by kristinoakley | Dec 4, 2021 | Books and Movies, For Readers, Newsletter
It’s time again to start planning for Jólabókaflóð (Yule Book Flood). What is a Yule Book Flood? It’s a wonderful Icelandic Christmas tradition. On Christmas Eve, Icelanders give each other books and then spend the night reading while eating chocolate or...
by kristinoakley | Nov 20, 2021 | Newsletter, Writing Life
Last weekend my daughter Jessica and I explored the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Jessica is pursuing a degree in costume design and UNCSA, a university devoted entirely to the performing arts, is one of her top choices. As we toured the...
by kristinoakley | Nov 6, 2021 | Books and Movies, Creativity & Craft, For Readers, Newsletter
It’s taken me years, but now I finally realize that a lot, if not all of writing, is about sharing human vulnerability. Take this newsletter for example. When I recommend books or movies to watch, I get some feedback. But when I share my struggles with querying...
by kristinoakley | Oct 22, 2021 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
On October 11th, I started writing Jaelyn (now titled The Renegade), the fourth book in The Devil Particle Series. Over the last couple of years, I’ve worked on revising the first three books, so it’s been a while since I’ve written something new....
by kristinoakley | Oct 8, 2021 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
I’ve missed you! It’s been six weeks since my last newsletter and I have all kinds of excuses for not writing, though the number one excuse is pretty valid. I worked like crazy to complete edits on the manuscript for book three of The Devil Particle...
by kristinoakley | Aug 27, 2021 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
Writers, like most artists, tend to be perfectionists. They imagine how they want the story to unfold, but their inner critic tells them the writing will fall short. Sometimes, this discrepancy between what writers envision and what they attempt to do is so...
by kristinoakley | Aug 16, 2021 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
I’m revising Gaige Devlin, book three of the Devil Particle quadrilogy, and have realized the voice is all wrong. Books one and two are told from Paul Salvage’s first person point of view. Book three is in Gaige’s point of view. These two teenagers...
by kristinoakley | Jul 28, 2021 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
This Sunday, August 1st at 4:00 p.m. my editor, Tim Storm, and I will be talking to Samantha Hoffman about the author-editor process during the Chicago Writers Association’s virtual Cocktails and Conversation. This event is free and open to the public and will...
