top of page
What the heck is in my reference library?

 

Like any author, I love buying books. I'm honestly just looking for an excuse. And because a writer's Google searches can sometimes flag the interests of certain investigative authorities - i.e., "Honestly, the searches on poison were work-related!" - it's good to have a healthy reference library in your writing office. 

Sometimes, readers ask what I use for reference materials, so I thought I would share some of the titles in my big office bookshelf. 

By category and in no particular order, with order links:

 

ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS

(Seriously, I use these nearly every time I start a new story.)

 

Screenwriting Tricks for Authors and Screenwriters by Alexandra Sokoloff

 

The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Carolyn LeFever and Sue Viders

 

And as I write the Mystic Bayou series, the two following books have been absolutely invaluable:

 

Monsters You Should Know by Emma Sancartier

 

The Mythical Creatures Bible by Brenda Rosen

WRITING CRAFT

Before anyone thinks I’m all fancy and cerebral, a good number of these were textbooks for my master’s of fine arts program. 

 

The Writers Workshop by Alan Zeigler

 

Released into Language by Wendy Bishop

 

Writers Guide to Character Traits by Linda Edelstein

 

The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Peglisi

The Positive Traits Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Peglisi

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Peglisi

 

20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald Tobias

 

How to Write a Selling Screenplay by Christopher Keane

 

Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter

 

Writers Workshop of Horror by Michael Knost

 

Adventures in Screen Trade by William Goldman

 

The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer

 

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King

The Cambridge Companion to Popular Fiction by David Glover and Scott McCracken

The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman

Teaching Young Adult Literature: Developing Students as World Citizens

 

Young Adult Fiction: From Romance to Realism by Michael Cart

The Critical Merits of Young Adult Fiction, Edited by Crag Hill

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

SUPERNATURAL STUFF

 

10,000 Ghost Stories by Lisa K. Webster and Jason Hook

 

Black Cats and Evil Eyes by Chloe Rhodes

 

A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other 

Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack and Dinah Mack

 

Wicca: A Guide for The Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

 

To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Silver RavenWolf

 

The Complete Book of Spells, Curses and Magical Recipes by Leonard R.N. Ashley

 

Giants, Monsters and Legends by Carol Rose

 

The Penguin Book of Witches by Katherine Howe

 

Don’t Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth Davis

 

Wisconsin's Most Haunted by Craig Nehring

 

Haunted Michigan by Gerald S. Hunter

Michigan Haunts by John Milan, Gail Offen and Rev. Gerald S. Hunter

Michigan's Haunted Lighthouses by Diana Higgs Stampfler

Haunted Hollywood by Ogden

World's Scariest Places by Centennial Writers

Haunts of Mackinac by Todd Clement

 

HISTORY

 

How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History by Eric Durschmied

 

History’s Greatest Decisions by Bill Price

 

History’s Greatest Blunders by Ian Whitelaw

 

History’s Greatest Deceptions by Eric Chaline

 

The Forgotten History of America by Cormac O’Brien

 

Mackinac Island: Three Hundred Fifty Years of History by Robert Benjamin

RANDOM STUFF

 

Young Witches and Warlocks by Isaac Asimov and Others

Edgar Cayce on ESP

 

Forbidden Knowledge: 101 Things NOT Everyone Should Know How to Do by Michael Powell

 

Forbidden Knowledge Sex: 101 Sensual Acts NOT Everyone Should Know How to Do by Claire Bailey

101 Ways to Kill a Zombie by Rob Pearlman

 

How to Survive a Sharknado by Andrew Shaffer

 

Gypsy Law: Romani Tradition and Culture by Walter Weyrauch

 

The Private Investigator’s Handbook: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Protect Yourself, Get Justice or Get Even by Chuck Chambers

 

World Mythology in Bite Sized Chunks by Mark Daniels

 

Old Wives Lore by Polly Bloom

 

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by WB Yeats

 

Greek Legends and Stories by MV Seton-Williams

 

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

 

Myths and Legends by Jake Jackson

 

Myth and Legends by Phillip Wilkinson

 

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Mythology by Arthur Cotterell

 

The Nightmare Dictionary: Discover What Causes Your Nightmare and What Your Bad Dreams Mean by Adams Media

 

Legendary Ladies by Ann Shen

 

Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen

 

Sacred Crystals by Hazel Raven

The Illustrate History of Weaponry by Chuck Wills

 

Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar

 

 

(I swear I tried to spell every title and author name correctly, but if I made mistakes, please forgive me.)

open books
bottom of page