It’s been a crazy year and a half for one Amira K. Makansi. Since I began my journey as an author and a publisher in July of 2013, my co-authors and I have released two books and a novella, all set in the world of Okaria, a futuristic post-apocalyptic civilization. In early April we announced…
Read MoreAll articles filed in fiction
Book Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
I have read four books of Neil Gaiman’s to date: Coraline, Sandman: The Dream Hunters, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, and now, American Gods. It is strange to say that I have read four of his books because I don’t necessarily feel as though I’m the biggest fan of his work, or as though I have even…
Read MoreBlind Like Water: A Poem
Tonight, I will sleep in the garden Buried under rocks and sand A man will come with a rake every now and then To carve lines into my body And he will say “The flowers are sweet today.” At night when the lights are quiet The moon like a sea shell washed ashore by a…
Read MoreJournal: Recovered
To all of you who diligently supported my quest to have my journal returned to me when it was lost last month, there is good news (several weeks overdue): My journal was found by a fellow Southwest traveler, who is humble enough to have requested anonymity. The journal, it seems, fell out of my bag…
Read MoreCOVER REVEAL: The Reaping
Remy Alexander wants justice. After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Sector only to watch her world burn around her, she will defy everyone to find her revenge. Valerian Orlean wants truth. After learning what evils the Sector is truly capable of, he must confront his past in order to create a better…
Read More[Untitled]: A Poem
I wrote this poem spur of the moment, as a very dear friend of mine recounted the many ways he loves his fiance. I am so honored to be a part of their story, and to my readers, I cannot honestly recount how deeply their story made me feel, for there are no words to…
Read MoreFour Ways To Avoid The Trope Of The ‘Strong Female Character’
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the role of women in literature and film from an article called “We’re Losing All Our Strong Female Characters To Trinity Syndrome”. Published last week by Tasha Robinson, the article primarily argues that screenwriters are providing cop-out “strong female characters” who appear at first glance to be…
Read MoreThe Trees Were Dying
it was just today looking out the window of my car that i saw the trees were dying crumpled into paper figures, a parody of their former selves wrenching, like crooked cursed fingers in the direction of the ground and i their killer. I knew this was no simple thing, like a barren grassless prairie…
Read MorePromised Evenings: A Poem
My heart curls around your fingertip like a slinking cat winding its tail around a corner pressing its bones against the edge aching for release. The cat will chase shadows in the alleys as will I seeking solace in moonlight catching shades like fireflies trapping them in jars wondering when they will materialize into the…
Read MoreAgents, Line Up Here! My Version Of A Query Letter
Dear Mr. or Ms. Agent, Hello! You probably don’t know me, but you’re about to. Biblically. Ha ha, get it? No? Your loss. Well. Moving on. My name is Suzanne J. K. Veronica Green Meyer, and I’m thrilled to announce that you’re one of many specially-selected agents who have been invited to fight for the right…
Read More
The Z-Axis 