Last month, I posted about how I had finished my longest draft ever, ending up at 90,983 words. Quite honestly, I had no idea how I had written that much. Even before I started reading through the manuscript, I was sure it was too long. So I went into my initial editing round with the…
Writing
What Day Is it? In Your MS, Not Real Life
As soon as I titled this post, I realized how often I ask myself that question right now. The days definitely do blend together. It helps that May is a big birthday month for my family. We had two in the first week, and my daughter is now counting down the days to her 10th…
It Is Finished! My Longest Draft Ever
Hey, friends! So, it’s been a really long time since I’ve posted an update about my writing. I looked back through my posts and found one about revising YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED from October, and then there was one about how I tried pantsing a book last summer. (That sounds really strange if you…
Author Life Month on Instagram
Hi, friends! Sorry I’ve been absent here on the blog. My best friend’s been in the hospital since early December, and I’ve been spending a lot of time with her. If you would like to read her story, her family is sharing it on this GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/chrissy-stricker. But I did want to check in…
After the Book Deal: All the Doubts!
Hey, friends, I promised I would give an update once I had gone through another round of edits, and I just finished on Friday. Boy, was I glad to send those edits in! But, first, let me just share that I got to do something very exciting earlier this month, which was to meet my…
When a Plotter Attempts to Pants
It’s been a while since I posted a writing update here on the blog. That’s partially due to it being summer and my schedule changing drastically with my kids being off school and driving them to various camps, partially due to more freelance work, and partially due to drafting a new project. That’s where today’s…
After the Book Deal: Next Steps
So, it’s been a couple of months since my book deal was announced, and invariably I get the same question from friends and family when I tell them my book will be coming out in winter 2021: Why is it so far away??? Um, do you know how much goes into publishing a book? If…
My Debut Book, YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED, Is Coming in 2021!
I’m thrilled to announce that my debut book, YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED, will be published by Bloomsbury in winter 2021, followed by a second untitled young adult book in 2022. I’m so excited to be working with Allison Moore. Here’s the announcement that ran in PW Children’s Bookshelf. There are so many people who…
Agent-Author Chat on Krista Van Dolzer’s Blog
Today I’m on the virtual road with an agent-author chat on Krista Van Dolzer’s blog. She interviewed me and my agent, Elizabeth Bewley of Sterling Lord Literistic, about how we connected. You can read the interview here: http://kristavandolzer.blogspot.com/2018/11/agent-author-chat-elizabeth-bewley-and.html If you’ve been following my blog for a while, Krista’s name should be familiar. We first met…
On Sequels Ruining the Original
I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while, ever since an eagerly awaited sequel came in the mail this summer and from the first few pages had me going, “Whaaat?” I’m not going to call out this book specifically, which is part of the reason I waited so long to post about it…
I Have An Agent!
Dear friends, I have been waiting to write this post for SEVEN YEARS! If you’ve been following me for a while, you already know that, but if you stopped by because you love how-I-got-my-agent posts, this current story might seem like a bit of a fairy tale, and I want to make it clear that…
A Love Letter to My Completed Manuscript
In June, I wrote a love letter to my work-in-progress, when it was still shiny and new to me, before I sent it out to my first round of readers. Since I love this manuscript even more now that it’s no longer in progress, I thought it deserved another love letter. Dear Manuscript, When I…
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