Today, I’m discussing Happily by Chauncey Rogers – a brand new YA retelling of the classic fairytale, Cinderella.  I know what you’re thinking: Why would I want to read a book if I already what happens? Well, I can promise you don’t know what’s going to happen in this one. I’ve actually had the pleasure of reading Happily about five times. Why? Because Chauncey asked me to perform the audiobook of Happily and the opportunity was too good to pass up.

While I’d love to talk about how much fun it is to narrate (and how my neighbors probably think I talk to myself a lot), what I’m really excited to talk about is how Happily’s protagonist got me thinking about females in YA literature. Spoiler alert: More often than not, they fail to fit the glass slipper of my critical expectations. Happily, on the other hand, gives readers a little bit more to think about than most fairytales – so let’s dive in!

Happily is available now on Amazon, and I will let you know when the audiobook is released!

If you like what you’ve heard on Plotboilers, drop me a rating and review on iTunes! Seriously, it means the world to get your feedback, plus it helps other people find the show.

It’s Plotboilers’ tenth episode! In honor of my longstanding “don’t see the movie before you’ve read the book” tradition, I’m taking a look at A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It’s a short book, but there’s a lot to talk about so I’m going to cover characters, body image, and how the story depicts religion. Most importantly, I’m here to prove it’s never too late to finish your fourth-grade reading list.

Today, I’m making up for lost time with a longer-than-usual book review and writing discussion! First up, I’m talking about Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Most of the time, I read King because I want something that’s just straight-up entertaining. In retrospect, this book actually touched on some more discussion-worthy themes than the other novels I’ve read by him. Specifically, modern traditions surrounding death and how the circumstances surrounding death can make it more – or less – horrifying. But mostly more.

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post about static and dynamic characters and how you can use them in your writings. It’s an interesting topic because, in my experience, static characters kind of have a reputation for being boring – but they don’t have to be! On the other hand, dynamic characters open a whole world of possibilities for internal conflict in your character. All that to say, when it comes to choosing which character type best fits your story, pick wisely.

If you’ve listened before or if this is your first encounter with Plotboilers, you can always find me on iTunes. And if you like the show, go ahead and leave me a rating and review!

Books mentioned in this Episode:

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

The Stand by Stephen King

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

It by Stephen King

Ah, January. It felt like such a long month and yet, it wasn’t quite long enough for me to get my second episode published. I know, I know. Here’s my excuse: I was on vacation. Typically, I read a lot when I travel. This time, I expected to spend my Norwegian getaway in a cabin covered with a blanket of snow, sipping coffee and wine, reading the next few books I want to review for you all.

In reality, I did sip wine in a cabin. And the snow was magical. However, I didn’t get around to reading the aforementioned books. Sad face! All that to say, I’m putting off today’s episode until early next month to avoid recording lame content about books I’m not as excited to review while in a jet-lagged stupor. Until then, feel free to check out some of my older episodes and blog posts! You can find them here or on iTunes.

PS – If you recently rated Plotboilers on iTunes or left a review or did both of those things – Thank you a million times over!