To Save the Shire

WARNING: This post contains excessive Lord of the Rings content guaranteed to make your day better. 😉 If you’re like me, looking at the state of our world right now can be pretty overwhelming. And, unfortunately, it’s easy to become jaded and callous as a result. I don’t ever want to stop finding wonder and

RIGHT HERE.

I wrote this short story for a contest recently, but ended up not being able to submit it. So instead, I’m letting you all read it! Remember: the Caption Contest is still open for entries. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I laid the paper face down on

How to Write Characters With Trauma

There is nothing I like more as a reader than finding a book that does a good job of portraying mental illness in fictional characters (looking at you, Blade of Secrets), but if you haven’t actually experienced the trauma or mental health challenge you’re writing about, it can be hard to do. To help yourself

I Want to do NaNoWriMo This Year . . . I Think.

It’s that time of year again. Harvesting corn, canning tomatoes, making applesauce (from the early apples) . . . In between training a new puppy, learning a new language, managing a blog . . . oh, and writing. I mean, I am a writer. In all seriousness, Fate of a Prince’s first draft is finished,

5 Things You NEED Before Publishing Your Book

Super excited to share this with you guys today, because these are five crucial points I learned from publishing my first book. Let’s get right into them. Each point is in chronological order. A GOOD EDITORYou probably already know this, but it always bears repeating: you cannot skimp on editing. But finding an editor is

The Jolly Genre Jubilee Tag

I stole this tag from Chelsea because it looked so fun. So without further ado . . . What is your favorite genre of fiction to write?Fantasy. (Just get used to me saying fantasy a lot.) It’s my all-time favorite genre. What genre would you NEVER get caught writing? . . .EVER.Horror. Like, if you

4 Tips on How to Improve Your Story’s Beginning (GUEST POST)

I’m so happy to welcome Lily Keith to the blog today with this great guest post. Make sure to check out her blog at the end.    One day, I started editing the first draft of my WIP.  Something didn’t feel right, but I wasn’t sure why.  So my alpha reader read the first several chapters. 

A Beautiful Discovery . . .

One morning, I woke up early, around 5:15, and I didn’t want to fall back asleep for fear I would oversleep. So, after lying there for a while, debating what would keep me awake for the next forty-five minutes, I got up and started writing. And I have done the same every morning since then.

Your Cover SELLS Your Book (How to make it work)

It’s no secret in the literary world that a bad cover will turn a massive amount of your potential audience away. A good cover, on the other hand, one that can dazzle or amaze readers, will make it so they just HAVE to click on it . . . or, better yet, buy it. But

Editing Services Available NOW!

It’s been a long time coming, but I’m so excited to announce that I will be beginning to offer editing services at the end of THIS month. In the meantime, applications are open. Bear in mind, if you apply now, editing of your book will not beginning until the end of May. Take a look