Half a Year Flown

What I’ve Been Reading, Writing, and Watching

Can you believe half of 2026 has gone by? That we’re already in the middle of summer? For me, the year so far has held challenges but oh so many sweet moments shared and memories made. It’s also held quite a lot of stories…

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Stories Read

When 2026 began I had a list of twenty fantasy/fairy tale novels and ten non-fiction reads I was hoping to complete this year. (You can find the list at the bottom of this newsletter.) I always hold these book lists loosely—I’m a slow reader, a mood reader, and a mama of five. But I have finished three of the novels I originally picked!

• Daughter of the Sun by Amanda Auler

• The Star-Blessed by Angie Dickinson

• The Seller of Secrets by Sheri Yutzy

A few other speculative fiction works I’ve read include: Coral by Sara Ella, The Lily Gate by Hanna Sandvig, and The Edge of Sea Glass by Kayla E. Green. I’d Rather be Reading by Anne Bogel was a fun collection of bookish essays to revisit earlier this year, and I even surprised myself recently by listening to a couple of memoirs! However, my three mid-year favorites are:

• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

• These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I read the last two books aloud to my children (books with them make up most of my sit-down-and-read time lately), and the Christie mystery is a favorite I decided to try on audio. (Libby has been a lifesaver when it comes to squeezing in a little personal reading time!)

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Stories Watched

After listening to And Then There Were None (I still give it 5-stars), my husband and I spent time the following weekend watching the 2015 BBC adaptation. There were a handful of changes to the story I didn’t care for (ahem, Philip and Vera), but I really liked some of the actors that were cast, and the overall tension matched the book well.

A film I saw for the first time back in the spring (at the recommendation of my writer friends 💚) was This Beautiful Fantastic. It was lovely and definitely inspires creativity. In fact, I watched it a second time on my own recently and, when it ended, spent the next twenty minutes writing a new story. (More on that in Writing Updates.)

And I can’t forget to mention this old favorite: Holes. My husband and I quote this movie often, and it was delightful sitting beside our eldest son as he watched it for the first time earlier this summer. I think I had the most fun seeing the grins he’d give us when he heard another familiar line. (And of course, I love that he flew through the book later that week.)

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Stories Written

So far in 2026, I’ve published four stories, all with Havok. (If you’re a member, you can find and read them here.) I currently have three other flash fiction stories in different stages of the writing/publishing process:

• Remember that flash fiction piece I submitted weeks back that was inspired by the Russian folktales of “The Snow Maiden”? It was accepted by Havok! Final edits are complete, and it will be a Fantasy Friday story in September for the month’s “World Tour” theme. (See the mood board at the end of this newsletter.)

• “A Love Stronger Than Garlic” was submitted to Havok in June—thanks again to all who helped vote for the title in my last newsletter! I expect to receive a decision about this humorous vampire romance by early August. Since the story’s first line was written for a Havok contest a couple of years ago, it would be great fun to see the entire tale published on their website.

• In the middle of June, I was in a big writing slump—and honestly, just struggling with low-energy and brain fog in general. On one particularly tough evening, my husband sent me to chill in our room while he watched the kids. I finished the second half of This Beautiful Fantastic (I have to watch movies in parts these days), grabbed my laptop, and drafted a new flash fiction story. (Love when God does things like that.) The tale came from a very old idea and a much newer one suddenly melding together. And funny enough, when it was finished, I realized it held no fantasy elements at all! It’s my most recent Havok submission (I’ll let you guess the genre), and now we must wait and see.

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Story Winners

I have happy news to share about my recent dragon publications: The Sapphire Secret and Where Treasure Lives have both won spots in Havok’s Season 13 anthology (to be published next year)!

So honored to have these two tales chosen for anthology publication. As a writer, there’s nothing quite like seeing your words printed on paper. ❤️

What stories have you loved so far this year? Please reply or leave a comment and let me know! I’m always adding to my list of titles to read or watch. And if they’re fantasy, fairy tales, or contain some hint of magic, well, so much the better. 😉

Holly