The Z-Axis

I'd rather be decomposing beneath this beautiful landscape than starting a graduate program right now.

What I Love About America

The first thing I loved about America was that it was colorful, vibrant, wild, and strange. There was more to see on that tiny little island than I could explore in a lifetime. I lived in a mostly-white suburb, but that wasn’t America. America was New York. America was the world. America was everything.

7 Words You Should Delete From Your Manuscript

By: Amira K. August 29, 2017June 7, 2018

Publishing, WritingEditing, editorial, fiction, manuscript, memoir, non-fiction, novel, reading, writing4 Comments

“In this post, I’ve included a few words that most professional writers and editors will cut as often as possible. You can use this post as a guide to identify overused words in your own writing and cut them out to make your work clearer and more concise.”

POROUS: First Draft Complete

By: Amira K. August 21, 2017June 7, 2018

Porous, WritingEditing, fantasy, fiction, genre-bending, paranormal, Porous, reading, sci-fi, science fiction, The Seeds Trilogy, writing4 Comments

On Saturday, August 19, I finished my first full-length novel. Despite the fact that I’ve written, edited, and published three books in collaboration with my mom and sister – the Seeds trilogy – as well as a solo novella in the same series, this is my first solo novel. POROUS began in January of 2014 as…

Five Ways To Fight White Supremacy Now

By: Amira K. August 14, 2017August 28, 2017

Politicsantifa, Charlottesville, fascism, Nazism, politics, white nationalism, white supremacy4 Comments

Under normal circumstances, the phrase “if you’re not with us, you’re against us,” is a horrible thing to say. There’s plenty of room for nuance in debates over economic policy, political strategy, how to chop an onion, and whether Korean tacos are an acceptable mash of food culture. But when white supremacists take the streets…

Book Review: The Windup Girl by Paolo Baciagalupi

A dystopian future where genetically-modified food is ever-present. Where the rising tides of climate change have permanently altered human landscapes and agriculture. Where corporations and governments use biological warfare to enslave and oppress. Where political webs are woven and unwoven every day, with millions of lives hanging in the balance. Am I describing the Seeds…

A Minimalist’s Guide to Content Creation

By: Amira K. July 17, 2017June 7, 2018

Musings, Publishing, Writingblogging, content creation, digital minimalism, environmentalism, minimalism, reduce reuse recycle, writing8 Comments

When was the last time someone told you to “do more with less”? How about “think less, live more”? Or, “reduce, reuse, recycle”? When was the last time you saw an article about the tiny home trend? Minimalist design? Or a DIY Pinterest post about reducing consumption via, well, doing it yourself? Minimalism as a trend…

Bringing SEEDS to the Silver Screen: Part One

In December of 2015, I was being terribly impolite by checking my phone at Christmas dinner with my family. I glanced through my emails to find an unexpected missive from a man named Josh Tickell. I skimmed it and then sat back, stunned and suddenly incapable of participating in the banter around the table. I…

Mornings

By: Amira K. July 8, 2017July 8, 2017

Compositions, Poemsart, coffee, Laura In The Poppies 2, love, mornings, poems, Poetry, romance, Shawna Ankenbrandt, sunlight, writingLeave a Comment

Lazy on top of the sheets, dozing off again, your hand reaches out for my skin you sigh and roll over and snore The sun as lazy as we, languishing on our bellies You stir and touch my thigh and come closer You pull me in and in and in You make coffee and hand…

Book Review: The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

By: Amira K. July 6, 2017July 17, 2017

Book ReviewA Discovery of Witches, All Souls Trilogy, Deborah Harkness, epic fantasy, fantasy, genetics, magic, reading, romance, science, vampires, witches, writing11 Comments

Have you read Deborah Harkness’s A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES yet? If not, why not? It’s okay if you haven’t. I’m late to the party, too. The first book was published almost six years ago and I didn’t know about it until last year. You could have asked me that question a little over a year…

Branding For Authors: An Overview

By: Amira K. June 19, 2017January 1, 2018

Publishingauthors, book sales, brand, branding, brands, chuck wendig, j.d. robb, marketing, nora roberts, publicity, publishing, stephen king, tahereh mafi, writers, writing2 Comments

As a writer and a winemaker, I think a lot about branding. Branding is critical for selling wine, because it’s impossible to know what’s in the bottle until you buy it and open it. Branding builds a relationship of trust between the buyer and the winemaker: when the buyer knows the brand, he knows the…