Welcome to the Thornwood

Multicolored artificial castle by Jeffry Surianto (Pexels) I grew up in the 90's.

Bird illustrations from the Lights of Canopus (Public Domain Archive) A slightly extended version of the drabble I wrote for Writing Battle.

Warning sign marked Perigo at a stormy ocean seashore by Arth (Pexels) There have been two significant times in my life when the environment I was in was so toxic that I persisted in survival mode.

Flowers in the meadow by a tree by Pixabay (Pexels) This is a story I wrote with the prompts: Magical School – Real Estate Developer – Wine Bottle Cassandra gazed out upon the outcropping of rocks, surrounded on all sides by an angry North Sea.

"Close your eyes and think of England."

A hand placed in a dark river by Yaseminmsl (Pexels) I wrote this story as part of the Woodland Writers Dragons & Wyverns event, because I'd been itching to do a death dragon story.

Evert Duykinck, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons As of last year, I had a gaping hole in my reader knowledge.

A Road Between Trees by Johannes Plenio (Pexels) From Prompts: Isekai - Skateboard - Slingshot There had always been stories.

From Adobe Stock (licensed) Happy Pride Month Everyone!

Wing of Airplane Over Clouds by Alexandre Saraiva Carniato (Pexels) I have a confession to make.

Strange and colorful cocktail by Denys Gromov (Pexels) Having a chronic condition is like drinking a glass of poison every day.

Burning Angel Wings by Tiến Nguyễn (Pexels) I shouldn't be down here, shoes clacking on pavement while a mist of rain coats me.

I'm just going to say it.

Merlin and Nimue by Aubrey Beardsley (Public Domain on WikiArt) "I summon the Lady of the Lake!

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons Okay, I need to come out of the closet.

Assorted Masquerade Masks by Hitesh Choudhary (Pexels) It's time to get up.

The Vulcan salute by Joel Santos (Pexels) Ah, the Mary Sue.

Yellow and Orange Rose by Hiếu Hoàng (Pexels) Romantasy.

This story was written in response to the Intrepid Voices writing fund short story competition, but alas, I was too slow in submitting to be one of the first ninety entrants.

Rodeo cowboy riding bucking horse at sunset by Dominique Boulay (Pexels) Did you know that 2026 is the year of the horse?

This was a story I wrote for a Writing Battle.

Silohuette of Heart Hands by Harisson Lucena Neri (Pexels) Have you ever asked yourself, "if I could travel back to any point in time, where would I go?

Mirror Reflecting on Hand Holding Rose by Khadija Karaca (Pexels) Goodbye Lover 0:00 /215.536333 1× Goodbye.

Heart Made of Paint Smears by Victoria Emerson (Pexels) I thought about writing this post because of some drama that went down related to TikTok and a new indie author who went viral and got a ton of presales of their book that on an editing and writing f…

In a previous blog, I talked about why fanfiction is such an amazing entrée into writing originals (and wonderful just in and of itself), but suppose you've decided you want to go further, you want to take that fanfiction you've poured your soul into and…

Foreword: So, when I envisioned writing this blog, it was from a blissfully ignorant place not paying attention to the Dramione-to-traditional publishing pipeline.

View of a Bridge by Robert So (Pexels) You could always tell who was and wasn’t a tourist in July in San Francisco.

Woman Reading by Rahul Shah (Pexels) Seems like every other minute there is some new thinkpiece about how no one is reading books anymore.

Top View of Seashore by Pok Rie (Pexels) I just finished a book-that-shall-not-be-named that got me thinking about the idea of the corruption of the soul.

I think about an essay I wrote in 11th grade in my Shakespeare class.

Close-up of Rabbit in Field by Pixabay (Pexels) I don’t think you can be a child in the US and not hear the tale of the tortoise and the hare.

https://www.tumblr.com/kingcatnine/757327021144768512/would-immortality-drive-you-insaneinto-the-throes Do you even REALIZE how much world there is to explore?

Tiles with Dragon Decoration by Rylee Yi (Pexels) I wrote a book about dragon fire, plucked from the theory of dark energy.

Woman Overlooking the City by Hudson McDonald (Pexels) There’s something about watching a slow-moving train wreck.

Traditional Homemade Pasta Preparation by Franco La Pioggia (Pexels) It sometimes blows me away when I think about my grandmother.

Grizzly Bears on Water by Alexas Fotos (Pexels) Half of my own country elected a convicted felon and (alleged) rapist running on a platform of getting the rich richer through fraud and rounding up people who are just trying to put food on the table and se…

Prompt: Character that hits rock bottom Man's Hand in Black & White by Lalesh Aldarwish (Pexels) Comet sits at the bottom of the crater, broken, bloody, heaving.

House Wall Covered With Ivy by Jakub Pabis (Pexels) When I gaze up at the dark behind the glass surrounded in lush green, I am reminded of the other great tragedy that took place on a balcony, when two star-crossed lovers whispered sweet nothings at each…

A Girl with Orthopedic Cast by cottonbro studio on Pexels When I was in my 20s, I took part in one of those color run 5ks.

Deer Looking Backward by Vincent M.A.

Gray Tower Covered by Smoke by Ion Ceban on Pexels So the beast ate the internet, digesting the individual pieces curated and created with love.

Photo credit to Lance Reis I have to say, I love Lord of the Rings.

When I was young, my father used to tell me to find a profession where I couldn't wait to get out of bed in the morning to get to.