Tag: fiction

The Most Memorable Books of 2025

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Looking back over the past year, 2025 was a banner year for reading. Not only had I finally gotten around to reading several authors I’ve wanted to read, but several books were true surprises.

My choices cover a range of genres from historical fiction to contemporary romance, from literary fiction to mystery and magical realism. I selected these books based on the following criteria:

* A compelling premise. Did the story hook me from the start?
* Strong main character (and not necessarily likeable either)
* Engaging storytelling that kept me turning the pages
* A satisfying conclusion that actually made sense for the story

Below are my top seven picks of the year followed by honorable mentions. How many of these stories have you read and enjoyed?

The Best:

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

This book had been on my Want-to-Read list for ages, and it did not disappoint. Based on a true event and set during the Depression era, the story highlights a group of women who volunteer to deliver books to poor residents in rural Kentucky as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s traveling library. According to the marketing blurb on the back cover, it’s a “captivating tale of friendship, true love and reaching for what’s possible.” I’m looking forward to reading more of Moyes’ books.

The Sentence by Louise Erdich

Here’s another author I’ve wanted to read for a while. The Sentence takes place in Minneapolis over the course of one year from November 2019 to November 2020, taking readers through the narrator’s experience during the Covid pandemic and the George Floyd murder and ensuing riots. All the while, she deals with a capricious ghost haunting the book shop  where she works as well as her conflicted feelings about her marriage and her efforts to reconcile her own dark past. An intriguing character study of one woman’s life in turbulent times, and Erdich’s Native-American heritage brings an added narrative layer. I’m sure I’ll be reading more of her works.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Evelyn Hugo, a retired film star of the 1950s and 1960s, hires a novice magazine writer to help her draft her memoir. Over several ensuing weeks, the actress shares her life story, though she does so at her own pace and is determined to control the narrative. The hired writer wonders why she was chosen for the job because the two women have nothing in common. Hugo, by her own admission, is not the kindest person in the world and her relationships are fraught with tension. This was another fascinating character study, and the story stayed with me longer have I closed the book.

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

Fans of magic realism will enjoy this novel by Woods, set in Dublin where a vanishing bookshop casts its spell over three unsuspecting characters who have played minor side roles in their own lives. Told through two timelines and three characters’ point of views, readers follow them on their journey to self-discovery and self-empowerment. What I enjoyed most is the way Woods weaved and intertwined the characters’ lives despite the different timelines and how she created a magical bookshop that only a few could see.

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

In her novels, Benedict often features bright, talented young women whose career achievements are suppressed by the strong, dominating men in their lives. This story is no exception. Most people knew Hedy Lamarr as a stunningly beautiful Hollywood film star of the 1950s. What they don’t know is that she was also a scientist. She grew up in an aristocratic family in Austria, and through her marriage to an Austrian arms dealer, she often overheard conversations detailing the Third Reich’s  plans. After escaping to the United States and becoming a screen star, she used her scientific knowledge to design a communications system that would help the U.S. fight the Nazis. Except as a woman, no one would listen to her idea.

Murder Under the Tuscan Sun by Rachel Rhys

File this one under gothic romantic suspense. In some ways, the tone and storytelling of this novel reminds me of Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca. When a recently widowed woman responds to an ad for a companion to an ill aristocrat at his estate in rural Italy, she has no idea what to expect. While there is no actual murder, there is plenty of suspense as the widow experiences strange dreams, ghost sightings while she cares for her charge who doesn’t seem to want her help. Over time, the two grow closer even as he seems close to death. This was a surprising read that kept me turning the page.

The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day

After reading two earlier works by Rader-Day (Little Pretty Things and The Black Hour), I fully expected another stellar novel. I was not disappointed.  From the opening pages, I was taken on a wild journey through the eyes of the story’s protagonist Anna, who has a unique talent of analyzing people’s handwriting. The local sheriff isn’t convinced of Anna’s abilities, but hires her anyway to help in his search for a missing boy. But to solve this mystery, Anna has to face her own fears about her past and her relationship with her own teenaged son.

Honorable Mentions:

The following didn’t make my best list but are all worthy of your time.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I don’t usually read horror novels–I get too easily creeped out–but Garcia’s writing helped create a dark and suspenseful story. I just didn’t buy into the romantic relationship.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
After hearing so much about Emily Henry, I had to check out one of her books. This was a solid, engaging story, but the more compelling story line was the relationship between the two sisters.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I was fascinated by the premise of this novel. Imagine what your life would be like if you made different choices.

The Memory of Lemon by Judith Fertig
A mix of magical realism and contemporary romance, this story is about a young baker who has a knack for tasting people’s emotions and has the ability to sense which ingredients will touch her customers’ hearts.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow
A young woman unwittingly uncovers a network of secret doorways to other worlds and explores many of them to find her father who had disappeared long ago. I don’t read many fantasy novels, but this was a surprising and entertaining read.

What about you? What books did you read this past year that impressed you most? Which books would you recommend?

Use These Prompts to Kickstart Your Autumn Writing Practice

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

There’s a hint of autumn in the air (at least where I live). Once Labor Day passes, I’m ready for pumpkin spice and apple cider, fall foliage, and making soups and stews.

It’s also an opportune time to reconnect with your writing routine especially if the long, hot, humid summer zapped your creative juices. If you’re looking for a chance to start up your writing routine or need some fresh story ideas for fall, I’ve put together a list of 40 prompts that can kickstart your imagination, including a few for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Feel free to embellish or tweak to fit your genre, whether that’s romance, fantasy or narrative nonfiction.

Hope these ideas inspire you to have a little fun with your writing this autumn season.

Just a reminder too that you can find writing prompts on my website, which are updated every couple of weeks.

Autumn-Themed Prompts:

1. An event that takes place in an apple orchard or pumpkin patch.

2. A child/children follow a black cat to some unknown destination.

3. A pumpkin carving contest with a surprise twist.

4. Someone gets lost in a corn maze.

5. An event or mishap takes place during a football game.

6. Grade-school students get a surprise visit from a famous person.

7. A group of people plan the annual fall festival.

8. A farmer and his crew bring in the fall harvest.

9. A character discovers or invents a new autumn-themed beverage.

10. A battle of the marching bands reaches a crescendo during a half-time show.

11. A football player pops the question to his girlfriend on the field.

12. A group of alumni celebrate their university’s Homecoming weekend in an unusual way.

13. A couple marries during a fall-themed wedding.

14. Something surprising and unexpected happens during a tailgating party.

15. A newlywed couple in their new home makes their first attempt at fall housekeeping, including cleaning the garage or attic and clearing out the gutters.

16. A story featuring caramel apples or apple cider donuts or some other apple treat.

17. Someone attempts to make soup, stew or chili and mistakenly adds one surprising and unexpected ingredient.

18. A character reminisces about the last day of the weekly farmer’s market.

19. A story that features one of the following: hot cocoa, hot apple cider or pumpkin spiced latte.

20. Someone sees the fall foliage for the first time.

21. A grade school class goes on a fall-themed field trip – farm, petting zoo or cemetery.

22. A broadcaster makes a blooper during a live telecast of a football game.

23. Someone discovers an old cedar chest in the attic, but it’s locked. How do they get it open? What do they find?

24. Someone without baking skills reluctantly joins a baking contest.

25. A college professor finds a mysterious package on their desk.

Halloween and Thanksgiving Themes

26. A young girl meets a friendly ghost in her new home.

27. A PTA meeting or dance takes place at a haunted high school.

28. A character watches a horror film for the first time.

29. A group of friends or a family tell ghost stories around the campfire.

30. A character wakes up one morning and finds a real skeleton in their closet.

31. A scarecrow in a corn field comes to life after dark.

32. Instead of leaves changing bright colors, they turn purple or black. Why did this happen?

33. Two rival families compete for the town’s annual Halloween decorating contest.

34. College students car pool home for Halloween weekend. What happens when their car breaks down or they make a wrong turn?

35. A child wakes up one morning and discovers he/she has magical powers.

36. A character experiences Halloween or Thanksgiving for the first time.

37. Something goes terribly wrong at the Thanksgiving Day parade.

38. An unexpected and unwelcome guest arrives for Thanksgiving dinner.

39. A character is forced to share a ride home for Thanksgiving with someone they don’t like.

40. Children find something unusual inside their Trick or Treat bag of goodies.

Story Starter Scenes Can Spark Creative Storytelling

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
Photo by Tairon Fernandez on Pexels.com

Ever have a scene idea strike you from out of the blue and get stuck in your head, but you’re not sure what to do with it? You’re sure that it’s a brilliant idea because you’ve never seen it in any book before. No matter how hard you try, the idea sits with you, often for days, weeks or even months. Yet you can’t seem to settle on a story around it. Nor does it fit any of your current works-in-progress.

What you’ve got is a story starter. Some say a story starter is a type of writing prompt, something to get your imagination “started.” In a recent post at Writer’s Digest, author Andrew Welsh-Huggins describes a story starter as a “lightning bolt of inspiration.”  

“The fun thing about a story starter scene is the freshness it brings to the creative process; so much more invigorating than staring at a blank page yearning for inspiration. The challenge is following up on that novelty,” Welsh-Huggins says.

I know what he’s talking about. I’ve had a story starter scene stuck in my mind since at least 2018. The scene features a woman who wakes on the morning of her birthday and sees the face of her deceased mother in the bathroom mirror.

I know there’s a story behind this scene somewhere, but for months I couldn’t figure out what it was. Since that image began haunting me (pun somewhat intended), I’ve played with different plot lines. The first novel I tried to write with that scene changed so much after several revisions that the scene no longer seemed appropriate. I set the scene aside, but never dismissed it.

Lesson learned: Never, ever dismiss a story starter idea. When a new plot idea inspired me last fall, I knew I had found the right place for my story starter scene.   

What Welsh-Huggins shared and what I’ve learned shows that these random scenes from out of the blue can serve as the impetus for creative story telling in ways you can’t imagine.

Here are a few of my tips for using these random story starter scenes especially when the right novel concept is nowhere in sight.  

* Keep a notebook of writing ideas. You should be doing this anyway for all of your novel and short story concepts. When you get that image of a particular scene and you can’t get it out of your head, write it down in that notebook. Write out the scene as you see it in your mind, describing every detail and nuance and emotion. Even if you do nothing more with the written scene at that moment, getting it down on paper will help you remember the details later when you need them. You can always refer back to your written scene later when you begin a new project to see if there’s a place for it.

* Review current works of your own or any manuscripts that are tucked away in a desk drawer to see if the story starter scene might work in any of them.

* Draft a short story around that story starter scene. Starting with a smaller writing project might spark other scenes or evolve into a larger, full-length novel.

* Brainstorm possible scenarios and actions that could be happening in your story starter scene. For example, let’s say you keep imagining a man sitting down to play the piano in an auditorium, but realizes suddenly that he cannot play. Create a bullet point list for each of the following details:

  • Who is the man? A musician? A piano tuner? A building custodian with a hidden talent?
  • Why is the man on the stage? Is he supposed to perform? Is he fixing the piano? Is he pretending to be a prolific musician?
  • Why can’t he play? Maybe he doesn’t know how. Perhaps he has amnesia or some other illness or has a physical ailment, like arthritis. Let your imagination fly.  

    The next time a story starter scene strikes you from out of the blue, don’t dismiss it. It can be the start of something fresh and unique.