Shepherd is a new platform for readers to find books. In their words, the site “is like wandering around your favorite bookstore but reimagined for the online world. We make book browsing fun and all the recommendations are made by authors, experts, and creators.” I have a list of five of the best books featuring neurodivergent characters posted on the site. You can see it here:

https://shepherd.com/best-books/neurodivergent-characters

Adult Book Recommendation

My Lady Jane by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton and Cynthia Hand

A funny, irreverent take on the history of Lady Jane Grey, who ruled England for eight days after the death of Edward VI. I listened to this on audio and laughed out loud multiple times. Narrator Katherine Kellgren amplifies the sarcasm and hilarity of the story. This book has magical realism, social commentary, historical fiction and plain old fun.

Children's Book Recommendation

Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan

This 12-book fantasy adventure series is set in an alternate world similar to medieval England. Young Will is apprenticed to Halt, a grumpy Ranger. The Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom and Will begins his training in tracking, archery and surveillance. The plots of each book are fast-paced, full of tension and action-packed. There is also a lot of humour and banter between the characters. I’ve read the whole series twice and was sad to reach the end both times.

Behind the Scenes

Plotting vs. Pantsing

It is often said there are two kinds of writers--those who outline their stories before they write and those who write by the seat of their pants. I’ve tried both methods, but the more books I write, the more I like some kind of outline to keep me on track. I often free-write at the beginning of a project to get to know my characters, but once I have a vague idea of what the story is about I outline the major signposts of the story (what does the character want? what stands in his or her way? how will he/she solve the problem?). For a longer project I create a list of scenes or write a one-line description of each scene on a cue card. That way, when it comes time to do the actual writing I can look at my list, choose a scene, and dig right in.