Wow, friends, what a month it's been. I take that back--what a year it's been so far! Now that I'm home from my adventure to New York City for the Romance Writers of America® national conference, I figured it's time to share some of the excitement with you. This conference was both my first RWA … Continue reading RWA 2019: A Michigander in Times Square
General Writing
How I Signed with My Literary Agent
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks around here! Come to think of it, it’s been a crazy year so far. First the book deal, and then the Golden Heart® final, and now I'm thrilled to share that I’ve signed with a fantastic literary agent. Way back when I was still querying (you know, like … Continue reading How I Signed with My Literary Agent
A Story’s Story
Hello, friends! Has spring arrived in your neck of the woods yet? We've hit daytime highs in the 60s finally, and my tulips have dared to show their pretty heads. While this fine weather does beckon me outside, I'm still hard at work on new manuscripts. Can't live off the glory of one (almost) published … Continue reading A Story’s Story
Rekindling Your Passion for Writing: Part Two
Hi friends! In my last post, we talked about how sometimes, as creatives, our passion for our work can mysteriously evaporate. But when we dig deeper, we can usually find a reason for our sudden lack of enthusiasm. Losing your passion for writing is only a symptom of a problem, and if you can figure … Continue reading Rekindling Your Passion for Writing: Part Two
Rekindling Your Passion for Writing: Part One
Blessed quiet fills the house, broken only by the soft whisper of flames in the gas fireplace and the hiss of the tea kettle in the kitchen. I pull out my laptop, ready for the smooth feel and steady clicking of the keys beneath my fingers. It's 9 PM at my house, and my kids … Continue reading Rekindling Your Passion for Writing: Part One
Create Your Own Newsletter with Mailchimp: The Basics
Well, friends, I'm pleased to report that instead of putting it off for most of 2019, I decided to tackle one of this year's toughest goals head-on: creating my author newsletter. Most people in the publishing world will tell you there are couple of things you have to have in today's digital age if you … Continue reading Create Your Own Newsletter with Mailchimp: The Basics
Diving Deep Into Third Person Point of View
Have you gotten feedback from readers, agents, or editors telling you they can't connect with your story? Or that you're doing too much telling instead of showing? Or maybe they can't tell what your characters want? While a variety of problems can lead to this sort of feedback, one thing definitely will--using distant third person … Continue reading Diving Deep Into Third Person Point of View
What I Learned From My First NaNoWriMo
Hear that whooshing sound? Kind of like an Amtrak train speeding through the countryside? That was the month of November hurtling past in a blaze of turkey and pumpkin pie-filled glory. November was also a month full of words--a little over 50,000, to be more precise--because wonder of wonders, I not only survived my first … Continue reading What I Learned From My First NaNoWriMo
To NaNo or Not to NaNo? That Is the Question.
If you've been in the writing world longer than a millisecond, you've probably heard of NaNoWriMo. For those of you who are readers and not writers, it's short for National Novel Writing Month. Essentially the goal is to write a short novel (50,000 words) in the month of November. That breaks down to writing about … Continue reading To NaNo or Not to NaNo? That Is the Question.
Interview on My Writing Process (plus a special announcement…)
Hi friends! I'm throwing in a short extra post this month, because I've had the honor of being interviewed by writer Arthur Macabe for his series Interviews from the Void. My interview, Episode #32, just went live this week on his blog. Arthur asks some wonderful, thought-provoking questions about my writing process and pulls together … Continue reading Interview on My Writing Process (plus a special announcement…)
