Authors are the Best Teachers

It’s back to school time in my neck of the woods. The kids are running around to get the bus, the smell of freshly sharpen pencils and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is in the air. The temperature is getting cooler. As I watched all the kids around me get excited for a new school year, I can’t help but reflect back on how many great teachers have made me the person I am today. And many great authors have made me the author I am by sharing their knowledge and experience and helping me to grow.

Here are a few of the authors that have proven to be fantastic writing teachers to me over the years and have turned me into the author I am today.

Stephen King’s On Writing is my favorite writing book ever. When I first read it, back in my high school days, it was transformative. Not only was it the first book that I’d read written an author I loved (before that all the writing books I’d ever read were more informational and written by people I’d never heard of before), but it also had such a different take on writing.

Just like the rest of Stephen King’s work, his writing advice was grounded in reality, realism, and wasn’t always rosy or optimistic. But I loved that. He made writing sound difficult but doable. He was the first author I heard make a word goal for the day and talk about grinding out the work instead of waiting for inspiration. It may sound obvious today, but at the time I’d never heard anyone detail how to become a writer in as plain terms as he did.

I haven’t read the book in quite a few years, I don’t know how well its held up over time. Especially when it comes to writing style, which is always evolving. But the advice on achieving your goals and improving your art are timeless.

I took Becca Syme’s Write Better Faster Class when I was going through a low point in my career. I’d completely burnt myself out trying to write fulltime after an unexpected job loss, and it was doing a number on my head. She’s the first person who I ever described my writing style to and didn’t think I was insane. She looked at the tests I’d taken for her class, and said my style made sense according to what my tests revealed. That was a vindication I never realized I needed but has helped me accept my style more than I can express.

Also, her advice to write like yourself is something I use every day. Whenever I start to get down on myself that my style isn’t like someone else’s that I love, or I can’t write like some author that is amazing, I always remember her advice that readers don’t come to your work for a copycat of someone else, or for perfect grammar and prose. They come to you for what makes you different. What is special about you. And you can’t do anything better for your writing than embracing who you are. That always encourages me to continue when writing is tough. Or more often, I’m tough on myself.

I don’t remember how I found Sarra Cannon’s Heart Breathing channel on YouTube. I must have watched enough other author vlogs that the algorithm sent her to me, but I am grateful. In the last few years, writing has become a lot for me to handle. All the millions of things you have to do on top of the writing. Maintain a website, create an online presence, promote on social media, self-publish books, liaison with vendors….it can be overwhelming. But her 90-day planning system, called HB90, has been a godsend. It helps me focus on what’s important and move projects forward instead of running around trying to do everything at once and getting nowhere. And her writing advice on plotting, and characterization is fantastic.

One of her recent videos on reverse outlining, or grid outlining as I’ve seen some others call it, might have changed my writing process for good. It combines the writing part of my brain, with the analytical data part of my brain, so perfectly I can’t believe I’ve never thought of it before. It’s been so helpful, especially with my frazzled mom brain, to have a way to focus my whole story displayed on one sheet, instead of trying to keep it all in my head.

Back when I had a commute, I loved podcasts. Music is great, but podcasts really help me make a long commute fun. The time flies by when I’m learning something new. Stephenie Holmes podcast was one of my favorites. She has such great tips on writing and marketing, that I couldn’t wait for her podcast to drop each week. I love how clear she is in her own goals. Unlike other authors that give advice, she’s very clear in what works for her and doesn’t hedge. She’s a high production author—meaning she writes a lot, and feels that’s the best way to make enough money to write full-time. And she gives advice in that vein.

I loved to hear how her different marketing projects went. From Kickstarts, to merchandise and special editions, to exploring new genres, she detailed every turn she took with her writing. What was successful, what wasn’t, how she might do things differently to avoid pitfalls in the future.

While she hasn’t offered a new podcast in some time, the old ones still have a lot to offer. From marketing tips and tricks, to mindset resets. If you haven’t checked them out, they are definitely worth a listen.

These are the authors that have been great teachers to me. They have all taught me so much, and I take their wisdom with me everywhere I go. If you have any other authors you have learned a ton from, drop them in the comments below. I can’t wait to find others that will open my mind and expand my insight, just as these fantastic authors have.

Using 5 Whys for Greater Character Depth

A few months ago, I started something new. Something that's been tempting my muse for a while, but I've been hesitant to write. 

I’ve always been tempted by lots of different stories. I have a million story ideas stories racing around my head at all times. Fantasy, paranormal, dark romance, historical. But I’ve found it a little too easy to settle into one type of story, with one type of voice. Mostly because I love these stories. There’s never been a time where I didn’t want to write a story about two sexy cowboys falling in love with a bookish nerd. I love each and every one of my characters and my quirky little towns. And I’ve been very happy writing them. 

But sometimes my crazy muse wants me to try something new. Maybe she knows that trying something different will push me to a new level, or help me find new enjoyment in my stories. Or a new kind of story that I love just as much as the old ones.

So I decided to take a chance and start a new, very different kind of story. Unlike some of the other books I’ve written, this one is more complex. Much darker. With more detailed worldbuilding and character arcs. One of the reasons I have put off writing a book like this is because the complexity and detail intimidated me.

Normally, I can hold my entire story in my head. I don't need outlines. I don't use note cards, complex character sheets, or plotting storyboards. I’m a pretty intuitive writer, and most of the time my intuition and an idea is all I need to find my story and get it to the finish line.

But these characters have been giving me more trouble than I’m used to. It's been harder for me to get my arms around them. Usually I know exactly what my characters are going to do, because it makes sense to me. Often it’s exactly what I would do, or a friend would do, or someone I might know would do. I understand all their fears and misconceptions. 

But these new characters are hard to figure out. They take actions I would never consider (some actions that are even illegal), and I've had trouble understanding their motivations. That’s when I knew it was time to pull out my writer’s toolbox and see if I can find a new strategy to understand these difficult characters.

I went back to an old but a goodie, and tried to determine in detail all my character’s goals, motivation, and conflict. But when I started to think about why they might take the actions they did, I found the goal, motivation and conflict didn’t go deep enough for me to truly get to the heart of their needs. Yes, I understood my FMC’s motivation for blackmailing her boss is money, but why? Why did she need the money? Why this man? Why? Why? Why?

That’s when I remembered the five whys. The five whys is an analytical tool that I’ve used in project management as part of my evil day job. The point of the five whys is not to address the first issue that arises, but to get to the heart of the problem and fix it. Hopefully permanently.

To use the five whys you only have to ask why something is happening, as you in the example on the left. 

When using this tool for character development you only need to keep asking yourself why your character is doing what they are doing. For instance, if your character plans to blackmail her boss, why? Maybe she needs the money quickly. But why? Maybe she has a lot of debt to a bad guy and she needs to pay him off fast. Why? Because he’s going to kidnap her sister if she doesn’t. Quickly, we’ve gotten to the real truth of why she is taking such a drastic action. To protect her sister.

The point of the five whys is to just keep winding down that rabbit hole, asking, Why? Why? Why? Why? Until you get to the very root of the issue. The rule is called the five whys, but that’s only to inspire you not to take the first few answers you receive. You can keep asking why as many times as you need until you get to the heart of the problem.

I decided to try and to apply this logic to my characters (why not😉), asking why they took their current action. Why they felt a certain way towards another character. And the more I asked, the more these characters—and the story—opened up to me. With the more whys I asked, the more complex, complicated and exciting the story became, but also the more understandable my characters and their actions became.

If you're struggling with how to determine why your characters are doing what they're doing, or what their next step would be, consider applying the five whys. Just keep asking. Why? Why? Why do they do this? Why do they keep doing this? Why is this important? Until you get to the very core of your characters. No matter how many whys it takes.

I think you’ll find a lot of secrets along the way, and a lot of fresh exciting ideas to explore, but most of all, you'll find a connection and understanding with your characters you never had before. Why not give it a try?

Give Yourself a Tip

For the last month or so I’ve been having trouble getting motivated. I was doing well for a few a while. I managed to write twenty-four thousand words into a new story, brainstorming new ideas, and starting to get exciting about writing again. Then a month-long bout of illness hit my household, just one right after the other, and since then I’ve been feeling like I can’t quite get my feet underneath me. I want to get back to working on my goals again, but being so far behind already, it's hard to get the motivation to start grinding again. Even simple stuff like making dinner or cleaning the house can feel insurmountable somedays.

I’ve talked multiple times before about how I’m not good at giving myself rewards. I never seem to be able to find anything that can motivate me. I just don’t have a lot of things I want. Especially not little things. Earning books has worked okay for me, I can always use more books, but anything else has failed to be appealing enough to motivate me. And now that I have a toddler, my options for 'gifting' myself things are even fewer. I don’t have the time to get a manicure or pedicure, or take a workout class anymore, even if I was interested in doing something like that.

I decided to try something different this month. Since Covid,  everywhere now seems to be asking for tips. Everyone wants a little something extra when they do a good job. Why not me? 

I set up a new system where I get a dollar every time I go above and beyond in my own life. Or at least above and beyond what I have been doing. If I can get to bed on time and get a good night sleep, instead of staying up late into the night scrolling social media, one dollar. Make a good healthy meal for my family, one dollar. Organize an activity to keep my toddler happy and give me a break, one dollar. Anything else I want to encourage myself to do constantly, I give myself a tip when I accomplish it.

I take all these little tips and put them in a special bank account. The start of a savings account to do something really fun. Right now, I’ve unofficially earmarked this money for taking my son to Disney World in a few years, but we’ll see how quickly it grows, and if we’ll have enough funds for that when the time comes. 

You might notice none of these activities are directly related to helping me meet my goals, but indirectly they have been very helpful to get me back on track. Now that I’m getting better sleep and eating better, I have more mental bandwidth to start thinking about writing again. Now that I’m feeling better about where I am, and what progress I am making, I’m more able to conquer that massive cleaning projects on my plate or dealing with another terrible night of illness.

So if you’re struggling to complete what you need to do, think about giving yourself a tip for taking those critical first steps towards your goals. It's amazing what a little encouragement can do for your state of mind. And you can also be saving to some special future fun at the same time.

What would you give yourself a tip for doing? Is there anything you can think of that would be worth encouraging with a nice fat tip?

New Year, Same Determination

A long, long time ago, when I first discovered by love for romance novels and was struck with the desire to write my own, I went to Walden Books (yes, that's long ago it was) and picked up Writing Romance for Idiots. A close cousin of the popular dummies' books. This was before yahoo groups and social media. It wasn't before the internet, but definitely predated using the internet for absolutely everything, like we do now. Back then I wanted to write traditional historical romance novels, like the ones I read and loved. Which I still dream of writing, with a saucier twist than the ones I wrote back then. 

How to write romance for idiots gave lots of great advice. I haven't read the book in ages, but I'm sure much of it doesn't apply any longer. The industry has changed so much since then. But one of the tips I always remember was to go to a bookstore and see where you're books would fit on the shelves. The idea was to pick a pen name that would situate you near authors of similar genre, so you might attract a reader to pick up your book along with your fellow author's.

This is where my books would reside in my local Barnes and Noble

This advice isn't relevant to how readers discover books anymore, but it's still a habit to check out my sister authors every time I enter a bookstore. I love to see what other authors I would be surrounded by if I did get my book into their bookstores. Or what covers might border my books.

For the last few years, my life has been crazy. So much has been changing. My family, my location, my priorities. It would have been easy give up on my writing amidst all this upheaval. I'm almost ashamed to admit, I did consider it. Especially after being so long without finishing a book, and knowing how much work it will be to get back to where I was before. I had to really take stock if I still wanted this writing career anymore. Maybe I'd done what I wanted to do. I'd been published. I made a little money. I made some great friends. Maybe I should walk away with my good memories and be done.

But the more I thought about giving up, the more it became clear I couldn't do it. Not just because I still have so many characters and stories running around in my head (though that is true). But because there are so many goals I still want to accomplish. So many things I wanted to do and see and experience with my writing. I wanted to see my book on those shelves, sandwiched between such prized authors. I wanted to get the chance to write the historicals that drew me to romance in the first place. And paranormals. And dark romance. And maybe dystopian or fantasy. I wanted to see readers devouring the books I write. To know, even for a little while, I gave someone else happiness and joy with my words.

I couldn't walk away. I couldn't give up on myself and my dreams like that. My only option was to keep going, to keep pushing, no matter how hard. Even though I won't be able to devote the same time and energy that I used to. I'm still going to work towards these big goals. Because some dreams are worth fighting for. And this year I am determined to make them happen.

And I hope you do the same for yourself. Never give up. Never stop trying. If it's something you really want, keep fighting. Because I have no doubt if I keep pushing, keep working and keep dreaming, one day I will accomplish these big goals and make my dreams come true. And I'm sure you will too.

Finding That Writing Mojo Dojo

I have always felt like physical places have energy. Sometimes its inherent to the place itself, and sometimes it can be created by what happens there. When buying all my houses, the second I stepped into the building I could just feel it was the place for me. Realtors would tell you they created that feeling (and I don’t think that’s completely untrue) but I think that the buildings themselves have a certain energy that I picked up on. Energy that welcomed me and soothed me and made me feel like this place could be my home.

I’ve also always believed that places have writing energy as well. Not that I can’t write anywhere, if properly motivated. I’ve written in some weird places throughout the years (during hockey games, in closets, on the couch while my whole family watched avatar), but when I settled down to writing in a place with that good writing mojo it always feels like the words flows better. It’s easier for me to get in that right headspace. Like everything just clicks a little faster, a little easier, a little deeper.

As a result, I tend to frequent places with good writing energy far more often. Especially when getting into that writing headspace can be even harder, due to stress, or real-life complications, or a strict deadline.

Here are a few of the places I like to write. Either because they have inherent great writing energy or because I’ve created it, by writing in these places enough that I can pick back up on that mindset the second I walk in the door.

While it may sound boring, my desk is one of my favorite places to write. Not because there is anything special about my desk. In fact, it’s pretty bland. Every year I think about fixing it up, getting some new stuff to make it more exciting and conducive to writing, but I always put it off. Regardless of how blah my desk might be, it’s a great place to get work done. Without any windows, and far away from the rest of the house, there are limited distractions to disrupt my flow. On a day when I don’t have the time to go anywhere else, I’ll put on some sounds (I need sounds instead of music, because lyrics can distract me when I’m writing, especially if it’s a good song), and shut off the world. 

After my desk, the most common place for me to write is my couch. I’m not sure it’s the best. It probably horrible for my wrist or back, but it’s the most well used spot in my house for everything. For eating, for reading, for writing/working, probably even for sleeping (I’m a big napper, which most often happens on the couch). But while it might not be the best for my body to write, the positive energy on my couch has served me well. Not to mention, there is something really nice about how writing on the couch connects my writing to my everyday life. While it can be freeing to escape from reality into my writing, sometimes it’s also nice to see my writing world as not a separate entity, but as a part of my life. An extension of the real me.

Barnes and Noble is one of my favorite places to write outside the house. I think being surrounded by all those books is great motivation. I look at all the books around me, at all the people who love those books, and it fills me with motivation to bring my characters into the world to be loved by readers just like the ones around me. Not to mention the snacks and coffee really help lubricate the writing process.

After Barnes and Noble, Panera is my next favorite place to write. The food is great, and the atmosphere—at least at my Panera—is focused. Maybe it’s because I live close to a large college, but most days I write at Panera at least half the restaurant is filled with other people on their laptops, writing presentations, trading stocks, editing videos. It can be quite a communal feeling, to see so many other people working to their goals, just like I am. And they make a mean grill cheese. What could be better than that?

I’ve always found walking very helpful for my writing process. It gives me time to think, to let my mind wonder and the ideas to flow. If I am going through a period of increased productivity it is almost always a time when I am consistently walking. And when I walk it isn’t uncommon for me to find a nice grassy spot to sit down and write. There is a perfect spot I used to tuck away into near my evil day job, just beyond the building I can’t see my office, or any other part of the realities of home, and I can just escape into my writing, with nothing to distract me from the world and characters I’m creating. I wrote most of my Frostbite Falls series in that spot, and to this day it is one of my favorite places to write. The wind, the trees, the birds, the sunshine, all only add to my enjoyment and my writing mojo.

These are the places I like to write the most. That have offer me just that little extra energy to make my words come to life. Where do you like to get your work done? What places have the best energy to you? Or help you be even more productive? Leave them in the comments below. Maybe we have some of the same places in mind.

Most Romantic Places Inside or Outside a Book

Though I write some very sexy stuff in my books, I am well aware that not all things that are sexy or romantic in a book are the same in real life. I love to include a good shower scene in one of my stories, the characters all warm and moist and pressed close together. In reality, a real romp in a shower can be cold, and slipper, and too unnerving to really enjoy. But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying reading these scenes over and over again.

The same can be true for all kinds of aspects of a book. From some stories that are sexy between the pages of a good book, like a dark romance kidnapping, that would absolutely frightening in real life. To the places these stories are set in. I don’t care how romantic and sexy it might be in a book, I have never found my workplace to be an exciting location. If I were to fall in love at work, we would definitely be take our amorous activities home, and not to the supply closet.

But there are some places, that are just as sexy and romantic whether you find them in the pages of a book or in your everyday life. Places that evoke feelings of love and longing and romance regardless of all else around.

While these may be different for everyone, here are the places I find romantic, in and out of a novel.

Mountain Cabin (especially in the snow). Maybe it's because I’m a northern baby, or may it’s just my mentality, but I love a good snowed in cabin. That is probably obvious from my books, that are often set in snowy towns, or on dark snowy nights. The isolation of a cabin, away from the world, away from your troubles, away from anything that might disturb the connection between you and your special someone is something I find very appealing. And extremely romantic. As the world gets more and more busy, complicated, and noisy, I only find a romantic escape to a distant mountain top all the more appealing.

Paris. I’m sure this one goes without saying. Between the amazing food, the beautiful locations, and the history, there’s not much that isn’t romantic in this city (except for the traffic). Even their very language sounds sultry and seductive to the ear and on the lips. If you can’t find a romantic spot to sneak away to in Paris, you clearly aren’t trying hard enough.

Antique Bookstore/Library. This one might be specific to us bookish babes, which I assume most that read this blog, but nothing is more romantic in my mind than being surround by books. However, it can’t be just any bookstore that really calls to my sweet romantic heart. I love Barnes and Noble, but I’m not sure how romantic it is. However an antique bookstore, filled with old books, the musty paper smell filling the room, would have me thinking steamy romance. Not to mention all the dark and quiet corners to hide away in for a few wicked deeds.

Grand Central Station. Maybe not the most romantic of locations to some, but I’ve always loved the majesty and old world charm of Grand Central. The beautiful star laden ceilings, the art deco architecture, calling back to the romance of old New York. Calling forth images of women dressed in all their finery, and man in waistcoats and top hats, ready to ride the train to some exotic destination. It has always seemed the perfect place to snag a fiery kiss under the painted stars.

A private boat off the Grecian coast. Just like with the mountain cabin, the privacy and escape from the world is deeply appealing, drifting off in a boat to points unknown. The romance of being alone with your partner. Just you, and them, and the ocean breeze in your hair. The crystal blue water, white sandy beaches, balmy weather. A total escape from the world where you can laugh, and love, and play together. You even can spend the whole day naked and enjoying your partner if you wish. But if you do, I strongly recommend lots and lots of sunscreen.

Castle on a misty mountain top. A national monument, a remodeled hotel, or just a few halls remaining after years of erosion and neglect, a castle is always beaming with romance. Maybe even more so now, than in its original days. The time and dedication that is written into the walls of such a place, is awe inspiring. Calling back to knights, and kings, and chivalry. Where men and women fought for love, through trial and tribulation. And the timelessness of romance and love. And who doesn’t find that appealing?

These are the places I find just as romantic in and out of the pages of a book. Where are yours?

Rewardin’ My Self

For any who have read this blog over the last several years, you know I’m big on goals. I love to set them. I love to achieve them. One might say I’m a little too obsessed with them. I have a tendency to set my aspirations a little too high, which is why I rarely meet them. That’s just how I roll. I know some people find this discouraging, but I believe if you reach for a high goal, even if you don’t make it, you are bound to end up somewhere great.

But as much as I love to make goals, and strive to achieve them, I’m not great at celebrating those achievements. Most years, I set a reward for myself if I ‘win’ Nanowrimo, but I can only think of one instance where I actually bought myself the reward. Last year, I wrote almost 20k in five days because I so desperately wanted the prize I promised myself, and I am still yet to purchase it.

We are now halfway through 2024, and I’m trying to get back onto my goals again. I still have a few things I want to accomplish this year, and I haven’t done nearly as much towards achieving those goals as I would like. So I’ve set up a new system of monitoring and achieving my goals. And with that I selected another round of rewards to gift myself if I achieve these goals. And so far, I’m doing a little better rewarding myself than I have in the past. 

But I’ve only managed to do that by applying these new rules for the prizes that can be awarded and the way that I give myself those gifts.

1. Set prizes I really want. Often I convince myself I want a certain prize for achieving a reward that isn’t what I actually want. And therefore it is not all that motivating. For years I have set rewards for meeting my workout goals that I didn’t really want. Usually I would set a goal of more workout classes, workout clothes, DVDs and music too workout to. These were the type of goals I thought I should get for this goal, but in truth it always felt like a reward of hard work with more work. No thank you. Instead this last month, I am rewarding myself with money towards house purchases. Things I want to buy, but always convince myself I don’t really need. Nothing to do with working out at all. Turns out I find getting a new mirror for my bathroom, or a milk frothier just because I’d like it, is far more motivating than new workout gear or yoga classes could ever be.

2. Make them frivolous. I tend to be a very frugal person. I don’t really like to buy things, and often convince myself I don’t need anything. Which is all well and good most of the time, but when it comes to being motived, the practical doesn’t do it. To find something that will encourage me to push that extra mile it has to be something I wouldn’t normally buy myself. Something a little extra, and frivolous. And making these rewards all the more special.

3. Immediately gratification. One of the issues I’ve had in the past is that I often forced myself to wait to receive a reward I’ve earned. Sometimes it’s because I’m waiting for the reward to be available, but most often it’s just because it doesn’t seem crucial. I’ll put off getting a reward, thinking that I can just get it later. But when I put off receiving that prize, not only do I not get the serotonin spike for achieving the goal, but I often convince myself it’s been so long since I was supposed to get the reward and I didn’t, so I don’t really need it. For this set of goals, I’m purchasing the rewards (or move money into an account if that is the reward) right after achieving the goal. Minutes after if possible. No doing it later. No thinking about, it which leads to not getting anything. Immediate gratification, and immediate celebration.

These are all the ways I am changing my system to reward myself for what I accomplish. And I hope, that by making these changes, and giving myself the rewards I deserve, it will not only be more motivating to me to complete my goals but also more rewarding. I want to start learning to fulfill the promises that I make to myself, and improve my ability to believe in myself and what I can do.

What tricks do you use to motivate yourself? Do you offer yourself rewards? And if so, what are they? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

Tropes I’d Love to Write Someday

Over the last forty odd years of reading, I found that many authors tend to stick to the same tropes. For some it might be due to the type of stories they write or the genre they are in. It would be very difficult (though not impossible) for a contemporary romance author to write an arranged marriage story or for a fantasy author to write a single dad story. It’s just outside of the norms of their genre. Though I would gladly read both of these stories. For others, I believe they stick to the same tropes because that is just how their brains work. Those are the stories that they are drawn too.

I definitely see the same in my own writing. I often write the same tropes multiple times. My favorites being friends to lovers and second chance romances. Because I write spicier books, I’ve always found having that history between the characters helps me jump to the smutty stuff faster, instead of having to spend a lot of time having to create the relationship between them and the reason they are together. I love how the conflict and tension in these relationships that is there on page one. But even though I have a few tropes I tend to lean towards, as a lifelong romance reader and writer, I have a ton of tropes I’d like to write that I just haven’t found the right story for, or the right characters to entrance me.

Here are some the tropes I haven’t written yet, but I would like to explore one day soon...

Snowed In – This is one of my all time favorite tropes. As a lover of forced proximity romances, and someone who tends to set a lot of my stories in cold places, it’s amazing I haven’t written this trope already. And I have come up with a few ideas, but nothing that I think is worth of the trope.

Amnesia – this trope harkens back to my early early romance reading days, when this trope was a lot more prevalent, especially in the historical romance that were my first romance loves. One bonk on the head and any heroine could rewrite her entire life and find the prince (sometimes literally) of her dreams. Over the years this trope has gone out of favor, I imagine at least partially because of the unrealistic nature (though I always thought that was half the fun), but I’d love to write an amnesia story, maybe with a more modern twist. But as of yet, the story idea hasn’t come to me.

Professor and student – It’s still hard for me to believe I haven’t written a story about a student and professor yet. The first erotic romance, the one that had me enthralled and set me down this crazy career path, was a professor and student story. Nothing like that power dynamic to set all the butterflies loose in your stomach. Which is why I find it so hard to believe a story like this has come to me yet (though I did have a play version in Heart’s Ultimatium). I have no doubt one will. Hopefully very soon. 

Warring Families – as a lover of Romeo and Juliet in my teenage years this has always been a trope I’ve loved. Whether it is with vampire families, mafia families, or just two warring family restaurants, I always love two families that hate each other so much they can’t stand to be in the same room, and the children that fall in love to throw the whole thing on its head. I’d love to write my own version of the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s, but maybe ones that fight over Christmas decorations instead of stolen farm animals. 

True Enemies to Lover – Enemies to Lovers is one of my favorite tropes. I absolutely love reading them. The tension between the characters. That white hot hate, that turns into white hot passion with just the right spark. When done well, it is amazing. But it has to be done well, and with the right characters, the right motivation and the right passion, otherwise you’ll never get that power and passion the reader—and I—crave. And as of yet, no characters that could hate each other that much have come to me. Though I am definitely on the lookout. There’s nothing I would like better than to write some hot hate sex scenes. The idea alone has me excited.

I’m sure there are a few others tropes I’d love to add to my collection, but these are the ones that really tempt me to bring them to life. And I hope I find the right story and the right characters to do soon. These tropes are all so awesome, how could you not want to write and read them all.

Are your favorite tropes included in this list? Do you have another trope you really love you want to see written? Leave it in the comments below and maybe I’ll add it to my list to torture myself with.

League of Supernatural Assassins Shared World

 

THE UNLIKELY ASSASSIN: LEAGUE OF SUPERNATURAL ASSASSINS

Meet Likely, known as "It" among those who fear her unfathomable power. Even the creators of monsters are baffled by her existence. From birth, Likely has endured relentless scrutiny and experimentation, always kept at arm's length due to the terror she instills. She's heard every conjecture about her nature, but the truth remains elusive – she's a puzzle, a failed experiment spiraling out of control.

 

Enter Rake, an outsider with unconventional techniques and a mysterious origin, yet unmatched in his ability to heal. With a chip on his shoulder and everything to prove, he's tasked with capturing the ultimate weapon – Likely. Enthralled by her enigmatic allure, he finds himself drawn to her, only to be met with her instinctive recoil. Still, he's determined to earn her trust, even if it means concealing his true motives. The less she knows, the safer they both are, but one misstep could end them both.

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