jlodom

The Problem with Premise

*I apologize in advance for all the mixed metaphors I always get a thrill when I hear of a slew of new books with genius premises…and then a sigh of discouragement swiftly follows. You see, I have been burned by premise before. I hear of a book that has a simply BLAZING, brilliant premise. I admireContinue reading “The Problem with Premise”

Peevishness and Lack Thereof

I am always intrigued by people’s pet peeves. By nature, they are highly personal, but there’s something funny about them well aside from the fact that many of them make no sense: We KNOW we cannot hold others to our pet peeves…but we kinda WANT to. Example: I love food, and I love varieties ofContinue reading “Peevishness and Lack Thereof”

On Sleep: It could always be worse

A short warning: this has nothing to do with anything about writing : ) So I have this sweet little picture book called It Could Always Be Worse. In it, a poor man with a big family goes to his Rabbi to complain that his house is so small and his family is so loudContinue reading “On Sleep: It could always be worse”

Things Beloved: Mulan

When I was very little (and to this day) I was not into Princesses at all. I mean, I loved to dress up, and I had a serious romantic streak but I just did NOT understand the princess thing, specifically. It was just outside my comprehension. This was actually extraordinarily advantageous to me when playing with mostContinue reading “Things Beloved: Mulan”

Daily Doings: An Update

I did a teensy bit of housekeeping today: updating my about page to reflect the new addition to the family, and add my twitter handle which I had somehow failed to do prior. I also added my original book query to the “Books” page, so that there’s better info available. In other news, I amContinue reading “Daily Doings: An Update”

Everlasting Trope: Disguised Noble Hero

Or, according to TvTropes: Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass/Rich Idiot with no Day Job I actually kind of adore this trope, even though it usually involves a lot of silliness and suspension of disbelief. There are three VERY popular examples of this trope: The Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, and Batman. You have a rich, useless, ne’er-do-well onContinue reading “Everlasting Trope: Disguised Noble Hero”

Tried by Time

You know that kid’s song “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold”? I remember it from Wee Sing in Sillyville, but never mind that. I was thinking about this song recently based on a combination of my personal reading experiences and a few posts I saw about challengingContinue reading “Tried by Time”

War and the Military in Fantasy: Part 2

Herein reside a few scattered thoughts on war and the military in fantasy. For part 1 of this, see here. I think I tend to be just a little pickier about how war/battle/military matters are presented in fantasy novels. Honestly, I’m a bit of a stick in the mud. “That doesn’t make any sense. ItContinue reading “War and the Military in Fantasy: Part 2”

Things Beloved: Fiddler on the Roof

My not-yet-two-year-old asked for me to put on some music, a word he pronounces suspiciously like “magic,” by the way. Instead of putting on the same album that I always do because he likes it so much (Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos), I decided it had been too long since I’d listened to FiddlerContinue reading “Things Beloved: Fiddler on the Roof”

Hometown Lessons

So we just got back from an extended stay with family in our hometown over Christmas and New Years. It was wonderful. The kids got to play with Grandparents and Uncles and Aunts galore, and we got to just relax at our old stomping grounds. My husband and I are from the same city, soContinue reading “Hometown Lessons”