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Dindi and Umbral have an uneasy truce, forced to work together to defeat a greater enemy: the Bone Whistler. The Bone Whistler’s scheme to sacrifice humanity and resurrect the Aelfae will culminate during an eclipse on the spring equinox…in three days. Their fragile alliance may not withstand the terrors they face. Dindi hides as a…

Now, we always give advice on how to crit, but, as we discussed 
earlier, perhaps it is more important to discuss how to receive 
crits. Personally, if one receives a crit that tells you, “Your basic 
idea is all wrong,” how should you take this? image: xkcd 1. Get some perspective. I look at something…

One of the first novels I wrote, 
when I was, ye gods, twelve or thirteen, I don’t remember (or I have 
thankfully blanked the memory from my brain) was Star Trek 
fanfic. On the first draft, the dialogue looked something like this: “Maybe the attacker was a Klingon,” said Kirk. “That is not logical, Captain,”…

I have a son who is learning to read. I want to write stories that will be of 
interest and value to him. I know the 
values that I believe are universal to sentient beings, but are there elements which are particularly attractive 
to the little boy goobers out there? image: Pink Sherbert Photography I…

Rayne Hall has published more than forty books under different pen names with different publishers in different genres, mostly fantasy, horror and non-fiction. Recent books include Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel), Six Historical Tales Vol 1, Six Scary Tales Vol 1, 2 and 3 (mild horror stories), Six Historical Tales (short stories), Six Quirky Tales (humorous fantasy stories), Writing Fight Scenes and Writing Scary Scenes (instructions for…

In April 1667, an  signed an agreement with Samuel Simmons, a London bookseller, to publish 1,500 copies of his book. The author earned five pounds. He later earned another five pounds for the sequel, which he sold in 1669. After his death, the author’s wife granted the rights to both works, in perpetuity, to the…

Rayne Hall has published more than forty books under different pen names with different publishers in different genres, mostly fantasy, horror and non-fiction. Recent books include Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel), Six Historical Tales Vol 1, Six Scary Tales Vol 1, 2 and 3 (mild horror stories), Six Historical Tales (short stories), Six Quirky Tales (humorous fantasy stories), Writing Fight Scenes and Writing Scary Scenes (instructions for…

Kickass heroines are all the rage. But it’s tricky to do right. I’ve read some books that do a terrific job… and others that aren’t convincing. 1. Less Talk, More Action The first time we meet Katsa in Graceling, she is knocking out guards, breaking into a dungeon and rescuing a prince. A quick flashback…