NADINE BRANDES once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the author of the award-winning ROMANOV, FAWKES, and the Out of Time Series. Her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When she's not busy writing novels about bold living, she's adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. She and her Auror husband are building a Tiny House on wheels with their Halfling children. Current mission: paint the world in shalom.

The Underdog Story

Today, please welcome Katie Clark, author of the dystopian Enslaved Series. It’s always fun to find an author who holds the same values regarding fiction — particularly dystopian fiction. Today, Katie is sharing her thoughts on why “the underdog” story is so popular in books these days. With that (and a… Continue reading

I Have a Literary Agent!

If you were on my author Facebook page at all this week, you probably saw my posts hinting at a “big announcement.” In fact, you probably even tried to guess what that announcement might be! (*hint* agent *hint*) Two people guessed correctly (two authors, coincidentally): J. L. Mbewe and John Otte. I… Continue reading

What Book Do You Most Want to See on the Big Screen?

There is no better…or worse…feeling than sitting in a theater waiting to watch a movie based on your favorite book. It might be great — the book sure was. Or…it might be awful. A lot of us have been there — Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Narnia, Harry Potter, Twilight… Continue reading

As This Celebration Ends, Let the Next Begin!

The two months of celebration are coming to an end…sort of. Do you really believe I could ever stop celebrating? 😉 Can I just say…you all know how to party! These weeks have been so fun taking you Into the Book. You’ve jumped into the stories like Jane and Michael into… Continue reading

Inside the Book: ~Emotigraphs~

Follow me. For the next two months, we will wander onto the unknown paths of A Time to Die. I expect we’ll meet new characters, foreign places, wondrous inventions, and maybe a little danger… —————————————————————————————————————– Invention Exploration #2 — Emotigraphs   What happens when you mix a photograph with an emotion? That’s the question that spurred the invention… Continue reading

Inside the Book: ~The Clocks~

Follow me. For the next two months, we will wander onto the unknown paths of A Time to Die. I expect we’ll meet new characters, foreign places, wondrous inventions, and maybe a little danger… —————————————————————————————————————– Invention Exploration #1 — The Clocks   There was once a time when only God knew the day you’d die. Now look at… Continue reading

Inside the Book: ~Ivanhoe~

Follow me. For the next two months, we will wander onto the unknown paths of A Time to Die. I expect we’ll meet new characters, foreign places, wondrous inventions, and maybe a little danger… —————————————————————————————————————– Location Exploration #2 — Ivanhoe   Welcome to Ivanhoe! The city where you haggle prices, walk tightropes, and challenge others in the barter-combat Arena. That… Continue reading