Guess what!?!?! My young adult contemporary novel DOES LOVE ALWAYS WIN? is being published by Creative James Media in June 2023! This is the book I've been querying on and off for the past two years, and it's finally happening. I honestly can't believe it; my lifelong dream is coming true! It's all been such … Continue reading Exciting News!
Author: dianebillas
Aspiring author, musician, travel junkie, and avid reader.
Taking a Break?
Photo by Ann H from Pexels This past snowy weekend I typed the last two words of the first draft of my newest manuscript...THE END. Yep, I did it. I finally finished my first draft! It took me approximately seven months to write the first draft, which I think is pretty good considering I also have a full-time … Continue reading Taking a Break?
The End or a New Beginning?
Photo by Anna Tarazevich from Pexels It’s the time of year where everyone takes stock of their goals for the year ending and setting new ones for the year upcoming. But this year has been difficult for everyone, including myself, and you know what I’m going to do instead? Be compassionate and not beat myself up for not … Continue reading The End or a New Beginning?
New Adventures
My therapist asked me the other day what’s important to me? What makes me want to get up and go? The first, obvious answer is writing. But I can’t do that all the time, I would burn out and run out of ideas. I clearly also love to read and play music, but what else? … Continue reading New Adventures
Write What You Love
I always need to be writing something creative. If I’m not, I feel antsy or that something is missing. I’m still querying my book ”Does Love Always Win?” but I’ve been trying to work on other projects in the meantime. That’s actually been helpful in receiving rejections, because I start to think "Well, maybe one … Continue reading Write What You Love
Small Wins
Photo by Min An from Pexels The other day I opened up my Gmail account and began skimming to see what I had missed. I had been on the road all day for work and hadn't even checked my personal email since 6 a.m., probably a record. As I began sorting through the junk, the subject line of … Continue reading Small Wins
If At First You Don’t Succeed…
It's been four months since I restarted my querying journey after a year of deep edits, and I still haven't found success. I've received lots of form rejection emails from agents and small publishing houses, so much so I've started becoming numb to reading the words, "I wasn't pulled into the opening pages as much … Continue reading If At First You Don’t Succeed…
Summer Reading Recommends
It's that time of year! I've been getting requests for book recommendations as people are getting ready to go on their vacations or to read by the pool. I've pulled a list together of some of my favorite books I've recently read in case you are on the search for a new book to read. … Continue reading Summer Reading Recommends
My Ode to Rejection
It's been another couple weeks of constant rejection from agents. This news can be disheartening to say the least. But instead of giving up or wallowing in my own self-pity, I find writing about the experience helps me process my emotions. I thought I would share a recent piece I wrote after a particularly difficult … Continue reading My Ode to Rejection
What’s Next?
Photo by MESSALA CIULLA from Pexels I've written two books; one I put aside and one I'm actively querying, but a thought keeps looming over my head, "What's next?" I'm stuck trying to start my third book. I've written snippets, but that's it to this point. Every time I go to work on it, I seem to distract … Continue reading What’s Next?
Diane Billas 