IT'S THAT (FREQUENT) TIME OF YEAR AGAIN...

The time when Brandon Sanderson releases a new novel. I always buy it. I can't help it. I despise hardcovers so I get the e-book and then usually end up getting the trade paperback a year later so I can gaze at it on my bookshelf.
 
Yes, I am that kind of fan. But not only because I also write epic fantasy and he's at the top of the game currently and his books are great AND he happens to also like Magic the Gathering AND (I could go on)--I'm that kind of fan because he's so transparent about it all.

That is, Sanderson basically taught me to write. 

Yes, I graduated with a Bachelor's in Writing, and I spent a lot of time penning my thoughts before and after that, but when I finally decided to live in a laundry room and live on pennies to focus on my craft, Sanderson was the one who stood out, because he teaches so much about writing, and makes it so public. His university lectures are on Youtube. You can read unrevised drafts of his novels and stories, to get a look behind the scenes. And most of all, he's been putting out a podcast every week for thirteen or so years now, Writing Excuses, and this became my post-grad seminar series on how to write fantasy. I still analyze most of his books after the first read, plotting them out by chapter and character arc, examining the strengths and weaknesses, thinking about how I would do it differently. 

But mostly I just love them. Especially these non-Stormlight Archive years, when the books seem to drop like rain (Skyward last month, Children of the Nameless this month)--or burning debris from a planet-wide sphere of dead tech, to use a Skyward metaphor. 

So it's that time of year again, and Skyward was a great read--I wrote a review of it over here if you want a preview before diving in. Thank the stars for great mentors, and their even better books.