Young Adult Indie Author
World-building is one of the most exciting parts of writing for me, but it’s also a process that evolves with each story I write. My first three books were all set in real places: New York City (and New Jersey), St. Louis, and Chicago. I’m comfortable using real settings because it allows me to draw…
When I sit down to write a new story, the first thing I think about is the characters. For me, they’re the heart of every story, and I like to build them up in layers, starting with a simple question and growing them into fully fleshed-out people. Starting with a Question Most of my stories…
Second-draft land is a weird place. After the whirlwind of writing a first draft, you might think the second draft would be easier. But, as I’ve learned, it’s anything but. In the first draft, you’re essentially telling yourself the story—letting your imagination run wild and figuring things out as you go. But in the second…
Every book starts with a single spark of inspiration. For me, it began with a simple question: What would happen if a girl was born into a famous flying family, but she was scared of heights? That idea lingered in my mind, and soon enough, Roz was born—the protagonist who would lead me on a…
Hello readers!! The following is a fun diary entry from Libby, a character featured in my latest YA novel, Etta and Gina, available now on Amazon’s kindle unlimited. If you like this, you can join my newsletter to receive the first four chapters of Etta and Gina for free here. Dear Diary, I can’t believe Mom is…
Starting a revision can feel very overwhelming. There are a lot of moving parts and things to think about. With any multi-step project, thinking things through and making decisions before you start can help alleviate some stress and help you start things on the right foot. Method The first decision would be figuring out exactly…
It’s one of the big themes in my latest novel, Etta and Gina, and one that I loved exploring as a writer, because it’s something I’ve thought about a lot with my life on this planet. Growing up, I had a small but mighty group of girls that were almost always together – either at…
Does your inner critic say really mean things to you? And has this stopped you from writing because you’re afraid that your inner critic is telling the truth? Who or what is the inner critic exactly? It’s that inner negative voice that tells you things like: You can’t, you shouldn’t, why bother, don’t, what…
As we finish up another round of National Novel Writing Month, I’m here to answer some of your most burning (and frequently asked) questions. I didn’t hit 50,000 words, now what? It’s okay, you didn’t hit NaNo’s goal, but guess what? You probably created a writing habit this month, you probably wrote more…
How’s your word count looking as we round into the final week of NaNoWriMo? Is it a little lower than you’d like? Here are five unexpected (and fun) ways to increase your word count to help you reach your 50,000 word goal. Tarot Cards Of course, this is my number 1 thing to grab…