Friends, this week I am celebrating because Liz and I turned in the draft of the Hungry Authors manuscript to our editor! *cue the happy dance!* The last few weeks have been an absolute marathon of writing and editing, with a few dark moments when it felt like things just weren’t coming together fast enough. It’s not quite over because I still have a major ghostwriting deadline on Monday, but I’m carrying myself with more lightness and breath as the finish line is in sight! This week, I’ve...
11 months ago • 4 min read
What’s your book about? It’s the first question you’ll be asked after you shyly confess that you’re a writer. We all know it’s coming, like a script from a bad movie. The problem is… what’s your line? They’re looking at you with polite interest or maybe genuine curiosity and excitement. You start sweating. You know this is when you’re supposed to have your elevator pitch ready—that thing you were supposed to perfect and polish and spend hours practicing in front of a mirror to be ready for...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi friend, It was so fun hearing from so many of you last week about the progress you're making on your writing goals. Here's what this little community is celebrating right now: Signed with an agent! Turned in your first draft!! Turned in your second draft!!! Reconnected with nature and got unstuck (hell yeah!)!!!! Oh my goodness, what progress! This is so exciting, and I'm so happy to get to celebrate with you. It's possible, though, that you might be thinking, "Well, what if I didn't make...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hey, friends. It’s officially “don’t bother doing your hair; it’s going to end up a mess in 10 minutes anyway” season in Tennessee. For those of you not from the South, that means HUMIDITY. Anyhoo… this week, I told an agent friend of mine to reject an author. I hate being the bearer of bad news, especially as I could totally see why this agent really wanted to take them on (and should, if they want to!!). The author had a lot of great things going for them—but they were also making some...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
Friends, I'm very excited to share with you the following announcement: I know I've hinted at a forthcoming book with my Hungry Authors co-host, Liz Morrow. Now, we can finally share the official news with you!! We are SO grateful for the encouragement and support of so many people (including many of you!!) who gave us feedback on our proposal and idea, listened & reviewed our podcast, shared our posts on social media, and gave us opportunities to share our ideas with the world. We feel...
over 1 year ago • 6 min read
Last night I was going through some old boxes and found, I believe, my only still existing piece of juvenilia—a story that I co-authored with my friend in junior high, and still probably the corniest thing I have ever written. (Really, the zebra print border says it all.) But the best part is I also found a letter from my gramma, written to me around the same time. It’s a response to a letter I had written her, in which I had gushed about all of the writing I was doing. She replies: I’m...
over 1 year ago • 7 min read
Hello, friends! I have to tell you about what happened when my friend Liz and I (that's us on the left!) started writing our book proposal. Even though she and I have each written dozens of proposals by now, even though proposals we’ve written have been accepted by publishers and gotten authors book deals, when it came to writing our own proposal… I got scared. I feel the butterflies now just thinking about it! It’s a lot easier to have confidence when you’re helping someone else out. But...
over 1 year ago • 5 min read
Hey friend, I hear these words all too often: “I’ve got 30,000 words written already, but I still need to figure out the structure/voice/audience.” “I’ve tried writing this book three times, but I need help.” “I wrote this manuscript, but I know it’s a mess.” There’s one persistent myth in the world of writing that I believe has hurt aspiring book authors more than any other, and it’s the belief that you should “just start writing” your book. It’s the impression that authors open up a blank...
almost 2 years ago • 2 min read