#bryn donovan

[jeevesreads]

MINI AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan

Huge thanks to PRH Audio and Berkley Romance for the free audiobook! It’s a mini review! I’m clearing out my review queue of all the books I can’t seem to convince myself to finish, for one reason or another. That doesn’t mean these are negative reviews, it simply means that something isn’t compelling me to keep reading at the moment. Maybe I’ll go back to them another day, maybe I won’t! DNF…

[heywriters]

Rescued Writing Links!

When cleaning out the HEY, Writers! Pinterest I moved some links here. The internet has changed a LOT since I started collecting these, so some links may include outdated info. All were still active when I made this, but it's been in my drafts for a hot minute.

Protip! In Firefox, check to toggle reader view when reading these (mobile: the page icon in the url bar; desktop: same icon or hit F9). This removes popups, ads, screen clutter, and often has an audio option.

Survivors of Internet Decay Award!

These active sites featured most often in my collections so they get the top of the list.

Helping Writers Become Authors

Mythcreants

Bryn Donovan

Getting Started (Ideas & Intros)

How to Start Writing a Book: Learn One Writer’s Process | Marian Schembari

How to Start a Story: 30 Opening Scene Examples | Bryn Donovan

Don’t Panic! What to Do When You Have Too Many Story Ideas | Faye Kirwin

How to Write a Killer First Chapter | Rae Elliot

How To Write A Captivating Opening Sentence

Outlining

How to Create a Flexible Outline for Your Novel | Faye Kirwin

Protagonists

How to Write Believable Characters | Bridget McNulty

4 Ways to Write a Likable Protag at the Start of the Character Arc | KM Weiland

5 Tips for Writing a Likable "Righteous" Character | KM Weiland

I Hate Your Protagonist! Want to Know Why? | KM Weiland

The Secret to Writing Dynamic Characters: It's Always Their Fault | KM Weiland

A Protagonist’s Moment of Realisation

Antagonists

Blurring the Lines: What Are Anti-Heroes and Anti-Villains?

Antagonists: Inner & Outer Demons | Kristen Lamb

How to Write Multiple Antagonists | KM Weiland

Character Building

The Epic Guide to Character Creation, Part 1 | Kylie Day

Pick Up A Bad Habit | Maggie Maxwell

How To Write Characters from the Opposite Gender | Rachel Poli

Top 4 Tips for Using Backstory in Your Novel | Diana Anderson-Tyler

Depicting Background Characters | Chris Winkle

Scene Building

The 5 Elements Of A Good Scene | Amanda Patterson

A New Way to Think About Scene Structure | KM Weiland

2 Ways to Make the Most of Your Story’s Climactic Setting | KM Weiland

8 Things Writers Forget When Writing Fight Scenes | Lisa Voisin

Descriptions

Master List of Facial Expressions | Bryn Donovan

Master List of Words to Describe Voices | Bryn Donovan

Master List of Physical Description for Writers | Bryn Donovan

Writer’s Guide to Serious Injuries and Calamities | Bryn Donovan

How to Ground Your Reader (in the setting) | Rachel Craft

The Forgotten Fifth Sense | Writer's Relief

Never Name an Emotion in Your Story | KM Weiland

Show, Don't Tell: How to Write the Stages of Grief | Ruthanne Reid

100 Words for Facial Expressions

Dialogue

How To Write Good Dialogue: Ten Tips | Irving Weinman

Seven Dialogue Don’ts | Jason Bougger

10 Keys to Writing Dialogue in Fiction | Katherine Cowley

Points-Of-View (POV)

What Every Writer Ought to Know About the Omniscient POV | KM Weiland

Motivation & Support

What New Writers Need To Know About Fear | Bryan Collins

How to Discover Your Writing Process with Gabriela Pereira | Kirsten Oliphant

Editing & Revising

18 Overused Words to Replace When Writing | Oxford Tutoring

An Easy Way to Immediately Improve Your Character’s Action Beats | KM Weiland

Want More Depth to Your Writing? | Sacha Black

How Much is Too Much Backstory? | Ellen Brock

Why Your Writing Sounds Weird (And What You Can Do About It) | Joe Brock

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers | Jenny Bravo

Favorite Revision and Editing Tricks

Short Stories & Flashfic

How to Write a Story a Week: A Day-by-Day Guide | Emily Wenstrom

How Flash Fiction / Microfiction Can Help With Your Writing | Rhianne Williams

Worksheets & Downloads

Writing Worksheet Archive

If anyone out there loves making lists and wants to transport this to another site, you have every right to do so! Just let me know in a reblog so I can share it here again :)

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HEY! Writers' Links

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Follow me on AO3 for fanfiction

Visit my Pinterest & Unsplash for visual inspiration

[disabled-dragoon]

The Disability Library

I love books, I love literature, and I love this blog, but it's only been recently that I've really been given the option to explore disabled literature, and I hate that. When I was a kid, all I wanted was to be able to read about characters like me, and now as an adult, all I want is to be able to read a book that takes us seriously.

And so, friends, Romans, countrymen, I present, a special disability and chronic illness booklist, compiled by myself and through the contributions of wonderful members from this site!

As always, if there are any at all that you want me to add, please just say. I'm always looking for more!

Edit 20/10/2023: You can now suggest books using the google form at the bottom!

Updated: 31/08/2023

Articles and Chapters

The Drifting Language of Architectural Accessibility in Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris, Essaka Joshua, 2012

Early Modern Literature and Disability Studies, Allison P. Hobgood, David Houston Wood, 2017

How Do You Develop Whole Object Relations as an Adult?, Elinor Greenburg, 2019

Making Do with What You Don't Have: Disabled Black Motherhood in Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, Anna Hinton, 2018

Necropolitics, Achille Mbeme, 2003 OR Necropolitics, Achille Mbeme, 2019

Wasted Lives: Modernity and Its Outcasts, Zygmunt Bauman, 2004

Witchcraft and deformity in early modern English Literature, Scott Eaton, 2020

Books

Fiction:

Misc:

10 Things I Can See From Here, Carrie Mac

A-F:

A Curse So Dark and Lonely, (Series), Brigid Kemmerer

Akata Witch, (Series), Nnedi Okorafor

A Mango-Shaped Space, Wendy Mass

Ancillary Justice, (Series), Ann Leckie

An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon

An Unseen Attraction, (Series), K. J. Charles

A Shot in the Dark, Victoria Lee

A Snicker of Magic, Natalie Lloyd

A Song of Ice and Fire, (series), George R. R. Martin

A Spindle Splintered, (Series), Alix E. Harrow

A Time to Dance, Padma Venkatraman

Bath Haus, P. J. Vernon

Beasts of Prey, (Series), Ayana Gray

The Bedlam Stacks, (Series), Natasha Pulley

Black Bird, Blue Road, Sofiya Pasternack

Black Sun, (Series), Rebecca Roanhorse

Blood Price, (Series), Tanya Huff

Borderline, (Series), Mishell Baker

Breath, Donna Jo Napoli

The Broken Kingdoms, (Series), N.K. Jemisin

Brute, Kim Fielding

Cafe con Lychee, Emery Lee

Carry the Ocean, (Series), Heidi Cullinan

Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman

Cinder, (Series), Marissa Meyer

Clean, Amy Reed

Connection Error, (Series), Annabeth Albert

Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star, Laura Noakes

Crazy, Benjamin Lebert

Crooked Kingdom, (Series), Leigh Bardugo

Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots, (Series), Cat Sebastian

Daniel, Deconstructed, James Ramos

Dead in the Garden, (Series), Dahlia Donovan

Dear Fang, With Love, Rufi Thorpe

Deathless Divide, (Series), Justina Ireland

The Degenerates, J. Albert Mann

The Doctor's Discretion, E.E. Ottoman

Earth Girl, (Series), Janet Edwards

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Emily R. Austin

The Extraordinaries, (Series), T. J. Klune

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, (Series), Trenton Lee Stewart

Fight + Flight, Jules Machias

The Final Girl Support Group, Grady Hendrix

Finding My Voice, (Series), Aoife Dooley

The First Thing About You, Chaz Hayden

Follow My Leader, James B. Garfield

Forever Is Now, Mariama J. Lockington

Fortune Favours the Dead, (Series), Stephen Spotswood

Fresh, Margot Wood

H-0:

Harmony, London Price

Harrow the Ninth, (series), Tamsyn Muir

Hench, (Series), Natalia Zina Walschots

Highly Illogical Behaviour, John Corey Whaley

Honey Girl, Morgan Rogers

How to Become a Planet, Nicole Melleby

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager, (Series), D. N. Bryn

How to Sell Your Blood & Fall in Love, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites, Joy Demorra

I Am Not Alone, Francisco X. Stork

The Immeasurable Depth of You, Maria Ingrande Mora

In the Ring, Sierra Isley

Into The Drowning Deep, (Series), Mira Grant

Iron Widow, (Series), Xiran Jay Zhao

Izzy at the End of the World, K. A. Reynolds

Jodie's Journey, Colin Thiele

Just by Looking at Him, Ryan O'Connell

Kissing Doorknobs, Terry Spencer Hesser

Lakelore, Anna-Marie McLemore

Learning Curves, (Series), Ceillie Simkiss

Let's Call It a Doomsday, Katie Henry

The Library of the Dead, (Series), TL Huchu

The Lion Hunter, (Series), Elizabeth Wein

Lirael, (Series), Garth Nix

Long Macchiatos and Monsters, Alison Evans

Love from A to Z, (Series), S.K. Ali

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, Kristen O'Neal

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

The Never Tilting World, (Series), Rin Chupeco

The No-Girlfriend Rule, Christen Randall

Nona the Ninth, (series), Tamsyn Muir

Noor, Nnedi Okorafor

Odder Still, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Once Stolen, (Series), D. N. Bryn

One For All, Lillie Lainoff

On the Edge of Gone, Corinne Duyvis

Origami Striptease, Peggy Munson

Our Bloody Pearl, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper

P-T:

Parable of the Sower, (Series), Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Talents, (Series), Octavia E. Butler

Percy Jackson & the Olympians, (series), Rick Riordan

Pomegranate, Helen Elaine Lee

The Prey of Gods, Nicky Drayden

The Pursuit Of..., (Series), Courtney Milan

The Queen's Thief, (Series), Megan Whalen Turner

The Quiet and the Loud, Helena Fox

The Raging Quiet, Sheryl Jordan

The Reanimator's Heart, (Series), Kara Jorgensen

The Remaking of Corbin Wale, Joan Parrish

Roll with It, (Series), Jamie Sumner

Russian Doll, (Series), Cristelle Comby

The Second Mango, (Series), Shira Glassman

Scar of the Bamboo Leaf, Sieni A.M

Shaman, (Series), Noah Gordon

Sick Kids in Love, Hannah Moskowitz

The Silent Boy, Lois Lowry

Six of Crows, (Series) Leigh Bardugo

Sizzle Reel, Carlyn Greenwald

The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal

The Stagsblood Prince, (Series), Gideon E. Wood

Stake Sauce, Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient is Love. No, Really, (Series), RoAnna Sylver

Stars in Your Eyes, Kacen Callender [Expected release: Oct 2023]

The Storm Runner, (Series), J. C. Cervantes

Stronger Still, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Sweetblood, Pete Hautman

Tarnished Are the Stars, Rosiee Thor

The Theft of Sunlight, (Series), Intisar Khanani

Throwaway Girls, Andrea Contos

Top Ten, Katie Cotugno

Torch, Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Treasure, Rebekah Weatherspoon

Turtles All the Way Down, John Green

U-Z:

Unlicensed Delivery, Will Soulsby-McCreath Expected release October 2023

Verona Comics, Jennifer Dugan

Vorkosigan Saga, (Series), Lois McMaster Bujold

We Are the Ants, (Series), Shaun David Hutchinson

The Weight of Our Sky, Hanna Alkaf

Whip, Stir and Serve, Caitlyn Frost and Henry Drake

The Whispering Dark, Kelly Andrew

Wicked Sweet, Chelsea M. Cameron

Wonder, (Series), R. J. Palacio

Wrong to Need You, (Series), Alisha Rai

Ziggy, Stardust and Me, James Brandon

Graphic Novels:

A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability, (Non-Fiction), A. Andrews

Constellations, Kate Glasheen

Dancing After TEN: a graphic memoir, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Vivian Chong, Georgia Webber

Everything Is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words Pictures, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Jason Adam Katzenstein

Frankie's World: A Graphic Novel, (Series), Aoife Dooley

The Golden Hour, Niki Smith

Nimona, N. D. Stevenson

The Third Person, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Emma Grove

Magazines and Anthologies:

Artificial Divide, (Anthology), Robert Kingett, Randy Lacey

Beneath Ceaseless Skies #175: Grandmother-nai-Leylit's Cloth of Winds, (Article), R. B. Lemburg

Defying Doomsday, (Anthology), edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, (short story) (anthology), Seiko Tanabe

Nothing Without Us, edited by Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson

Nothing Without Us Too, edited by Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens, (Anthology), edited by Marieke Nijkamp

Uncanny #24: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction, (Anthology), edited by: Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Dominik Parisien et al.

Uncanny #30: Disabled People Destroy Fantasy, (Anthology), edited by: Nicolette Barischoff, Lisa M. Bradley, Katharine Duckett

We Shall Be Monsters, edited by Derek Newman-Stille

Manga:

Perfect World, (Series), Rie Aruga

The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud, (Short Stories), Kuniko Tsurita

Non-Fiction:

Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education, Jay Timothy Dolmage

A Disability History of the United States, Kim E, Nielsen

The Architecture of Disability: Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access, David Gissen

Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism, Elsa Sjunneson

Black Disability Politics, Sami Schalk

Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety, Dr. Elinor Greenburg

Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure, Eli Clare

The Cambridge Companion to Literature and Disability, Barker, Clare and Stuart Murray, editors.

The Capacity Contract: Intellectual Disability and the Question of Citizenship, Stacy Clifford Simplican

Capitalism and Disability, Martha Russel

Care work: Dreaming Disability Justice, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Catatonia, Shutdown and Breakdown in Autism: A Psycho-Ecological Approach, Dr Amitta Shah

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays, Esme Weijun Wang

Crip Kinship, Shayda Kafai

Crip Up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips and Recipes for the Disabled Cook, Jules Sherred

Culture – Theory – Disability: Encounters between Disability Studies and Cultural Studies, Anne Waldschmidt, Hanjo Berressem, Moritz Ingwersen

Decarcerating Disability: Deinstitutionalization and Prison Abolition, Liat Ben-Moshe

Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally, Emily Ladau

Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World, Ben Mattlin

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the Twenty-First Century, Alice Wong

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability and Making Space, Amanda Leduc

Every Cripple a Superhero, Christoph Keller

Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation, Eli Clare

Feminist Queer Crip, Alison Kafer

The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Growing Up Disabled in Australia, Carly Findlay

It's Just Nerves: Notes on a Disability, Kelly Davio

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

Language Deprivation & Deaf Mental Health, Neil S. Glickman, Wyatte C. Hall

The Minority Body: A Theory of Disability, Elizabeth Barnes

My Body and Other Crumbling Empires: Lessons for Healing in a World That Is Sick, Lyndsey Medford

No Right to Be Idle: The Invention of Disability, 1840s-1930s, Sarah F. Rose

Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment, James I. Charlton

The Pedagogy of Pathologization Dis/abled Girls of Color in the School-prison Nexus, Subini Ancy Annamma

Physical Disability in British Romantic Literature, Essaka Joshua

QDA: A Queer Disability Anthology, Raymond Luczak, Editor.

The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability, Jasbir K. Puar

Sitting Pretty, (memoir), Rebecca Taussig

Sounds Like Home: Growing Up Black & Deaf in the South, Mary Herring Wright

Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness: How to Stay Sane and Live One Step Ahead of Your Symptoms, Ilana Jacqueline

The Things We Don't Say: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Truths, Julie Morgenlender

Uncanny Bodies: Superhero Comics and Disability, Scott T. Smith, José Alaniz 

Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman, (memoir), Laura Kate Dale

Unmasking Autism, Devon Price

The War on Disabled People: Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe, Ellen Clifford

We've Got This: Essays by Disabled Parents, Eliza Hull

Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life, (memoir) (essays) Alice Wong

Picture Books:

A Day With No Words, Tiffany Hammond, Kate Cosgrove-

A Friend for Henry, Jenn Bailey, Mika Song

Ali and the Sea Stars, Ali Stroker, Gillian Reid

All Are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman

All the Way to the Top, Annette Bay Pimentel, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, Nabi Ali

Can Bears Ski?, Raymond Antrobus, Polly Dunbar

Different -- A Great Thing to Be!, Heather Alvis, Sarah Mensinga

Everyone Belongs, Heather Alvis, Sarah Mensinga

I Talk Like a River, Jordan Scott, Sydney Smith

Jubilee: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream, K. T. Johnson, Anabella Ortiz

Just Ask!, Sonia Sotomayor, Rafael López

Kami and the Yaks, Andrea Stenn Stryer, Bert Dodson

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay, Cari Best, Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, Jessica Kensky, Patrick Downes, Scott Magoon

Sam's Super Seats, Keah Brown, Sharee Miller

Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster, Manka Kasha

We Move Together, Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, Eduardo Trejos

We're Different, We're the Same, and We're All Wonderful!, Bobbi Jane Kates, Joe Mathieu

What Happened to You?, James Catchpole, Karen George

The World Needs More Purple People, Kristen Bell, Benjamin Hart, Daniel Wiseman

You Are Enough: A Book About Inclusion, Margaret O'Hair, Sofia Sanchez, Sofia Cardoso

You Are Loved: A Book About Families, Margaret O'Hair, Sofia Sanchez, Sofia Cardoso

The You Kind of Kind, Nina West, Hayden Evans

Zoom!, Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko

Plays:

Peeling, Kate O'Reilly

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With an extra special thank you to @parafoxicalk @craftybookworms @lunod @galaxyaroace @shub-s @trans-axolotl @suspicious-whumping-egg @ya-world-challenge @fictionalgirlsworld @rubyjewelqueen @some-weird-queer-writer @jacensolodjo @cherry-sys @dralthon @thebibliosphere @brynwrites @aj-grimoire @shade-and-sun @ceanothusspinosus @edhelwen1 @waltzofthewifi @spiderleggedhorse @sleepneverheardofher @highladyluck @oftheides @thecouragetobekind @nopoodles @lupadracolis @elusivemellifluence @creativiteaa @moonflowero1 @the-bi-library @chronically-chaotic-cryptid for your absolutely fantastic contributions!

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Submit a Book:

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan

Ladies, forget about kissing frogs when you can kiss a medieval sculpture and turn your perfect man from stone into a flesh-and-blood dreamboat! At least, that's what happens to Emily Porter, a recently divorced conservator at the Art Institute in Chicago. She's tasked with the restoration of a medieval English knight, only to discover after a weird dream and an even weirder succession of events, that he's a real man who's been cursed by an evil enchanter named Mordrain to be trapped in stone forever. Except, somehow, she has been able to bring him back to life with simple a press of her lips.

Sounds like a fairy tale, right?

With a flurry of complications mounting around them, however, from Griffin struggling to acclimate to the modern age, and Emily becoming a suspect in the sculpture's disappearance, their story is far from perfect yet all the more enchanting because of that. It's a happily ever after that comes after taking time, dropping defenses, and finding a way to believe in love again.

This was cute. Saccharine in a wholesome Night At the Museum meets Hallmark kind of way. I think if you can suspend belief enough and embrace the premise for what it is - silly - then you will have no problem enjoying this. Emily and Griffin are adorable, although somewhat instalovey, with him constantly raining down endearments and expressions that were common in his era. He was Quixotic in that way, a mixture of charming, chivalrous, and ridiculous. It made for a good laugh.

That said, I do wish the evil enchanter subplot would've been tied in better. It felt too simple and abrupt. Like an afterthought tacked on at the end. Other than that, I mostly enjoyed this for what it was: a light and gallant romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[kimcoxauthor]

Let’s Talk About Writing Plus-Sized Characters – by Bryn Donovan…

Let’s Talk About Writing Plus-Sized Characters – by Bryn Donovan…

[sondheims-hat]

Some Sweeneys.

Len Cariou (1979), George Hearn (1980), Dennis Quilley (1980), Ross Petty (1982), Timothy Nolen (1984), Leon Greene (1985), Lyndon Terracini (1987), Bob Gunton (1989),  Alun Armstrong (1993), Constantino Romero (1995), Steven Page (1998), Kelsey Grammer (1999), Peter-Coleman Wright (2001), Brian Stokes Mitchell (2002), Bryn Terfel (2002), Mark Delevan (2004), Paul Hegarty (2004), Michael Cerveris (2005), Jason Donovan (2006), David Hess (2007), Johnny Depp (2007), Jeff McCarthy (2009), Rod Gilfry (2011), Gregg Edelmann (2011), Michael Ball (2011), Andrew Lloyd Baughman (2014), Jeremy Secomb (2015), Brian Mulligan (2015), Benedict Campbell (2016), Norm Lewis (2017), Hugh Panaro (2018), Jett Pangan (2019), Josh Groban (2023). 

[thestoryreadingape]

It’s My Writing Blog’s 10th Birthday…Here Are 10 of My Best Posts for Writers! - by Bryn Donovan…

Click on the link below: Here are ten of my most popular posts for writers (so far!)

[bucolicbook]

Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan

US pub date - 11/12/24

*Kate and Leopold anyone? 

*magical realism - he’s a man cursed and as a statue for hundreds of years, she kisses him and brings him back to fleshly life because…. logic?

*he’s a literal knight in shining armor 

*he falls first 

*super interesting job - MFC is an art conservator-restorer 

Over the top implausible and very very fun; I enjoyed this 🙂

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC

[coupleofbeesread]

Aardvark Predictions: November 2024

Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan BUY A centuries-long curse is no match for rom-com shenanigans when a medieval knight is brought to life in modern-day Chicago. Forgotten by time and abandoned by hope, Sir Griffin de Beauford’s existence stretches out before him. Cursed by a ruthless enchanter to see, hear, and think, but never to move or speak, Griffin suffers the long, lonely…

[lifeinacartoon]

Writing Resources from Kindle

After chatting with a friend today, I decided to compile a list of Kindle books I’ve purchased over the years. While you can probably find the same information online for free, I love buying Kindle books because they are affordable, especially if you’re on a tight budget like me. Plus, you don’t even need a Kindle device to read them; you can use the Kindle app on your PC or other devices.

These books are a treasure trove of knowledge and advice for writers, whether you’re a beginner or experienced. Each one has its unique focus and offers valuable insights that have helped me immensely in my writing journey. Here’s an expanded list with brief descriptions:

Naughty Words for Nice Writers by Cara Bristol This book provides a comprehensive list of euphemisms and creative ways to write about adult content without being too explicit. It's perfect for romance and erotica writers looking to spice up their language. Character Expressions by Dahlia Evans A handy reference for writers looking to add depth and variety to their character's facial expressions and body language. It helps avoid repetitive descriptions and makes characters feel more dynamic and realistic. Show Don't Tell by Sandra Gerth This book is a detailed guide on how to improve your writing by showing rather than telling. It includes examples and exercises to help writers develop this crucial skill, making your storytelling more immersive. 1,000 Helpful Adjectives by Valerie Howard A valuable resource for finding just the right adjective to enhance your descriptions. This book is organized by categories, making it easy to find the perfect word to bring your scenes to life. Master List for Writers by Bryn Donovan A versatile reference book filled with lists of names, character traits, plot ideas, and more. It's an excellent tool for brainstorming and overcoming writer's block. 1,000 Strong Verbs by Valerie Howard This book offers a collection of powerful verbs to help writers add action and movement to their writing. It encourages the use of dynamic verbs to create more engaging and vivid prose. 1,000 Character Reactions from Head to Toe by Valerie Howard An extensive guide to physical reactions and gestures that characters might exhibit. This resource helps writers show emotions through body language and physical responses. The Dialogue Thesaurus by Dahlia Evans A thesaurus specifically for dialogue, providing alternative ways to say common phrases and expressions. It helps make character conversations more varied and natural. 1,000 Character Writing Prompts by Bryan Cohen A collection of prompts designed to spark ideas for new characters. Each prompt includes a detailed description, helping writers develop well-rounded and unique characters. The Ultimate Fiction Thesaurus by Sam Stone A comprehensive thesaurus for fiction writers, offering synonyms and alternatives for a wide range of words and phrases. It's an essential tool for enriching your vocabulary and avoiding repetition. The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi This book provides a detailed list of physical signals, internal sensations, and mental responses for various emotions. It helps writers show character emotions in a more nuanced and believable way. The Urban Settings Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi A guide to urban settings, offering detailed descriptions of various locations you might find in a city. It helps writers create vivid and realistic backdrops for their stories set in urban environments.

These resources have been invaluable to me, and I hope they can offer you the same level of guidance and inspiration. Happy writing!

[queenbirbs]

hiya once upon a time you posted about a thesaurus that helped write smut. but the author had taken the site down or smth. do you remember their name thanks!!

hey nonny! The list is "500 words for love scenes" by Bryn Donovan, but it looks like it's still off her website due to adsense issues. I've linked a dropbox file here that has the list

if it doesn't let you view it (because db hates me), it looks like someone reposted the list onto wattpad here

[serene-wolfsbane]

So this is my second writing prompt story for my new blog. Sending it out into the world! Hope you all enjoy.

[authorajalexander]

How to Write Two Characters Talking at Once - Written By Bryn Donovan

How to Write Two Characters Talking at Once – Written By Bryn Donovan

If you’re writing a conversation between two or more characters, you may run into the issue of characters talking at the same time. This is an easy thing to pull off in a TV show or a movie, but slightly trickier in a novel or a short story, so I thought I’d address it! (By the way, I’m going to share a related post next week on how to write a great, believable argument between two characters.…

[myrddinderwydd]

A Fire Brigade

Prompt #10 for my 30 days of writing challenge: The Iron Bull - A Fire Brigade

Trouble at the Herald’s Rest gets smoky and steamy. (Generally SFW, Adoribull)

I’ll post this to AO3 tomorrow. Enjoy!

The corner of his tavern was on fire.

“Down it goes!” he yelled cheerily, despite the furrow in his leathery brow. A large barrel’s worth of water sloshed across the scorching room in a wave, pushing back the fire and sending forth a plume of smoke. He ducked, holding his breath as he hurried from the Herald’s Rest in great strides, barrel in tow.

Outside the door, a young recruit pulled the barrel from his hands and began rolling it toward the smithy at a breakneck pace. Another filled barrel was on its way from the broad building across the yard, and buckets were passed from hand to hand beside him, in a smaller version of his own fire brigade.

Cullen and Blackwall reached him then, and he pulled the barrel close, one arm around the top, the other beneath.

“Be careful, Bull!” the burly warden admonished. “The mages are on the way!” Blackwall ran sideways for a few steps, headed back for another pass.

Grim and Krem dodged under his elbow on the right as he ducked back into the common room, where drunken patrons had danced only minutes before. Three, four steps, and he was at the kitchen door, heaving the water toward the blazing stove.

Craaackk!

“Damn it!” He lifted the barrel onto his shoulder, turning it and his missing eye toward the collapsing ceiling. Twisting on the ball of one foot, he spun toward the open door.

Steam hissed toward him suddenly, spreading from the outer wall. Ice streaked in along cracks in the boards, flashes of white before they evaporated.

“Ha! A battle of the elements, indeed.” He ducked low as he reached the door, shielding barrel scraping the lintel.

Vivienne stood in the yard, frigid magic streaming from her imperious hand.

The bucket brigade beside him continued with grim enthusiasm as the enchanter held it in check. A flash of orange flared from the second story, and he dodged through the line, concerned that a second fire had begun.

On the balcony above, brilliant scarlet wreathed Dorian’s well-dressed form.

“Hey, are you sure that’s a good--” he started, not bothering to smother a grin at the sight of the handsome ‘Vint.

Whump!

A muffled implosion sounded from the kitchen, and the roar of the inferno was instantly gone.

“You were saying, my well-muscled friend?” Dorian strolled casually down the stairs, a confident smirk curving his lips.

“Damn, that was good.” He shook his head, impressed with their work despite his lingering misgivings where mages were concerned. “I could kiss you right now, Dorian.”

Dorian raised an amused eyebrow as they surveyed the dispersing smoke, and the near edge of the brigade peered cautiously through the doorway.

“Oh, please do,” he quipped with a dramatic sigh. “It’s been far too long.”

He caught the back of Dorian’s neck, hesitating as he felt the mage jerk at the sudden contact. Surprise was what he saw in the dim light though, not fear. Their lips met in a fierce, hungry kiss. His blood was already racing from the battle with the fire, and Dorian tasted of wine on a hot summer night. A low growl of pleasure filled his throat as the mage’s eager tongue parted his lips.

Krem’s chagrined laugh was the only warning he had before a bucket’s worth of water hit him in the back of the neck.

[kimcoxauthor]

A List of 100 Character Defects – by Bryn Donovan…

A List of 100 Character Defects – by Bryn Donovan…