Author: crystalbrier
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The Expanse of Grief
Go to page: The Expanse of GriefI recently finished the last book in The Expanse series, by James S.A. Corey, and my heart is so full of these books. Because I’d already seen the television series, I often knew the broad strokes of the events in the first six books before they happened. But I was still engrossed by the deeper…
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A Fantasy Author Considers Mystery (and Crime!)
Go to page: A Fantasy Author Considers Mystery (and Crime!)One of these days, I’m going to write polished, well-crafted essays, complete with a premise, coherent arguments, and a satisfying conclusion. Today is not that day. Instead, what we have here is a semi-coherent collection of thoughts I’ve been dwelling on that almost starts with a premise — that there are some definable stylistic differences…
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New Hidden Villains!
Go to page: New Hidden Villains!The third volume of the Hidden Villains anthology series, Hidden Villains: Betrayed, is available for purchase. And check it out! I’m one of the cover authors. My story, A Mother’s Pride, is about, well, let’s call it a blended family. Many thanks to Inkd Publishing.
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[Fiction] Tough Love
![[Fiction] Tough Love](https://michelemakesstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/notice-board.jpg)
Go to page: [Fiction] Tough LoveDarryl slotted three quarters into the vending machine and punched the button for the packet of salted peanuts, ignoring the call of the Snickers bar right next to it. After ten hours on the road, a shot of sugar was sounding pretty good, but he’d hate himself when he did his next blood check and…
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Welcome, 2024!
Go to page: Welcome, 2024!Artist Statement I have been musing for a couple of weeks about what to post for the New Year. I had a few graphical ideas in mind, but nothing was coming together. Then today, I listened to Writing Excuses. This was fortuitous, as they introduced me to the concept of the Artist Statement, or more…
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New Snippet
Go to page: New SnippetThe thing about being recruited into a secret organization of international assassins is that you expect it to happen when you’re twenty, not when you’re forty. And you definitely don’t expect it to happen when you’re not military or ex-military, but in fact, a recently divorced trophy-wife… Snippet #2: Assassin
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Weightless
Go to page: WeightlessNo, I am not floating around in zero-G, though that might be fun. Today I’d like to talk about Weightless Books. This is the portal I’ve used for subscribing to genre magazines for years now, in preference to Amazon or any other venue, expect perhaps Patreon. I should have written this sooner, because, as I…
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Introducing Snippets
Go to page: Introducing SnippetsI enjoy timed writing and writing from prompts. My favorite way to generate a prompt is to throw “give me three nouns,” into a Discord chat. Or I might open three books to a random page and put my finger on a word. I’ve gotten quite a few stories from these prompts, or from 15…
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New Story Out
Go to page: New Story OutThe Hidden Villains: Arise anthology is now available for purchase. This is the second on a series of anthologies from Inkd Publishing exploring the theme of Hidden Villains. The feature story is by Jody Lynn Nye. In my story, The Squeal of Gulls, a woman runs afoul of a murderous cult intent on sacrificing her…
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Sketches from life
Go to page: Sketches from lifeThese are quick sketches done from art models at two different open draw sessions. Very grateful there there are people willing to do this, either nude or clothed. Drawing from life is a great exercise in getting the basics onto the page fast, even though these men could both pose for what seemed to me…