I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much realism belongs in fiction. As writers, we pull from life constantly, whether we mean to or not. But sometimes life hands us experiences that make us pause and ask, how much of this actually belongs on the page? Over the last few months, I’ve dealt with some unexpected health challenges. Without turning this into a full medical rundown, let’s just say my body reminded me that…
Always Ametra
For years, I used a certain popular video tool that shall remain nameless. Not because I’m afraid to name names, but because if you’ve ever used it, you probably already know who I’m talking about. It was the starter kit of video creation platforms. Simple, structured, and surprisingly decent when you’re just getting your feet wet in the wild world of book trailers and content marketing. Back then, it was exactly what I needed. I…
There’s a quiet fatigue settling over authors, and it doesn’t come from the writing. It’s not the editing, the rewrites, or the endless battles with self-doubt. It’s not the algorithm, or the market, or even the low sales numbers. It’s the growing tide of unsolicited messages that slide into our inboxes like clockwork, asking if our books are on Amazon (yes), offering services we never asked for, and failing, in every possible way, to show…
Let’s get something out in the open: I have no problem killing off characters. None. Zilch. And not just the expendable ones skulking around in the background either, sometimes it’s the ones with fan art, Pinterest boards, and tragic backstories. Sometimes it’s the ones I adore. That doesn’t make me a monster. It makes me a writer who understands that fiction, like life, doesn’t come with a guarantee of safety. Now, when I say “kill…
I recently found myself curious about the status of a once-beloved book series. The author had been a longtime favorite of mine, and I wondered whether she might have made progress on the next installment, or even just offered an update. So, like any devoted reader would, I went digging. What I discovered left me more than disappointed. The series, it turns out, had been quietly and abruptly abandoned. Not paused, not reimagined, just discarded,…
When I published my third novel, Hey, Roomie!, I intentionally gave myself space before returning to blogging. I needed that breath. That pause. The quiet that follows the storm of creation and the noise of a launch. But part of returning to blog life also meant returning to social media. Facebook, Twitter (and no, I will not call it X), and now Bluesky. These are the old stomping grounds, the places I once turned to…
There’s a silence that comes after a book is born. Not the kind that brings peace, but the kind that rattles inside your ribs—echoing through the empty corners once filled by characters, conflict, and craft. As writers, we spend months—sometimes years—growing a story. We nurture it, worry over it, rewrite its flaws, and chase perfection like it owes us something. The book takes up residence in our minds and our bones. It whispers when we’re…
I received a (scam) email offering to buy the rights to my second novel and decided, just for funsies, to see what might be said about me in these Google Search streets. What I found is both surprising and hilarious. Vitae: Heirs of the Five—the first novel in my dark fantasy series—has been out in the world since 2020. She’s been through a pandemic, multiple edits, cover glow-ups, and enough character drama to qualify as…
There’s a whispered assumption that fiction writers are always spilling someone’s tea—just dressing it up in fantasy or fog and hoping no one recognizes the teacup. And while I won’t confirm or deny such claims (my legal team and sense of self-preservation would both like a word), I will say this: real life has a way of showing up in fiction whether you invite it or not. Sometimes it starts with a moment. A single…
It started, as most epic tales do, with good intentions and a slightly overstuffed tote. I told myself I’d just do a quick organizing pass—nothing major. Just sort a few things, maybe prep a tote or two for moving. What I didn’t anticipate was stumbling into a time capsule. A spindle of discs. Then another. Then another. Nearly two hundred of them, stacked like ancient scrolls from the early digital age. And oh, the things…