Welcome to Pen & Sword, a blog by two fans of all things reading and writing.
Join us for updates twice a week as we ramble about our favorite reads, bemoan the struggles of being an aspiring author, and discuss anything else related to the lovely world of literature.
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Genre-Fluid Heroes
If you’ve read Stephen King’s On Writing, you may remember an anecdote between King and Chuck Verill (pretty sure it was him, his agent) where King is warned, as they’re gearing up for his third book to release, that this… Continue reading
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Managing Stress and Projects
Lately, Ava and I have been on a roll. We started a project recently that we have been ale to really sink our teeth into. I don’t think we’re quite ready to give all the details yet, but we’ve been… Continue reading
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Word Count Worries: Saved by the Novella
I am my own worst enemy. It takes a special level of wisdom to know oneself, and also to know when a project doesn’t have enough plot to be a full novel. This is something I struggle with very often.… Continue reading
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We’re Supposed to Judge Books By Their Covers
Okay! Put the pitchforks and torches away! Let me explain myself. We’ve probably all heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. And it largely holds a lot of water. We shouldn’t judge things just based on their… Continue reading
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Blech: An Attempt To Discuss Mia Ballard’s “Shy Girl”
You ever have such a weird experience with a book that you don’t even know how to begin talking about it? I just finished my advance copy of Shy Girl by Mia Ballard, due April 7th. And for my review,… Continue reading
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Five Magical Book Reviews: Part Four
Yyyyup. We’re doing this again. As always, check out the last three parts (here, here, and here) if you haven’t yet. Rose in Chains – Julie Soto – 3.5 Stars This review contains mentions of slavery, sexual abuse, and torture.… Continue reading
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Stasis: Gerald’s Game in Space
*news anchor voice* This just in! Issue #2 of The Bleeding Margin is NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER! It’s available in ebook, paperback, or hardcover, and it features my story Man’s Last Friend, which will NOT be appearing in Losing Air.… Continue reading
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Let’s Talk Fairy Tale Novel Adaptations
A while ago in our book club, we did a themed round where we all picked books that were inspired by fairy tales. It was fun to see the differences in the books we each picked, and we enjoyed comparing… Continue reading
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The Joys of Worldbuilding: Scrolls of Malthea
You know how it is. One minute you’re minding your own business, writing stuff and hoping it’s not sludge. The next, you’ve got an entire fantasy world complete with a compendium of unique humanoid races, maps, a magic system, religions,… Continue reading
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Breaking Out of a Rut
Lately, I’ve felt a little bit stuck in my projects. For the first half of January, I was making some great progress with my writing! My goal for the month was 25,000 words, and by the time the month was… Continue reading
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