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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Book Banter: 9 Upcoming Releases That Have Me Salivating
I read The Hacienda last year and devoured the entire thing in two days. Isabel Cañas blew me away with her dread, her atmosphere, the way she could make me feel like someone just dropped an ice cube down my… Continue reading
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Ava’s Articles Are Better Than Mine (And That’s a Good Thing!)
Friends, I fear Ava is a superior writer than I. This isn’t just because she has a complete novel and I don’t, or that she writes more consistently than I do, or that she’s written much more smut than I… Continue reading
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How Sexy Is Too Sexy?
Father Cruz really got away from me. Not in a bad way! Let me stress that I am constantly delighted in the directions my stories tend to turn, like an ornery pony with a terrified child on its back. But… Continue reading
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On Becoming a Fan of King
My high school creative writing teacher was a huge fan of Stephen King. This was my first real experience with the man. Before this point, I knew him just as the guy with the scary clown guy that my stepmom… Continue reading
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How Saige Ruined My Life
If you’ve meandered over to our book club section, you may have noticed that the first thing Saige picked for Olivia and I to read was The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. This is how Saige ruined my life.… Continue reading
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Poetry’s Place in Prose
See what I did there? If you’ve looked at my bio, it’s pretty clear that I enjoy working between the styles of prose and poetry. I often find my style towing the thin line. Alliteration is a frequent toy I’m… Continue reading
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Write What You Know: Making Your Stories More Authentic
One of the pieces of advice I hear the most often is to ‘write what you know’. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can only write autobiographies (obviously) and it also doesn’t mean you can’t explore a concept that’s new to… Continue reading
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The Wonders and Woes of Worldbuilding
Sometimes I wonder if I need to stop trying to be a novel writer and pivot to writing Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing, but maybe my true passion is in worldbuilding. I love the… Continue reading
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The 9 Books That Shaped My Personality
Readers! I firmly believe that one of the best ways to get to know someone, not only as a writer but as a person, is by a list of their favorite books of all time. So, behold, my list (in… Continue reading
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Go-To Book Recommendations for Fans of Fantasy
I’ve always been a fan of reading, and over my many years of digesting books at an alarming rate, I’d like to say that I have collected a decent sample of book suggestions. Whenever people ask me for a book… Continue reading
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