Image by Mohamed Chermiti from Pixabay
In literature, authors love to create flame-headed heroines, using this beautiful shade to suggest characters who are independent, different, fierce, and firey. From Pippi Longstocking to Ariel from The Little Mermaid, redheads in children's books are spunky and free-spirited, but in more adult fiction, red hair usually comes with a side helping of passion (because of course, anyone with flame-colored tresses must be afire with emotion, too!).
So for Kiss A Ginger Day, an annual celebration that sees redheads the world over celebrated (and dodging any unwanted smooches!), we’ve pulled together some of the best redheads in romance…whether you are looking for a YA love triangle with a supernatural twist, some superhero adventures, or a classic tale of star crossed lovers.
[Photo by Susan Yin on Unsplash]
True amnesia may be relatively rare in real life, but in fiction, it’s a phenomenal device that allows readers to be pulled along with the most basic mystery of all: who am I? From characters who wake up in a hospital bed with no knowledge of who they are, to those piecing together alcohol-induced blackouts, to those with more nefarious or sci-fi reasons for their memory gaps, amnesia can make for a first-rate read.
Other than the really famous examples of memory loss (Fight Club, The Bourne Identity, etc.), which are the best reads for fans who want to watch a character unravel their own lives and selves? Or to imagine what it would be like to see ourselves from the outside, not knowing who we are? These books are a good place to start.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Another year is here, and for once, social media seems to have less of the usual resolutions and New Year, New Me posts. Perhaps 2020 has left everyone just a little unsure of what 2021 will bring, and a little apprehensive about the big plans that would usually be the theme each January.
However, no matter the unsurety of the new year, or the lack of big parties to celebrate, there’s still space to create something new and to make plans to better ourselves, even in smaller, more lockdown-friendly ways. Personal growth and introspection has become a theme, and with these reads, you’ll be able to carry that forward (and leave the rest of the year behind), and make 2021 an incredible year—no matter what that ends up looking like!
Photo by Ruvim Miksanskiy from Pexels
It’s time for the longest night of the year in a year that has felt like a long cold night in and of itself. So what to do in the dark? Traditionally, solstice celebrations are common in any culture where the weather gets cold, and most have the same basic idea: get warm, get inside (ideally with a nice fire, good food, and some excellent booze), and keep your inner light burning until the sun comes up.
Some pagan traditions keep a candle or fire light through the night, with celebrants awake to watch over it, carrying the light through the long night, and there are ways to capture the spirit of this old tradition (without the fire hazard). Instead, set up some soft lighting, and as the sun goes down at 4pm, snuggle up with a good book. What better way to spend a long night than sitting up till sunrise with a page-turner?
After fifteen years, Supernatural has finally come to an end. Sam and Dean Winchester, having beaten death, the Devil, demons, angels, and monsters of all shapes and sizes, are now taking on God himself, and no one knows how these Wayward Sons will carry on. All any fan knows is that this is the end of the road for the show.
And with a show that has been on the air for a decade and a half, this ending is going to leave a serious void in most fans’ lives. Where are the lovers of monster-hunting and emotional turmoil going to go next? Thankfully, we’ve got the books to help wean everyone off the Winchesters, and bring them back to the (mercifully monster-free) real world.
November has arrived, and with it, National Novel Writing Month! The annual event challenges writers, new and experienced, to write an entire novel in just thirty days. And yes, they mean the whole thing! NaNoWriMo has become a global phenomenon, providing not just motivation to write (which, let’s face it, every writer needs from time to time), but communities to discuss writing, meetups, and fun online tools to track progress.
It’s not the only themed month that challenges creative people, either. Inktober (October) sees artists around the world creating daily drawings based on shared prompts, WikiWriMo (February) is all about editing and updating a Wikipedia page a day, and dozens of spin-off challenges exist for writing blogs, haikus, fridge poems, genres of novels, and more. But what about new monthly challenges that aren’t about art or writing? We’ve got some great ideas to try this month, if writing a whole book seems just a little…daunting.
