Watch Now: Empathy is not just an emotion. It’s a tool. I thought I’d do something a little different today and talk directly to writers. So, I’d like to share a snippet of my workshop on creating compelling characters. Specifically, I want to talk about something at the heart of
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Spoiler alert: I am not exactly a feel-good author. I’ve had readers tell me that they have wanted to throw my books across the room, slap some of the characters, and seek revenge on a few. One reader said she put The Girls We Sent Away in the freezer and walked away
Read MoreWhen I was back home on my book tour, I was asked to speak to high schoolers at my alma mater. I’ve gotten pretty well versed at giving my author talk, but I knew I couldn’t rely on that to engage this crowd. They didn’t care as much about the
Read MoreMaybe it’s my Midwesterner niceness, but I constantly find myself apologizing to readers when they tell me that my books make them cry. I don’t set out to write tearful stories. Honestly, I’m a pretty happy person overall, but when it comes to my novels, I can’t help but delve
Read MoreOne of the most common questions during the Q&A session of author events is: how did you choose the title? Well, there’s a story behind every title. And, here’s how The Last Carolina Girl and The Girls We Sent Away came about. Most readers are surprised to learn that authors
Read MoreThe Girls We Sent Away releases Tuesday, March 5. Are you ready? You’ve heard me say it (so many times!) before, but I’m here to say it again…be sure to preorder your copy from your favorite brick-and-mortar or online bookstore. Why? Good question! Preorders do matter. Here are four reasons
Read MoreAnd why I won’t be standing naked in front of readers. My new year started off with a stress dream. Two months from the release of my second novel and the kick-off to my book tour, I had a dream that I stood naked in front of an audience of
Read MoreI used to be a fan of the notion that no plot was no problem when it came to writing a book. I took part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) because that mantra spoke to me. After all, I was a pantser at the time. I spent that November
Read MoreDuring a recent book club, a reader shared how she cried while reading The Last Carolina Girl. She went on to ask if it’s hard for me to write those scenes. The short answer: yes. And it only gets harder with each round of revisions. Why? Because with each draft,
Read MoreIf you have completed a first draft of a book, congratulations! That is a huge feat in and of itself. You may be wondering what to do next. Search for agents? Write a query letter? Consider self-publishing on Amazon? Before you do any of those things, I want to draw
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