Lara Lee's Blog, page 10

Article: In Medias Res – An Argument For Slower Novel Beginnings – by Lara Lee

A person doesn’t need to study writing for very long before they encounter popular advice to have a good “hook” for the beginning of their story. After this, one is taught to write “in medias respect” or in the middle of the action. Most people interpret this as having some kind of action scene and […]

Book Review: Can You Survive The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Ryan Jacobson

This book review is of a slightly different kind of book that what I typically review. The “Can You Survive” or the “Choose Tour Own Path” books are a series of books based on classical novels that are appropriate for young readers. I am not a fan of abridged classics, but this is more like […]

Book Review: The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

“The Secret Garden” by Francis Hodgson Burnett is a remarkable book that captures the process of grieving, even in children, in an optimistic and uplifting light. I have not seen a movie adaptation of this book that captures the depth of the very well. Many capture the beauty and mystery of the garden, but not […]

Book Review: The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

“The Cricket in Times Square” is a classic of children’s literature for good reason. It is a simple story about healthy friendships. If you have seen the animated movie of the book, it follows the story well. Still, I recommend the book because of the deeper insight into the characters’ minds. The story follows a […]

Book Review: Silver On The Tree by Susan Cooper

“Silver on the Tree” is the last book in Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Series. As with most of the books in this series, my review is mixed, but I still recommend it as a high quality middle school and up book. In this last book, all of our main characters come together for […]

Article: An Indie Author’s Perspective on the Merger of 2 out of “The Big 5” Publishers

I don’t usually write posts about topics in the news, but this merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster being sued by the government is a big deal to all in the book business. You can read a good summary article here: https://apnews.com/article/stephen-ki... As an indie author who is self-published and as a […]

Book Review: On Fairy Stories by J.R.R.Tolkien

I don’t typically review nonfiction books or books that are strictly for adults. I do make exceptions for books about writing to help other writers. “On Fairy Stories” is actually more of an essay about a genre of literature rather than a book about how to write. Even so, as a writer of young adult […]

Disability: Potty Training a Special Needs Child

I am just a mom of a couple of special needs children. I am not a doctor nor a specialist. When it came time to potty train my unique kids, I could not find any articles that talked about the issues I dealt with. This article is my advice, parent to parents, of the specific […]

Devotional: Job 11-14 The Knowable Unknowable God

The study of the book of Job is a philosophical exploration of the nature of God. Job is righteous, though not perfect, and grieves the hardships he has endured. His friends have accused him of causing his own suffering through sin. Job and we the readers know that this is not the case, so Job […]

Article: Female Sexuality in Fantasy Fiction by Lara Lee

* This post is clean for middle school, high school, and adult readers. I could not come up with a better title for the topic of dealing with healthy and unhealthy female heterosexual relationships, including the choice of having sex, in both Christian and secular fantasy fiction. The title was my best try. I love […]