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…
Posts tagged as “destiny”
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 moment in every story when a character stops being words on a page and starts breathing. You know it when it happens. Suddenly, they’re making choices you didn’t plan, saying things that aren’t in your notes, dragging the plot in a direction you didn’t intend—but can’t resist following. That’s when you know they’re alive. Creating characters that feel real isn’t about giving them a tragic backstory or a quirky catchphrase. It’s about knowing…
The first draft of a novel is a glorious, chaotic mess. There’s no other way to describe it. You get the idea, you chase it, you lasso it onto the page while it’s still half-feral and snarling, and for a while, it feels like triumph. Like art. Like the great masterpiece has arrived in the form of a blinking cursor and 90,000 words that you just know are at least 87% brilliant. Then you reread…
There are few things in life as humbling as watching an AI narrator absolutely fumble your words with full confidence—like a cat knocking a glass off the table while making unwavering eye contact. And yet, after the Saga of Martin and Mary, after every mispronounced coiffed, every aggressively Greek agahpay, and the emotional rollercoaster that was Martin’s spectacular rise and fall, I stepped into my next audiobook project, Vitae, with cautious optimism. This time, I…
Let’s just get right to it. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you already know that—in addition to being a published author, working on my third novel—I also have a full-time job. On top of that, I am also a small-business owner, having opened an online store in the Fall of 2021. As I occupy multiple creative spaces while still trying to maintain a daytime gig, and as I continue to grow and…
While reading through Twitter recently, I caught wind of a rivalry within the writing community that I didn’t know existed: the Writer vs. Author conflict. Though well-aware of the positions of those involved in the discussion, I thought it best to do some independent reading to see what, if any, the big deal is. For those unaware, there’s a line that seemingly separates writers–who can be anyone writing about anything–from authors, who are considered to…
Obviously, I’ve been away for a while. I haven’t, however, been idle. The covers for both Duality and Vitae have been redone, and the e-book versions can be purchased via the Apple Store, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, and others. I am so thrilled! How did this happen? Well, if you’ve been paying attention, this shouldn’t come as a shock at all. I laid out my research and findings in previous posts, and also explained that…
It’s been a while since last I graced your screen. Things have been incredibly busy and Time just slipped away from me. However, I am on vacation for the next several days and the first thing I wanted to be sure to do is check in here and make sure that you know I’m still around. I’m currently juggling multiple non-writing projects in addition to working on my third novel.I’ve also made some decisions with…
While organizing my closets in preparation for a huge new project, I came across the same 18-gallon tote that I’ve been moving from place to place for quite some time. Sure it’s set up a bit different now. It was once a large cardboard box before I decided that all cardboard needed to be replaced with plastic totes. But, the contents have not changed. The tote contains dozens of spiral notebooks and even loose pages…