If you’ve been keeping up with me on Twitter, you might have seen that I’m nearing the point of diving into the querying trenches. Querying refers to the process of reaching out to literary agents. A query letter is a one-page version of the elevator pitch, introducing yourself and your manuscript. Think of it like […]

During editing, writers will often be advised to cut out their crutch words to make their writing snappy and less convoluted. These include unnecessary adjectives, phrases that state the obvious, and overused words. They’re called “crutch words” because they’re the ones we habitually rely on while we’re writing. Especially true with the first draft of […]

Whenever a gift-giving holiday approaches and people ask me what sort of things I would like to receive, candles are usually near the top of my list. I’m a frequent visitor at the Yankee Candle in the mall where I work and get way too excited about candle sales at Bath & Body Works. An […]

In my junior year of college, I had the opportunity to do an Independent Study with one of my writing professors where we worked one-on-one to begin edits on Guises to Keep.  At one point, she wondered if I planned on writing a sequel because the ending seemed a bit open-ended to her based on the […]