The Goose Girl

I'm sure you're sick of hearing about books I just read and loved, but when they're amazing, I can't seem to keep them to myself! So here's my next recommendation: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Yes, I know I'm going through a Shannon Hale phase right now, but her novels are REALLY good and can give you a taste of the kind of stories I write. This book gave me great ideas for my novel (as I am currently editing like crazy!) because the time periods are similar and both stories are based off of fairytales. I loved how unique and well-established her characters were, and I loved the details and metaphors she used. The creativity blows me away! I'm hoping to read the other two books in the Bayern Series soon: Enna Burning and River Secrets.

In my writing fiction class last fall semester, the two biggest pieces of advice I received were to 1) READ, READ, READ and 2) Find a mentor for your writing, whether it be a favorite author whose style of writing you emulate or a professor who has given you a lot of helpful feedback. Since I'm not taking any classes right now, I've been trying to read like crazy while I have the chance. And as for my mentor, well, Shannon Hale is my hero.