Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: An intricate plot & stunning debut

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, dreaming of an unremarkable life. But when her beloved father is found dead, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of a surprisingly unstable kingdom. What’s more, Hesina believes that her father was murdered—and that the killer is someone closeContinue reading “Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: An intricate plot & stunning debut”

Three questions to ask to create compelling characters

Characters are the heart of your story. If readers don’t connect with them, there’s almost no better way to guarantee they put your book down and never pick it back up. So how can we create characters that are compelling, yet believable? Likable, but realistic? It may seem like a lot of pressure, but thereContinue reading “Three questions to ask to create compelling characters”

Dialogue Tags: what they are and how to use them

We have conversations of all sorts every day, and yet including them in our writing can be challenging. What’s interesting to the reader? What is too boring or too confusing? One of the key parts of writing when characters are talking is dialogue tags, and they can make or break your conversation. So what areContinue reading “Dialogue Tags: what they are and how to use them”