Month: November 2021

Aisley's Reviews, Book Reviews

Book Review: The Blood of the Stars Duology, by Elizabeth Lim

Aisley Oliphant

Maia Tamarin is one of the best tailors of A’Landi, however no one would know it because she is a woman and the daughter of a once-renowned tailor plagued by misfortune and grief. When the imperial tailor dies, the emperor demands that her father come to the Summer Palace to tailor for him. Master Tamarin is unable to do so, and to save her family from punishment, Maia poses as her broken legged brother, Keton, to travel to the palace and become the imperial tailor. But when Maia arrives at the palace, she discovers she was not there to be the imperial tailor, but to compete for the post with the most renowned tailors in all of A’Landi where the final challenge is to embark on a dangerous quest to sew the powerful dresses of the goddess Amana.

On Writing, Posts On Writing

Set Your Hook: Bad Beginnings and How to Fix Them

Aisley Oliphant

One of the best ways to stand out in the slush pile is through a good, solid hook. However, a poorly written hook is one of the quickest ways to get rejected. But why is that? Because first impressions are everything. Here is a guide to some of the five most common bad beginnings I saw and a couple of tips on what you can do to fix them to snag your audience hook, line, and sinker.