Tag: Romance

The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction

The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction

This post is part of a collaboration with several bloggers to discuss romance tropes and the philosophy behind them. Stay to the end to check out the other participating authors’ posts!

I have a problem with the arranged marriage trope in YA and NA fiction, and it’s not the issue you might think. I have no objection to portraying arranged marriages in fiction, even to portraying them to a (reasonably) young audience. In fact, my problem with arranged marriage in YA fiction is that it is almost always portrayed in a negative light.

Before you get too worked up, allow me to say that I don’t think arranged marriage is necessarily the ideal these days, and it can be problematic. I don’t believe Continue reading “The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction”

Book Review: Through the Pages by Annie Louise Twitchell

Book Review: Through the Pages by Annie Louise Twitchell

Spring will always follow Winter.

Misty doesn’t know who she is. Nineteen years old, she’s trapped inside who she has been, with no idea who she could be.

When she goes to Mill’s End to take care of her stubborn, book-loving grandmother, she finds herself torn between past and present. The answer to who she is lies hidden in her grandmother’s library. Her path to find herself takes her through the fading pages of dusty books and the memories of a woman who has lived a full life. It is up to Misty to write the final chapter to the dearest story of them all. Continue reading “Book Review: Through the Pages by Annie Louise Twitchell”

Character Interview: Keslie Bardell

Character Interview: Keslie Bardell

Image by JSpiess (JSpiess – photography shot in Eastern PA) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Those of you who’ve been on the blog since last August (and maybe those of you who haven’t) have probably read Sea Glass & Pressed Flowers, which was my third short story on the blog. It’s not my most fabulous work, but I really enjoyed writing it. I’ve interviewed the secondary character Livi Brooklyn, but I have yet to interview any of the other characters, including the main character Keslie Bardell. Keslie is sweet, loves the ocean, loves music, is a great artist and a dancer, and loves coffee shops (specifically the one she works at) and warm cozy things. Enjoy her interview. :)


Continue reading “Character Interview: Keslie Bardell”

Snippet Sunday: Storybook Love

Snippet Sunday: Storybook Love

This story is just a for-fun story I started a while back to experiment with the romance genre and have an excuse to write what’s basically Maze Runner fanfiction. (Yes, I hated those books. That doesn’t mean I hated all the characters, and tossing in extra characters means I can partially rewrite the plot.) I actually didn’t intend to ever share this with anyone beyond my best friend, but it was on the list of stories I’ve started and it’s what the random number generator landed on, so here’s your snippet. Enjoy. :)

A legal note in case it’s necessary: The Maze Runner and all characters therein belong to James Dashner.

Continue reading “Snippet Sunday: Storybook Love”