I’m always talking about the big issues in writing, I know (I’m being sarcastic, by the way). But when I was thinking about what I wanted to write about for this month’s blog post, I decided to tackle the debate about writing to music, which is a bit of a controversial topic among authors. Okay, it’s not controversial. That’s a little bit hyperbolic. But it is interesting to me because I feel like most writers are all or nothing: either they have to listen to music while writing to immerse themselves in the story or they have to have silence, because listening to music while writing is too distracting and stops the flow of their creativity. As for me? I …

Writing to Music: Yes or No? Read More »

Exactly one year ago today, my first book, Follow Your Bliss, was released into the world. I felt excited and nauseous all day that characters I’d created and words I’d written could now by read by everyone. Friends, family, former co-workers, complete strangers. For a long time, I wanted to be traditionally published. For a long time, I didn’t even consider self-publishing. But then things began to change. A lot more writers started taking the bull by the horns instead of waiting for an agent, then an editor at a publishing house to decide they were worthy of being published. I finally thought, why not me? Why not self-publish, where I can have total control of every aspect of my …

One Year of Being a Published Author Read More »

2023 has been an amazing year for me. Not only did I self-publish my first book, but I then went on to publish my second and third as well (I kind of had to, since it’s a three book series). In addition to dipping my toe into the self-publishing world, I also wrote my first ever long series. Up until this year, the longest series I ever wrote had four books in it. This year, I decided to write a longer one, and I wrote ten. Yes, ten. Was my brain mush by the time the words The End were written on the last book? You betcha. But it was thrilling to challenge myself and rise up to the challenge. …

A Look Back at 2023 Read More »

I have an Excel spread sheet filled with, and I’m not exaggerating here, close to seven hundred ideas for future novels. Yes, my novel ideas are in the triple digits. And while most of them are contemporary romance plots, some are not. So I thought I’d go over some of the books I’d like to write one day that don’t fall into the contemporary romance category. Holiday anthology I really want to write an anthology with three novellas set around Halloween, Thanksgiving, then Christmas. I’ve yet to write an holiday-themed book, so I think this would be really fun. New adult series I’ve read quite a few new adult romances over the years, and to be honest, none have captured …

Different Types of Novels I’d Like to Write One Day Read More »

In August, I went over how I write a first draft, so I thought it would be fun to go over my process for editing. In the past, when I wasn’t using any kind of outline, editing was a big drain. I’d start reading through my second draft and hate everything because nothing made much sense. Now that I do a lot more planning, I typically end up with four or five drafts before I’m ready to bring on the beta readers and get feedback on what’s working and what’s not. But first I have to write a first draft. After I type The End, I let the book sit for a while. And by ‘a while’, I mean up …

How I Edit Read More »

Just like a lot of other authors, I’m very interested in how other writers write. I’m constantly watching YouTube videos and reading blog posts about the process other writes go through when they’re working on a book. The great thing is that there’s no right or wrong way to draft. Everyone does it differently and all that matters is that you have a draft in the end. So I thought I’d go into detail about my process. Step One: Pick an Idea I have a spreadsheet filled with book ideas (over seven hundred of them, and no, I’m not exaggerating), so when I’m ready to write a new book, I open my spreadsheet, scroll through, and pick one that sounds …

How I Write a First Draft Read More »