Featured / Book Reviews
Reviewing Audrey Gilbert’s “Herbal Dream Magic“
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy from Llewelyn Publications for review. Opening an esoteric herbal often means bracing for one of two extremes: either…
admin · 3 min read
Read / Writing archive
APOTROPAIA / Vol. I
A gathering of voices.
Poetry, fiction, essays, interviews, and art at the meeting of Southern folklore, spiritualities, ritual, and life.
12 selections
From the archive.
Browse by issue →Book Reviews
A Review of Sarah Jane Whitney’s Beyond the Dark & Deadly Woods: Where Gods Dare to be Squatters
Disclaimer: I received this book as an advanced copy, but the review is my own! What happens when the terrifying woodland beast an elite hunter is contracted to track isn’t just a…
By admin ↗3 min read
Beyond the Dark and Deadly Woods · Dark Romance · Fantasy · Romance · Sarah Jane Whitney
↗Uncategorized
Four Book Festivals for November!
Autumn is the golden season for book lovers, bringing together storytellers, poets, and readers for weeks of literary celebration. Whether you’re looking to wander through a bustling outdoor street fair, attend an…
By admin ↗Book Reviews
Demons, Deceivers, and Dead Parents: Reviewing “The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake“
The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake Mara Rutherford Harper · 2026 Mara Rutherford’s The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake promises a high-stakes, anti-progress dystopia with a dark “enemies-to-lovers” romance, but the novel…
By admin ↗4 min read
Fantasy · Mara Rutherford · Romance · The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake · Young Adult
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Uncategorized
Book Reviews
Hellhounds and… Belly Rubs? A Review of M. H. Foster’s “The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan“
The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan humorously blends cosmic warfare with cozy farming and community bonds.
By admin ↗
Personal
Upcoming Fee-Free Writing Opportunities (9.10.2026 – 12.31.2026)
September 05, 2026 Contests, Grants, and Residencies L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future – Science Fiction & Fantasy Deadline: September 20, 2026 + Prize: $500–$5,000, publication, and industry exposure A long-running…
By admin ↗2 min read
Call for Submissions · creative writing · literary grants · Writing Contests · Writing residencies
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Book Reviews
Cultural Annihilation, Math Problems, and Freak Behavior: A Review of Yoon Ha Lee’s Code and Codex
A language-policing space empire, forbidden poetry, and a novel that makes you work for every pleasure. Yoon Ha Lee’s Code and Codex frustrated me—and won me over.
By admin ↗Book Reviews
I Support Women’s Rights and Women’s Wrongs: A Review of I.V. Ophelia’s “The Poisoner“
A delightful and violent romp between a spider and a snake - so long as you don't mind when two characters have their fangs removed before they can truly sink in.
By admin ↗Book Reviews
Where has the Whimsy Gone? – A Review of Peter S. Beagle’s “I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons“
Peter S. Beagle’s dragon-slaying tale starts with wit, warmth, and a hero who dreams of being a valet. For me, its later turn toward familiar fantasy tropes loses some of that promise.
By admin ↗Book Reviews
The Big Buff Fairies of the Otherworld: A Review of Geneva Lee’s “Filthy Rich Fae“
Fae bargains, crime-family melodrama, and a sharp-tongued heroine: Geneva Lee’s Filthy Rich Fae is a campy romance whose charm outpaces its world-building.
By admin ↗Publishing
The Role of Reader’s Reports in Publishing Decisions
A practical, writer-friendly guide to reader’s reports: what they contain, how publishing professionals use them, and how to build one through a worked example.
By admin ↗13 min read
Editorial Practice · Manuscript Evaluation · Marketing · Publishing · Publishing Pipeline · Writing
↗Follow a thread
Protection & belief
Bottle trees, gestures, prayers, and the places where doubt and devotion meet.
Explore the thread ↗Land & water
Marshes, rivers, old trees, and the changing geographies of memory.
Explore the thread ↗Voice & inheritance
Oral histories, family stories, and the ethics of passing something on.
Explore the thread ↗