I've never made a secret of my love for Depeche Mode. It's hard to narrow down a favorite song, but this one has served to inspire both my faerie story and my gothic-horror fairy tale retelling. It's lush and mysterious and darkly romantic, and I adore it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l35XzUD8GGU
5 Things Betas and CPs Can Do That You Can’t
If you've written a book, you may be reluctant to hand your baby to other people. What if they tear it apart? What if they don't like it? It's terrifying. But if you intend to publish, letting other people read your book beforehand is an absolute necessity. Better to hear criticism when the problems can …
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Music Monday: “Heartstrings”
In case you haven't figured it out yet, I pretty much love any song that can be described as "I can't tell if it's creepy or kinda sexy". "Heartstrings" by Avarice in Audio featuring MiXe1 is dark, kinda gothy, and somehow still a bit seductive. Or maybe that's just me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p-m8TpjQyI
Get to Know Me: 5 Hobbies
CW: Alcohol mention This is a bit of a fluffier post. A comment in a writing group chat inspired me to share a little more about myself in occasional blog posts. So we're going to start off with something simple: my hobbies. (I'm excluding reading, as that's a bit obvious for a writer). A coworker …
Music Monday: “Tempted”
Sometimes, you just need the perfect song for a specific scene or chapter or story arc, no matter how many times you listen to it on repeat. I listened to this song for hours while I perfected a sultry dance scene for Cambiare. That chapter is one of only two that survived the hellfire of …
Why I Chose Self-Publication
The Friday 5 blog feature will be back next week, I promise. But today I made a big announcement: Cambiare will be self-published! (*cheers and confetti*) A lot of thought went into this decision, and I'd like to explain why I chose the path I did. Writing a book is hard. First, drafting a novel is a …
Music Monday: “Uninvited”
So I know this was from the soundtrack of that angel movie, but Alanis Morrisette's absolutely haunting "Uninvited" also works uncannily well for a human seduced by a faerie. Just sayin'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErSCdHJdUgU
5 Reasons non-YA is getting published as YA
There's a growing trend in Young Adult books, and it has to stop. I'm not the first to notice or call this out, but an awful lot of "young adult" books--particularly in genre fiction like fantasy--feature "teen" characters that think and act more like 30-year-olds. Or they contain content that can be inappropriate for the …
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Music Monday: “Silver & Gold”
Voodou's "Silver & Gold" was on the very first playlist that inspired my new adult faerie fantasy project.This one was chosen more for its sound than its lyrics, with lilting bells and whirling vocals that sound like an Unseelie dance.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MzlguxyNC0
5 Ways I Trimmed Word Count
I have a very strained relationship with word counts. I'm a chronic over-writer, so I usually have to cut thousands of words between the first and final draft. In can feel like pulling teeth, but many of these tricks will also make your prose stronger. So why do you need to cut words, anyway? There …
