by msk | Jul 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
Let’s play a little game. Imagine you’ve got magic at your fingertips. Real, usable, no-wand-required magic. You can read minds, Or say you have magic. Not just card tricks or horoscope-level intuition. We’re talking memory spells, mind reading, bending fire, making...
by msk | Jul 8, 2025 | Uncategorized
Let’s talk about werewolves, shall we? Or shifters, if you prefer the broader umbrella. Whether it’s wolf packs howling at the moon or panther clans hiding in plain sight, most YA fantasy treats these groups like magical biker gangs. You’ve got the Alpha leading...
by msk | Jul 2, 2025 | Uncategorized
There’s something magical about a good map. Even before we meet the hero or learn what terrible thing is about to befall the kingdom, a map gives us a vibe. It whispers, this world is real. It has history. And you’re invited. That little compass rose in the corner?...
by msk | Jun 26, 2025 | Analysis, Reading
I’ve been thinking about magical systems a lot lately as I mull over a new book, Leprechauns and Magic, Oh My! It’s a wild ride with enchanted shoelaces, a grumpy rain cloud that follows one character around, and a spellbook that refuses to be helpful unless bribed...
by msk | Jun 22, 2025 | Uncategorized
People love to talk about alpha males in shifter fiction like it’s all ripped torsos and growly dominance, but if you’ve ever actually written one, you know it’s not that simple. Or at least, it shouldn’t be. In Moonshifter Academy, I didn’t want to just slap a label...
by msk | May 14, 2025 | Analysis
Mermaids have enchanted human imagination for millennia. These mysterious half-human, half-fish beings appear in folklore across the globe. Sometimes benevolent, sometimes deadly, mermaids embody our deepest fears and desires about the unknown depths of the sea. From...
by msk | May 6, 2025 | Analysis, Harry Potter
When most of us think of magical academies, it’s almost impossible not to picture Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling’s iconic school for witchcraft and wizardry from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the gold standard, enchanting readers worldwide with its...
by msk | Apr 6, 2025 | Uncategorized
Let’s talk elves. Not the North Pole kind (that could be a whole other article, but best saved for Christmas). I’m talking about the tall, ethereal, flawless beings that strolled into pop culture via J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. They’ve since been...
by msk | Dec 20, 2024 | Harry Potter
You’ve probably dreamt of casting a Patronus charm at least once…I know I have. There’s something wonderful about the idea of your inner self taking the form of a silvery, protective creature. But have you ever stopped to wonder what your Patronus says about...
by msk | Nov 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
NaNoWriMo—aka National Novel Writing Month—is a crazy, exhilarating, caffeine-fueled sprint where writers worldwide attempt to churn out 50,000 words of a novel in just 30 days. This is my fourth (or maybe fifth?) time participating, and let me tell you, every single...
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