Author of lush, romantic fantasy novels.
First, a disclaimer: I'm in no way affiliated with the Character Trait Thesaurus books I'll be using in this article, and I haven't been compensated for endorsing them. I just really love using them as a resource. Character development. There are worksheets galore on the internet, varying from ones that ask about a character's favorite… Continue reading Using Key Traits to Create Complex Characters
The short version: good, old-fashioned querying. The long version? Well, that's a little more detailed. First we have to go back a little. The book that my agent signed was the second I queried (though far from the second I completed). I'd previously queried another novel, though not very widely. When I queried my first… Continue reading The “How I Got My Agent” Post
Querying is a rough ride. In a single day, you could receive a full request, a couple of query rejections, and a partial rejection. In fact, it often feels like some cosmic coincidence causes a deluge of responses all in the same afternoon. https://media.giphy.com/media/I6nxG7f3h7qww/giphy.gif [GIF: Rollercoaster] While living in the query trenches, self-care becomes extra… Continue reading My Querying Self-Care Checklist
I'm a wee bit of a podcast addict. And my particular brand of 'cast is most often writing-focused. So without further ado and in no particular order, here are the podcasts I listen to most: Print Run Agents Laura Zats and Erik Hane discuss current events in publishing, writing tips, and a whole array of… Continue reading 11 Great Writing Podcasts
This is Part Two of my critique series. (Part one on Giving Negative Feedback is here). So you've done a beta swap with a new reader and gotten your critique feedback. But it's bad. It's really bad. Not only is it negative, it's hurtful or accusatory. It feels vicious or personal, like the reader is… Continue reading Handling Harsh Critique
Amy Avery / Avery Ames 
