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.
Writing tips, craft discussions, and behind-the-scenes looks at the creative process.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I outline a whole romance novel in one afternoon, with a spreadsheet and a label maker. Then my characters spend four months gloriously ignoring the plan.
Writing intimate scenes is the most exposed a romance author ever gets. The fear, the closed-door versus explicit debate, and why it was never about the bodies.
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.
Every series I've published is now on Kindle Unlimited. Six series, no gaps. Here's why I made the call, and what it means for you.
Someone asked me at a book event how I write love scenes. My face went the color of a fire truck. The honest answer is: the same way I write fight scenes. With choreography, stakes, and sheer willpower.
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.
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.
My beta reader couldn't remember my hero's name but drew hearts next to the villain. Here's what I've learned about writing love interests that actually stick.