Category: Books

Booking Through Thursday: Unexpectedly scary

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Did you ever start a book not expecting to be scared and then all at once you’re double-checking the locks and peering beneath the bed? Did you put on a brave face? Or did you opt out at that point?

Let us know what books we should (or perhaps shouldn’t) try.

What book scared you more than you expected it to?

What book scared you more than you expected it to?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Booking Through Thursday: Reading off the beaten path

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Do you have a favorite genre that’s off the beaten path?

Maybe it’s nonfiction about a particular time in history. Perhaps books for a craft or hobby. Maybe it’s hopepunk or bizarro fiction. Whatever you love, let us know (and maybe recommend a book or two).

What’s a favorite genre that others might not read?

What’s a favorite genre that others might not read?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Announcing: The Bookshop @ Writing Wrongs

Here it is. The Bookshop @ Writing Wrongs, my online bookstore.

An open book showcasing its pages, placed on top of other books with a black background. The text reads 'The Bookshop @ Writing Wrongs' with categories including 'Fantasy', 'YA', 'Ghosts', and 'Other Strange Things'.

Feel free to visit. If you spot a typo or a broken link, drop me a note in the comments here. I’d appreciate it. I was going fast and furious with all the connections, uploads, and whatnot.

BookFunnel handles delivery of both the ebook and the audio (you can listen to the audio in their app or in a web browser).

And if you’re in a shopping mood, feel free to use the coupon NOWOPEN at checkout for 25% off. (Good until October 31st.)

Deep Valley Book Festival recap

I’m both extremely charged up after yesterday and extremely tired. Somehow, both these feelings can coexist without any contradiction.

I enjoyed myself far more than I expected. I’m not only a committed introvert, but I’m also pretty shy. But I love talking about writing, and I love talking about books, and I got to do both yesterday. My table location in one of the room’s corners was a bonus for me. I felt quite comfortable there.

Some takeaways:

  • I wore some (cute, flowered) compression socks. 10/10 would recommend. My legs and feet felt great at the end of the day. No wonder nurses wear them.
  • My sweater was on point. Or rather, my daughter’s sweater was on point. Even Kate DiCamillo complimented it. In related news, this sweater is now mine.
  • People may not take a chance on a new-to-them author (although some did!), but they will take a chance on a five-dollar blind date with a book.
  • I made back my table fee and then some!

Some pictures:

My festival table setup

My author table setup—one small issue. The author packet said tablecloths were provided, but the festival had to switch venues, and, well, no tablecloths. Next time I’ll know to pack one. On the plus side, this gave me a chance to see what other authors use before I buy anything.

Me at my author table

Me (obviously) at my table (also obviously)

Me with Kate DiCamillo

Me with Kate DiCamillo with the signed collector’s edition of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane for my daughter. I’m hoping this is a fair exchange for the sweater.

Booking Through Thursday: October reading vibe

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Do you read a certain type of book in October? Does autumn change your reading habits? Or do you simply go with what’s become available on your library waitlist?

What’s your October reading vibe? Cozy, creepy, gothic, magical, or something else?

What’s your October reading vibe? Cozy, creepy, gothic, magical, or something else?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Booking Through Thursday: Constant Companion

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

This doesn’t have to be your favorite book or a comfort read. But is there a single book (or perhaps series) you’ve read more than any other? Maybe a cookbook, a religious text, or a favorite childhood story.

Let us know!

What’s one book you’ve read more than any other?

What's one book you've read more than any other?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Keeping the (writing) faith

Anno asked me some questions a few weeks back that I’ve been ruminating on ever since. The one that’s been dominating my thoughts is this one:

Given the challenges of modern publishing, what helps you keep faith with your work?

Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? Things are fraught* right now in publishing, whether you’re pursuing traditional or indie publishing.

The thing that helps me the most is this:

Despite everything, I still get to tell the stories I want to tell. No one can take that away from me.

A four-book series about catching ghosts with coffee? Why not?

Sentient umbrellas? Absolutely!

Indie publishing is simply how I get my stories into the world. Because, let’s be real, traditional publishing isn’t knocking on the door and making offers for either of those series**.

It’s hard, I’m not going to lie, to keep training your focus on those things you control. I struggle with it all the time. More is more has seeped into every aspect of our culture, especially work and creative endeavors.

But it’s simply not the case. It’s a lie big tech is telling us to keep us online and distracted.

So, I put my focus on those things I control:

  • My stories
  • My blog
  • My mail list

And, this year, I’m adding:

  • In-person events
  • Local independent bookstores
  • A direct-sales store

Yesterday is a perfect example of why I love being indie. It was a rainy, bleak Saturday. I had the sniffles, and while I had a shed-ton of chores to do, I didn’t feel up for any of them***.

So I said to myself: Let’s build an online direct-sales store.

And I did.

It’s not complete, not yet. Once it is, I’ll reveal it here. I want to have it done in time for the Deep Valley Book Festival.

Then, when I was wrapping up for the day, my new table display bookstand arrived:

Bookstand with several of my books on display

So, all things considered, I’m feeling fairly hopeful today.

*I used fraught in a text conversation the other day and got the laughing/crying emoji as a response.

**Another use case for the laughing/crying emoji.

***But do I ever? Yet another case for the laughing/crying emoji.

Booking Through Thursday: Let’s not go there

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

What fictional world aren’t you going to visit any time soon—or at all? Narnia on a bad day? Westeros? Anything by Stephen King? (I’m beginning to think this list could be endless?)

Let us know what world to avoid!

What fictional world would you avoid at all costs?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Booking Through Thursday: Let’s visit!

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Of all the fictional worlds out there, is there one you’d really like to visit? Jane Austen’s Regency era? Maybe Narnia (on a good day)? Perhaps solving a mystery with Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden?

Let’s know where you’d love to go!

What fictional world would you like to visit?

What fictional world would you like to visit?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Booking Through Thursday: Keeping Track

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

How do you keep track of the books you’ve read?

Or, do you keep track of them at all? Do you use something like Goodreads or LibraryThing to record the books you’ve read? A physical journal? Or something else? Let us know!

How do you keep track of the books you’ve read?

How do you keep track of the books you've read?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!