A License to Quill

Writer ~ Reviewer ~ Editor ~ Foodie ~ Earthmomma ~ Crazy Cat Lady

  • About
    • About Lori
    • Contact Lori
    • Privacy Policy
  • Book Reviews
    • Request A Review
  • Editing Services
    • The Little Red Pen
    • Services and Rates
    • Second Life Editing
    • About My Logo
  • CowTown Cooking
  • HodgePodge
    • Living Simply
    • Seattle Stories
    • The Aether Salon Archives
    • Aether Chrononauts Calendar
    • Edmund Dulac Portal Index
  • This Writer’s Life
    • About My Books
    • Writer’s Resources
    • Why Should I Pre-Order A Book?
    • Fun Lorem Ipsum Generators
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Lori
    • Contact Lori
    • Privacy Policy
  • Book Reviews
    • Request A Review
  • Editing Services
    • The Little Red Pen
    • Services and Rates
    • Second Life Editing
    • About My Logo
  • CowTown Cooking
  • HodgePodge
    • Living Simply
    • Seattle Stories
    • The Aether Salon Archives
    • Aether Chrononauts Calendar
    • Edmund Dulac Portal Index
  • This Writer’s Life
    • About My Books
    • Writer’s Resources
    • Why Should I Pre-Order A Book?
    • Fun Lorem Ipsum Generators
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Lori
    • Contact Lori
    • Privacy Policy
  • Book Reviews
    • Request A Review
  • Editing Services
    • The Little Red Pen
    • Services and Rates
    • Second Life Editing
    • About My Logo
  • CowTown Cooking
  • HodgePodge
    • Living Simply
    • Seattle Stories
    • The Aether Salon Archives
    • Aether Chrononauts Calendar
    • Edmund Dulac Portal Index
  • This Writer’s Life
    • About My Books
    • Writer’s Resources
    • Why Should I Pre-Order A Book?
    • Fun Lorem Ipsum Generators
  • Blog
  • Contests and Giveaways,  This Writer's Life

    Break A Spell Contest

    Lori Alden Holuta / April 10, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Break a spell and share it for a collection of magical short stories and the chance to hear your story read by a voiceover artist!

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  • Book Reviews,  Magical Realm,  Short Stories

    Book Review: Spellbreakers

    Lori Alden Holuta / April 8, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Author August Niehaus launches her new series, "The Library Attic Collection Presents" with Spellbreakers, a collection of a half-dozen stories. This collection reminded me a little of a Tardis, as it's much bigger…

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  • Action and Adventure,  Book Reviews,  Coming of Age,  Dystopian,  Historical Fiction,  Realist Fiction,  Suspense and Thriller

    Book Review: Strawberry Fields

    Lori Alden Holuta / March 22, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Strawberry Fields by Patrick D. Joyce My rating: 5 of 5 stars In 1968, I was a bookwormish fourteen-year-old whose biggest worry was finishing my math homework. In those insular, pre-internet times in…

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  • Book Reviews,  Fantasy,  Humor,  Literary Fiction,  Magical Realm,  Romance,  Womens Literature

    Book Review: The Husbands

    Lori Alden Holuta / March 19, 2024 / 0 Comments

    I'm a sucker for a good book blurb. I know how hard it can be to write one that's short while also compelling. "Do you take this man? No? What about this one?"…

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  • Second Life

    Just a Ceejay Girl, in a Barbie World

    Lori Alden Holuta / March 14, 2024 / 2 Comments

    Today my Second Life avatar, Ceejay Writer, took a vacation from the Real World and visited Barbie Land.

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  • Action and Adventure,  Book Reviews,  Humor,  Science Fiction

    Book Review: Starter Villain

    Lori Alden Holuta / March 13, 2024 / 0 Comments

    I dove straight into Starter Villain just after closing the third book in John Scalzi's "The Dispatcher" series. It wasn't too much of a jolt, as the author's voice is so strong in…

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  • This Writer's Life

    Igniting Your Creative Spark: Strategies to Flourish and Unleash Your Full Potential

    Lori Alden Holuta / March 9, 2024 / 0 Comments

    In a world where creativity is the currency of innovation and personal fulfillment, finding ways to boost your creative energy is more crucial than ever.

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  • Action and Adventure,  Book Reviews,  Humor,  Magical Realm,  Speculative Fiction

    Book Review: Travel by Bullet (The Dispatcher #3)

    Lori Alden Holuta / March 9, 2024 / 0 Comments

    While Scalzi always does a great job of coming up with something really unusual for his characters to grapple with, he really outdid himself this time.

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  • This Writer's Life

    The Making of a Cover: Behind The Magic of The Hencha Queen

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 22, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Ever wonder what goes into the making of a book cover? J. Scott Coatsworth, author of the Tharassas Cycle, lets us in on the evolution of the amazing cover for The Hencha Queen,…

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  • Book Reviews,  Dystopian,  LGBTQ+,  Short Stories,  Speculative Fiction

    Book Review: Playing With a Full Deck

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 21, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Playing With a Full Deck: Stories of Hope in Hard Times: An Aces High, Jokers Wild Collection by O. E. Tearmann My rating: 5 of 5 stars Now and then, loyal readers of…

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  • Book Reviews,  Non-Fiction,  This Writer's Life,  Writing

    Book Review: Suck a Little Happy Juice

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 19, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Whether you're a fledgling author or a seasoned one, this book is for you. Even if you've 'gone traditional', you'll get a lot out of this book of advice, written by an author…

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  • Book Reviews,  Detective and Mystery,  Fantasy,  Science Fiction

    Book Review: The Dispatcher #2, Murder by Other Means

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 18, 2024 / 0 Comments

    I love how Scalzi created a concept and then explores all its possibilities. I was darkly amused by the entertainment possibilities of experiencing death just for the thrill of it.

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  • Book Reviews,  Cozy,  Fantasy

    Book Review: Legends & Lattes

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 14, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Our protagonist, Viv, is an orc who’s grown weary of the fighting life, so she retires to the city of Thune to build a coffee shop. Amusingly, no one in Thune even knows…

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  • Book Reviews,  Detective and Mystery,  Fantasy,  Science Fiction

    Book Review: The Dispatcher

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 14, 2024 / 0 Comments

    A big concept in a small story. That ratio is perfect, since we the readers are expected to not only accept an absurd phenomenon, but embrace it. We're not alone though, as the…

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  • Book Reviews,  Poetry

    Book Review: Fueling the Appetite: Poetically Speaking

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 8, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Poetry carries connotations of romance and seduction, and what can be more romantic than indulging a chocoholic with poetry about chocolate… while enjoying chocolate?

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  • CocoaJava,  Living Simply

    Things To Do With Your Old Coffee Grounds

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 1, 2024 / 0 Comments

    If you love coffee, most likely you are generating used coffee grounds, and lots of them. Are you tossing them in the trash? Don't! There's plenty of uses for them!

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  • CocoaJava,  Recipe Box

    Coffee-Flavored Tiramisu

    Lori Alden Holuta / February 1, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Even people who thought they ate enough tiramisu in the '80s to last them a lifetime love this dessert. It's light, sophisticated, and not too sweet.

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  • Book Reviews,  Realist Fiction

    Book Review: Alpha Bette

    Lori Alden Holuta / January 19, 2024 / 0 Comments

    What a strange book. Enjoyable, but odd. With each new chapter, we change the point of view, rotating through what's happening with eight characters, all just trying to get though the day.

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  • This Writer's Life

    Navigating the World of Freelance Writing: A Guide to Success

    Lori Alden Holuta / January 17, 2024 / 0 Comments

    The realm of freelance writing is a vibrant landscape offering boundless opportunities for those with a flair for words.

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  • Book Reviews,  Realist Fiction

    Book Review: The Old Place

    Lori Alden Holuta / January 10, 2024 / 0 Comments

    With a lot of trimming, this could make a fine novella. But it's just too much of an unfocused wander for a long read in a large book.

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  • Book Reviews,  Cozy,  Humor,  Romance,  Short Stories

    Book Review: Love, Factually

    Lori Alden Holuta / January 6, 2024 / 0 Comments

    Did I expect the author of The Brothers Jetstream and Afro Puffs Are the Antennae of the Universe to take on the Hallmark Romcom Movie genre this holiday season? No, I did not.…

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  • CocoaJava

    Coffee Spoken Here

    Lori Alden Holuta / January 2, 2024 / 0 Comments

    How to say "Coffee" in many languages.

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  • CocoaJava,  Recipe Box

    Chocolate Crackles

    Lori Alden Holuta / January 2, 2024 / 0 Comments

    The first known mention of this recipe was in Australian Women’s Weekly in 1937.  

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  • CocoaJava,  Recipe Box

    Making Chocolate Spoons

    Lori Alden Holuta / January 2, 2024 / 0 Comments

    A simple plastic spoon coated in chocolate is a nice added touch with a gift of coffee beans. You'll soon think of other gifts that would be enhanced by these sweet utensils. 

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  • Book Reviews,  Realist Fiction

    Book Review: Him

    Lori Alden Holuta / December 21, 2023 / 0 Comments

    When author Brian Gotta first offered me a copy of Him, I wasn't sure if the book was for me. The synopsis sounded sweet; the story of a dog's predicament, told by the…

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  • Life In A Small Cowtown,  Living Simply

    I Can Almost See the New Year From Here

    Lori Alden Holuta / December 19, 2023 / 0 Comments

    I'm starting to feel my annual New Year's Refresh/Restart kicking in!

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  • Book Reviews,  Cookbooks,  DIY,  Non-Fiction

    Book Review: The Lavender Companion

    Lori Alden Holuta / December 18, 2023 / 2 Comments

    Often a book that tries to be a cookbook and also incorporate advice and information beyond recipes only succeeds in padding out the page count, but not really delivering solid, usable information. That's…

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  • Book Reviews,  Cozy,  Detective and Mystery,  Humor

    Book Review: Riddles and Riches

    Lori Alden Holuta / December 18, 2023 / 0 Comments

    This is book two in the Vegas Chantly Mystery series. I didn't deliberately skip the first book, but my love of puzzle solving pulled me directly into this one first. The blurb tempted…

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  • Book Reviews,  Cookbooks

    Book Review: Fireside Warmers

    Lori Alden Holuta / December 17, 2023 / 0 Comments

    A cookbook for people who enjoy the outdoors and love life! There's plenty of camping cookbooks out there, but this one should quickly rise to the top of the heap.

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  • Book Reviews,  Cookbooks,  Cozy,  Detective and Mystery

    Book Review: Lucy Burdette’s Kitchen

    Lori Alden Holuta / December 17, 2023 / 0 Comments

    I enjoy reading and using cookbooks based on favorite movies, TV shows, and books. It's a fun and practical way to expand my enjoyment of fictional worlds. Lucy Burdette's Kitchen does almost everything…

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