I am a rising literary star, crafting captivating narratives that blend classic and contemporary themes. My work, like Tolkien, Lovecraft, and King, delves into the darker side of humanity and explores complex characters in intricate worlds. My unique perspective and deep understanding of storytelling make my book recommendations invaluable. I have apassion for the craft, offering insightful analysis and curating diverse reading lists. By introducing readers to classic works, I foster a deeper appreciation for the art of storytelling.
This is a haunting exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche. Poe’s mastery of language and imagery creates a palpable atmosphere of dread and despair, drawing readers into a world of gothic horror and psychological terror.
The titular poem, The Raven, is a masterpiece of suspense and symbolism. As the speaker descends into madness, the raven’s ominous presence and cryptic utterances intensify the reader’s sense of unease. The poem’s exploration of grief, loss, and the fragility of the human mind continues to resonate with readers today.
Beyond its literary significance, Poe’s poetry also offers a poignant reflection on the importance of family. In poems like To Helen and Annabel Lee, he explores the enduring power of love and the devastating impact of loss. By delving into these deeply personal themes, Poe connects with readers on an emotional level, reminding us of the fragility of life and…
One of the most famous poems in the English language, "The Raven" first appeared in the January 29, 1845, edition of the New York Evening Mirror. It brought Edgar Allan Poe, then in his mid-30s and a well-known poet, critic, and short story writer, his first taste of celebrity on a grand scale. "The Raven" remains Poe's best-known work, yet it is only one of a dazzling series of poems and stories that won him an enduring place in world literature. This volume contains "The Raven" and 40 others of Edgar Allan Poe's most memorable poems, among them "The Bells,"…
(This novel is the e-book version of the free web serial. You may read the entire ongoing story at wanderinginn.com free of charge.)
“No killing Goblins.”
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.
It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of…
Like any writer, I’m fascinated with what makes people tick and why they act the way they do. Naturally, this means I read a lot of history. I love reference reading; I love researching arcane questions for a tiny detail that will bring a character or their world to life. Creating epic fantasy is an extension of both my drives as a reader and a writer. Pouring myself into characters who inhabit different settings is a deeply satisfying exercise in both craft and empathy, and each history book has some small bit I can use to make my settings more compelling, more enjoyable for readers, and more real.
I hadn’t thought seriously about the problem of rubbish, sewage, and waste disposal before reading Jackson’s work.
I think it’s important, even crucial, for a fantasy writer to know where the poop and detritus go in the societies they’ve built; it’s part of the worldbuilding that gives an imaginary culture enough weight and heft to convince a reader.
Plus, Jackson’s prose is always marvelously clean, concise, and dryly funny.
In Victorian London, filth was everywhere: horse traffic filled the streets with dung, household rubbish went uncollected, cesspools brimmed with "night soil," graveyards teemed with rotting corpses, the air itself was choked with smoke. In this intimately visceral book, Lee Jackson guides us through the underbelly of the Victorian metropolis, introducing us to the men and women who struggled to stem a rising tide of pollution and dirt, and the forces that opposed them.
Through thematic chapters, Jackson describes how Victorian reformers met with both triumph and disaster. Full of individual stories and overlooked details-from the dustmen who grew rich…
I have been a professional fundraiser for more than thirty-five years and have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in this profession. I began writing short stories at the age of ten and became a published author in 1994. Since then, I have authored, co-authored, or contributed to approximately forty published books (The Pastor's Guide being the most recent, all available on Amazon). I agree with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said fundraising is a noble profession, and I care deeply that fundraisers are respected for the wonderful work they do. Fundraisers are usually not born but made. Excellent fundraisers learn from the best, continually study their profession, and have a real passion for what they do!
Many watchdogs of the charitable sector often stress that some nonprofit executives and fundraisers are paid what appear to be exorbitant salaries. Dan’s book brings the nonprofit sector out of the shadows and talks about why no nonprofit should be embarrassed or intimidated by hiring a professional fundraising staff and/or consultants to help them raise the money they need to fulfill their vision for a better community, country, or world.
I found his book a refreshing look at the profession of fundraising and how important it is to the nonprofit’s mission. I recommend that every nonprofit board member read this book. Your eyes will be opened to new possibilities.
Uncharitable investigates how for-profit strategies could and should be used by nonprofits.
Uncharitable goes where no other book on the nonprofit sector has dared to tread. Where other texts suggest ways to optimize performance inside the existing charity paradigm, Uncharitable suggests that the paradigm itself is the problem and calls into question our fundamental canons about charity. Dan Pallotta argues that society's nonprofit ethic creates an inequality that denies the nonprofit sector critical tools and permissions that the for-profit sector is allowed to use without restraint. These double standards place the nonprofit sector at an extreme disadvantage. While the for-profit…
It’s often been said of musical theatre that the point when the characters begin to sing is the point their emotions become too much to express in words alone. I think that’s one reason I’m so obsessed with books about people connecting over music, art, and performance—it allows for so much passion and intensity. Having sung and played instruments over the years, I know how powerful it can feel to make music with other people, even when you’re not in love! These days, though, I spend more time reading and writing about music than I do playing it.
More music-and-magic—this one is an alternate history, part of a series set in the invented European country of Alpennia that explores the lives of a community of queer women in the early 19th century. While not exactly a romance, Mother of Souls focuses on the relationship between Serafina, who can see magic, and Luzie, who has musical powers that only Serafina can perceive. Both women are struggling in different ways, and I loved seeing the way their relationship and their musical connection helped them both to move forward. I also loved the depth of the worldbuilding—the city of Rotenek feels as real as any place I’ve been to.
At last! Return to the enchanted realm of Alpennia for the eagerly awaited sequel to Daughter of Mystery and The Mystic Marriage.
All her life, Serafina Talarico has searched in vain for a place where she and her mystical talents belong. She never found it in Rome—the city of her birth—where her family’s Ethiopian origins marked them as immigrants. After traveling halfway across Europe to study with Alpennia’s Royal Thaumaturgist, her hopes of finding a home among Margerit Sovitre’s circle of scholars are dashed, for Serafina can perceive, but not evoke, the mystical forces of the Mysteries of the Saints…
Stephanie Storm is a talented young adult fantasy author whose writing is reminiscent of classic fantasy novels with a modern twist. Her imaginative storytelling and richly developed characters draw readers into immersive worlds filled with magic, adventure, and breathtaking landscapes. Her writing style is enchanting, capturing the hearts of readers of all ages and leaving them eagerly turning pages late into the night. Growing up with her nose buried in a book, she found solace and inspiration in the escapism and limitless possibilities of the genre. Her imagination was sparked by the enchanting stories she devoured, which fuelled her passion for writing and creating her own fantastical tales.
Greek Gods and Godesses are usually a very over done genre, but Josephine nails her take on a retelling.
This series is hands down one of my top series even after all this time and I squealed with joy when I saw that she continued the series when we thought it was done!
When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton sees Lucas Delos for the first time she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has seen in her life; the second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.
With an ancient curse making them loathe one another, Lucas and Helen have to keep their distance. But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen . . .
The first book in Josephine Angelini's thrilling series, Starcrossed is a passionate love story that began thousands of…
Because sometimes I think they go further than the formulas set by traditional publishing. I love fantasy and similar genres because there are no limits for the imagination. The books I’ve chosen fulfill what I think is important – world-building, imagination, thought-provoking, intelligent, and wonderful characters on a mission of some kind.
This is my favourite series by Michael Robertson; its world-building is so real that it’s scary because this dystopian world could really exist. The world has its defined structure and the characters within it are believable, even if not all likable. It’s a complex series and yet is simple in its reading; compelling at the very least.
In Edin, when you turn eighteen, you have to do national service.
Six-months outside the city's walls, fighting the diseased hordes.
Only half the recruits survive.
Spike refuses to be just another statistic.
Beyond These Walls is a post-apocalyptic epic. Join Spike, Matilda, and their friends as they leave their city for the first time to face the brutal reality of national service. Some of them won’t return, and for those who do, their lives will never be the same again.
Give me all the supernatural and fantasy intrigue with love on the side. Sometimes this world of ours is too much to deal with and it’s nice to visit other worlds. To read and write about the justice, love, and magic of other things that may be lacking in your life can be cathartic and gives us something to look forward to and strive for. While some of the more supernatural aspects might be out of reach, the beauty of unbreakable bonds forged in love and trust, people willing to sacrifice for what they believe in, and seeing justice prevail also gives me the hope that it's not unreachable if you believe it.
Mythology, romance, twisted villains, and a reluctant hero come together to make a book you will not want to put down. I’m a sucker for greek mythology and love it when it's brought into the modern world. The idea of a whole culture and supernatural world intertwined with ours will always catch my attention. There’s something so intriguing about the idea that there’s more going on in our world than we can imagine and this story pushes the narrative brilliantly. The main characters can irk your nerves at times but if there is no drama there’s no story in my opinion. These are realistic characters in unrealistic conditions and they’re always fun to read about.
"Elisabeth Naughton has created a world dark, dangerous, and absolutely addicting." Christina Dodd, New York Times bestselling author
Demitrius has done all he could to protect Isadora, his soul mate, from himself. But when she is kidnapped, he'll stop at nothing to get her back―even opening his broken heart in order to save them both.
DEMETRIUS―He's the hulking, brooding warrior even his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it's best to keep everyone at arm's length.
Isadora is missing. The words pound through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection,…
Kenneth Jericho gets sucked into a magical
otherworld while rescuing a little girl from human traffickers, and soon learns
that his new surroundings have their own problems that he can’t turn away from.
Immediately it turns into a fast-paced adventure that made me nostalgic for the
Dungeons and Dragons group I played with as a young man, where the guy running
the game was perfectly happy to accept things like a high-powered magical rifle
using the same stats as a longbow.
I never got into anime myself, but I still
really enjoyed Gun Magus’s isekai vibe and any anime fan would probably appreciate
it even more. Gun Magus has action, worldbuilding, big vibrant characters, and
a lot of heart. I hope LaPoint has plans to go back and revisit this setting
someday.
What more could you ask for in a novel than unique
worldbuilding and page-turning antics that come together to create an epic and
hilarious fantasy romp?
The characters are witty, flawed, and loveable; Bethany
Meyer strikes the perfect balance between humor and heart, making this a story
that I want to return to again and again. Anything that Meyer writes is on my
“automatic buy” list!
Wick the tree messenger is bound for success. His career as a messenger is better than it's ever been, and he's on the fast track to getting an even more important job as a councilor. But before he can succeed, word spreads that a thief is after the most powerful magic in Aro, the Heather Stone, and stealing it piece by piece. To be safe, Wick is entrusted with moving one of the stones to a safer location.
On his journey, Wick is overtaken by the thief himself, a seraph named Archer, but Archer's plans as he explains them are…
