I’m releasing a book this summer! *cue confetti*

Keep reading for the story behind it plus ALL THE DETAILS.

Enjoy!

The Story Behind the Story

Back in May of 2020 (you know, in the midst of quarantine craziness), through discussions with some writer friends, I had an idea. I'm not even sure what the discussion was about, but the idea wouldn't let me go.

One day, I woke up with the story writing itself. This happens to me from time to time, where I'll wake up in the morning and the scene is literally writing itself in my head. And it's usually compelling enough that I have to jump out of bed and write it down.

So that's what I did!

Over the next 11 days, I wrote the first draft of this book. I had a ton of stuff I felt piling on me at the time, and I needed an escape. This book was that for me. I've added a little more angst since then, to the tune of another 10,000 words, to make the story make sense, but this book was exactly what I needed at the time. Writing is my therapy, after all. (Like, seriously. I write my fiction similarly to how people journal.)

Want to know what the idea was?

When you’re looking for tips for writing the first draft of your book, you might not think of all the technical pieces. But they can be just as important as mindset (Related: Stop “Aspiring” to Be a Writer Blog Post) and writing craft tips! At the very least, you definitely don’t want to neglect them.

You want writing to be as easy as possible, right?

If you do (I know you do), you’re gonna want to check out this list.

One of my favorite parts about working on a new book is creating a book playlist.

Come on — I can’t be the only one who does this.

Sometimes books come so quickly (I wrote a book this summer in like 11 days, after all) that I don’t have the time to create a book playlist, but when I work on the first draft for a while, I have so much fun curating a list of songs that fit the book perfectly! It also helps me think about the book and want to get back to writing when I listen to it. I’ve gotta be sneaky with myself at times. 😏

Sometimes a particular song will speak to me during a scene, and I can actually hear the song playing while the scene is happening in my head. It’s so much fun!

Other times, I feel like the lyrics or melody really connect with the book either overall or as a particular theme in the book.

Either way, the songs on my playlist are specially chosen to fit with The Prophecy of the Codex (which comes out in just ONE WEEK, by the way!).

Ready?

Who else makes monthly goals?

Setting goals is such a good idea and so helpful! If you don’t set goals, how will you know if you’re achieving your dreams?

So I thought it might be a good idea to keep you guys posted about what I’m working on this month. You know, just for fun. 😊

Guess what? I had the pleasure and honor of being interviewed a second time! (Check out my first author interview here!) This time, the fabulous Alyssa Markins conducted the interview and put it on her website — under the heading "Creativity and Coffee." Isn't that awesome?I had so much fun answering all these questions and letting others know about my book!