Flavor text and card names immerse players into the world of Magic. Join me in returning to the first plane of the game, which has weathered apocalypse after apocalypse to now flourish. Card names appear in the upper left, and flavor text is at the bottom of the card in italics. For this first section … Read more →

I am skating-down-pyramids excited to announce that I wrote creative text for Amonkhet. For the cards below I penned the name and wrote the flavor text in italics. For the following cards, I etched hieroglyphs in 2016 that were transcribed a year later by Wizards of the Coast into flavor text. And I wrote the … Read more →

As promised and foretold, I will now reveal the dark lords quoted in my most recent epic fantasy. Later in the book, I give due tribute to the most memorable villains who all in their own wicked ways made possible my favorite stories. Following this, I’ll announce the nefarious schemer who managed to guess more … Read more →

In epic fantasy, the author has the opportunity to create a large and diverse cast of characters. It was more likely to be large and uniform when I was growing up, but I like to think the realms of imagination are expanding to include people of all identities. One orientation that I am dragon-flight excited … Read more →

“I can resist everything but temptation.” — Oscar Wilde I admit to have sinned, in an authorial sense. A story should avoid anything that draws a reader out of the narrative. Each word should immerse. Nothing should remind that this is but a book full of ink symbols, rather than a dazzling mind adventure. Fantasy … Read more →

Update: I have now spoken on multiple podcasts about Magic cards. My voice is ghosting its way through the ether, and here’s where you can catch it. Most recently on Commanderin, I spoke about Leovold in Legacy, Amonkhet flavor, and how I’m definitely not a lich. I talked about bringing minor characters alive and how … Read more →

Before I begin writing a story, I always ask my sagacious and superb readers for insight. In the past you’ve helped me choose which story premise is the strongest. You’ve even suggested various mythical foods I could include in my upcoming novel, Magic Banquet. Thank you! They turned out deliciously. This time I’ll be stockpiling … Read more →

Welcome back, my intrepid word adventurers. Over The last few weeks I’ve been editing my unruly middle-grade novel and hobnobbing at a local con, but now I can say I’ve completed the fourth week of smithing on this novel. I’ve banged together a workable outline, one I’ll continue to improve as I progress into the … Read more →

This week I bounced between the distractions of setting up novel promotions and editing a middle-grade fantasy. I resolved a few sticking points for my current manuscript, but instead of talking about those I want to squee over character creation. Whether it’s rolling a character in Dungeons & Dragons, or even naming a character for … Read more →

After a week of outlining, I’m not satisfied. That’s a good place to be. I started collecting fun ideas for my story, amazing adventures for the setting, and challenges the protagonist could face. This locale I’ve used before, so I’m updating rather than inventing. When I indulge in cartography I use a Map Editor tool … Read more →