Month: May 2023

A Jamaican Year: Measured by Fruit Seasons

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https://wp.me/p8f2cj-5OO

This is a really fun (and droolworthy) post on Jamaican fruit. Fruit seasons!

I’m working on final (?) edits to my next book, The Cultist’s Wife whichgv is set in the Bahamas and fruit is a big deal for the children in the book. They are English and the fruit they encounter on Andros Island is like nothing they’ve ever experienced.

I did a lot of research on native Bahamaian fruit like guavas and sapodillas to make their experience more real. I’ve never had sapodilla so didn’t know what it tasted like. Ripe sapodilla is described as exceptionally sweet and malty, almost like caramel. Yum! I obviously need to visit the Bahamas again, this time to try the native fruit!

Adversarial Conflict: Who Is Making Trouble In Your Story?

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https://writershelpingwriters.net/2023/05/adversarial-conflict-who-is-making-trouble-in-your-story/

This is a great article on all the different types of antagonists but there is one missing.

The ex, as in ex-lover, ex-spouse, ex-partner. Just ask Adelaide (from The Vitruvian Mask). Her ex Henri is most definitely an antagonist.

The ex is even more of an antagonist when there are children involved. 😝

Book review: a Curse of Gold and Beauty

BJ Sikes, authorLeave a comment

This retelling of the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin, A Curse of Gold and Beauty by Mary Mecham, was delightful. I love fairytale retellings but they often lean into the disturbing or gory aspects. Not this one. It’s so sweet. The friends to lovers story line was really well done. The protagonists are dear friends who take care of each other and fall in love because of that connection. Often in fairytales, the woman doesn’t have a lot of agency but Meg is her own person and struggles against what is expected of her. Her efforts to get around her curse were fun to read. Rhys, the Rumpelstiltskin of the story, has his own struggles but is kind, brave, and funny. The truly unique part of this story is the inclusion of a hero who is disabled but this is not the whole of his story.

Five stars, highly recommended for fans of out of the ordinary romantic characters and humor.

Find it here https://a.co/d/iszKwWz

Pandemic: are we done yet?

BJ Sikes, authorLeave a comment

How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?

The Covid-19 pandemic: weird times to be sure. I am still not sure that it’s over for me mentally. I spent so many months glued to the statistics, stuck at home, and only seeing people through a screen. It’s hard to get out of that mindset of fear.

I thought I would have loads of extra time to write, edits, publish stories. After all, I didn’t have to commute to work, there were few opportunities to socialize and I was home ALL THE TIME.

Did I write? Nope. Edit? Nope. I survived. No room in my head or heart for creating. Now that we are in the tail end, I have finally regained my creativity.

I still work from home and our social life is minimal so there is more time to be creative. I published a book, the first in seven years. I am close to final edits on another. That pandemic reset worked well for me.

How about you, dear reader? What has changed for you?