Author life, Fiction, Found Family, Find Your Tribe Cami Author life, Fiction, Found Family, Find Your Tribe Cami

Advice: Find your People

I was sitting in a high school classroom the other day listening to high school students chat with one another. They sat in clumps, computers open, phones out, some with masks and others without.  Their conversations ranged from processing friendship drama to loud exuberance over a game they’d played the night before. Some begrudged the annoying dress code for an upcoming dance while others focused on an upcoming quiz in math. It made me think about my own experiences at that age and how important it felt to just be in the moment with one’s friends. How important it was to feel as if I had the opportunity to just be myself.

I was seventeen when this was taken.

Only, through my teenage years I never had been. It wasn’t like I didn’t like myself. I did. I just remember being afraid that other people might not like me. I was an introvert in disguise as an extrovert, a chameleon shifting colors to adapt to my needs. All I really wanted to do was be at home writing or reading. I remember feeling like other people wouldn’t be able to relate. They were fun and energetic. They did fun things, went to parties, had significant others. They wore stylish clothes and did well in classes. In hindsight, I was those things too. I didn’t have a boyfriend, but I had friends. Teachers liked me. I worked hard and did well. I was fun and laughed and was very conscious about how I presented myself. Though high school was mostly positive for me, I wouldn’t want to return to high school. College was where I finally began to feel comfortable in my own skin.

I read in this book—The Tattoo by Chris McKinney—about how each person has three suns around which they revolve. Those suns are family, friends, and a significant other. The main character of the book—Kenji—expresses that if two of those suns function in your life, then all’s good, but if two of them fail, you’re screwed. The point being: you must find your tribe.

Some of my favorite stories include the found family trope. The Aurora Cycle by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman; The Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Steifvater, Fable by Adrienne Young, The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I love the idea of people finding their tribe. In the new story I’m working on, The Ring Academy: The Trials of Imogene Sol, Imogene’s found family is important as they help her clear her name of a horrible charge that could get her kicked out of the academy.

Coming August 1, 2023

I’m not exactly sure what this blog is about—maybe just a thought dump, but clearly, I’m thinking about “the tribe.” If I could offer a young person any sort of advice it would be that: Find your tribe.

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Adult Fiction, Ask the Author, Fiction, Short Story, The Invalid Cami Adult Fiction, Ask the Author, Fiction, Short Story, The Invalid Cami

Contest Awarded Short Story: The Invalid

Back in September I entered a short story I’d written in Ghost Story and Horror contest at www.indieitpress.com . And guess what?!?! It placed! 5th. I’m proud of it. Is it horror? It’s horrifying. LOL.

I’m dropping a link to it, in case you want to read it. It’s disturbing, so be forewarned that it might be triggering.

The Invalid

If you don’t want any spoilers…. better stop reading.

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Okay . . . a bit behind the scenes: I wrote a snippet of this story a long time ago. Which part? About a paragraph when the main character, Tom, collapses. I had an idea for the story, but hadn’t ever finished it, so when the contest rolled around, I wondered if I might use it to motivate me to finally write it.

“The Invalid” is a dive into the mind of a man who’s suffered a stroke and can’t communicate with his surviving children. The horrifying part of the story is that Tom wants to tell his children he’s sorry for all the horrific things he put them through as they grew up, but now he can’t. Their anger at him is palpable, and justifiably so. Of course, things aren’t exactly what they seem, leading the reader to a twist at the end.

I enjoyed pushing myself creatively to write outside my genre. While challenging, it pushed me to consider writing choices that I might not have otherwise when writing a romance, but also made me think about the same tools in a new way: tension, conflict, characterization. It was a fun way to expand my own craft.

I’d love to know what you thought about the story!

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Fiction, New Adult, Romance Novel, The Messy Truth Cami Fiction, New Adult, Romance Novel, The Messy Truth Cami

4 Things You Should Know about The Messy Truth About Love Before Reading

This book feels different to me somehow. I’m not exactly sure why, but for those of you who’ve followed the books since the beginning, maybe you’ll be able to tell me why this one feels different? And maybe it’s just me being insecure. (LOL).

Here’s what I think you need to know walking into it:

It’s a Second Chance Love Story

I enjoy the idea of getting a do-over. This one isn’t like the later in life do-over in The Letters She Left Behind with Adam and Alex who are in their forties. Instead, this is a retry between two characters—Seth and Hannah—who had crushes on one another in high school, but didn’t really have the opportunity to see where it might take them. That’s where the do-over happens, because now they are both in college, they’ve had some real-world experiences to teach them new lessons and they can try this again (and hopefully get it right).

It’s a Slow Burn

I wouldn’t want you walking into this book thinking: Oh. Since it’s a new adult college book, there’s probably lots of sex. There is some, but it takes a while to get there, my friends, and it isn’t overtly explicit. Think The Stories Stars Tell or In the Echo of this Ghost Town level rather than the typical “new adult” kind of book you might have read. I would rate it as an 18+ but I think it’s appropriate for a 16+ audience.

There are Trigger Warnings

If it’s a book by me, then chances are it’s got a trigger warning or two. This one isn’t any different. Here’s the trigger warning letter if it’s important for you to know.

I’m Proud of this Story

This was a difficult story to write. It wasn’t because of the content so much as it was writing a story about characters I already knew and were growing up. It feels like there’s a lot more pressure attached to getting that right because unlike new characters in which readers don’t have any preconceived ideas, these characters already have people who love them.

I think I did it. Seth still feels like Seth to me, only four years older. Hannah is still Hannah only more developed. Abby and Gabe make an appearance, and they also feel true to who they would be on this timeline.

The thing is: I was afraid to write this book. And I did it anyway. So that’s something to be proud of.

And there you have it. Four things… Four weeks and counting.





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Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Character, Fiction Cami Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Character, Fiction Cami

My Top 5 Characters I've Written

If I thought selecting the favorite books from the stack I’ve written was difficult, choosing my favorite characters is infinitely worse. Why? I love (or love to hate) them all, but for the sake of this exercise and not because I don’t love these characters (who are like real people in my head), I will go through with this top 5 list. Here’s the criteria I used to help me decide:

  • Characters I’ve already written, not ones I’m in the process of writing.

  • The challenge of writing the character and the overall outcome on the page.

  • The way the character lingers in my mind after finishing the story.

  • How the character presented on the page with other characters

This presentation is in no particular order.


Tanner James

Truthfully, Tanner James from The Stories Stars Tell, jumped from the pages the moment I started writing his character. He was funny, daring, and heartfelt, but stuck in his small world. I loved getting to know this character and all the ways that his life influenced his choices. The first scene I wrote with him was the cliffside scene (I posted it to Instagram in a Sunday Snippet, here). The more I wrote Tanner, the more invested I was in The Stories Stars Tell.


Emma Matthews

Tanner’s antithesis in The Stories Stars Tell also tops the list. Here’s the truth, I struggle to write female characters. I’ve written about this before (want to read that: here), so when I stack up writing Abby, which was really the only other female character I’d written for ten years with Emma, I was able to present a more fleshed out young woman in Emma than I ever had before.

Griffin Nichols-Maxwell Wallace


I have decided to present this couple as a single character. Okay, this might be cheating, but hear me out. Griffin was really hard to write, and difficult to like initially. When you read The Stories Stars Tell (he’s Tanner’s best friend and not very likable) and  In the Echo of this Ghost Town, he is so flawed right at the onset. Enter Maxwell Wallace (specifically the gas station-convenience store scene which is the first moment I met Maxwell) and suddenly Griffin popped off the page. As character’s go, Maxwell is the shiny light and Griffin is a grump. She really makes him, but she also makes the story. I could have just picked her, but I feel like it’s their relationship on the page that makes them both so dynamic. So I’m sticking to this choice.



Gabe Daniels

True story: Gabe started out as a fallen angel, and in the original story Upside Down (it’s here on Wattpad if you want to read it but please forgive me. It’s not great. I was just getting started finding my own voice). He was this idealistic, mysterious outsider who was over-the-top heroic. Obviously, I couldn’t get this Twilight wannabe story to work, but I couldn’t figure out why. Not yet, anyway. While revising, I wrote this horrific scene which I can’t divulge here (it’s a spoiler) and I had this minuscule voice in the back of my heart saying, “that’s me.” I knew it was Gabe talking to me, but I was terrified to write that story. It didn’t go with the original paranormal idea, and it was dark. Really dark. In hindsight, my journey hadn’t taken me anywhere where I could have written that story and given it justice yet. I needed time. So, fast forward seven years after I rewrote Swimming Sideways and The Ugly Truth as contemporaries and that scene resurfaced. Gabe said, “See. I told you it was me.” 





Seth Peters


I feel like Seth started my whole journey, so he has a very special place in my heart. While I’ve been writing since I was a child, and I've written at least four other books (unpublished) before publishing Swimming Sideways, Seth’s character is the one that wouldn’t stop talking to me. Seriously, he’s a freaking nag. To be fair, if you’ve read Fallen (that Wattpad Monstrosity again), I left him trapped in the underworld, so his nagging was about getting him out (LOL), but then I changed everything up on him, and discovered he was trapped in the underworld in this world, not a fantasy one. Which led to The Ugly Truth.

Honorable Mention:Secondary Characters

I couldn’t leave it there, because I think secondary characters are amazing, and I have some really loud ones talking my ear off at the moment. I figure I’d share some that I was really proud of and loved writing:

  • Cal Wallace (In the Echo of this Ghost Town & When the Echo Answers)

  • The entire cast of secondary characters from The Stories Stars Tell. I mean really? Who doesn’t want to read more about Ginny, Liam, Josh, and Danny? What about Emma’s sister, Shelby?

  • Dale and Martha from The Bones of Who We Are. I especially loved writing Dale.

  • There’s a bunch of new characters showing up in some new stories I’m working on, but those are top secret for now. Join my newsletter if you’re interested in hearing about those books before anyone else.

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writing process, In the Echo of this Ghost, Fiction, New Fiction Cami writing process, In the Echo of this Ghost, Fiction, New Fiction Cami

The Road to Echoes: Secondary Characters Primer

Available October 12, 2021

Available October 12, 2021

Since Griffin was initially so unlikeable in The Stories Stars Tell, I knew I was going to have to balance him out with a cast of secondary characters readers would like. There’s only so much drudgery many of us are willing to take as readers and keep us engaged, so I knew that in order to move through Griffin’s difficult journey, he was going to need some help and some light. Enter, then, the secondary characters. These characters are necessary to support or hinder the protagonist’s growth.

When writing secondary characters, I approach it the same as when I write a protagonist. I dive deep into who they are to learn the details. I want to know everything I can about them to understand how those characters' motives might impact the protagonist. My goal: make them feel alive and real.  

With that in mind, here’s the primer on who you’re going to meet when you open In the Echo of this Ghost Town:

Maxwell Wallace—in a sort of meet-cute but it really isn’t—walks into Griffin’s life at his low point and she pushes his buttons. Her humor is something I love about her. Another thing I love about her: she doesn’t take anyone’s crap, especially Griffin’s, which pushes him off balance.  

Initially, I thought In the Echo of this Ghost Town would be a dual perspective story like The Stories Stars Tell that would vacillate between Griffin and Max, but well, it didn’t work out that way. I’ll write more about how Maxwell got her own story in a couple of weeks, and the why of how In the Echo of this Ghost Town is structured, but I think this is a great example of how secondary characters can take a narrative and create their own.

Callum “Cal” Wallace, Maxwell’s dad, is so freaking great that I want to meet this man (he has jumped up to Atticus Finch status for me and I might be crushing...hard). This secondary character is a co-mentor to Griffin’s growth. When this story went through beta reads and ARC reads, so many readers have said: I WANT MORE CAL! I completely agree (hmmmm - adult romance possibilities?)

Griffin’s family: Kat, his mom, Jaxon, his dad, and Phoenix, his brother, are very important to Griffin’s journey. They aren’t the healthiest of families having experienced a lot of trauma, but isn’t that the nature of things? People work through their own stuff often side by side, and it isn’t always easy or pretty. Of course, if you have read my work, you know I can’t leave them there, so we’ll see how these three characters push and scrape against Griffin to make him more whole. Head’s up: Phoenix has become a reader favorite, too (possible spin off?)

Bella Noble: We met Bella as a very static character in The Stories Stars Tell. She was hitting on Tanner poolside the last time we saw her on the page. She is back in Griffin’s story, and if you recall, Griffin was hyper focused on “getting with” Bella in The Stories Stars Tell. Now, In the Echo of this Ghost Town, she’s far more fleshed out, an important part of Griffin’s journey,  and I’m not sure we’ll like her any better than we did when we first met her. Or—let me drop this here—maybe we will. You’ll have to let me know.

Griffin’s friends (yes! They are back): Tanner, Josh, and Danny are really important to Griffin’s growth. Whether it’s calling him out, pushing his buttons, setting a boundary, or offering support, Griffin’s friends are very important to his growth as a person.

Available now!

Available now!

So there you have it. The primer. If you are so excited about reading this book and need it ASAP, you have a couple of options. First, read The Stories Stars Tell. It will set you up perfectly for In the Echo of this Ghost Town. Been there and done that? There are review copies available on Reedsy-Discovery if you’re a reviewer. Copies will be on Netgalley in September (that’s only 8 weeks away!), and if you just need the book ASAP and are willing to drop a review, I’ve got some eBook ARC’s available. Send me an email. ;) I also have four other books already published, so The Cantos Chronicles is a great place to start. Swimming Sideways is the first book in that series. Happy reading.


Next week: Researching Male Culture (because… ahem… I’m not male)



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Cantos Chronicles, Fiction, New Fiction Cami Cantos Chronicles, Fiction, New Fiction Cami

Writing In Between

I’m in The Fold of Ravka (and, yes, this is a plug for both the books and the Netflix series which is awesome). Why am I in the Fold? I’m in between writing books and am ducking Volcra trying to eat me as I try and find my way through the dark.

6B0A38EA-1AE1-4DB6-968B-4591C253806B_1_201_a.jpeg

I have all of these ideas: several new contemporaries, an adult romance, a dystopian idea (can’t work on the fantasy right now since it’s resting for the next eight weeks). I don’t know where to go. The thing is, I do this every time. I finish a book, then spin in the dark unsure what’s next, worried I’ve lost my way, and struggle with the doubt that I’ll ever be able to do it again. 

But somehow, I find the thread of light. I find my way through it and out the other side to write a new story. Not sure what’s next, but in the meantime, here’s a snippet of something I wrote while hanging out in the dark.

If you’ve read The Cantos Chronicles which starts with Swimming Sideways, you might recognize some of these names.


Something New…

I don’t need snow today, and it isn’t even the good kind. Instead it’s wet and slushy, sinking razor cold teeth into everything. Fitting really. I was prepared for the rain. Freaking Willamette Valley weather. I’m still getting into the swing of things after winter break. The swing of a new term, new classes. The swing of being single again, not that it’s much different than when Sebastian and I were together. Six weeks removed, and I’m seeing that more clearly, now. We’d been going through the motions as a couple, far longer than in the swing of two people truly in love, and I should have seen it but hadn’t until it was removed.

As I was walking out the door of my apartment to leave for work, he’d called. That was not in the swing of things. My axis, which had finally regulated, tilted more than I cared to admit.

“I’m just checking in on you,” he’d said.

I could picture him sitting at the desk in his bedroom at his own apartment running a finger along the edge like he often did when he was on the phone. His bedroom barely controlled chaos behind him. His curly dark hair in need of a trim. I didn’t like that I could picture him with clarity still. 

“That isn’t your job,” I’d answered as I checked the locked door of my apartment, then started down the sidewalk to my car, annoyed at the intrusion but also conflicted by it. I thought I’d been in love with him. I thought he was probably the one, then I got the We should talk followed up with him dating a new girl a week after that talk.  Nine months together, most of them pleasant, the comfort of sliding back into an easy pattern of behavior that feels safe and secure is tempting. “Why are you calling?”

“I just–” he’d paused as though weighing and measuring the impact of his words. This was a usual Sebastian speech pattern, as though he hooded his words, himself, in the guise of how he said something to make me feel complacent but equally unsure.  “I know the anniversary is coming up, and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” 

I had a fleeting thought that maybe he’d been planning on saying something different, but then settled on what I’d heard. I dismissed the doubt. My normal pattern of behavior where he was concerned. What he’d asked was more endearing than holding onto any negative thoughts about his intentions. “I’m going home. I’ll be okay. Thanks.”

I’d climbed into my car, phone pressed to my ear with my shoulder holding it in place. Once inside the car, I’d started it, the phone switching to bluetooth, and I sat there, waiting for the car to warm up but also for him to say something else. The silence between us stretched into awkward territory. 

“Was that–” I’d started.

“I miss you,” He’d said at the same time.

“I’m not sure what to make of that.” My heart stalled in my chest, frozen in suspended animation awaiting something to bring it back to life. Being with Sebastian was so easy, yet he’d moved on way easier than me. I suspect it had started long before we actually parted ways. That hurts. The knowledge that I’d been so easy to replace slashed and burned the already broken parts of me. I was sitting in the car feeling like a hollowed out version of myself, and I wasn’t sure anything would ever feel normal again.

“I feel sort of lost,” he’d said. “And you always helped me figure myself out.”

My eyes had slipped closed. Always what I could do for him, just like my sister, Ruth, pointed out over the break. “He’s selfish,” she’d said. I’d opened my eyes back up and drove from the parking lot toward my job. “Sebastian. I can’t do this.”

“Hannah–”

“We’re over. Remember?”

His silence was confirmation enough.

I took a turn. “I can’t be your go to, Bash.”

“You’re right.”

I parked the car and sat back against the seat surprised by his admission. This was different for us. The swirls of us had mostly been the opposite, Sebastian maneuvering the conversation to where it was in his favor, and me capitulating. “I have to go to work.”

“Okay. Maybe I could call you later?”

“I don’t know.”

“Just to talk.”

I sighed. “Okay. Sure.”

We’d ended the call, and I sat in the car imagining myself the shape of a gooey heart where everything gets stuck inside the viscous jelly of my inability to set limits. I folded forward with my head on the steering wheel and bumped my head a couple of times with annoyance. Why couldn’t I just be stronger? Returning to rehash Sebastian even if that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about wasn’t good for me. It was good for him.

Now, I look up at the clock and hustle from my car. I need to get back into the swing of work, and because of that call, I’m running late for my shift. I hate being late; I hate letting anyone down.

 I rush through the doors at Hammerson Library, my eyes unfocused and replaying the conversation with Sebastian in my mind, and bump into someone hurrying out. The books in my arms flop out, falling to the ground in a syncopated succession of thuds. “Oh. I’m so sorry,” I say, and bend down to pick up the books which I don’t want to get wet. Shoot. Shoot. I’m going to be late.

“So sorry,” a deep voice says at the same time. “My fault. I wasn’t–” A familiar voice. Stalled now on his last word. “Hannah?”

I glance at a face I recognize. Warm amber eyes. A dimpled smile. 

A smile spreads across my face. “Seth! What are you doing here?” My smile won’t stop and communicates with the rest of my body that it needs to get involved in the joy. My heart hammers against my ribs. My face heats.  

He looks like high school Seth, but different. Older. Slightly crooked nose, mouth with perfectly proportional lips that cut adorable dimples into his cheeks when he smiles which he does now. Light brown hair—darker now— styled so that wavy locks stray across his forehead. He’s still taller than me.

My heart adds a hot hum of awareness in my chest. 

Because he’s my friend, I tell myself. One I haven’t seen him in a long time.




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Fiction, New Fiction, Writer's Life, writing process Cami Fiction, New Fiction, Writer's Life, writing process Cami

April Challenge: Finishing the Draft

Have I ever mentioned I was writing a fantasy book? Probably once or twice if you’ve been following my writing journey for any length of time. Or maybe this is new information. I started writing it over ten years ago, and for the last ten years I’ve started and stopped and tinkered and dabbled. The story has undergone a series of overhauls because I inevitably get stuck. A year ago—almost to the date—I scrapped everything I’d written chalking it up to world-building and started over. Over the last year, I’ve gotten the closest to a finished draft than I ever have, which is both exciting and terrifying.

Fantasy.png


Why?

Because this book has become my personal Camino de Santiago, my creative pilgrimage. Despite my many years of writing and having written ten books over my lifetime, this book has been the one that alludes me and makes me feel like I’m fooling myself as a writer. I set it as a goal, the unattainable one that is a moving target of someday. 

As a contemporary writer for the most part, there is safety in the known. I can draw from the world around me. I can create a place rooted in the safety of a world that exists in the here and now. The process for writers of historical and fantasy face a different challenges, and for fantasy, specifically, one of those challenges is building a world, its inhabitants and its systems from scratch.

And I’m close!

I made a promise to myself to use April as the month to finish the draft (or work hard trying to do it).  April is here.

So here are the current Fantasy WIP stats:

  • This WIP is currently at 82,000 words.

  • It is tentatively titled: Deconstructing Cale Elysian.

  • There is one main protagonist—Cale— with a cast of “found-family” characters around him.

  • While the story would be categorized as a high fantasy because it is in a brand new world with new systems, the story is driven by low fantasy elements to keep it grounded. 

  • There is a magic system.

What I hope to accomplish this month (so you can hold me accountable):

  • I want to add around 50,000 words (like during NaNoWriMo), or as many as I need to get this book close to a finished draft.

  • I’d like to shut down my perfectionist tendencies and just write forward (it has been harder with this book than my others).

  • I’d like to share my weekly updates with you here and on Instagram each Wednesday. 

That’s it.

Fantasy2.png


Here’s a snippet of what’s been written. This is from the POV of Cale’s best friend Yoneo:

Yoneo squinted in the darkness of his tiny attic room of their family cottage. Wondering if he heard something, he waited. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes again and rolled over deciding one of his sisters—probably Teniko, who was hiding a new, secret lover—was sneaking back into the house. The brin coursing through his system was wearing off, leaving a nasty headache in its wake which required sleep. When he heard the tap again, his eyes snapped open; he sat up and groaned. 

“Teniko, if that’s you, I’m going to kill you,” he whispered it to no one in particular since if it was in fact his sister, she wasn’t in the room. 

Being stuck between a quartet of sisters was a challenge in and of itself, add the extra pressure of being the only boy and it increased exponentially. The oldest sister, Nika, had paired last summer and lived in Billerdem with her partner, but that left the other three, Kira just above him, Teniko who was just below him in birth order and drove him crazy most of the time, and then the youngest Martika. While he had lots of attention, it was often too much, and his dad wasn’t much of a respite wanting him to be the strong silent type he could count on while his sisters nagged him to share his feelings. It was exhausting. 

Yoneo rolled from the comfort of his bed and slogged his way around Teniko’s bed where his sister was actually sleeping.  Which meant, if it wasn’t her, it was someone else. His heart picked up speed wondering who in the blister of the dark would be throwing pebbles at his window. Probably Jem since he’d be the only one likely to do something so irrational. But that didn’t make any sense. Yoneo loosened the fastener and pushed the window open, not particularly concerned it would be someone dangerous. They lived in the tiny village of Brockton, for light’s sake. 

“Yo?” A familiar voice sort of whispered up from the garden below.

“Cale? What are you doing? Your dad is going to kill you!” Yoneo whispered back.

“Can I come up?”

“Wait. I’m coming down.” Shock flooded his system. Cale sneaking about was like Hah stopping its rotation around the suns and then changing direction to go around the opposite way.

He moved through the cottage with care avoiding the creaks of the old home. Like the third step on the way down the stairs along with one right at the bottom that seemed to have an odd thump when you removed your weight. He took a wide step just the other side of his parents bedroom door to avoid the squeaking floorboard, and when he opened up the door, he made sure to do it slowly so it didn’t groan. 

His friend was nowhere to be seen in the yard, the bushes, the herbs and flowers his mother coddled looking more like a wild meadow than a manicured garden. “Cale?” Yoneo whispered into the dark. 

Cale stepped out from behind a tall shrub. It was difficult to see him in the dark, though the moon provided some light, but not enough to chase away the shadows. He looked weird. And lumpy.

“What are you doing? I thought you were sick,” he said. “Come.”

Cale moved down the walk and into the house, looking behind him as he went.

“What’s going on?” Yoneo asked once they were inside and the door shut behind them.

Yoneo’s father coughed, and he held a finger to his lips. It wasn’t that his dad would be angry that Cale was there, but the man loved his sleep he had so little of it. His temper was formidable. “Wait,” he whispered, went up the stairs retracing his silent steps, grabbed some blankets, and returned to Cale the same way. The difficulty of having so many people in a tiny little cottage meant there was no space. “The barn,” he whispered and led the way to the out building.

When they were safely inside and out of the hearing of his family, Yoneo asked again. “What’s going on?”

Cale’s face, despite its usually golden glow, looked pale and stricken. 

“Are you still sick?”

Cale flopped into a pile of straw and it was then what had made his friend look lumpy; he was carrying a bag. “I’m not sick.” Cale finally said after some time.

“Are you running away?”

“You could say that. I’m going on The Tour.”








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Books for Teens, Fiction, This Then That, YA Fiction, Young Adult Cami Books for Teens, Fiction, This Then That, YA Fiction, Young Adult Cami

This-Then-That: YA Dystopian and SciFi Edition

My dystopian and SciFi stack. And it doesn’t include a ton I’ve read because I left them on a bookshelf in one of my former classrooms for students.

My dystopian and SciFi stack. And it doesn’t include a ton I’ve read because I left them on a bookshelf in one of my former classrooms for students.

Let’s see. Where to begin. Oh, at the beginning of course.

Isaac Asimov, scientist and science fiction writer said, “The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing.” This never hit harder than having just finished the Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff this week (if you haven’t read them, please, please, please do that right away. Even if you aren’t a dystopian or SciFi fan, if you love stories, the human condition, and people pushing up against great odds for ideas rooted in justice—read it!) and Asimov’s sentiments speak so loudly to the love of reading. We turn the page because we are discovering, experiencing the story unfold. It is a beautiful paradigm.

I did think, however, when I sat down to lead the blog in a This-Then-That (see the premise in last week’s post) bookish delight using dystopian and SciFi as a theme, I would get stuck. I haven’t read many. So as I engaged in a bit of research, checked into my Goodreads list, my mouth dropped open. I’ve read a ton of dystopian. Granted, it was many years ago until the market grew saturated with the same story in different dressings, but it is safe to say that I love dystopian stories nearly as much as I love contemporary. And simultaneously, I rediscovered my adoration for Science Fiction.

Fun Story (maybe I’ve repeated it elsewhere, but forgive me, I’m climbing toward old age). When I was eight, my elementary school librarian suggested a book called We Are Not of Earth by Jean Karl. It tore open my whole universe and contributed to my current love of reading. These last two months as I’ve read several science fiction novels, my love for the genre reignited! What a joy to return to a place and rediscover the magic that opened that door initially.

So with that said, here’s the Dystopian/SciFi This-Then-That. (Thank you to my IG friends who help fill in some gaps).

THAT

THIS

These recommendations popped up on my IG story. I’ve added them to my TBR and I thought perhaps you might be interested in hearing about them as well. For your consideration:

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Books for Teens, Books to Read, Fiction, YA Fiction, YA Contemporary, YALit Cami Books for Teens, Books to Read, Fiction, YA Fiction, YA Contemporary, YALit Cami

This-Then-That: YA Contemporary Edition

A Staircase worth of YA Contemporary.

A Staircase worth of YA Contemporary.

Another week. Another installment of THIS-THEN-THAT. For all of you who commented either here or on Instagram, and in the IG Story for this week’s installment, thank you! Let’s do this again.

A reminder. THIS-THEN-THAT is a game that uses this format: If you liked THIS title, THEN you might enjoy THAT one.

This-Then-That.

The theme this week is YA Contemporary, which I have discovered is probably one of my favorite categories right up with YA fantasy. I didn’t realize it until I started pulling titles from my shelf and watched the stack take shape. So many good stories…

Same format as last week. Left side are the THIS titles and the right side are the THAT titles.

Here we go. . .

This

That

For your consideration (because I write YA Contemporary. :) . . .

Earlier this year, a bookstagram friend on IG, Lavinia (@instaraygram) who helped with last week’s post read The Cantos Chronicle (the books I wrote). She said she loved them . . . and asked me if I’d read Brigid Kemmerer? She said, “Your style reminds me of hers.” I hadn’t, but I was immediately intrigued. So I scooped up all of her titles and FELL IN LOVE with her (so what an honor to be compared to her!) So one more This/That . . .

THIS

THAT

Finally . . . Join me on my IG Story (@cl.walters) to help with next week’s theme: YA Sci Fi and Dystopian. I need your help.

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Books for Teens, Fiction, Fantasy, YA Fiction Cami Books for Teens, Fiction, Fantasy, YA Fiction Cami

This-Then-That: YA Fantasy Edition

My adoration for books goes deep. Seriously. Here’s a stack of YA Fantasy (only a fraction of the books I own).

My adoration for books goes deep. Seriously. Here’s a stack of YA Fantasy (only a fraction of the books I own).

Last month the Reading Wonderland blog series offered four author interviews with a plethora of book recommendations (check out my May posts). I thought, let’s keep the ball rolling on the beauty of reading and books and play a game: This Then That which offers a book title I’ve read to which someone else provides a recommendation of a different title that aligns with that style. Fun right?

This week, I asked my Bookstagram friend Lavinia Ungureanu (you can find her on Instagram @instaraygram) to play along. I know how much she loves YA fantasy, so I thought she was the perfect person to ask to participate. What you’ll find is a book gallery below. The left side is my THIS titles. I’ve linked all of the books to Powell’s books (because it’s an independent bookstore, but I suggest finding a local one). The right side are Lavinia’s THAT titles. If you think of one, drop it in the comments. And visit my IG story today for YA Contemporary. I’ll give you THIS titles and you share your THATs! Can’t wait.

This Then That

THIS

CL Walters





THAT

Lavinia Ungureanu

Don’t forget to check in on my Instagram story to share you thoughts about the contemporary titles I’ve posted! I’ll be posting your THAT to the blog next week.

NEXT WEEK: This Then That, YA Contemporary Edition

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