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Colleen McCracken

Fantasy & Sci-fi Author

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Analysis Writing Tips

A sci-fi author’s guide to Sanderson’s Laws

colleenmccrackenJuly 8, 2024June 10, 2024

If you’re an author of any kind of speculative fiction, you’ve probably heard of Sanderson’s Laws of Magic. These are

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Reviews Writing Tips

5 Awesome Ambient Music Recommendations For Writers

colleenmccrackenDecember 11, 2023December 11, 2023

Music is a huge part of my writing process. As the daughter of two professional musicians, I grew up in

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Writing Tips

4 more tips for writing realistic sci-fi technology

colleenmccrackenMarch 19, 2023October 11, 2023

Many moons ago, I did a post on ways to make your sci-fi technology more realistic. My day job is

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Writing Tips

Do you really need to Google that? A beginner’s guide to novel research

colleenmccrackenDecember 21, 2022December 21, 2022

Research is one of my favorite parts of the writing process, but I’ll be the first to admit I tend

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Poster Girl by Veronica Roth, on windowsill with plant strategically positioned to cover up the absurd number of sticky notes I put in this book.
Reviews

Book Review: Poster Girl by Veronica Roth

colleenmccrackenDecember 7, 2022December 7, 2022

“I can’t apologize to you. I came to tell you the truth. That’s all.” -Sonya Kantor, Poster Girl Poster Girl

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Analysis Reviews

Stranger Things Season 4 has some important lessons for writers

colleenmccrackenJuly 22, 2022

Believe it or not, I planned to publish this the same weekend Part 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 released,

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Writing Tips

So, you want to retell a fairy tale

colleenmccrackenJune 20, 2022June 29, 2022

Once upon a time, I got bit by a story bug and spent the entire weekend doing barrels and barrels

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Reviews

Stranger Things Season 4 Part 1: a (mostly) spoiler-free review

colleenmccrackenMay 30, 2022September 2, 2024

If I call this review spoiler-free, does that mean I have to not say anything to do with Hopper? Or

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Writing Tips

How to ace Lovecraftian horror and creep everyone out

colleenmccrackenMay 27, 2022May 27, 2022

HAPPY STRANGER THINGS DAY!!! In honor of the long-awaited arrival of season 4 of one of my favorite shows of

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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

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About Me

Hi, I'm Helen! I write fantasy and sci-fi under the pen name Colleen McCracken. I'm a bookworm and literary analysis junkie from the Pacific Northwest heading down the road toward publication, and sharing advice, analysis, and updates along the way. My debut fantasy novel, Hunter of Seals, comes out October 28th, 2025!

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Recent Posts

  • Hunter of Seals is AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!
  • Big HUNTER OF SEALS Update: Cover reveal, release date, & ARC signups are live!
  • So you need to pick an editor… now what?
  • So you got some feedback… now what?
  • The magic and terror of sharing your writing

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