Four Girls, One Island, No Second Chances. The story is set in 3,500 BC and portrays the Titans as a band of fair-haired marauders who have taken over a mythical island named Helios where they have built a stronghold on Mt. Olympus. In order to earn a seat on the ruling council, their children must undergo a survival challenge on a deserted outer island. On Mythikas they will learn their strengths and weaknesses and face their greatest fears. In Book One, the story begins when sixteen-year-old Diana is denied the leadership position in favor of her nemesis and half-sister Athena. Their...

Four Girls . . . One Island In order to earn a seat on the ruling council of Mt. Olympus, four girls must undergo a survival challenge on a deserted island. On Mythikas they will learn their strengths and weaknesses and face their greatest fears. The journey begun in Mythikas Island Book One: Diana continues with eighteen-year-old Persephone, granddaughter of a mysterious healer, who is caught between two worlds - Titan versus Heliot. Both sides want to use her to further their cause. All Persephone wants is to be left alone to practice healing. The situation on Mythikas worsens when...

Four Girls, One Island, No Second Chances This book is a diverse tale of adventure, fantasy and mythology that tackles complex interpersonal relationships and social issues facing teens. The story is set in 3,500 BC and portrays the Titans as a band of fair-haired marauders who have taken over a mythical island named Helios where they have built a stronghold on Mt. Olympus. In order to earn a seat on the ruling council, their children must undergo a survival challenge on a deserted outer island. On Mythikas they will learn their strengths and weaknesses and face their greatest fears. Book...

"Every scene in a story should contain conflict." This advice led me on a journey to answer the question, "How do you come up with conflict for every scene?" The result is the Four Layer of Conflict method which takes writers from "I have an idea" to the actual nuts and bolts of "I have the required scenes that all pull their weight." This method can help new writers complete their first novel and offers experienced writers another way of looking at structure. There is a difference between reading a story that is seamless and one full of plot holes. Tight structure can be the difference...

On Mythikas Island, fates are decided. The challenge reaches it's terrifying conclusion as Mythikas Island self-destructs. Seventeen-year-old Athena, the sorely-tested leader has been fighting for control and respect, but can she maintain it long enough to get her team safely off the island?The waves have washed the most deadly threat ashore. Are the shipwrecked strangers friends or foes? Will they help them survive or keep from ever reaching home?

Good writers compose sentences. Great writers craft language. Revision adds the finishing touches to the narrative you've created. This book will not turn you into a professional editor. It will, however, help you present the cleanest and tightest manuscript to your agent or editor. If you self-publish, it is a critique partner that helps you polish your work. We examine common plot holes. We identify speed bumps that affect the reader's enjoyment of the ride you are taking them on. We explore rhetorical devices and how to use them to craft expert-level cumulative sentences. We spend a little...

Good writers ask, "What if?" Great writers ask, "Why?" Characters in your story world walk around and do what you, the writer, program them to do. They may not know why, but you should. Effectively manipulating your characters' actions, reactions, and motives makes great fiction. Faulty logic and missing motive are plot holes that cause reader disconnect. The reader growls and shrieks: "The character would never do that." At best, readers smirk and continue to read. At worst, they stop reading and never pick up another book you've penned. Within these pages, we meet, warp, and torture 16...