURED READING
Selkie Mythology: Why the Seal-Wife Legends Aren’t Romance
Fantasy Deep Dives · Mermaids & Ocean Fantasy
Selkie mythology from Orkney, Shetland, Ireland and the Faroes: stolen seal skins, a curse that isn’t finished, and why these legends aren’t love stories.
LATEST FROM MSK
Keep exploring.
Choose a doorway: deep water, distant planets, beloved tropes, or the stories behind the stories.
Shifter Fantasy · Tropes & Worldbuilding
Is The Moonshifter Academy Series Romantasy? A Conversation With My Characters
Readers ask me this from time-to-time: “Be honest. Did you write Moonshifter Academy (that’s my series about a young wolf […]
Fantasy Deep Dives · Uncategorized
Romantasy or Just Fantasy with Heart? How I Write Between the Lines
Everywhere I look, the term romantasy keeps popping up. It’s the genre mash-up of the year: part sweeping fantasy, part […]
Fantasy Deep Dives · Uncategorized
Unlocking the Secret Power of Maps in Fantasy: How to Inspire Your Own Journey
Last week we explored how fictional diaries in stories can inspire your own journaling practice. Diaries in fantasy often hold […]
Fantasy Deep Dives
Unlocking the Amazing Power of Magical Libraries: How Fictional Archives Can Transform Your Reading and Writing Life
Over the past few weeks (I skipped last week to feature a special Halloween featured blog last week) we looked […]
Tropes & Worldbuilding
The Haunting Origins of Halloween and How They Weave into Fiction
Explore the true origins of Halloween from Samhain to All Hallows’ Eve, and discover how its history weaves into fiction […]
Fantasy Deep Dives
Reading Outside the Castle: Fantasy Novels From Around the World You Need to Discover
A fantasy novel where everything feels just slightly unfamiliar grabs readers...the kind of book that doesn’t just whisk you away […]
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