Skip to content

Colleen McCracken

Fantasy & Sci-fi Author

  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Blog
    • Writing Tips
    • Reviews
    • Analysis
    • My Books

Writing Tips

An engineer’s guide to writing realistic sci-fi

colleenmccrackenApril 21, 2022April 21, 2022

Let me say one thing very loudly and very clearly right now: sci-fi does not have to be scientifically accurate

Read More
Reviews Writing Tips

Books every writer should have on their shelf

colleenmccrackenApril 17, 2022April 17, 2022

I have a problem, and my problem is reference books. I would say I collect them, but that’s not quite

Read More
Writing Tips

Freewriting: the best writing exercise I know

colleenmccrackenApril 14, 2022April 14, 2022

The first college class I ever sat down in was English 101. I’d already been writing as a hobby for

Read More
Reviews

Book Review: Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

colleenmccrackenApril 10, 2022April 10, 2022

Psst. Hey, kid. Ya like ghosts? Ya like space? Ya like ghosts in space? Well, do I have the nightmare

Read More
Writing Tips

How to write a little horror into any genre

colleenmccrackenApril 7, 2022April 7, 2022

There’s something really cool about writing horror that makes it incredibly fun to play with, and that is its ability

Read More
Writing Tips

How to survive Camp Nanowrimo and have fun doing it

colleenmccrackenApril 3, 2022May 18, 2025

Happy April, everyone! The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, allergy season is beginning to reassert its dominance over

Read More
Writing Tips

Plotting vs. pantsing, and why you should do neither

colleenmccrackenMarch 31, 2022May 18, 2025

Author’s note: This post was originally written prior to the November, 2023 child grooming scandal and subsequent slow death of

Read More
Writing Tips

How to write with multiple POVs without annoying anyone

colleenmccrackenMarch 27, 2022March 31, 2022

Matthew: “The thing is, how do I do it without putting people’s noses out of joint?”Violet: “Oh, my dear. Oh,

Read More
Writing Tips

How to get the most out of your romance subplot

colleenmccrackenMarch 25, 2022March 31, 2022

Romance is one of the highest-grossing genres of all time, consistently pulling in literal billions of dollars in book sales

Read More
Writing Tips

How to fix your plot structure

colleenmccrackenMarch 20, 2022March 31, 2022

I have a confession to make: plot structure scares the crap out of me. Of all the problems and pitfalls

Read More

Posts pagination

Previous 1 … 6 7 8 Next

About Me

Hi, I'm Helen! I write fantasy and sci-fi under the pen name Colleen McCracken. I'm an indie author, bookworm, and literary analysis junkie from the Pacific Northwest, and sharing advice, analysis, and updates from the world of self publishing. My debut fantasy novel, Hunter of Seals, is out now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and the sequel, Lady of Pelts comes out August 18th!

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Goodreads

Recent Posts

  • Calling all seal-loving ARC readers!
  • Announcing Hunter of Seals Book 2: LADY OF PELTS!
  • Hunter of Seals is OUT NOW!!!!!!!
  • You don’t know The Life of a Showgirl | A Swiftie literary analysis
  • Hunter of Seals is AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!

Archives

  • April 2026
  • October 2025
  • August 2025
  • July 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • July 2023
  • May 2023
  • March 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
All Rights Reserved 2025.
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Arther by Candid Themes.