Falls City, Virginia is a town I made up in my book, The Travelers. Well, sort of. It's based on a real place called Falls Church, Virginia. And it's a town I returned to yesterday, seeking inspiration again, this time for The Travelers part 2.
Shakespeare famously wrote in Romeo and Juliet, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." But, is it true? Would you love a character more or less because of their name? Would you love Harry Potter more or less if his name were Snotty McPoodle?
If you read my last blog, you are already aware that I am a Valentine's Day Scrooge. Instead, I prefer to celebrate the little known holiday of "Love Day." In honor of Love Day, here are some of my favorite books with an extra helping of cheesy romance.
First it's Monday. ('Nuff said.) The sun is finally out. But, I'm not sure that makes up for the weather being meh (yes, that's the official term for gloomy and dreary) for the last several weeks. If it were a real winter I'd be curled up by a cozy fire right now with my book. Instead, I guess I'll have to settle for the wood-burning fire channel or at least a pretty candle. Perhaps this is why I have not made at far as I would like in my reading goals this year. So, how am I doing? Let's see...
On the day we arrived in San Francisco my friend said, what do you want to do? My response? Go to Green Apple Books! Here's why I love this place and why anyone visiting San Francisco needs to make sure this is part of their visit.
When I visited New York City in December, I took my book, The Travelers, along for some photo ops. No, the fact that people looked at me like a crazy person as I propped up a book in windows, subway stations and restaurants didn't discourage me from doing it again in a new location, this time San Francisco!
I obviously have an interest in witches and magic. I've been exploring spiritual shops and tarot readings lately. I wrote a young adult fantasy novel where the protagonists are witches (The Travelers). All of this witch exploration got me thinking about witches in popular culture. Where did this love of all things witchy really take hold? How far back does it go? Before the spicy spell casting scarlet-haired Willow and even before nose-twitching Sabrina, who were the witches that paved the way for them?
I took several wrong turns before I found it, tucked away just off a busy intersection next to a restaurant selling chicken, a place called Sticks and Stones. It's not necessarily where you expect to find a magic shop or, to be more accurate, a spiritual store. Although where do most people expect to find a store like this? The moment I walked in to the cozy shop, it smelled appropriately of earthy incense...
I am new to the Harry Potter-verse and just finished book 1 (Sorcerer's Stone). I successfully survived reading it without breaking any of my daughter's rules for reading her book. Therefore, to celebrate finishing the first book and kicking off my introduction into the world of Harry Potter, here are my Top 10 favorite quotes from the first book!
K.L. Kranes 