Why Kit and Susan Have Terrible ParentsBoth Susan and Kit have self-absorbed, ineffectual mothers and deadbeat dads. This isn't because I've based it on my own family (my parents are pretty great) but for the same reason that Disney princesses so oft...

Loving Mysteries, Hating CliffhangersAny story is made more interesting by what you leave out, but leaving too much out is a cheapshot. Finding the right balance can be tricky. On one end of the spectrum, you have a 4000 word prologue where someone t...

I'm Thankful for Libraries TooI'm thankful that Bob the Builder isn't based on real life, because sentient construction machinery with the emotional range of toddlers would be terrifying. I'm thankful I didn't have a lot of money when I was a teenage...

Welcome to the Bunker(We got fun and games)There's a beach in Delaware that has, among its other historical artifacts from WW2, the remnants of old army bunkers. I visited recently and was reminded that it was the inspiration for one of the settings...

Sometimes I'm not in the mood for tortureI love Halloween and enjoy the decorations people put up around their houses, but my tastes run more toward the autumn leaves and pumpkins than to grisly corpses. Horror seemed much easier to handle when I was...