AmiMaxine

Off Menu

I’ve been consuming a lot of British content lately. (I have to say – they do game shows much better than we do…) Through this, I have stumbled across some fun podcast formats (as though I need more podcasts in my life…I can barely keep up with the ones I already regularly listen to). ButContinue reading “Off Menu”

First Friday Rec: Tailspin

Title: TailspinAuthor: John ArmbrusterGenre: Nonfiction, Biography, HistoryPages: 422Publication Date: 30 Apr 2022StoryGraph* Moods: Emotional, Challenging, TenseHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: book clubOther Books by this author: *StoryGraph also offers content warnings. Description: Gene Moran, a World War II tail gunner (someone who sits at the rear of military aircraft responsible for defending against rearContinue reading “First Friday Rec: Tailspin”

AFT: Meet Alice

It’s sort of strange to still call this my first book given that two others have since found their way out into the world, but this manuscript, titled All Falling Things, was indeed my first completed novel-length manuscript – my delayed debut if you will. Publishing, it turns out, can be quite the lengthy processContinue reading “AFT: Meet Alice”

“Ask This Book”

I entered the world of publishing at a difficult time. More and more books were flooding the market, both traditionally published and self-published. It was difficult to get noticed – by agents (who get hundreds of submissions a month), by publishers, by readers. And then it got so much worse: Generative AI was unleased. InContinue reading ““Ask This Book””

Libraries: Saving Me Money Since the 1980s

The week of April 6 – 12, 2025, was Library Week here in the states (though, really, every week should be library week in my eyes). One of the librarians at my college library had reached out to me – they were working on a display and wanted to know if I would be interestedContinue reading “Libraries: Saving Me Money Since the 1980s”

Books of 2025

I mentioned a couple years that I never do the ’52 books in a year’ challenge. I love reading, so I don’t set a number – I just read. It’s difficult sometimes to make reading books a priority when my job is to read stack after stack of student writing. Most of my books tendContinue reading “Books of 2025”

First Friday Rec: The Small and the Mighty

Title: The Small and the MightyAuthor: Sharon McMahonGenre: nonfiction, history, informativePages: 320Publication Date: Sep 24, 2024StoryGraph* Moods: informative, inspiring, hopefulHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: Armchair Expert interviewOther Books by this author: no others at the time of writing this*StoryGraph also offers content warnings. Description: According to BookShop.Org, “You’ll meet a woman astride a whiteContinue reading “First Friday Rec: The Small and the Mighty”

A Million Pound Challenge

About two years ago, my writing group (which had come together mostly because we are part of the same workout program – plus I dragged my writing buddy along) started talking about our goals for the following year. We talk about both our writerly goals and our workout goals. One of the members said sheContinue reading “A Million Pound Challenge”

Writing the Introvert

I’m an introvert. I write introverted characters. People that know me are not at all surprised by this. While there are, of course, extroverts in my stories, I honestly don’t think I would even know how to write an extroverted character from their own point of view (like…how do I even get into their heads?).Continue reading “Writing the Introvert”

Scholastic

I was a student who did indeed love school – I still love to learn. That being said – my absolute favorite day was the day the teacher showed up with a stack of those Scholastic catalogs. I’d get to pick out a book. And it was FREE?!?! The other day, I was waiting inContinue reading “Scholastic”