The Place between Stories
On finished drafts and wandering the wood between the worlds
What do you do when you end up lost between projects, books, stories, other worlds?
Latest Writing News
I'm thrilled to announce that I was awarded Editor's Choice in the 2022 CNF Award by CRAFT Literary. My short memoir, "All the Pretty Little Lies" will be published on CRAFT's website on June 9th. Also keep an eye out for my short fantasy story "We Are Made to Bloom", which will be published in August through Uncharted Mag.
The Place between Stories
Ever since I first read The Magician's Nephew — the prequel book to the Narnia series, published just a year before The Last Battle — I have been haunted by the image of the "Wood between the Worlds". While Lucy and Peter fans might have been looking for doorways to other realities in the back of wardrobes and linen closets, I sought my portals in the green and wild places, among still pools and crowding trees.
I remember the late Katherine Min, one of my undergraduate writing professors, telling us that every story acts as either a mirror or a window; however, for me (as for many fantasy writers, I think) stories have always been more like a gateway. Every time I step over that threshold into a different world, it shows me reality in a new light.
In some way, shape, or form, the essence of the Wood has wormed its way into every world that I have written. But more than that, there are times when it feels like I am there, wandering through the slender trees, wondering which universe I should dive into. It's not just the Wood from Narnia; it's the place between stories. It's the feeling I get when I've finished with a book — either writing it or reading it. I wander back to the bookshelves, set down my doorway, trace my fingers over the spines of its neighbors, and wonder: where to next?
Just this past week, I finished a draft of my rewrite for A Lullaby of Stolen Stars. With the manuscript now out for beta reads, I find myself once again in this inbetween. Should I return to Ravenscourt, move forward with my adult fantasy duet, dabble a bit in short stories about Adderix and co? Appropriately enough, I've been working through Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series at pace, but having ended up lost in the Wood, I can't help questioning where my own doorway will lead.
Perhaps there's little to do but keep wandering. For better or worse, we all find our way eventually.
A Lullaby of Stolen Stars: Audio Excerpt
At one point, I was asked by my agent to do a short demo recording of the introduction to A Lullaby of Stolen Stars. I’m sharing it here for those of you who might be interested in listening to it — it was fun taking my first foray into audio editing (and trying to come to terms with the sound of my own voice).
Let me know what you think!
What I’ve been Reading
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - Lesbian necromancers in space, the sequel, yes please! | The Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire - because every heart is a doorway | Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer - a brilliant meditation on cultivating creativity and the joy of writing | A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas - I can now safely say I’m not a fantasy romance fan | The Dragon Republic by RF Kuang - after all, who doesn’t love hyper destructive fire gods?
Read any of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts and what else you’ve been reading and working on, down in the comments.