Writing
The Second Book Problem: Why Romance Series Are So Hard to Sustain
Book one ends well, and that is the problem. Why the second book in a romance series is the hardest to write, and the two honest ways out of the slump.
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Romance
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Dual POV throws away your biggest source of tension and asks for two real voices instead of one. Why I keep writing it anyway, and how to do it right.
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How to Write a First Kiss That Makes Readers Hold Their Breath
A great first kiss is not about word choice. It is the payoff of two hundred pages of wanting, and here is how I build one that makes readers stop breathing.
Writing
Why I Refuse to Pick Between Fantasy and Thrillers
Epic fantasy romance and contemporary thrillers — warrior queens and women who hunt monsters. Why I refuse to pick a lane, and what carries across both genres.
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Writing Steamy Scenes Without Cringing at Your Own Words
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For one week only, Iron and Flame (Fallen Hearts, Book Three) is a Kindle Countdown Deal. June 15 through June 21.
Writing
The One Bed Trope: Why It Works Every Single Time
The one bed. The snowed-in cabin. The only room left. Why forced proximity works every single time in romance, and the exact place authors fumble it.
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Books That Wrecked Me This Spring
I cried on an airplane. I got choked up at a coffee shop. My partner asked if I was okay and I said a fictional character just made a choice and I'm not handling it well.
Romance
The Art of the Slow Burn: Why Making Readers Wait Works
A reader messaged me: I need them to kiss already. She was on chapter fourteen of twenty-eight. I framed that message. Here's why the slow burn is the most powerful tool in romance.
Behind the Scenes
Confessions of a Romance Author Who Can't Watch Rom-Coms Without Critiquing the Dialogue
Writing romance gave me x-ray vision for movie dialogue and I can't turn it off. Here's what rom-coms get wrong, the rare ones that work, and why I've become insufferable on movie night.
Romance
Why I Keep Writing Found Family Into Everything
I was halfway through my latest climax scene when I realized the moment I was most excited about had nothing to do with the love interest. It was the found family scene. Again.