As I mentioned in a previous post at the beginning of the year, I was planning to publish my fifth book in the fall. September, to be more specific. On my birthday, in fact. I thought that would be a nice present to myself. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. I won’t be publishing a book this year, which makes me sad. But plans change and when they do, you just have to go with the flow. So, what happened? Here’s the short version: I had a book I wanted to publish. I gave it to a critique partner and hired a developmental editor to go over it. I really liked this book. I liked the hero and the heroine, …

When Your Plans Shift Read More »

Being a writer isn’t easy. Being a creative in general isn’t easy. It’s one thing when you’re creating stuff for your eyes only, but when you decide to put your sweat, blood, and tears out into the world, everything changes. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve always wanted to be published. Except for one time, close to ten years ago. I made the mistake of reading through a first draft I’d just finished. I thought this draft was complete and utter TRASH. I thought it was great. Amazing. The book I would put out into the world. And then I started reading it and discovered a huge plot hole in the second chapter. I realized I’d have to …

All About the Time I Almost Quit Writing Read More »

Two years ago today, I published my first book, Follow Your Bliss. I’ve released three other books since then and I’m gearing up to publish my fifth in the fall of this year. I’m so glad I decided to publish Follow Your Bliss on Valentine’s Day. I chose that day so I would never forget it and because I thought it was fitting for a romance book to come on what many consider to be the most romantic day of the year. A lot’s happened since, some good and some bad. But that’s life, isn’t it? We have to take the ups with the downs. I apologize for not having much to say in this post, but I don’t want …

Two Year Publishing Anniversary Read More »

In December of 2023, I wrote a post looking back at all the books I edited and wrote during the course of the year. I’d like to continue that series and take a close look at my 2024 accomplishments. Books published in 2024: 1 Books written in 2024: 5 Books edited in 2024: 10 In 2023, I published 3 books, wrote 11 books, and edited 15 books. If you compare the numbers, I did a whole lot less this year. But that’s okay. I realized at the end of the last year that I set the bar super high in terms of productivity and knew I didn’t want to keep pushing myself to write 12 books the next year, then …

What I Wrote and Edited in 2024 Read More »

This post is for those readers out there who are curious about the process of self-publishing, and more specifically, about what happens when you get a developmental edit. First, let’s define a developmental edit. This is typically what authors have done after beta readers and critique partners have gone through their manuscript. A developmental editor takes a close look at the story and gives notes about the characters, their motivations, their journey and how they change, the romance, and the important moments in the novel (like the meet cute, the midpoint crisis, etc.) A DE is so important for an author to do. In fact, when I was researching all the different types of editing I needed for my books …

What Happens During a Developmental Edit Read More »

At this point in the writing/publishing game, I am not new. I released three books last year and (if all goes well), I’m planning to release another one this year. I’ve learned quite a lot since I decided to dive into the self-pub world, and I thought I’d share some of what I learned today. Research, Research, Research I’ll start with the most obvious tip first: research self-publishing! There are so many different websites out there that can and want to help anyone and everyone get their work out into the world. Some of them are good, some of them are meh, and some are just plain bad. The only way to figure out which is which is by doing …

Tips for New Indie Authors Read More »

June was a rough month for me. I unexpectedly lost my beloved dog, an event which sent me reeling and made it hard for me to feel creative or inspired to create. But I’ve slowly gotten my mojo back this month, and three things have really helped with that, so I wanted to share them with you. In no particular order, I present to you what’s inspiring my creativity in July 2024! Bridgerton, Season 3 This is a bit of a cheat because season 3 of Bridgerton came out in May and June, but I’m putting it on this list because I love the third season so much. The story of Colin and Penelope falling for each other is sooo …

What’s Inspiring My Creativity in July 2024 Read More »