I grew up surrounded by large families and I love it when families and siblings show up in fiction. Watch the video to find out one of my favorite fictional families!

I've written before about mistakes a lot of fantasy authors make when naming their characters, but some authors really know what they're doing when it comes to names. These are my favorite names, and a little bit about the characters and stories themselves:

I have read so many fantastic books in 2019, both SFF and nonfiction. What books did I pick out of my TBR pile this year? Check out the video, and the links below!
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I tend to get reflective as the year comes to a close. What went well? What can I do better? Today on "Coffee With Yaasha," I share the question that has most bothered me this year as I've written novels, nonfiction resources, and connected with other authors. 

A few weeks ago, I posted a video about how disability and chronic illness is represented in fiction, both insensitively and sensitively. The video was inspired by a blog post by author Hannah Heath, who deals with chronic pain and other issues related to her Lyme Disease, and who has included characters with disabilities in her own fiction books.

​I reached out to Hannah and asked if she would do a Skype interview with me for my YouTube channel and she said YES! This video is longer than my usual videos (30 minutes) but totally worth the time. Hannah tells her story with chronic illness, discusses the three most common misrepresentations she sees in fiction, and recommends some books that tell a great story while sensitively including key characters with disabilities.

Today is the day! You are about to blast off on a twelve-day journey through many worlds, some that look like our own and some that are far, far away. What souvenirs will you collect on the way?

I'm so excited to be participating in a fantastic Christmas event, featuring a new SFF author every day. Do you like free books? Book swag? Discounts? Then you've come to the right place! Remember, the goodies are available for THAT DAY ONLY, so keep an eye on social media and the authors' blogs to know what's happening where. Or (better yet) sign up for the authors' email lists to get an email reminder on the day of their event. I also have a handy list at the end of this email to help you keep all the details straight. ?

Today is my turn to host and I can't wait to share the fun with you!

(Also, here's a video that explains the event!)

I'm super stoked to announce that this Sunday kicks off a fantastic event, the 12 Days of Christmas SFF Blog Tour, featuring books by twelve talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Every day, stop by a different author’s blog and/or social media page to nab books and bookish delights. The goodies are available for THAT DAY ONLY, so take a look at the list below to know whose blog to visit on which day. Better yet, sign up for the authors' email lists to get an email reminder on the day that they host the event.

Maybe it's imperfect. Maybe the flow isn't great, maybe the characterization is just a little flat, maybe there's one glaring plot hole.

And maybe it's still one of your favorite books.

Today I'm talking about those imperfect books that still capture the magic of story. Share your favorite flawed book!
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I have three separate chronic illnesses, so when it comes to science fiction and fantasy that portrays characters with disabilities and chronic conditions, I am especially interested. Is the character a well-rounded, realistically-portrayed character? Or is the character a stereotype for "disabled" in order to wring sympathy from the reader or provide motive for some later action?

This week on "Coffee With Yaasha," I discuss my thoughts in relation to my own story and to the thought-provoking blog post "Writing Disabled Characters: What You're Doing Wrong" by Hannah Heath. I also collected recommendations from my fellow authors and bookworms about SFF books that portray disabilities and chronic illness well.
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​The recommended books:

Bethany A. Jennings at @simmeringmind asked this question this week on Instagram and her observations resonated so powerfully with me that I decided to discuss it further in this week's "Coffee With Yaasha." In this digital age, we can feel pressured to read, post, review, bookstagram... instead of just reading. Check out Bethany's story and my follow-up story:

Do you feel like social media has overcomplicated reading? If so, how do you distance yourself so that you can enjoy the benefits both of being part of the bookish community and reading just for pure enjoyment?

​Join the conversation and comment below!