The pages of a good paranormal romantic suspense novel require moments where safety is stripped away, causing sudden shifts in stakes. Pacing thrilling scenes, building narrative tension, and upending an ordinary life can feel overwhelming. Trying to balance all of that while juggling fated mates, the red string of fate, and Hollywood glitz and glamour seems like a tall order. Throwing in a slow-burn stalker subplot and the stakes are raised even higher. Don’t get your red th

Passive protagonists are boring and predictable; they can tank your story before it even gets started. To make a novel worthwhile, readers must invest in your characters from page one. My job as an author was to create a believable heroine who drags the audience into her world—taking them on an engaging, page-turning journey where nothing is a foregone conclusion. When my intuitive heroine, Ellie, receives a psychic vision and sees a glowing red string in Chapter 2, she is ap

Who doesn’t love a broody male character with bedroom eyes and a protective side? Let's talk about writing a guarded male protagonist and get a sneak peak at a scene from Threads of Red. It’s one of the most compelling tropes in fiction, but the real magic happens when you force that stone-cold protector to lose control. In my book, Threads of Red, I explore exactly what happens when a man with a protective nature is forced to trust his mate’s intuition—even when it goes agai

Contacting possible venues for your book launch can be intimidating for debut authors. Don’t despair, I’ve got you covered. A clear, concise, and professional event proposal will make things easier. Compile a list of local bookstores and event spaces in your area. Place a checkmark next to those you wish to target. Draft a short email pitch that showcases your book and include your local connection to the venue. If you’re emailing your favorite bookstore, one you visit often,

Yay! You’re in the homestretch. Your book is in the last stages of its publication journey. Yikes, your book launch event is imminent. What do you do? What do you need for a successful setup and presentation? Don’t stress, I’ve got you covered from table runners to swag bags and everything in between. Sure, you could arrange an easy-breezy book signing with a simple setup where you just autograph books, but where’s the fun in that? I’m inviting you into the space between re

Foreshadowing is one of the many tools in an author’s wheelhouse to help tell their story. This classic literary device builds suspense and can add tension to an otherwise mediocre plot. Through the use of foreshadowing, the author provides hints or clues about events that will happen as the plot unfolds. Ideally, they will experience that ‘hmm’ moment as they begin to discover hidden meaning in your words. Excitement bubbles as readers file questions in the back of their min

Unlike the media kit, which is a two-page digital folder of documents about the author’s book, the sell sheet is a single-page document of essential items. As previously discussed, the media kit is sent to prospective bookstores, libraries, and literary event hosts to secure a launch, signing, or participation in an author or book-related function. The sell sheet is a tool authors use to persuade bookstores, libraries, and other entities to stock their book. Make a List and T

First things first. What is a media kit—sometimes called a press kit—and why do you need one? The short answer is, it’s a digital folder of documents about your book that can be easily shared with bookstores, podcasters, bloggers, and if you’re lucky, journalists and news outlets. It contains everything they need to know about you as the author and your wonderful novel. It’s like a resume for the author and the book and it also contains high-resolution images of your headshot

The 3-Step Formula for Building a Killer Book Teaser Writing a 110,000-word book is hard. Summarizing it in 150 words for the back of your book is harder. The quick answer is there are three necessary book teaser must-haves: the hook and the character introductions, the stakes, and the promise. Think of an enticing teaser as a sales pitch instead of a summary. It needs to leave a question or questions unanswered so readers will want to buy the book, your book, to find out wha

In Threads of Red, my two main characters, Ellie and Ezekiel are pulled together by the red thread of destiny; the core theme that roots the novel. However, before they can meet—and before Ellie's psychic friend, Kym, blurts out Ezekiel's name—Kym insists on a tarot reading. Although Ellie is aware of her attraction to him, she does not yet understand the depth of their bond. Ezekiel’s name finally bursts from Kym’s lips, yet, Kym has not made the connection that Ezekiel is a

A developmental editor’s job is to evaluate the manuscript’s big-picture components to make sure the story’s elements make sense, are well connected, and will be engaging to readers. Developmental editors don’t fix punctuation, grammar, spelling errors, or typos. They focus on the foundation of the book’s structure which includes pacing, possible rearranging of chapters, and story arc. They specifically target plot and any plot holes, character development which encompasses m

Sixteen years ago I was sitting in my usual spot on the living room couch when an idea for a romance story burst into my mind. Back then it was about a forbidden love. The main characters were established, but the storyline was chaotic—it lacked major somethin’, somethin’. I didn’t care, I wrote anyway. I ate, drank, and slept the images, backstories, dialogue, and unique essences of Ellie Capri Tanner and Ezekiel Larson. I wrote on scraps of paper, sticky notes, and dry eras

There are many wannabe authors out there with interesting ideas for a story, but they have no idea how to begin. Some will mull their...

Purple prose is fancy-pants, over-the-top, flowery writing. Kind of like the sentence you just read. This type of writing defeats the...

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Congrats! Your manuscript is complete, and you’ve mustered the guts to query agents and publishers. Woohoo! Cue the fireworks and...

Check in for a morale booster, my darlings. No one is positive 100% of the time. That includes writers, aspiring authors, and established...

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The impostor phenomenon was introduced in an article by Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes in 1978. If you’d like to read it, the article is titled, The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention. So, what the heck is impostor syndrome? It has nothing to do with wearing a physical mask or costume and posing as someone else. It’s about wearing an invisible psychological mask. This is a condition that leaves a person feeling anxious an