RITA ® Award-Winning Author of Fantasy Romance
//My great news/bad news week, why I didn’t podcast Monday, my mom’s health crisis and my writing productivity in the face of it anyway. Also, keeping good relationships in the publishing business.
//Recent revelations on ghostwriting, using metrics for good, rain gauges, gardening, JD Vance’s memoir, the real meaning of “bemused” and whether everyone has one great novel or flower arrangement in them.
//Updates on edits on NEVER THE ROSES, the ups and downs of maternity leave, women supporting women, the amazing show UNBELIEVABLE that I want you all to watch, and the enduring pain of asking for endorsement quotes.
//More cats-will-happen-drama in my life. Also, traditional publishing, why an agent is such a great asset, and how it never gets easier handing edits and critique, and how deciding how/if to incorporate suggestions is a spectrum.
//Owning your process and still being open to learning from what others do to sustain productive creativity and aggressively refill the well. Some data on BookBub Featured Deals and release strategy, too.
//The wrong way to ask for blurbs, choosing POV for a given scene and how experienced authors should give ourselves credit for more complex approaches, and a bit on animal behavior and whether cats can tell time.
//Why being selfish is good, refilling the well, and other thoughts on the variety of people who listen to this podcast, why Cats & New Mexico Weather is a thing. Re-reading DEERSKIN and realizing not everything must move the plot forward.
//Thoughts today on focus, how to rebuild concentration, and the alarming truth that every interruption costs us 23 minutes of time to regain previous focus. Also more data on trad publishers buying mostly full manuscripts.
//My bizarre story about mistaken identity and the revelation it gave me on how we talk to each other and – most importantly – how writers communicate with agents. Also, highly recommend the Willamette Writers Conference!
//A round-up of what I’ve been reading lately, including several excursions from my normal reading. I’m thinking about female/femme narratives and how we center those (or don’t) in terms of stories about men.
