What I Write

By now most of you know that in addition to being a blogger, runner, winemaker, and constant consumer of too much food, I also write books. I have co-written three novels along with my mom Kristy and my sister Elena. The books follow the story of Remy Alexander, a young Resistance fighter and artist desperate to…

Who I Am

My name is Amira. I eat a lot of food. I’m a lot of different things, but I’m three things primarily: a writer, a winemaker, and a historian. I also cook a lot. (See above.) I’m not a blogger by trade, but I write here sometimes about things that I’m interested in. I have co-authored…

What I Can Do For You

Are you a first-time novelist who’s just typed out the magic words “The End” – but doesn’t know where to go next? A new writer who wants to get published but isn’t ready to hit the market? Or even a seasoned author looking for insight and advice on a new manuscript? I’m here to help.…

Crystallized: A Poem

By: Amira K. May 25, 2016May 25, 2016

Compositions, Poemscold, frozen, ice, lost, love, poems, Poetry, summer, winter, writing2 Comments

Blue lips Cold bird Half-buried in snow. Don’t tell me You’re gone. White boughs Heavy Limbs That ache, tired. When you fell In On the twenty-first of December I knew Then. Summer is here now But you are still Crystallized. Don’t tell me – I know. Where you’ve gone. Image: “Dormantic” by Gohmn on ello.co

10 Things I’ve Learned In Two Weeks Of Self-Employment

By: Amira K. May 20, 2016May 19, 2016

Musings, Publishingbusiness, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, independence, publishing, self-employment, working, writing4 Comments

It’s Friday! A few weeks ago, that would have meant a lot more to me than it does today. (Spoiler alert: one of the things on this list is that the days of the week don’t matter that much anymore.) But Friday means that I’ve officially had two weeks as a full-time member of the…

Win A Free Copy Of THE SOWING!

By: Amira K. May 16, 2016

Musings, Publishing, The Seeds Trilogy, The Sowingdystopian, free, giveaway, reading, science fiction, The Seeds Trilogy, writing, young adultLeave a Comment

This week, we’re running an Amazon giveaway of THE SOWING, the first book of the Seeds trilogy. All you have to do to enter is watch a short video of me and my sister Elena introducing ourselves and the characters in the books. It’s funny! (I think.) And fun! (I hope.) And it’s super easy…

Book Review: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

By: Amira K. May 11, 2016May 11, 2016

Book Review, Politicsagriculture, animals, book review, eating, Eating Animals, farming, food, food justice, Jonathan Safran Foer, reading, vegan, veganism, vegetarianism, writingLeave a Comment

A few months ago I wrote a blog post called “The First And Last Time I’ll Talk About Veganism”. In the post I vaguely promised that I would not be expounding frequently (or ever again) about veganism, at least not on this blog. This book review is a narrow dodge of that promise: I’m not…

Carnations (Water): A Poem For Mother’s Day

By: Amira K. May 9, 2016June 13, 2017

Compositions, Poemsbirth, civilizations, feminism, life, mother's day, motherhood, poems, Poetry, reading, water, women, writing1 Comment

I Water seeps from between your fingernails Gushes from between your legs Drips from the corners of your eyes When you open your mouth there is water When you open your eyes you are water Carnations bloom from your fingers Lilacs sprout from your hair Daisies adorn your ankles Lilies bursts from your breasts Crowning your hips, your thighs,…

One (1) Membership To The No-Pants Club, Please

By: Amira K. May 4, 2016

Musings11 Comments

It’s official. I’m a newly-minted member of the No-Pants Club. I have left my job as the Assistant Winemaker at Peachy Canyon Winery. I have traded in my Redback waterproof boots for Reef flipflops. I will no longer spend my days covered in wine, grape skins, and dirt. I have taken off my yoga pants…

Book Review: “Feast Of Souls” by C.S. Friedman

By: Amira K. April 20, 2016April 20, 2016

MusingsLeave a Comment

I have always loved fantasy novels. I grew up reading The Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Harry Potter. As an adult, though, fantasy has been harder to find. I’ve dabbled in Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, and of course, my favorite Laini Taylor. I’ve read the odd vampire novel and one or two urban fantasy books, but something…

THE HARVEST Release Day!

By: Amira K. April 5, 2016

Publishing, The Seeds Trilogydystopian, K. Makansi, reading, Remy, science fiction, the harvest, The Reaping, The Seeds Trilogy, The Sowing, Vale, writing, young adult3 Comments

JOIN THE RESISTANCE! THE HARVEST, the third book in the Seeds trilogy, is officially available for download today. Available for download on Kindle or in paperback through Amazon. Remy Alexander wants revolution. After watching Vale fall back into the hands of the Sector, she will stop at nothing to reveal…

Book Review: “Broken Homes and Gardens” by Rebecca Kelley

By: Amira K. March 18, 2016March 18, 2016

Book Reviewbook review, Broken Homes and Gardens, lit fic, literary fiction, novel, reading, Rebecca Kelley, romance, writingLeave a Comment

After a few months of not reading much, you could say I’m going on a bit of a bender. With harvest season long over, my recovery period complete, and the third book in the Seeds trilogy finally finished, I have at last had some time to come up for a breather and do some reading.…

Book Review: “These Broken Worlds” A Mini-Kosalogy

By: Amira K. March 14, 2016March 14, 2016

Book Reviewanthology, book review, collections, fiction, flash fiction, Jessica West, MJ Kelley, P. K. Tyler, reading, sci-fi, science fiction, short stories, These Broken Worlds, Woelf Dietrich, writing4 Comments

Last summer, a group of writers I am friends with got together to form a new kind of publishing house called Kosa Press. Their tagline is “Rethinking Publishing One Universe At A Time.” Formed by a group of people with a shared love of science fiction and fantasy books, as well as flash and short…