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: writing process
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
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
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
Having Fun Again
It's been so long since I've had fun writing. Things have been hectic in my life with publishing one book, editing a second book, and trying to balance that with a full-time job and my family, that it was hard to find the time to write, and when I did, nothing was sticking. I couldn't … Continue reading Having Fun Again
Welcoming a New Year
Last year I decided not to have any resolutions because I knew 2023 was going to be more exhausting and difficult than I ever had experienced because my first child was born on December 23, 2022. I didn't want to set myself up for failure having no idea what to expect. And I wasn't wrong. … Continue reading Welcoming a New Year
NaNoWriMo
It's November first which means it's...National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo. There's even a website to help you track your progress, connect with friends, and set goals. The idea is to write 50,000 words in the month of November or you can set your own word count. Shockingly I've never participated in this before. I … Continue reading NaNoWriMo
Diane Billas 