Publishing Journey

I am so thrilled that I am now represented by Maria Whelan from InkWell Management! It’s been seven years of writing seriously and 4.5 years of querying in the making. How did I get an agent? The short version: I queried Maria, I got a full request the next day, then I got an offer…

Through Author Mentor Match, I got a knowledgeable mentor, a revised manuscript, and insight to take with me as I work on future manuscripts. But there is one thing I got that I didn’t expect, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the program… A community! I know, it sounds kinda lame…

Part 2 in my AMM mini-series is about craft and my revision process. My mentor sent over a “Homework Schedule” (yay, writing homework!). It covered everything, such as voice, outlining, premise analysis, character development, beats, and so on. Each topic had videos and articles to go along with it, and I tackled each individual item…

Revising a manuscript can be TOUGH. I knew it wasn’t easy, but when my manuscript, TTYL, got selected for Author Mentor Match in January 2022, I wasn’t sure how difficult it could be. I buckled up for intense character development and plot outlines, and when my mentor pointed out some plot holes I thought, “Sure,…

I have some exciting news: I am officially an Author Mentor Match mentee! What is Author Mentor Match? According to their website: “Author Mentor Match (AMM) pairs aspiring writers with completed manuscripts with experienced authors for mentorship.” In other words, I get personalized help on my manuscript from an experienced and talented author, and I…

Throughout my publishing journey, I have met the most AMAZING authors! Everyone needs a support system for when they hit those plot holes, are deep in the querying trenches, and when they publish their first book. On my journey, I met the wonderful Chelsea Lauren. She is the author of Creatures Most Vile, a spooky…

Every age range, every genre, has a target word count you should aim for. It can be a pain in the butt, and there are outlier, but it’s industry standard: Adult fiction: 80-100k Sci-Fi & Fantasy: 90-120k Romance: 50-100k Crime/Mysteries/Thrillers/Horror: 70-90k Young adult: 50-80k But, when my finished my adult fantasy manuscript, it was 160,000…

When I wrote my first draft, I had an outline, character sheets, and everything I needed to get going. But once it was on paper, it lacked the magical appeal I saw in my head. I knew the story could be stronger. So, I stopped writing it before I even wrote the ending. All I…

Drafting your manuscript is fun, but you can’t forget the most important step: editing! Whether you hire an editor, get feedback from a beta reader, or get an edit letter from an agent or publisher, you’re going to have to digest the information. These are the steps I take to whip my novel into tip…

I took on the mother of all writing sprints: National Novel Writing Month. A.K.A. NaNoWriMo. It’s the event where you attempt to write 50k words throughout the month of November. It can be a challenge, full of distractions and writers block, but it’s also a great way to develop the habit of writing. I recorded…