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Continue reading →: Edits & Expectations
I’ve been on hiatus for several weeks now. Yesterday, it took a long time for me to muster the courage to open Serenade and start final edits. Perhaps I was afraid it would need rewriting. In the past, I could only make my stories better by rewriting entire chapters. This…
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Continue reading →: Road to Serenade – Day 1
When you’re a writer, time goes by slowly. Maybe it’s because we play with time in the stories we tell; everything appears bigger and full of mystery. It feels like years have passed since I started drafting Serenade. I completed the first version in early January, and in the time since…
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Continue reading →: 3 Reasons I Want to Read Slowly
A while back, I was obsessed with learning to speed-read. I tried all these iPhone apps that supposedly help you read faster. I timed myself whenever I opened a book. I gave up on those weird apps almost at once, but over time did learn to speed-read. Though I’m not…
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Continue reading →: Dealing with Manuscript Fright
Writing a book is one of the most difficult things in the world. Having just finished a novel this week, I feel like it’s the most difficult thing. Even now that I have an almost-complete draft, putting it away for a month remains a challenge. My mind won’t settle; it…
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Continue reading →: Writing Update: The Spontaneous Novella
As I stated in this post, when I am immersed in a writing project my blog suffers. It’s been weeks since my last post; every day I had the intentions of writing a review, since I did quite a bit of reading despite the writing and edits, but there never seemed…
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Continue reading →: Writing Update: On Short Novels
I’m taking another break from editing Serenade, and thought this an appropriate time for an update. I get so caught up in the editing process that I forget to tell people how I’m doing. I’ve learned many things since editing began, but perhaps the biggest lesson is that my books tend to…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Much has been said about Me Before You. While some people loved it, others disliked the premise enough to boycott the book. I tried reading with a neutral mind, but that didn’t save me from the heartbreaking conclusion. It felt like a punch to the gut, even though the whole time I suspected…
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Continue reading →: Movie Review: Becoming Jane
Based on what’s known of Jane Austen’s life, Becoming Jane is a heartbreaking and beautiful film in which two passions clash. Jane is introduced in the first scene as a dedicated storyteller. She’s deep in concentration, whispering words as she writes them. The most poignant word haunted me as I…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
What if there was a character who wanted to escape the pages of his book? How far would he go to live among readers? Between the Lines tells the story of Prince Oliver, who wants to do just that. He’s lived in a book for as long as he can…
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Continue reading →: 4 Reasons Why You Should Write Steampunk
Before I get into my reasons for why you should try writing a story set in a steampunk world, I should probably explain what steampunk is. Honestly, there is no set definition for steampunk, but it tends to be a story set in a world reminiscent of the past but…
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Continue reading →: 5 Acceptable Ways to Procrastinate Editing
Experienced writers know their work isn’t through after the first draft. The opposite is true: Your first draft is the beginning of a long, tedious cycle. Quality work comes from months of writing, editing, and rewriting. Most of a writer’s stress emerges in the editing phase. If done without pause,…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
The Bookseller follows a woman named Kitty who lives in Denver, where she runs a bookstore with her best friend, Frieda. In 1962 it’s not usual for her to be unmarried at the age of thirty-eight, but she tells herself she’s content. Having gone through a failed courtship and several…
Hello,
I’m Mariella
Welcome to my cozy corner of the internet. This blog will be dedicated to all things books and reading, which happen to be my obsessions. Note the faint scent of coffee in the air; coffee is a must for me.
I will be sharing book reviews for reads that I enjoy. I’ll also be posting updates about my life as an indie author. Since I’m exploring the classics, expect the occasional poem or short piece as I experiment.
For centuries, land-bound descendants of Merpeople have been confined to hidden districts. Read The Sea Rose and sequel The Sea King if you wish to read their stories.
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Recent posts
Miss Marjorie Brahms, daughter of a mysterious wizard known by the townsfolk as Bamoy, is having a bizarre autumn. Her father, Johann, had reasons for purchasing an abandoned house situated in the middle of a graveyard in which to raise his family. That did not mean that evil spirits could never find them.
Mariella Hunt 