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Reflections on my Half-Blood Mage Cover + Diversity in YA fantasy Novels

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My debut novel,  Half-Blood Mage  is finally out!  To celebrate, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek into some of the decisions I made along the way... especially the decisions regarding Lia's race and my cover design.  Should Lia be Asian? Honestly, I debated whether to make Lia Asian at all. Her "Asian-ess" (in this case, I imagined her to be half-Taiwanese, half-Caucasian) doesn't really have anything to do with her story. She doesn't speak another language. I don't really bring up her multiracial upbringing that often. And her mixed-background isn't super important to her story arc. Lia could honestly look like anyone. Or have any background. The only key feature she needed to have was heterochromia.  But here's the reason why I made Lia Asian: I'm Asian. My parents are originally from Taiwan. And I married an Asian man. So I've experienced life through a very Asian American perspective.  Su...
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XOXO, Piper is coming out in a few weeks!

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  XOXO, Piper , the first book in my East Beach High Series, comes out in a couple of weeks. I'm so nervous and excited to share this sweet romance with all of you because it feels like quite a departure from my previous YA fantasy novels .  2020 did a real number on me.  Several family members got sick with Covid and a few people passed away. I've always been an avid reader of fantasy, but this past year I found myself reaching for romances instead. I needed stories about "normal" life and I craved a happy ending. And that's why I wrote this new high school romance series. Each book shares the story of imperfect characters overcoming obstacles from their past to find swoon-worthy first love (with a lot of help from their friends.)   I really hope you enjoy this series!  (And if you love book soundtracks, I created this East Beach High Playlist on Youtube. It will give you all the best angsty-first-love feels.) Read on, friends! Ginger
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30+ Awesome YA Shifter Novels

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If you're visiting this post, chances are you love shifter novels!  Want to know a secret? Me too! Who wouldn't want to fly like a bird? Destroy buildings like a dragon? Or run like a wolf? It makes sense that we're captivated by stories where human beings hold the ability to transform into animals.  Personally, I find shifters to be super sexy. I also love reading about shifter characters using their abilities to protect the people that they love. It's no coincidence that my debut novel,  Half-Blood Mage , stars Kieren, a reluctant dragon hunter, who is cursed to become the very creature that he hates: a dragon.  In this novel, Kieren's whole story arc involves him trying to get rid of his curse... but what if his curse was actually a blessing in disguise? To celebrate the launch of my debut novel, I asked other readers to list their favorite YA shifter novels. Here's what they suggested: 30+ Awesome YA Shifter N...
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