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A Studio Recording Fit for an Epic Fantasy Novel
Last week a secret project I’ve been working on for quite some time finally came to fruition. I’ve been teasing it as an “Easter Egg” surprise inside of Awakening, and at last, I am able to reveal what it is. So, what does a studio recording have to do with an epic fantasy novel? One…
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Growing Pains
My son graduates from high school this Saturday. Normally, you’d have a graduation ceremony at high school and maybe a celebration at home afterwards, but for our family it’s a little different. One difference is that I homeschool, so the ceremony will be held at our house. The second difference is that my son’s chosen…
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Halfway There
Exciting news! Today I crossed the halfway point for Alignment’s first draft! The manuscript is currently sitting pretty at around 56,000 words, making my total word count goal for Book II an estimated 112,000 words in length. If you’re scratching your head and wondering just how large of a book that is, it’s somewhere in…
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Aging Gracefully
I’ve recently come across several posts debating old age and whether one should hide the signs or not, and gracious, did opinions on the matter run hot. Today’s world holds so many societal pressures out in front of us that it’s often hard to see clearly through them all. How does one age gracefully amid…
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How to Garden Like a Hobbit
I guess you could say I’m a halfling in all but name. I am very fond of good food, cheerful gatherings, and green, growing things. Also, I’m only five foot three. When I was young, I lived on a mountain, free to roam barefoot, explore abandoned iron ore mines, and discover hidden treasures of slag…
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Nearing the Halfway Point
This week I managed to hit the 40% mark on Alignment, Book II’s first draft. The halfway point is in sight! On average, I’m writing about 1,000 words a day, give or take, which has helped the progress bar continue to advance at a nice pace. It’s crazy to think that by the end of…
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Writing Scenes You Hate
Every writer has them, that annoying scene that has to be written despite all attempts to avoid it. For me, they are courtroom scenes. I know there are millions of people out there in the world that love a good courtroom scene, but I am not one of them. I find them void of action.…
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2025’s Schedule
Updates and changes are afoot! As you’ve probably noticed, my website has been given another facelift. While it may look rather plain right now, the new look is in preparation to show off the book cover artwork for Awakening once it is finalized. The change also reflects the switch over to making this website the…
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Is Writing Fantasy Easy?
I recently saw a comment on a writing community post arguing that the majority of its members wrote fantasy because it was the easiest genre to write. Another commenter suggested fantasy doesn’t require as much research as other genres because you can make everything up. Additionally, someone else added that fantasy doesn’t demand anything from…
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Switching Tracks
After much contemplating and deliberation, I have decided to stop querying my debut novel to literary agents and will officially be making the switch to self-publishing. I can say with all honesty that I gave traditional publishing a good try but, in the end, I made the decision to switch for two main reasons: trending…
Arwen McCain 