Welcome to Plotting and Panting!! We’re Helen, Dorothy and Nicole and we are excited to be here; grab your favorite drink, get comfy and let’s turn the page together!

Let's talk about back to school! Each of our books brings the heat as we return to school this fall! Rapid fire: Pick a song that matches your books vibes!

The books we discussed today and the author's website:

• Brickstone University - Brickstone University | Authordmpage
  • Song Pairing: Kiss Me by Dermot Kennedy
• Noctacadia - Nocticadia — Keri Lake Author
  • Song Pairing: Born to Die by Lana Del Ray
• The Ritual - The Ritual - Shantel Tessier
  • Song Pairing: Paradise by gonedark

Panting Scale

1. Barely Warm – You could read this to your grandma and not blush
2. A Little Breathless – Some flirty banter and a chaste kiss… maybe two if we’re feeling wild
3. Need a Sip of Water – The shirt’s off, the lights are dim, and your cheeks are warm
4. Heart Racing, Fan Required – Pages are sizzling and you’re reading with one eyebrow permanently raised
5. Full-On Gasping for Air – The book is basically illegal in at least three countries

Plotting Scale

1. The Chaos Gremlin - No outline in sight. The book feels like the author just shook a bag of tropes and dumped them onto the page. Fun? Absolutely! Structured? Not even a little bit
2. The Wandering Map - There is a plan… somewhere. The story takes detours, loses the GPS signal, and you might be asking, “Wait, where are we going again?”
3. The Color-Coded Calendar - Some structure, some vibes. You can tell the author had a plan but also went off-script when the characters demanded a spontaneous road trip.
4. The Spreadsheet of Destiny - Everything is neat, organized and right on cue. You can practically see the beat sheet taped above the author’s desk.
5. The Puppet Master - Immaculate plotting. Every detail snaps into place, every breadcrumb leads somewhere and by the end you’re applauding the master plan.