In this post, Avril shares some tips for staying productive for a speedy NaNoWriMo.

As any writer can tell you, so much of the fun in writing is bringing ideas to life. Through blood, sweat, tears, and a dash of magic, they create fantastical worlds with only ink and paper that take root in the reader's mind. But not all of these ideas survive. No matter how exciting a concept may be from the onset or how strong its grip on our brain is, there are going to be stories that fall flat or have us getting tangled up in all the loose ends we're trying to tie up an

Each quarter, I've been sharing a glimpse into my historical romance novel Bound to the Heart through character profiles. This year introduced the story's protagonists, Zach and Eve as well as Zach's brother, Henry. To finish up this year's entries into this series, I want to shine a spotlight on the other Thayer sibling at the heart of this WIP: Sophia. By the way, this character rendering was created using The Sims 4. Any CC used will be noted at the bottom of this post. So

If there is one thing October is known for, it's the spooky, scary, and spoopy-ness of Halloween. Cinemas and the gaming space of YouTube feature more horror titles than usual. Haunted house attractions open their doors to the most daring souls. Spirit Halloween takes over vacant storefronts while most other retailers are displaying their Christmas wares next to entire aisles devoted to fun-size candy. "Thriller" and "Monster Mash" play on every radio station. Those of us who

I worked at a chocolate shop a few years ago. And, yes, it was as lovely as it sounds. The team was wonderful, the place smelled incredible, and it was just plain fun getting to make the treats and drinks in-store. Covid-19 cut my time there short as the store had to close its doors. To say I miss it would be an understatement. I was hired as a seasonal employee and had been made officially part-time approximately one week before the mall we were located in announced it would

Writers are seemingly defined by their love of storytelling. We make homes for ourselves in the worlds we create. Our characters become some of our dearest friends, keeping us company over many cups of coffee through just as many late nights. But even writers with the deepest of loves for storytelling can fall out of love with a story. It can happen for a number of reasons. The idea may no longer excite us as it once did or we may feel no longer feel as connected to the chara