First Cup of Coffee – March 31, 2025

It’s release day for STRANGE FAMILIAR! Also, I’m back after an unplanned podcast hiatus after being struck with the flu like a nail through the forehead. Also, being a notable alum of my high school and people messaging to ask if my books are “clean.”



First Cup of Coffee – March 17, 2025

I was going to say something pithy about the time-consuming tricks we do for social media, but you’ll have to extract that lesson yourself from my tale. Owl Crate tip-ins are done! Also: why something being your livelihood isn’t reason enough.



First Cup of Coffee – March 14, 2025

Regarding manuscript length and (seriously) what traditional publishing does and does not require, but signs that a book is really too long. (See pacing.) Also knowing when rewriting is FAR better than revising, and new earrings!



First Cup of Coffee – March 7, 2025

How being a career creative is an ongoing process of discovering how we work and create, and why – if you’re an intuitive writer like I am – you might need to write from a character’s POV to understand them.



First Cup of Coffee – March 3, 2025

Thoughts on story, character, agenda – what is the story trying to do? What do WE want to do as creators? Also, is using someone else’s characters and world “cheating”? Does filing off the serial numbers transform a work?