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A Yearly Writing Schedule I Just Might Follow
In November of 2022, something magical happened. I “won” National Novel Writing Month by writing 50,010 words during November’s thirty days. And I’ve been chasing that high ever since. Apparently, I love the feeling of getting something done on a tight deadline. With 4thewords giving me daily deadlines in my writing life, I knew I could be unstoppable if I could pick a direction and stick with it. It turns out I also love numbers. (I know! I’m just as surprised as you are!) 4thewords gave me lots of delicious data to devour, so now I know how many words per month I’m likely to write when I’m not pushing…
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Why I Write Romance (Plus, Check Out This Bundle of 25+ Resources for Romance Writers!)
There is almost always a thread of romance running through anything I write. Now, in honor of my inclusion in The Romance Writer Super Stack, I’m letting you have a peek inside my brain as to why I write romance—and why I always will. My first-ever favorite book was a romance. I bought Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn at a Scholastic Book Fair in elementary school. The cover drew me, as did the premise when I turned over the back of the book to read the blurb. Two souls continually find each other through the ages—first as cavepeople, then again and again until they’re reunited in the modern day. I reread…
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Why Everything Looks Different Now
Our story begins with a single color. I can tell you exactly how that color came into my life, too: with this very website’s first color scheme, which was based off of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. I thought a mirabelle yellow would pop against the dark, classy red and muted gray-blue I’d also pulled from the painting. Plus, my birthstone is citrine, and if there’s one thing I love to do, it’s adding layers of meaning to make something more beautiful, the same way an oyster adds coat after coat to create a pearl. Now, I’m not one to half-ass anything. I commit, and I committed to my Scheherazade color palette, particularly…
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Read the First Chapter of IN ST. LOUIS WITH YOU
Do you remember In Charleston With You, from all the way back in April of 2021? In Chapter Six of that book, the heroine, Genevieve, mentions her childhood friend who moved to St. Louis before the book takes place. That friend’s name was Katherine, and I’m pleased to tell you her story is next. And boy, is it a story. Since the events of In Charleston With You, Katherine has been widowed. Her husband’s dying wish was for her to marry Lawrence Knightley, their best friend, for financial security, et cetera. Where it gets complicated? Lawrence is in love with her. It’s that aching, haunting kind of love you have for someone…
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Read the First Chapter of IN CHARLESTON WITH YOU
I’m pleased to announce I’ve successfully done what I secretly wanted to do for my past two books and never got around to doing—include the Victorian language of flowers! Yes, In Charleston With You—which will take place in part at the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition of 1901–1902—stars a British man with a ne’er-do-well brother, both of whom inherited a love of floriography from their late parents. Across the pond, a beautiful, spit-fire pen pal will challenge everything the brothers have planned for themselves. And now, without further ado, you can read the first chapter for yourself… Chapter One Jacob Jacob blew air into his gloved hands as…
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Come Along on My Pandemic-Safe “Writing Retreat” to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month—a challenge to write fifty thousand words within November’s thirty days—will be here in just over two weeks. I’ve participated “seriously” thrice in the past, and so I recall with perfect clarity how it completely flips my life upside down. And you know I do so love the chaos. One thing I’ve learned during my attempts is that I must be prepared if I’m going to succeed. I know this because I haven’t been as prepared as I could’ve been in previous years, and I’ve never won. That’s why I’ve taken at least one out of my two free days every week to organize a little writing…
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Read the First Chapter of IN BUFFALO WITH YOU
Happy Book Birthday to my novelette, In Buffalo With You, which is available now! This book gave me headaches and butterflies, anxiety and elation, but I’m so happy with how it turned out. I hope you will be, too! This book was more rich with history than the last—the Newsboy Strike of 1899, real-life soprano Nina Morgana, and a particularly memorable event from the Pan-American Exposition that shocked the nation. I learned so much! And, of course, the romance is sweet and meant-to-be. Just as I did with In Barcelona With You, I’m sharing my first chapter with you right here on my blog. Enjoy! Chapter One Tommy In Tommy’s…
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Read the First Chapter of THE PRICE OF MAGIC
I think every girl goes through a mermaid phase. Mine was a nice, healthy length, perpetuated by the pool we had while I was growing up, a lifelong love of fairy tales and mythology, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Now that I’m older, I do still have a special place in my heart for The Little Mermaid—both the Disney movie and, now, the original tale by Hans Christian Andersen. In particular, I’m drawn to the sea witch. So drawn, in fact, that I finally wrote the little origin story that’d been swirling around in my mind since I was a child. It’s called The Price of Magic, and I’m thrilled…
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How to Enhance Your Reading Experience with Soundscapes
The sister blog post, “How to Enhance Your Writing Experience with Soundscapes,” can be found on Writer’s Atelier. What does your perfect reading experience look like? Maybe you picture yourself curled up on the couch or reading in the great outdoors. Maybe you don’t care where you are as long as you have something warm to drink. Maybe you’ve always been able to read any time, any place, under any conditions. (Lucky!) But what if I told you there was a way to truly immerse yourself in the book you’re reading like you never have before? You can do just that with soundscapes. What are soundscapes? Whether you’ve heard the…
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8 Unique Ways Readers Can Fill Their Empty Notebooks
The sister blog post, “8 Unique Ways Writers Can Fill Their Empty Notebooks,” can be found on Writer’s Atelier. How many empty notebooks do you have around your house or apartment? It’s okay, I can wait while you count them. Is it five? Ten? More? We bookish types are notorious for our love of paper. We love the feel of paper between our fingers, tag images of massive home libraries with #goals, and even try to capture the smell of old books in candles and soap! It’s only natural that such a love would extend to notebooks, journals, and stationery as well. Since I’ve been spending so much time at…
