books – Page 2 – Rachel Heston-Davis

Second Book in Trilogy

ByRachel November 3, 2009 0 Comments

Nano has begun, and so has my feverish dash through a first draft of FLYNN Book II. I find writing the second installment in a trilogy much different from writing the first. Authors usually have a clear idea of the story's beginning and end, but the middle--well--that gets kind of muddy. When written well, second installments can be the filling in the proverbial sandwich--every bit as good and...

Readalong With The Seasons–Halloween '09

ByRachel October 22, 2009 2 Comments

"Readalong With the Seasons" is a new series of posts offering suggestions for quality books to get you and your family "in the mood" for upcoming holidays! As Halloween approaches, I've hand-picked a short list of my favorite spooky tales. Full-length novel: DRACULA by Bram Stoker Written more than one hundred years ago, this classic horror novel became the foundation of much pop-culture vampire...

Trekking Through the Rockies

ByRachel October 5, 2009 9 Comments

I just finished up my long trek to Colorado for the inaugural year of the Sirens conference, and boy oh boy was it a week of adventure! It was an exercise in socializing, networking, intellectualizing...and survival. The altitude alone took some endurance. Crammed into the car with my husband and parents (our luggage practically spring-loaded the trunk), we made the ear-popping climb to Vail, CO,...

Captivity: The Inevitable Turnoff

ByRachel September 21, 2009 0 Comments

I'm about two-thirds through THE WARRIOR HEIR and enjoying it pretty well. The middle dragged a bit, and for awhile my attention flagged. In fact, I almost lost interest in the thing and stopped reading entirely. Here's why. *spoilers!* Teenage warrior Jack is on the run from two wizarding Houses, the Reds and the Whites, both of whom wish to catch him and force him to participate in the...

Dead Characters

ByRachel September 15, 2009 3 Comments

I'm reading a YA fantasy series (I won't say which one to avoid spoilers) and one of the two main characters died suddenly in the middle of the second book (it's a four-book series). It's a rather disorienting sensation. In the realm of fantasy and adventure, most main characters make it to the end, or at least until the final battle. I can't tell if it's upsetting or refreshing to have someone...