Writers strive for complexity in their stories. Complicated and flawed characters who are also relatable and redeemable. Intricate worldbuilding. Carefully sprinkled breadcrumbs of foreshadowing and mystery. Layers upon layers to be pulled back and deciphered microcosm by microcosm. We want to write our stories in a way that invites readers to sink into them, but some writers find themselves barrel-rolling off the deep end, drowning their readers in the depths of that complex

Romance readers eagerly await and expect to see a variety of key moments when they dive into a new book. The first kiss. Grand gestures and professions of love. Maybe even spicy entanglements. And, of course, the happily ever after (or at least happy for now). But before any of these must come the meet-cute. The meet-cute is the scene where your love interests cross paths for the first time , and there tends to be sweet or humorous or dare I say adorkable about this interac t

It can be tough to choose your next read. Many romance readers might let a favorite trope guide their selection, like an Enemies-to-Lovers plotline teeming with banter and angst or a second-chance romance that offers a unique blend of redemption and feelings of nostalgia. Among the most timeless romance tropes is a personal favorite: Friends-to-Lovers. You know what they say: nothing's better than falling in love with your best friend! Some who truly gets you. Who celebrat

I've been reading romance novels since I was thirteen years old and started writing them shortly thereafter. Most people knew I was reading romance novels and striving to write one of my own. And while some supported these endeavors, there were those who poked fun at me for it. I will NEVER forget the time during the silence of the mandatory reading hour at my high school that a classmate decided to blurt out, "Mr. H... Avril's reading porn again." On poor Mr. H's first day a

via Tome. Art is done in-house by Olivia. I'm what I call an "Internet Introvert." I've written more than once about being in the D.A.R.E. program during the early days of Myspace's existence and how my class's visiting police officer shared countless horror stories that made social media out to be a dangerous, lawless wasteland and how that, combined with personal insecurities, scared me away from using what has become such a valuable tool in the digital landscape. Lately, t

The first draft of a novel goes by many names. The Rough Draft. Zero Draft. Word Salad. Word Vomit. The Shitty First Draft. That last one is a personal favorite. Lately, though, there's another name I've been calling my roughest first drafts: The Proof of Concept Draft. Proof of Concept Draft was a term I just kind of made up and started using when several of my coworkers talked me into letting them read the most recent version of Bound to the Heart , which was at the time t