It's February, so romance is in the publishing air. Whether or not you write romance novels or have romantic subplots in your work, almost every writer has had to think through a couple's relationship in their work. Here are my top three tips for writing romance. 1. Read Romance: As Stephen King famously said, "If… Continue reading Shannon’s Top Three Tips for Writing Romance
Tag: Cassandra Clare
My Favorite Books of 2021
Every year I blog about my favorite reads, though I admit that this year was hard! I went really out of my comfort zone and read a lot of age categories and genres, but particularly adult romance, including the famous Ice Planet Barbarians series. This was also just a busy year in general for me.… Continue reading My Favorite Books of 2021
Is Spoiler-Free Pressure Ruining In-Depth Discussions About Books?
There is a lot of pressure to be spoiler free. And I get it. I do. People shouldn’t share spoilers on Twitter while they’re watching a TV show live or write up a post on Facebook without a fair warning. But sometimes I wonder if we’ve gone a little overboard with the pressure to be… Continue reading Is Spoiler-Free Pressure Ruining In-Depth Discussions About Books?
Shaming the Ship
If you’ve ever attended a movie premiere or book signing, you’ve probably heard someone squeal, “I totally ship them!” I admit, the first time I heard this was at Cassandra Clare’s book signing in Kansas City over a year ago…and I was super confused. “Ship?” I thought. “Like a boat?” So here I am, picturing… Continue reading Shaming the Ship
Give An Author A Second Chance
Recently I came across a poll on Twitter. How many times do you give an author a chance before you swear off their work indefinitely? Before I get into what everyone said, please take a minute to consider this question for yourself. Do you pick up every book someone writes and try it out? Do… Continue reading Give An Author A Second Chance
Should Authors Have More Say in Adaptations?
Should authors have more say when their novels are adapted to TV or film? Short answer: Absolutely. But the long answer is a lot more complicated. For one, authors write novels for a reason. That’s how they like to express themselves. TV and movie writing is a completely different ballgame. When I studied screenwriting in… Continue reading Should Authors Have More Say in Adaptations?
#WW Heroes I Want to See In YA
In the real world, heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They can save the world, or they can save one person. Heck, they can even just save themselves! But every hero we read about has a different story to tell, a background unlike any other, and most of all, a story to tell. However,… Continue reading #WW Heroes I Want to See In YA
#SATurdate: X-Men Apocalypse, Winter, Money Monster, & Banana Desserts
What I’m Writing: I’ve actually been working on the free Bad Bloods Prequel on Wattpad this week. Even though the origin stories were written a long time ago, the next few stories needed more attention than the other ones. I hope you’ve enjoyed the first three chapters—which included the origin stories of Adam, Michele, and Maggie—and you’ll… Continue reading #SATurdate: X-Men Apocalypse, Winter, Money Monster, & Banana Desserts
#MondayBlogs What Changes From First Draft to Publication?
What changes from first draft to publication? So much. In fact, nearly everything. But if the answer was that simple, an entire article (or even whole books on the topic) wouldn’t be necessary, so there’s more to this answer than it seems. Despite that, I insist you take my article with a grain of salt.… Continue reading #MondayBlogs What Changes From First Draft to Publication?
#MondayBlogs The Worst Thing A Reader Ever Said To Me
I can admit the worst thing a reader ever wrote to me. It was 2007, I was 16, my publisher at the time had released my first novel, and Honesty Box was the hottest app on Facebook. My high school self was naïve enough to have one of these, and one day, I found myself staring… Continue reading #MondayBlogs The Worst Thing A Reader Ever Said To Me