-
Article: Writer Beware! by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: Writer Beware! by Lara LeeI thought that I could be safe going that route since I was a professional graphic designer who has worked for a publisher before. If I got robbed, I know so many other people are too. Please, please, please writers, beware!
-
Where is Lara?
Read more: Where is Lara?Lara Lee is back and doing in-person events! Check out her schedule here.
-
Article: In Medias Res – An Argument For Slower Novel Beginnings – by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: In Medias Res – An Argument For Slower Novel Beginnings – by Lara LeeA person doesn’t need to study writing for very long before they encounter popular advice to have a good “hook” for the beginning of their story. After this, one is taught to write “in medias respect” or in the middle of the action. Most people interpret this as having some kind of action scene and…
-
Article: An Indie Author’s Perspective on the Merger of 2 out of “The Big 5” Publishers
Read more: Article: An Indie Author’s Perspective on the Merger of 2 out of “The Big 5” PublishersI don’t usually write posts about topics in the news, but this merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster being sued by the government is a big deal to all in the book business. You can read a good summary article here: https://apnews.com/article/stephen-king-government-and-politics-b3ab31d8d8369e7feed7ce454153a03c As an indie author who is self-published and as a…
-
Article: Female Sexuality in Fantasy Fiction by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: Female Sexuality in Fantasy Fiction by Lara Lee* This post is clean for middle school, high school, and adult readers. I could not come up with a better title for the topic of dealing with healthy and unhealthy female heterosexual relationships, including the choice of having sex, in both Christian and secular fantasy fiction. The title was my best try. I love…
-
Article: The Case for Classic Books by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: The Case for Classic Books by Lara LeeBefore I earned my Master’s degree in Special Education I did not know that there was a debate about the use of classic books in education. I had assumed that classic books was just standard in the American classroom. I was wrong. What I have learned is that it really depends on the school and…
-
Thankfulness
Read more: ThankfulnessI have read lots of happiness studies recently. There are many very interesting studies and many countries are starting to do happiness statistics for their populations. One of the things that I have noticed about happiness is that it is very relative yet predictable enough that some scientist have a mathematical formula for it. This…
-
Lessons Learned in my 30s
Read more: Lessons Learned in my 30sI am in my 30s which isn’t too old in the grand sceme of things. I my short life I have realized that I have been taught some foolish things and some wise things. I decided to write down some of the wise things I was taught so I would remember them and perhaps you…
-
Article: Why I Write by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: Why I Write by Lara LeeI was looking back at my posts, and I realized I have never fully addressed this very common question. In many places, I touch upon the subject, but never do I fully answer it. The short answer is that I write because I must. Of course, for many non-writers and non-artist, this sounds like nonsense,…
-
Guest Blog: Apologetics in Christian Fiction by Daniel Westlund
Read more: Guest Blog: Apologetics in Christian Fiction by Daniel WestlundApologetics in Christian Fiction The title of this blog could also be called ‘Preachiness in Christian Fiction,’ but for my book the term ‘apologetics’ is more germane. The literary consensus is that preachiness is bad, and that a work should be Christian insofar as the underlying themes subtly reveal Christ, or a character models Christ-like behavior. But…
-
Guest Blog: What makes an author a great person to work with on the audio version of their book by Trista Shaye
Read more: Guest Blog: What makes an author a great person to work with on the audio version of their book by Trista ShayeLara: This is a guest blog post from the very talented producer of my audiobook, Gryphendale, coming out at the beginning of November. I highly recommend her as a great producer, and you will love all the colorful accents she used to bring Gryphendale to life! Hello! I’m Trista Shaye – voiceover artist and YA…
-
Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 4 of 4 by Lara Lee
Read more: Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 4 of 4 by Lara Lee2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV) … a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore…
-
Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 3 of 4 by Lara Lee
Read more: Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 3 of 4 by Lara Lee2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV) … a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore…
-
Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 2 of 4 by Lara Lee
Read more: Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 2 of 4 by Lara Lee2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV) … a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore…
-
Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 1 of 4 by Lara Lee
Read more: Devotional: Oops, God forgot to Heal Paul – Something Resembling a Theology of Disability -Part 1 of 4 by Lara Lee2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV) … a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore…
-
Guest Post: “The Christain Journey through Fantasy Fiction” by C.S. Watcher
Read more: Guest Post: “The Christain Journey through Fantasy Fiction” by C.S. WatcherHi! My name is C. S. (Chris) Wachter and I’d like to talk to you about Christian Fantasy and my four-book series The Seven Words. The Seven Words takes place in a far-off future, in a world system that includes seven worlds (planets) joined by wormholes called skipping lines. With a natural system of magic…
-
San Antonio
Read more: San AntonioPeriodically, I post something about what is going on in my life outside my writing. Well, this week my dad has come to visit. We are doing all the touristy things that I couldn’t do while pregnant with the doctor’s restrictions. In the course of our wanderings, we visited the Pearl Brewery which had a…
-
Article: The Problem with Christian Fiction by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: The Problem with Christian Fiction by Lara LeeI am a Christain. I am also a writer. Does that make me a Christian writer? C.S. Lewis and Tolkien would say “yes,” but many in the Christian world say “no.”
-
Short Story: One Day by M.H. Elrich
Read more: Short Story: One Day by M.H. ElrichTala never trusted anyone, her Mistress Eliza especially. Tala knew her Mistress was up to something when she gave Cecilia and Tala two gold coins and told them to spend it on whatever they wanted. Tala warned Cecilia, but her fellow slave ignored her words of warning and headed straight for the seamstress. Tala, on…
-
Article: So You’re an Assassin too? by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: So You’re an Assassin too? by Lara LeeTropes. This evil word used in writing circles describes all the types of stories that are old and overdone. I honestly think that we need to stop worrying about tropes for the most part. In the eighties, tons of stories started at an inn or tavern because, well, that is a logical meeting place for…
-
Article: Selling Books by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: Selling Books by Lara LeeThis week like many on social media, I saw another author quite their dream. This one stated that the spent $4,000 with nothing to show for it. Unfortunately, that isn’t unusual, and it isn’t a reflection of this person’s writing skill either. It comes from the dense fog around being an author even in…
-
Article: Ideas and Writers Block by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: Ideas and Writers Block by Lara LeeI recently read a post by a well-known author about how he comes up with ideas. This has also been the most common question, in all its variations, I received on my AMA. It is hard to not follow author groups on social media and miss the hundreds of references to writer’s block. Since I…
-
Author Spotlight: Lauren H. Salisbury
Read more: Author Spotlight: Lauren H. SalisburyLauren H Salisbury was an English teacher for sixteen years with an MA in Education. She is now a writer who dabbles with tutoring and lives with her husband and a room full of books in Yorkshire, England. She likes to spend winters abroad, following the sunshine and becoming the seasonal envy of her friends.…
-
I’ve Been Interviewed Again!
Read more: I’ve Been Interviewed Again!I have had the pleasure of being interviewed by H.L Burke on her blog. She is the founder of the Fellowship of Fantasy and runs numerous facebook groups. Her interviews are not typical interviews though! These are fun and silly author interviews for laughs and giggles. Check it out! http://www.hlburkeblog.com/2018/09/random-interview-saturday-lara-lee.html
-
My Guest Blog: Fantasy For Mental Health
Read more: My Guest Blog: Fantasy For Mental HealthIn brainstorming ideas for one of my novels, I decided to research the question: Can a person be immune to brainwashing? We have all seen on television or in movies or even old books the trope of someone being brainwashed to do horrendous crimes against their will. It is overused, so I often stay away…
-
I’ve Been Interveiwed!
Read more: I’ve Been Interveiwed!This week, an author of numerous books, Annie Lima, has interviewed me and posted it on her blog. She has been doing a series of interviews with authors of new realms and exotic worlds. This interview covers the world of Gryphendale in general but also focuses specifically on my new book coming out July 24th.…
-
Comicpalooza!
Read more: Comicpalooza!Yes, the picture is of me sword fighting! Yay! This year I went to Comicpalooza in Houston Texas with my Dad. He has been to a few of these sort of conventions in various cities around the country. We had a full day of geeky fun, mostly me dragging him around to the…
-
Article: Faith is the Author’s Trade by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: Faith is the Author’s Trade by Lara LeeWhen I decided to become an author and actually claim that title as my new identity, I also took on a scope of challenges I never expected. Still, I wouldn’t turn back the clock for anything. Being an author is more who I am than any other professional job I have done. This doesn’t diminish the challenges. Unlike…
-
Article: No more Cliff-hangers! by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: No more Cliff-hangers! by Lara LeeI have been reading a large variety of books, and I find the most poignant difference between classics and self-published books is the use of cliff-hangers, open ending, and series hooks. I have read at least three of these kinds of endings this year alone. To be honest, I hate a book that doesn’t end. There…
-
Article: What is fantasy fiction for me? by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: What is fantasy fiction for me? by Lara LeeFantasy fiction is a direct descendant of fairytales and myths. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and George MacDonald were creators of some of the earliest fantasy fiction novels with the specific intention of creating modern fairytales and myths. Their tales existed in undefined far-off worlds with fuzzy boundaries. They had a somewhat medieval world in a vague time…
-
Article: Writers Who Inspire Me by Lara Lee
Read more: Article: Writers Who Inspire Me by Lara LeeAs I dive headlong into the field of writing, I often set before me amazing pillars of creativity as my role models. I am pretty sure every author does this. Why write if you don’t love to read? Even though I have a very long list of favorite writers, my inspiration usually returns to Jane Austin, C.S.…