Earlier this year, I weighed all my commitments and realized that I needed to let some things go. Unfortunately, Pub(lishing) Crawl made that list, and while I am sad about it, I’ve been posting (almost) monthly for six years. My departure will make a space for someone new, with fresh thoughts and enthusiasm. And I won’t really be gone; you’ll still be able to find me on my social media, website, and newsletter. With my […]
Archive | Inspiration
Happy Birthday, KINGDOM OF THE BLAZING PHOENIX!
I can’t believe I’m writing this post! It feels surreal to say: “Yesterday, my second book was released into the world” when I am still reeling from the fact that I had one published at all last year. That’s one of the strangest things about the road to getting published. You can try and fail, try and fail, and try and fail for the better part of a decade, churning out words that you begin to […]
Taking Advantage of Our Unpublished Work
Industry Life, Inspiration, Tips From Industry Pros, Writers Toolbox
Gather around the fire. Let’s tell a ghost story. I have a middle grade novel that releases next year. The series follows characters that train for their potential stories by attending Protagonist Preparatory. In the book, my main character stumbles upon the Sepulcher. But instead of hosting dead people, the school’s catacombs are full of dead books. All those books you started but never finished in high school? First chapters that never quite took off? […]
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Inspiration, Miscellaneous, Writing Life
October really is the perfect time for Halloween. As the days grow shorter, the sun sets earlier, and the leaves start to crackle, the idea of staying in with a bucket of popcorn and a scary book or movie grows more appealing. At least, it does to me! I’ll admit I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to horror flicks, but there is something fascinating about the psychology of scaring yourself on purpose. […]
How To Fight Blocked Creativity
Inspiration, Writers Toolbox, Writing Life
A few months ago, I really struggled to find motivation for my current work-in-progress, the third book in my contract with Penguin. I was traveling to promote my first book, thinking of ways to market my second, and experiencing the remnants of Debut Stress left over from last year. So I had a hard time feeling excited about my story, and honestly, there were days when writing 100 words felt like pulling teeth! Every now […]