Hey all, Even writers on a deadline need a break, right? Right. So, I’m jumping on here to talk about the very reason I have a deadline this week: Pass Pages. I’m reading through final pass pages for Pop the Bronze Balloon and my deadline is the end of the month. Obviously I’m cutting it… Continue reading What Even Are Pass Pages?
Category: The Crimson Five series
The Messiness of Writing
Hey all, I had a different post planned for today. It’s a topic I’m sure you guys will be interested in at some point. But right now, it’s still only halfway written. No matter how hard I tried this week, I just couldn’t find the pockets of time to finish it. I’m on a deadline… Continue reading The Messiness of Writing
What Happens When You Lose Your Literary Agent
Hey all, I thought I’d chat today about a subject that most authors don’t want to talk about. It’s another publishing situation that’s a murky mystery. We don’t want to talk about it because we fear never signing with another agent again. We fear looking like a failure. Or we don’t feel comfortable sharing our… Continue reading What Happens When You Lose Your Literary Agent
The Magic of Branding
Swirl & Spark has a brand new look! What do you guys think? I’m completely obsessed with how pretty it is! It feels fresh & fun, positive & motivating. That’s saying a lot for a site that I’ve been staring at for the last six and a half years! From the very beginning, I’ve handled… Continue reading The Magic of Branding
Crawling out of the Corona Cave
Guys. It’s been MONTHS since I’ve checked in with you. At first that was because I was focusing on other things, like getting my college kids to Orlando for their internships with the Walt Disney Company and drafting my new middle grade manuscript. But then… the world imploded. So much as changed for all of… Continue reading Crawling out of the Corona Cave
Things You Do Not Need to Write a Book
A gorgeous office, a cute coffee shop, a fancy computer program, a literary agent… or permission from anyone. I wrote my first two unpublished books with a pencil on notebooks like these, and then retyped the chapters onto a Word doc on my ancient desktop computer. I wrote all three of my published (or soon-to-be… Continue reading Things You Do Not Need to Write a Book
Happy World Read Aloud Day!
There are some days when I feel more like an author than others. Today was one of those days! To celebrate World Read Aloud Day, I spent the day Skyping with middle school students throughout the country. We talked books and writing, I read the first chapter of Spin the Golden Light Bulb, I recommended… Continue reading Happy World Read Aloud Day!
Get Your Mind Straight. Imagine the Best!
“Grandma Kitty always says that worrying is just imagining the worst possible outcome, and I never want to imagine the worst possible outcome. I want to imagine the best.” Pop the Bronze Balloon (The Crimson Five: Book 3) releases 6 months from today, guys! Six. So, obviously I had to use a quote from it… Continue reading Get Your Mind Straight. Imagine the Best!
Take the Leap. You Know You Can!
“They say if you dream a thing more than once, it’s sure to come true.” Aurora sure was a smart girl. You guys know I love my Disney quotes and this one from Sleeping Beauty is in my top five. Besides, I’m a testament to the fact that if you dream every single day, with… Continue reading Take the Leap. You Know You Can!
Let’s Be a Little Brave
“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.” I’ve made it no secret how much I love CARAVEL by Stephanie Garber, and quotes from the book like this one are one of the million reasons why. Do you believe in… Continue reading Let’s Be a Little Brave
swirl and spark 