RITA ® Award-Winning Author of Fantasy Romance
//On beauty standards, vanity, aging, skin-care, Botox, and choosing your author brand. I promise they’re related! Also Indie authors going to Traditional Publishing and the pitfalls, and a cool data point on series drop-off.
//Some advice today for newbie writers on writing your first book, including the importance of finishing and keeping it simple. Also, different muscles we use for writing and how approaching a work with various strategies exercises them.
//Happy New Year! I’m back from an (almost) unprecedented two-week break, talking about working smarter not harder really panned out in 2023 and a deep dive into author finances as a full-time writer.
//The new portmanteau term “Romantasy” being used for Fantasy Romance and Romantic Fantasy, my own personal history with writing cross-genre and being a crack ho, and how I got namechecked in a most validating way!
//How do we feel about Alexander Skarsgård being cast as SecUnit in the upcoming Murderbot series? Also the advantages for creatives of working in a corporate environment and Taylor Swift: dedicated businesswoman.
//A theory I’ve been mulling on a major influence on series sell-through, but that might be even more difficult than most to quantify. Also, a bit on author taxes, a quasi-epiphany on my work plan for December and being good with scaling back.
//The kerfuffle in the writing world this week-where an author created sockpuppet accounts to downvote other books and upvote her own-why writers aren’t in competition and the key importance of friendship.
//Some pitfalls to watch for in contracts with traditional publishing and literary agencies. Also author finances and taxes, why owning your process doesn’t mean loving it, and why experienced authors find it hard to teach.
//Authors behaving badly to other authors – signs to watch for, recognizing serendipity, plus a great cautionary tale. Also different revision processes and a fun December reader event: FaRoAdvent!
//TWISTED MAGIC is done and coming tomorrow! Also, the ROGUE FAMILIAR audiobook is free on YouTube. I’m also talking gratitude for being alive and about my writing/publishing plans for the next year.
