I recently came back from a road trip through New England (which I've chronicled on a blog series I've called Traveling with the Travelers). However, right before leaving on the vacation, I became a book fairy. Instead of waiting until I returned home to Northern Virginia to start my book fairy adventures, I decided to spread book fairy dust along our trek up the coast.
There has been much talk lately about how books, particularly speculative fiction such as Orwell's 1984, are cautionary tales for the slippery slope the world is proceeding down. I need a break from that doom and gloom. So, let's talk about fictional worlds where I might actually like to visit or even live.
All good things must come to an end, even books. What happens when that end disappoints?
I love strong female characters. And since it's women's history month, I thought a blog about some of my favorite badass female characters in TV, movies and literature and why they rock, would be fun. So here it goes!
I spend a lot of time in airports. So, I appreciate it when airports have art for my eyes weary of looking at fast food chains and rows and rows of industrial chairs. I've seen paintings and sculptures. But, I never imagined an airport would have a display that would send a chill down my spine...
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!
I wrote a book about witches (The Travelers) and it includes magic, prophecies, tarot readings and such.You know, the things witches are made of. As I wrote the book, I did a little bit of research on the internet regarding tarot cards and their meanings. Beyond that, I just used my imagination. Now, I'm working on book 2 of The Travelers and I want to take my research beyond the internet. What better way than to find a real tarot reader, right? Totally easy, right? Wrong.
K.L. Kranes 