Since February I have been querying my young adult murder mystery manuscript called The Final Chapter. It's set in a fictional small-town near Philly and takes place primarily at an indie bookstore during Halloween. The main character, Emmie, and her friends team up to solve who killed a bookstore patron, Bette. Emmie was the last … Continue reading Taking a Step Back
Tag: creative writing
Venturing into New Territory
The first book I ever wrote was an adult rom-com but after trying to query it, I ultimately decided to shelf the manuscript. I wasn't getting any bites what-so-ever and the more I was learning about querying and publishing, the more I realized this book did not follow the rules, for example, my main character … Continue reading Venturing into New Territory
Shifting Priorities
I've been asked a lot how I do it all. Write my books, market them, have a day job, and be a mom/wife. Simply put, I have to have priorities and a schedule. And there has to be some kind of give or take. I had been trying to do it all when I first … Continue reading Shifting Priorities
Writing in Different Genres
I've been a guest on various podcasts and have been getting asked the same question a lot: You write in a lot of different genres. How did that happen and how does it work? It's a great question and might reflect my reading tastes. I read all kinds of books, therefore it makes me interested … Continue reading Writing in Different Genres
Reflections on 2024
This year has gone by like a blink of an eye, but I have to say, despite having a lukewarm second book launch, my writer mental health was much better this year than 2023. In 2023, my debut book, Does Love Always Win?, released and for some reason I decided to set up my own … Continue reading Reflections on 2024
Asking for Help
This summer I finished writing the first draft of my newest book, a young adult cozy murder mystery set in an indie bookstore during Halloween. After going through and making edits, I made the next important step on my manuscript's journey; I sent it off to a beta-reader. What are beta-readers? Beta-readers are readers that … Continue reading Asking for Help
Second Time Around: Publication Thoughts
My sophomore book, SUPERFICIAL, a young adult superhero book, just released a week ago, and it was a whole different set of emotions from when my first book, DOES LOVE ALWAYS WIN?, was published. With my first book, a couple of weeks before it was due to publish I couldn't sleep. I had so many … Continue reading Second Time Around: Publication Thoughts
One-Year Book Birthday
It's now been over a year since my young adult sapphic romance Does Love Always Win? has been out in the world and what a journey its been. Just like querying my book, publication has been a roller coaster of emotions, but overall, it's been a really fun and rewarding experience. One of my favorite … Continue reading One-Year Book Birthday
Pivoting
I was at 42,000 words in my new young adult murder mystery work in progress when suddenly the developmental edits (the first round of edits that are more big picture) hit my inbox for my upcoming young adult superhero novel, Superficial. No! I was in a really good spot with the work in progress and … Continue reading Pivoting
Plotting vs Pantsing
I'm a known pantser in my writing, aka, writing by the seat of my pants. This can be freeing and a lot of fun, not knowing what will come out of my fingers as I type, but it also can be a detriment and makes for extra cleanup during the editing phase of a story. … Continue reading Plotting vs Pantsing
Diane Billas 