I have a little sticker series started (because who doesn't like stickers?). I'm too old and too fluffy to feel like a book girlie, so I've decided I'm a Book Babe.
A Lucious Literary Lady, if you will.
I'm so excited to add my Book Goddess to the lineup.
It's spoooooky season! So I thought it would be fun to put as many Star Wars villain earrings as I could fit in one place. Just in case you’re feeling a little in touch with the dark side this time of year. I'm also having a sale right now (through 9/23/25) and the whole shop is up to 20% off! Shop is here.
Thomasina doesn't want to be a displaced schoolmarm. She wants to be the leader of a guerrilla faction in the ongoing war that Alastair is trying to negotiate an end to. She's going to kidnap him and give him a piece of her mind. Apparently, the book needs a hefty dose of rage.
Her theme song is, "Baby, You're a Gun," by Tami Neilson.
Years ago, I was in a writing group, and one of the authors used the term "Möbius strip" to refer to the publication process. This was before self-pub was a possibility (I'm old, okay), so she meant trad pub. If you aren't familiar, a Mobius strip is a three-dimensional shape that has one side and one edge. Run your finger around the edge and you will never find an end.
A big part of the never-ending process of publishing is editing. And it has become a surprisingly touchy subject in publishing spaces, mainly because of the rise of self-publication as an accessible option. Namely, must we have an editor? Must we go through the process, which can be expensive and time-consuming? Why can't we self-edit and hit publish?
Well, if you are self-publishing, you don't have to. There are no publishing police. No one will arrive at your door and serve a warrant for "lack of editing." So no, no one is going to force you to hire or trade services with an editor.
It's still a good idea, because it's one of the best ways to become a better writer. The first time I worked with a professional editor was in 2022, when a fellow author encouraged (and by encouraged, I mean poked, prodded, and insisted) me to submit stories to an anthology she was organizing. I thought my work was mostly done once I was accepted, sweet summer child that I was.
The first time I saw the developmental editing notes on my short story, I wanted to close the document and never look at it again. Facing critique and feedback is hard, especially the first time, and most especially when it's the deep type of editing a developmental editor does. I ended up rewriting that story twice, and when it was finished, it was a beautiful short romance story that I'd subconsciously dedicated to some dear friends of mine. It never would have gotten there without the editor.
I have 15 more short stories under my belt now, most of which have been seen by that same editor. She's also edited novels of mine, the first 2 in a high fantasy quartet that's sitting in my files. Over the course of some 350K words edited, I can see how I've improved. That first gut-punch and the following avoidance and obstinacy never go away, but I've done it enough times that I know how to keep going around the Mobius strip.
The only way out is through. I read all the comments on the story. For my novels, I would read through sections at a time. My most recent novel has been acquired by 5 Prince Publishing, so I am working with their editor. I followed the same process; I read through every comment before starting. That helps me see the big picture of the story. Once I get into resolving and adjusting things, the obstinacy fades. Revising according to the editor's notes becomes fun again. If I hit a difficult part, where something might need to be added or rewritten, I allow myself a break, but not too long. I don't want to lose the momentum.
There will be line edits, copy edits, and proofreading. Those are easier to handle because they're smaller and simpler to revise. I expect that the initial avoidance will never go away, but it might soften. Everything I learn this time around with go into making the next book better. Everything I learn on that one will improve the next, and the next, and the next. That's the Möbius strip. Round and round the writer goes, always writing, revising, learning, applying, and writing again. The only other option is to stop and stagnate.
Without an editor somewhere, somehow, in the process, the loop is incomplete.
Delphine, from my upcoming novel, Mistress & Mage (recently acquired by 5 Prince Publishing) is tall. She's about 5'10", curvy, and is used to looking men straight in the eye, if not looking down a little. Not all men in the city of Rockhaven are gracious about this. One of the best qualities of her late husband was that he enjoyed her height.
But Varrick is a jaglin, and their men run 6-7' tall. He's a bit below average (6'4") but still tall enough to cuddle Delphine to her heart's content.
Yeah, that happened. My book, Mistress & Mage (which may or may not get a new title before publication) has been picked up by 5 Prince Books. That means my Delphine and Varrick will have their story out there for everyone to enjoy and swoon over. It's Bridgerton meets Dungeon & Dragons (if Bridgerton took place in the high-class gambling dens of Waterdeep).
She's a widow trapped by debts. He's a mage forced from his studies to track down a magical Jack the Ripper stalking the streets of her city.
the ADHD writer's guide to actually finishing a draft (no, seriously) 📝
okay, tumblr, writers... we need to TALK about how to actually finish a damn draft when your executive functioning decided to pack its bags and leave for a permanent vacation in the bahamas.
i'm not here to give you that basic "just set a timer!" advice that makes me want to throw my laptop into the sun. we all know those productivity hacks that work for neurotypicals make us want to scream into the void. (been there, screamed that.)
so here's the ACTUAL guide from someone who's written three novels while her brain was actively trying to sabotage her the entire time.
FIRST: accept that linear writing is a capitalist construct designed to torture us.
i'm serious. whoever decided writers should start at chapter 1 and proceed neatly to THE END clearly didn't have dopamine playing hide-and-seek in their prefrontal cortex.
write whatever scene has your brain chemicals SINGING today. that climactic fight scene that's six chapters away? the tender moment between your characters that happens in the middle? WRITE IT NOW while your brain is actually interested. i have finished entire novels by writing them in chunks and stitching them together like the beautiful frankenstein's monster they are.
SECOND: the 10-minute lie (that actually works???)
tell yourself you're only going to write for 10 minutes. that's it. no pressure. your adhd brain can handle anything for 10 minutes, right? the secret is that once you start, momentum becomes your best friend. sometimes you'll actually stop at 10 minutes (congrats, you still wrote something!) but often you'll look up and realize it's been two hours and you've written 2,000 words. and yes i've seen this a lot, like everywhere, where they tell you "set a timer for 5, and by the time you realize it's 2 hours" i've seen this many times before, and it actually works. at first i thought it didn't but boy, i was wrong.
THIRD: use your hyperfixation powers for good, not evil.
we all know that adhd comes with the superpower of becoming obsessed with random things for unpredictable amounts of time. WEAPONIZE THIS. create artificial urgency around your project. tell people about your deadline. make elaborate aesthetic pinterest boards. create a spotify playlist that you only listen to while writing this specific project. trick your brain into making your WIP the shiny new hyperfixation.
FOURTH: body-doubling saved my writing career and it can save yours too.
find another writer friend (or any friend who needs to do focused work) and sit together - virtually or physically - while you both work. something about having another human witnessing your work process bypasses the executive dysfunction. i swear it's actual magic. discord writing sprints, zoom sessions with cameras off but mics on - whatever works.
FIFTH: embrace the chaos of your natural writing cycle.
some days you'll write 5,000 words in a frenzy at 3am. other days you'll stare at the document for an hour and write "the." BOTH ARE VALID WRITING DAYS. the only consistency we need is returning to the document, not some arbitrary daily word count.
SIXTH: create external accountability that doesn't make you want to die.
deadlines from publishers? great. deadlines you set for yourself? your brain laughs and says "or what?" find the sweet spot - maybe it's a writing buddy you check in with, maybe it's a public progress tracker, maybe it's promising your sister you'll take her to dinner when you finish a chapter.
SEVENTH: the frankendraft approach.
your first draft DOES NOT need to be good, coherent, or even make sense. it just needs to exist. leave yourself notes like [FIGURE OUT HOW SHE GETS FROM THE CASTLE TO THE BEACH LATER] and keep moving. your adhd brain will thank you for not getting stuck in research rabbit holes for six hours.
EIGHTH: find your optimal writing environment through shameless trial and error.
maybe you need complete silence. maybe you need to be in a coffee shop with specific ambient noise. maybe you need to write standing up. maybe you need to dictate your novel while pacing around your apartment. there is no wrong way to get the words out.
i personally write best when i'm slightly uncomfortable (weird, i know) so i often end up writing while sitting on my kitchen floor with my laptop balanced on a chair. whatever works, bestie. a finished messy draft is infinitely more valuable than the perfect novel still trapped in your head. your adhd brain is simultaneously your greatest challenge and your greatest asset as a writer. the connections you make, the unique perspectives, the creativity - all of that comes from the same place as the struggles.
you've got this. now go write something, even if it's just for 10 minutes. i believe in you. ✨ -rin t.
✦ A free (and actually helpful) guide to leveling up your first 10 pages ✦If you're unsure whether your opening is ✨doing enough✨ to hook re
A gothic prompt pack for writers who love cursed universities, secret societies, and scholarly rot.✎ Write the Darkness ✎A 75-prompt horror
I've used a lot of these. I also intentionally set up rewards for myself for small amounts. Oh, 250 more words? I get another cup of coffee. 500 words? Facebook time. hit my 1000 words? Well, I'm really into it now so I'd better keep going, but I get chocolate first (yes, my brain is food-motivated).
My romantasy short story, Queen of Autumn, will be coming out this September in the anthology, A Season for Romance: Fall Flames. It's the third anthology containing stories from my Elffall world.
Camellia has just inherited her grandfather's barony and title. At forty, it's her first official trade negotiations, her first ball, and her first real flirt. Among . . . other . . . firsts.
✩ Gut-punches are about timing. You don't say “I love you” during the sunset. You say it in the middle of a burning building or right after they stab you.
✩ A single line of dialogue like “you were supposed to come back” hits harder than an entire page of poetic mourning.
✩ Don’t just break their hearts, break their sense of identity. Make them question who they are, what they stand for, and if it was ever worth it (That’s premium pain.)
✩ Let someone be forgiven… but not trusted again. That's the kind of heartbreak that lingers like smoke.
✩ Sometimes the most devastating line is the one they don’t say. Silence is a character too.
✩ Give them a moment of joy. Right before everything falls apart. Hope makes the fall hurt more.
✩ Someone saying “I forgive you” through tears? Powerful. Someone saying “I still love you but I can’t stay”? Absolutely soul-shattering.
✩ If they die, don’t describe the death. Describe the aftermath. The coat left hanging by the door. The mug still on the table. The dog waiting.
While I am beta reading a friend's novel (it's sort of the X-Men meets The Godfather with romance, very fun) and waiting to hear from a publisher about a fantasy romance story I pitched to them, I've been going through book 1 of my high fantasy quartet in anticipation of editing and polishing book 2.
I had originally written this as a trilogy before adding book 1 before the original trilogy, so the first book is the fourth one I wrote. Details in the following books need to match those laid out in the first one, including strengthening a little side romance and the level of betrayal by another side character.
Sannek is one of the villains, although he's not front and center in the first book much. The main villain, Emrth, worships Sannek. He's a statue carved of wood and bone, with fur covering certain parts and bronze wings, but he's also alive. The statue grows as he's fed sacrifices and death in battle. His power is palpable to certain, sensitive characters. The quote is actually from later in book 3, when the FMC, Zehra, is more directly confronting him.
Below is how he appears as a statue and in visions, although it's a cover. Human minds aren't built to comprehend the true nature of the gods, so deities adopt a more comprehensible form.
I don't usually do end-of-year round-ups until after Christmas because before Christmas is absolute clown shoes here. I also get things done between Christmas and New Years because I don't have to run the kiddos to all things.
So this is a pre-round up. In 2024, I finished editing the first book of my finished quartet and started revisions on the second. I pitch agents and a publisher at two writing conferences. One agent eventually requested a full, but passed. I went through it with a fine-tooth comb based on her suggestions and cut over 20K words off the manuscript. I do have some queries out and active right now, but I also have a few beta readers going through it for reader reactions.
People ask which book I'd like to forget and read for the first time again. Sometimes I wish I could do that with MY book! I've been through the first 3 chapters so much that I can't even tell if they're good or not. Would I like them without that overexposure?
I am also tweaking my query letter to highlight the parts of my book that agents seem to be looking for. It's strongly, although not exclusively, fem-focused. Half or more of the book is written from women's PoVs, from the main character, Zehra, who sees the future, to sheltered Imperial Princess Soraya trying to untangle palace intrigue, to Beryl marching over the mountains as part of the invasion, praying it succeeds so she can finally escape the man who murdered her family. It's not an ode to girl power or dropping women into traditionally masculine roles. If victory hinged just on battle, Zehra would lose.
When I first started it, I called it Sword & Sorcery & Sandal, because it was influenced by both actual history and antiquity and the Sword & Sandal movies I often watched while growing-up, but it contains magic and elements of the classic sword & sorcery genre. All those are OLD though! And very male-focused. It's a little like Gladiator x Hannibal of Carthage (If you focus on Lucilla). But it's a little like Ben-Hur. It's inspired by the doomed seer, Cassandra, but not a retelling. In part, it's answering the question, "How did the people he invaded and conquered see Alexander the Great? What if one stopped him?"
I can talk forever about my inspirations (my kids asking, "Why didn't Hannibal bring wooly mammoths over the Alps?"). Boiling it down to an eloquent, compelling query letter is far harder.
My elves in Elffall have wings. It's an adaptation to the massive trees they live in, although they also require magic to fly. The wings aren't big enough for them to fly without it.
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