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Published on December 05, 2023 09:34

October 13, 2023

New cover!

Hey y’all,

I don’t have a full newsletter today, but I did want to share the gorgeous cover for the new trade paperback version of The Ones Who Got Away, which will release in March 2024.

I loved the original cover as well, but this one feels fresh and also poignant, which I think fits the story. And that quote from the lovely Ms. Colleen Hoover on the top doesn’t look so bad either. ;)

Plus, I’m so happy that it will now be available in the larger paperback size. I know many of you aren’t fans of reading the smaller mass-market-sized books, so now you’ll have a new option!

What do you think?!

Pre-order your copy!

About the book:

There were only a few survivors from that one fateful night. Now, twelve years later, the kids once called The Ones Who Got Away are back…and ready to claim the lives they never truly got to live.

Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre High School―until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges man might be exactly what she needs…

I hope you all have a great Friday the 13th and a fun weekend!

Roni

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Published on October 13, 2023 11:14

October 4, 2023

It's Spooky Season!

It’s October!

This is one of my favorite months. First, it’s usually when we finally get a break from the brutal Texas heat (the weather dude has promised that break is coming later this week) and second, all the spooky season books and movies start popping up.

Seasonal reading…sort of

I usually think of myself as a seasonal reader, but when I look back at my reading history, that theory doesn’t totally bear out. Yes, in the summer I usually read one or two beach reads. Around Christmas, I usually read a wintry/holiday book. But it’s not across-the-board seasonal reading.

Instead, I seem to have two specific seasons that I lean into. One is late December through January when I inevitably plan to fix/improve ALL THE THINGS about my life, and I binge-read non-fiction books on self-help, organizing, health, etc. I enjoy that season because I like the feeling of a reset and fresh start to the year. Plus, I get to set up new planners—another nerdy delight.

Then, my second seasonal reading time is now, in the fall. Scary books. Dark academia. Witchy stories. Vampires (both sexy and scary ones are on the table.) Anything that is going to channel those fall, reading-under-a-blanket-with-the-leaves-rattling-in-the-wind outside vibes. I want to cocoon with my books and eat cinnamon-laced things and scare myself a little.

Last newsletter, I shared that I was doing a nerdy Horror 101 syllabus for both reading and films and that plan is fitting in with my seasonal reading perfectly. I’m three weeks in, and I’m having such a good time with it. I’ve shuffled it around a bit from what I posted originally, making the reading and film themes match up, so that’s been a good change. Each week, I get to deep dive into a new horror theme. This week is Slasher Week!

But this also means that if you happen to lean into spooky season like I do, I have some fresh recommendations for you!

Scary Reads

First, if you’re looking for something that will give you the chills and that unsettled feeling without being gory or violent, I’m recommending a classic in a specific format.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson on audio (Libro.fm | Audible)

I’m often averse to classics, and I attempted to read this in print a long time ago without luck. However, this time, I tried it in audio and was instantly hooked, so I’m recommending it in that format.

Most of you probably already know the premise, it’s one of THE haunted house stories that set the precedent for others. But basically, four people move into Hill House to investigate paranormal activity. Then…sh*t gets real.

I was surprised how modern this story felt even though it was written in 1959. Theodora felt like someone I’d want to hang out with--wry and warm and witty. I could imagine Audrey Hepburn delivering her lines. Luke was like the Pacey Witter (from Dawson’s Creek)--a good-time guy who was quick with a joke. Eleanor, the main character, was the sheltered girl desperate for friends, adventure, and freedom.

I liked the banter among them. I liked the warmth between the women early on. Eleanor definitely had a girl crush on Theodora/Theo in that way that a naive, shy girl gets enamored with the socially adept, popular girl. There are also things in the text that hint at Theo being a lesbian who has just broken up with her “roommate.” I loved that aspect in such an old novel—that even though Shirley Jackson couldn’t write it outright, the reader could pick up the hints.

The spooky elements of this novel also worked really well. Nothing was gory or graphic, but I could picture everything like a movie. Loud banging on walls. Teeth-chattering cold. That feeling that something is off or someone is listening or watching. I found the horror aspects effective and the narration enhanced it.

I raced through this one. The writing was gorgeous and the ending was dramatic and fit the story. I’ve already watched the original 1963 adaptation, The Haunting. And now I’m looking forward to watching the Netflix show.

So if you’re wanting something creepy and classic, I highly recommend this one. Plus, it has one of the most famous opening paragraphs of all time.

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."

The Return by Rachel Harrison

For something a little gorier with more overt horror, you might want to give The Return a try. The one has a great hook. The opening line is, “What do you mean she’s missing?”

Here’s the back cover copy:

Julie is missing, and no one believes she will ever return—except Elise. Elise knows Julie better than anyone, and feels it in her bones that her best friend is out there and that one day Julie will come back. She’s right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she’s been or what happened to her.

Along with Molly and Mae, their two close friends from college, the women decide to reunite at a remote inn. But the second Elise sees Julie, she knows something is wrong—she’s emaciated, with sallow skin and odd appetites. And as the weekend unfurls, it becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back. But then who—or what—is she?

So, your friend goes missing for two years. You have a funeral for her. Then two years to the day later, she shows up and has no memory of what happened. Oh, and she used to be a vegetarian but now can’t get enough meat. What’s a friend to do? Apparently, go for a girls’ weekend with your other two friends to an isolated, weird-ass hotel in the mountains. (Wouldn’t be my first instinct, but then we wouldn’t have a horror novel!)

This one was quite a ride and, full disclosure, there were times I wanted to yell at these women to get the hell out of there. On the Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9 (my current favorite binge-listen), the hosts often talk about the point at which characters realize they’re in a horror movie—and how some never do (usually to their ultimate detriment.) And these women didn’t realize they were in a horror movie for a long time.

However, the journey was bizarre, fun, at times gross, and scary.

Also, Rachel Harrison has become quite a name in horror and this, I believe, was her debut. So if you want to give her writing a try, this is one you can probably easily get at the library.

Scary Movie Night

You’re Next (streaming on Max)

This is a slasher that knows it’s a slasher. They are winking at the viewer pretty often with the dark humor and nods to previous movies, but I love that.

The setup: Erin is with her boyfriend, and they are on the way to his family’s estate for his parents’ 35th wedding anniversary celebration. Erin has never met his parents or siblings. When they arrive, there are three other siblings and their partners plus the parents. This feels like a family drama until oops, at the big family dinner, someone gets an arrow shot at them through the window. There are home invaders in animal masks outside and now it’s going to be a fight for survival.

Everyone is completely freaked out, but Erin, somehow, seems strangely calm and capable and goes into “this is what we need to do” mode. I won’t say more than that so that I don’t give away anything, but this one was just bloody fun. If you like your horror with a side of pitch-black comedy, give this one a try.

Ouija: Origin of Evil (streaming on Netflix)

Note, this is not the original Ouija (which I’ve heard is pretty bad) but a prequel.

Set in 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her two daughters are running a seance business to get by after they lost their dad/husband, but when they add an Ouija board to their act and it actually starts to work, things get dark quickly.

I really liked the characters in this one and I believed them—why they were doing what they were doing. I was rooting for them. (Always a dangerous thing to do in a horror movie!) I thought the effects on this one were good, and the story was definitely unsettling. If you like a horror movie with creepy children, this one pulled off that trope well.

Unfriended for Rent, & Other New Releases on DVD at Redbox

Unfriended (streaming on Netflix)

This was a movie of its time—hey there, Skype! But I think this was a clever and effective scary movie all done on a computer screen.

You follow Blair and her group of friends on a group video call. Recently, one of their friends died by suicide and there’s a viral video of it. (So, trigger warning for suicide.) The call starts off as if they’re just planning to chat, but then someone they don’t recognize joins the call…and starts making demands.

This one is fast-paced and intense. There’s lots of screaming. There’s gore and grisly deaths. Know what you’re getting into. But I appreciated the method of keeping an entire movie on a computer screen. Often when you have constraints on a story or movie, people get more creative, and that’s the case here. You see Blair opening up other windows on her screen to research things or to try to get help. It’s an interesting way to tell a story. Plus, it’s got a pretty in-your-face theme about how the internet can make us act like terrible people.

Of course with all of these recommendations, if you’re horror-averse, please feel free to skip them all, and check trigger warnings if you have sensitivities. But I hope for those of you who enjoy a good fictional scare, that you found something to entertain you during spooky season!

I’d love to hear what you’re reading or watching this October? Are you a seasonal reader? Do you have specific reading seasons you like more than others?

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Published on October 04, 2023 04:00

September 12, 2023

Have I hit peak nerdiness? Yes, yes I have.

Ever come across a post or an article that makes it feel like a literal lightbulb went off inside you?

That’s the feeling I got last week when I ran across a combination of two posts. First, I was going through my Substack feed and saw the headline Back to School Energy for Writers by Hurley Winkler. I, of course, clicked to read it because I adore back-to-school energy and thought, at the very least, I’d get some recommendations for office supplies—which was part of it—but oh, that wasn’t what captured my imagination.

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No, what got me was when she mentioned that she and another writer friend had created a fall syllabus for themselves.

What??? ←my brain

A syllabus, you say?

She linked to an article by Kara Cutruzzula called Hit Your New Goal by Structuring It Like a Syllabus. Here’s what Kara said:

A syllabus sets expectations and gives you tools for moving forward, while deliberately learning something new. The practices and guidelines common in higher education are available to all of us—you simply have to set them yourself. And you can apply their principles to any project, starting now, with the intention to learn, discover, and build.

The concept seems so simple, but I’ve never thought of using a syllabus in this way. When I was a student, I always loved a fresh syllabus at the beginning of a semester, especially if I was excited about the class. What are we going to learn? What are we going to read?? I couldn’t wait to see. (If you’re not a person who loved school, you’re probably now thinking there’s something wrong with me, lol.)

But I’ve been out of college a long time now, and I miss that atmosphere of always diving into new topics. Learning is my jam. (If you’re familiar with the Clifton Strengthsfinder personality framework, my #1 strength is Learner. So it’s quantifiably my jam, lol.) I often get the urge to go back to school or to take a class or to apply to an MFA writing program. But going back to school takes time, money, logistics—a whole lot of complicated things.

Here’s where this concept of a syllabus comes in. We can make our own “class.” If I have a goal to deepen my knowledge about something, why can’t I make my own course of study? It’s goal-setting in a different way.

That’s why this concept set my creativity on fire.

The Fall Semester Is in Session

I had recently decided that I wanted to learn more about horror writing. It’s a genre I grew up loving, and it’s had a resurgence in the past few years (plus there’s been some interesting horror/romance blending.) I knew I’d missed a lot of good books, and I wanted to dig deeper into what modern horror lit was like.

Turns out, learning more about horror writing is a great fit for testing out the syllabus concept. Plus, it’s the beginning of spooky season so it’s the perfect time to dive into this topic.

The best way to learn about writing in a genre is to read, read, read in that genre. (This is what I preach in my class for beginning romance writers.) And, to a degree, it’s also important to watch, watch, watch because you can learn a lot about story structure from movies/screenwriting. So, over the past few days, I’ve developed two classes for myself: Roni’s Modern Horror Writing 101 and Roni’s Horror Film Study 101

I cannot properly express the joy I found in developing these curricula and syllabi for myself. It filled my nerdy heart up. Research! Hand-selecting what to read/watch! Coming up with categories! Sorting into said categories!

So. Much. Fun. And…because it’s MY syllabus, I don’t have to put anything on there I don’t want to read/watch (because you know in college they always put in that one long, usually classic book that was just a slog to get through.)

So how far did I go?

If you’ve read this far, you may be nerdy like I am and want to actually see what these things look like. So here’s page one of the film one:

Here’s page one of the writing one:

Of course, there are also projects and grading because I went DEEP into this rabbit hole. When I sent this to my friend Dawn Alexander, she said, “WOW, look at you!” like a mom who doesn’t know what to say to her child who’s dressed up in a weird outfit, lol.

Projects and grading, which I know is probably taking it too far #extra

Sidenote: For those of you looking at the actual books/movies on the list, I’m not saying that these are THE choices for a class for the general public. The beauty is that I got to personalize it completely. These are books I have not read but are already on my TBR, and the movies, except in a few cases, are ones I haven’t watched. That’s why you don’t see some classics on there like Halloween or The Exorcist.

Why should you care?

So, why am I exposing my nerdy underbelly to you? Well, I’m sharing because I bet many of you have some project or thing you’d like to learn more about or dive deeper into, some goal you’ve been putting off that you might be able to apply this method to.

We find ourselves saying “Oh, I’d like to do this thing one day or I’d like to know more about this craft/skill/job/hobby/whatever,” but then we don’t have a step-by-step plan to get there. So, inevitably, decision fatigue sets in.

For instance, “I’d like to learn to cook more healthfully” might be a goal. Okay, well that vague concept probably won’t get you very far. You’ll get into the kitchen on a Tuesday night, exhausted, and be lost in a fog of depleted willpower and too many decisions. Where do you start? Are you going to use a cookbook? Watch TikTok videos? Take a class? Watch Food Network? Call and get a recipe from your grandmother? Do you have the stuff you need to cook?

A syllabus could help. Week one I’m going to work out of THIS cookbook and cook at least TWO new recipes and focus on GRILLING. I will check that I have all the necessary ingredients and equipment on THIS day. Whatever works for you.

And yes, you can do this in a more traditional goal-setting format. Make a list. Jot stuff down in your planner. But a lot of us are already doing that and have been for a long time. A new method like making it into a syllabus/class can inject some new energy, a more playful energy, into it.

This isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you’re the type of person who used to love getting fresh pencils and pretty notebooks at the beginning of each year and got excited when you got to see the reading list for the semester, maybe this might be fun for you.

It almost has that same vibe as the Julie & Julia type project. You have a path to follow, less decision fatigue, and a sense of accomplishment as you move through it. It’s kind of like a game.

So, if this concept sparks your imagination, I’d love to hear what kind of “class” or syllabus you could imagine creating for yourself. Let’s be nerdy together!

Happy release day!

On a different note, I’m excited to share that my friend and fellow author, Sierra Godfrey, has a new book out today that is definitely not a horror novel, and I can’t wait to read it!

Accidental marriage? Inheriting a hotel on a Greek Island? What more could you want? Plus, what a bright, fun cover!

About the book:

It's all fun and games until you accidentally marry a stranger in Greece and inherit a hotel.

Amelia Lang's life is kind of a mess. She's stuck living at home with her narcissistic mother. Her tech bro ex-boyfriend deliberately sabotages her at work, and she gets fired after throwing a mug at his head (it's okay! She missed.) Then she has a major falling out with her best friend. So Amelia does what Amelia does best: She runs away.

After traveling around Europe for three months, she settles on a small Greek island to reset her life and figure out what's next. But after too much retsina, she gets tricked into marrying James, another guest at the hotel, who is perfectly nice—but perfectly boring. To top it off, they are gifted the very hotel they're staying in—a hotel they don't want that is in desperate need of some TLC. They agree to keep the hotel open through the busy summer season for the sake of the island's quirky but well-meaning residents, after which Amelia plans to return home to start rebuilding her disastrous life.

Amelia and James must work together to determine how to get out of their situation—easier said than done for Amelia, who's started to feel a strong spark of attraction for James. But Amelia is sure her real life is waiting for her back in San Francisco. Is it time for Amelia to return home or could this be the second chance at a new life she didn't know she wanted?

Get your copy

That’s all I have for you today! I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or hit reply if you want to respond to me directly from your inbox!

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Published on September 12, 2023 04:00

July 18, 2023

July's Read/Watch/Listen

So, it’s July. The month that’s also known here in Texas as the month we hide inside so that we don’t roast like a brisket on the sidewalk. So the above GIF of reading in the park seems lovely, but here summer means lots of reading and watching TV in the sweet blast of air conditioning.

Sadly, this month is turning out to be way busier than I planned with a lot less summer reading time than I was hoping for, but I’ve managed to come across a few great things to read, watch, and listen to, so I thought I’d pass those along!

Read

I know this book has been everywhere so I’m not introducing you to a “hidden gem”, but I’m here to share in the enthusiasm. A comedy sketch writer heroine and a famous pop star hero are testing the premise of “funny, average-looking guys can get the gorgeous model-type women but the gender reverse is usually not the case.”

This book was great, y’all. So well-written and well-researched (check out Sittenfeld’s acknowledgments at the end to see how much she read to get the feel for a comedy sketch show. It gave me such nerdy writer joy to see that!) I loved the peek behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live type show. (I wrote about improv in Yes & I Love You, so I’ve always been fascinated by things like sketch comedy.)

So if you’re looking for a romance with some literary teeth, I highly recommend Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy.

Or, if you’re in the mood for something that isn’t romance, I have a fast-paced sci-fi thriller for you.

I recently had to take a solo plane flight to visit a very sick family member. It was going to be a difficult trip, and I needed a book to fully distract me from everything while traveling. That was a tall order, but Black Crouch’s Recursion did the trick. I was able to get immersed in this story with big stakes, time travel, and characters who I could route for. If you need a page-turner, look no further. Here’s a little about the book:

Reality is broken.

At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.

In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . . and the tools for fighting back.

Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.

Watch

I’m in my 40s, but I am and will always be a sucker for a well-written teen show, especially if there is romance involved. Last summer, I thoroughly enjoyed season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, so I’d marked on my calendar when season 2 would drop.

The first three episodes of the second season are now available on Amazon Prime and I gobbled them up in one sitting. Friends to lovers, childhood crushes, family drama, teen angst, a love triangle with the heroine and two brothers, plus a beachy setting? What more can you ask for in a summer show? Plus, the books are great too.

So, if you’re looking for a frothy escape (with some gravitas—trigger warning for cancer of an adult character), give this one a try. It’s very bingeable!

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 (Episode 1-3 Added) Mp4 Mkv ...

Listen

And speaking of teen shows…I am currently listening to an audiobook that is bringing me so much joy, I can’t even articulate it. *clutches hands to heart*

Freaks, Gleeks & Dawson’s Creek: How 7 Teen Shows Transformed Television by Thea Glassman (grab it on Libro.fm, my new favorite audiobook provider that helps support independent bookstores—affiliate link) is like a love letter to the shows that burned into my psyche when I was a young teen. I credit some of these shows (particularly My So-Called Life and Dawson’s Creek) with planting the seeds that would grow me into a romance writer.

So often teen TV shows, particularly older ones, are used as the punchlines to jokes (think of the crying Dawson GIF), but this audiobook is a celebration of just how fantastic and groundbreaking these shows were in the 90s.

These shows broke the mold of the typical family sitcoms that were on all the channels. They centered teen stories in a way that other shows hadn’t. They broke ground on things like same-sex love stories/on-screen kissing. They took teens seriously and didn’t just play them as over-the-top side characters. These characters felt real and relatable to me back then—like yes, I know what that feels like or I know people like this. (Well, I didn’t know any Jordan Catalanos, sadly, but I knew they existed.)

And the Joey and Pacey love story on Dawson’s Creek? SO many enemies-to-lovers/friends-to-lovers seeds planted there for my young writer brain. Just listening to this audiobook’s recap of some of the pivotal scenes gave me all the nostalgic goosebumps. And as I mentioned in the last newsletter, Joshua Jackson’s still got it, y’all. Team Pacey forever.

I’m only part of the way through the audiobook, but I’ve already listened to enough to wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s already been worth the price of admission.

Now, if you’re not of my generation or haven’t watched the shows along the way, this book probably won’t do it for you. I think familiarity with at least some of the shows is necessary for maximum enjoyment. In fact, I may skip the sections on the two shows I haven’t watched and listen after I go back and do a binge-watch.

If you’re curious, the seven shows are The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My So-Called Life, Dawson’s Creek, Freaks & Geeks, Glee, The O.C., and Friday Night Lights. The only ones I haven’t seen are the last two, so I’m adding them to my watchlist.

As a bonus rec, I also listened to an advanced listening copy of Celebrity Nation by Landon Y. Jones. It was a quick listen and though I wish it would’ve had a more cohesive throughline, I really enjoyed some of the essays. There was some fascinating stuff in there!

Class Announcement

If you’re a writer or aspiring to be and want to learn how to write great love scenes, I’m teaching my How to Write Love Scenes That Readers Won’t Skip class for the first time since 2021! Grab a spot using coupon code EARLYBIRD20 and get $20 off before August 12.

Find out more

That’s all I have for you today! Tell me what great things you’ve been reading, watching, or listening to lately. I’d love to hear!

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Published on July 18, 2023 05:00

June 16, 2023

Two Things to Watch, One to Read

Hey there,

Is it as hot where you are as it is where I am? *sprawls dramatically across a fainting couch*

If you’re looking to hide indoors this weekend like I am so that you don’t melt, I have a few things to keep you busy!

What to Watch

Fatal Attraction (TV series) on Paramount+ - This was such a well-done reboot of this story. Great, nuanced characterization, fantastic acting, and enough misdirection to keep me guessing about who did what to whom. Plus, I’ve always been #TeamPacey and Joshua Jackson still gives me heart eyes.

Never Have I Ever (4 seasons) on Netflix - I am BEREFT that this was the final season of this show. If you need something that is just a pure delight and wickedly funny (and don’t mind shows set in high school), then you need to add this to your list. There’s awkward, angsty romance and lovely friendships and warm family relationships. Ugh, I just can’t even with how much I adore this show. I’ll pretty much watch anything Mindy Kaling has her hands on. Her humor/voice speaks to me. Prepare to want to binge this one. The episodes go down really easily and fly by. I raced through this last season in two days.

What to Read

The Local by Joey Harstone - Every now and then I get a hankering for a legal thriller/mystery, so when I saw this one recommended in Sarah’s Bookshelves Summer Reading Guide, I decided to give it a try. This one is set in Marshall, Texas, which apparently is a hotbed for federal patent law cases. (Who knew?!) I loved learning about that, but also this was a well-plotted mystery that kept me guessing. I also appreciated that the characterization was well-done. Sometimes mysteries suffer from all plot no characterization, but this wasn’t the case in this one.

Bonus pic: If you’re a fellow writer and don’t subscribe to my other newsletter, The Nourished Writer, you might have missed my review of Chuck Wendig’s Gentle Writing Advice. You can check out my thoughts here.

Interesting article from Esquire: Why does Hollywood ignore older audiences? This made me think about how this happens in the book world as well. People in their 50s+ deserve great stories too!

All right, that’s all I have for you this week. Stay cool, my friends.

Have you read or watched anything great lately? Share with the class!

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Published on June 16, 2023 09:34

June 5, 2023

Ever thought of writing a book?

So, I didn’t plan on sending out a newsletter today, and this isn’t going to be one of my normal newsletters. I promise we’ll return to those next time!

However, I had to go to the dentist this morning for some dental work (fun times on a Monday) and my very nice and very gentle dental assistant started talking books with me.

She loves romance and said one of her biggest dreams is to write a book one day. So, I told her, well tried to tell her with my numbed, useless lips that she absolutely should. It can be done!

And I truly mean that. Writing is an art, but it’s also a skill that can be learned.

Since I’ve become an author, many, many people have confessed their dreams of writing a book to me. Almost always people present it in that tone like “I know it will never happen, but…”

That shouldn’t be the case. One solid way to ensure that the dream won’t happen is to never try to write, to never try to learn how to write, to chalk it up to “some magical skill other people have but I don’t.” Mostly, that’s just fear talking.

Most people in the writing world, especially in romance, have or had careers other than writing. Writing was a dream they had nestled deep in their heart while they worked different jobs, got different degrees, took care of their families.

I know that was the case for me. I have a masters degree in social work, not English or creative writing. But I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. I wrote a novel at fifteen (that’s in a drawer) but when it came time to “grow up”, I got practical and pursued different things. Got degrees. Got jobs. Not until I was at home with a new baby did I let that dream bubble up again.

I had fear. Who was I to write a book? What did I know? I didn’t have an English degree or an MFA.

But the dream burned on, and so I started learning everything I could. I read books on the writing craft. I attended local writing workshops. I joined the local writing group. I found other writers online to be in a critique group with. I wrote one bad novel. And then I wrote a better one. Then another. The third got me my agent and a book deal with Penguin. That was over a decade ago, and now here we are.

So, why am I telling you all this?

Because I know if you subscribe to this newsletter, you are an avid reader. And I also know that a good percentage of avid readers harbor dreams of writing their own stories one day.

If this is you, I want you to hear from me that it’s possible. Of course you can do that. And I’m so passionate about this belief that I developed a class a few years ago meant for beginner romance writers to get their feet under them called Fearless Romance: The Comprehensive Beginner Course.

Over the 7-week online class, I walk you through the steps of writing a romance novel. Not a formula, but instead, breaking down the components into manageable bits. Here is a list of the topics we cover…

Check out the class

I teach this class once a year, and it’s one of my favorite things to do. I have yet to have a bad group of students. Everyone has been wonderful, enthusiastic, and supportive of each other.

I also made this class introvert-friendly. You’re not on camera. You ask questions through the chat box. I also provide all the info in lecture format so that if you process things better in print instead of from video, you have that too.

Also, it’s flexible. Though the calls are live, I record them and post them afterward so anyone who can’t make that time can watch the replay. You can go at your own pace and don’t have to finish in the 7 weeks. You continue to have full access to the course afterward.

So…if you’ve ever thought you may want to write a romance novel, maybe this is your sign from the universe that now’s the time. ;)

Class starts June 25th!

If you use code EARLYBIRD30 , you can get $30 off before June 18th. Enrollment will be closed once all spots are filled.

Find out more

I hope to see some of you there! Have a great week!

Roni

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Published on June 05, 2023 12:48

May 26, 2023

Three Not-So-Typical Recommendations

Happy Friday!

I’m not sure what puts me in a certain reading/watching mood. Sometimes I want things that are light and go down easy. Sometimes I want cozy or romantic or both. Sometimes I want funny. Sometimes I want scary. But lately, I’ve found myself craving things that make me think a little harder.

So, I’m going to share three things in this brainy category that I’ve loved lately. But I want to put a disclaimer. Yes, I am a romance writer. Yes, I love a wrapped-up, happy ending. However, I sometimes consume books/movies that do not give me that. These are some of those things. You have been warned. ;)

A book

First up is the book that broke me out of a fiction reading slump. I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin is literary fiction, which should mean it moves a little slower, but I raced through this in almost one sitting.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot and I think the back cover gives away a good bit, but what I’ll say is this is the story of a complicated romantic relationship between Leah, an MFA grad student, and Charlie, a guy she meets at the grocery store. This is not a happy story, but there are glimmers of beauty and humor and love.

Also, the portrayal of Leah’s friend group from the MFA writing program made me yearn for those precious college years where you’re all potential and big dreams and your life can still be anything. Like this passage as she describes her apartment:

“Nothing matched. But it was the first time I’d lived alone, and I loved everything about my apartment. It had a working fireplace and built-in bookshelves and French doors that led into a tiny study with windows that overlooked a courtyard. Each time I walked through my front door I felt peaceful—like this was where I was supposed to be.

I felt untethered and alive in Madison in a way that I never had in Boston. I don’t know if things were actually so different in Wisconsin, or if it was because I was away from my family and everything I’d ever known, but I woke up each morning with a feeling that finally my life was happening.” - pg. 26, I Could Live Here Forever

The state of her apartment also becomes a metaphor in the story. Did I mention the writing is gorgeous?

There’s also some humor to provide levity. I loved this line about her MFA friends:

“We took ourselves so seriously that the poets stopped hanging out with us.” —pg. 27, I Could Live Here Forever

Ha. So, if you’re open to a beautifully written bittersweet/sad story, I highly recommend this one. (Also, I got this rec from Sarah’s Bookshelves Summer Reading Guide, so if you haven’t checked that out yet, it’s now live.)

What have you read lately?

A movie

Straight Up on Netflix

I’m not sure how I found this one. Maybe it was recommended in the New York Times Watching newsletter, but I’m so glad I came across it.

Straight Up is the quirky, adorable, and sometimes sad story of Todd and Rory. Todd, who reminded me a lot of Sheldon in Big Bang Theory, has been living as a gay man, but he starts to question whether he’s gay after all. He meets Rory in the library and they bond over Gilmore Girls (you know I loved that!) and they talk like they’re in Gilmore Girls with rapid-fire dialogue. They connect as friends and eventually start dating…but it’s complicated.

This isn’t a romance in the traditional structure of a romance, but I thought it was very sweet and tender. Also, the ending is open to some interpretation, but if you’ve read any of my Loving on the Edge books or Good Girl Fail, you can probably guess what interpretation I chose to walk away with. ;) I won’t say more than that!

Have you watched anything great lately?

An audiobook

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer

I got this with my Libro.fm subscription and I’m so glad I did. Here’s the back cover:

From the author of the New York Times best seller Poser and the acclaimed memoir Love and Trouble, Monsters is “part memoir, part treatise, and all treat” (The New York Times). This unflinching, deeply personal book expands on Claire Dederer’s instantly viral Paris Review essay, "What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?"

Can we love the work of artists such as Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, Miles Davis, Polanski, or Picasso? Should we? Dederer explores the audience's relationship with artists from Michael Jackson to Virginia Woolf, asking: How do we balance our undeniable sense of moral outrage with our equally undeniable love of the work? Is male monstrosity the same as female monstrosity? And if an artist is also a mother, does one identity inexorably, and fatally, interrupt the other? In a more troubling vein, she wonders if an artist needs to be a monster in order to create something great. Does genius deserve special dispensation? Does art have a mandate to depict the darker elements of the psyche? And what happens if the artist stares too long into the abyss?

Highly topical, morally wise, honest to the core, Monsters is certain to incite a conversation about whether and how we can separate artists from their art.

I have about half an hour left of listening before I finish this one, but I feel confident in recommending it, and it was very good on audio (narrated by the author.)

I think all of us have grappled with liking something (book, movie, TV show, song, etc.) that we later find out was made by someone who turned out to be a not great person. Then you’re left with the quandary—can I still like the art if I don’t like the artist?

Dederer tackles this question in a very thoughtful, intellectual way and doesn’t tell you she has all the answers, but instead discusses all the sides and nuances of the issue. I really appreciated that kind of approach because I think it’s often turned into a you’re-on-one-side-or-the-other issue, and it’s more complex than that.

But be warned, it’s not a light listen or a before-you-go-to-sleep read. You’re going to need to have had your cup of coffee and be alert when you dive in.

Announcement: I’ve started using the Notes feature on Substack, which operates a little like Twitter. If you’d like to see what I’m noting there, be sure you’re following me here on Substack. There’s also a new Notes tab above that you can click on.

Alright, that’s all I have for you today. I hope you found something worth reading or watching. :)

And let us know what you’ve been reading, watching, or listening to!

Have a great weekend!

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Published on May 26, 2023 10:51

May 10, 2023

Is it summer yet?

Hey there,

It’s been a while, I know. Sorry about that!

For some reason, April and May are often a bit of a struggle for me. I always feel like I’m crawling across the finish line of the school year with the kiddo. Helping him study for exams and state testing, helping with final projects, going to end-of-the-year band concerts, trying to get his school bag and supplies to hold together and not fall apart for just a few more weeks. It’s a slog. And I’m know I’m not alone.

But we’re almost done and then we have summer!

I’ve noticed that the older I get, the more I lean into the seasons like I did when I was a kid. I like that there’s a rhythm. Just when I’m getting tired of one season (spring here means gorgeous wildflowers but also allergies and tornado warnings and school stress), I get something different.

Summer can mean a lot of things. The Texas heat is no joke, and that’s not my favorite thing. But overall, I like the slower pace of summer. Getting up later, no helping with homework, making food that doesn’t require the stove, reading books with bright covers on lazy afternoons.

You can unclench your teeth and loosen your shoulders for a little while.

Summer reading guides and challenges

And even though I hope to do a lot of relaxing, I also love the idea of a summer project, especially a reading project. I think this goes back to my 80s/90s childhood of participating in Pizza Hut’s Book It challenge, but there’s just something magical about summer reading. And I love that so many podcasters and bloggers do special things for summer reading.

Sarah of the Sarah’s Bookshelves Live podcast has her Summer Reading Guide (That link is for last year’s since her new one hasn’t released yet.) You also get bonus picks if you’re a Patreon member. I subscribe and I’m never disappointed with the content.

Modern Mrs. Darcy has her famous Summer Reading Guide. There’s live unboxing videos and a sleek, downloadable digital magazine with the picks. (Patrons only this year, but her Patreon is great)

Laura Tremaine (of the 10 Things To Tell You podcast) does Stephen King summer every year where she selects a few King books and movies and does a book club with her Patreon members (Sorry these are all Patreon things, but I don’t blame them for charging. These guides and book clubs are a lot of work and creators should be paid for their efforts!)

I love all these guides, and often add a LOT of books to my stack. (You’ve been warned!) It’s also fun to learn whose tastes matches up best with yours.

I also particularly love the idea of picking one author with a big backlist to dive into each summer like Laura’s Stephen King challenge. What a fun way to work your way through an author’s oeuvre.

If you did an author challenge, which author would you choose for a summer deep dive?

If you know of summer reading guides or challenges I’m missing, let me know in the comments! I love these, so there’s always room for more.

I also think it could be fun to build a challenge around something summer-themed. Like books with beaches on the cover or books set at summer camps (horror, YA, etc.) or books about vacations. There are so many possibilities!

I don’t know if I’ll do a specific challenge this summer (I’m stilll doing my yearlong Read Wide challenge) but I will gobble up all of these guides.

I also will pay attention to the Stephen King book club picks. He’s an author who is almost always a hit for me, but for some reason, I let his books languish on my shelf. He is a box I need to check off on my Read Wide challenge as well, so I’m doubly motivated.

And honestly, I could use a boost of energy in my reading life. I’ve been working on a new book (yay for that!) but it’s left me in a fiction-reading rut because I’ve been focusing more on bookish research.

So I’m hoping some of these summer lists and challenges will be a shot in the arm to my reading life.

Book Recs

I do have one exception to my fiction rut. I finished Every Summer After by Carley Fortune last week and I LOVED it. This one has been on my shelf since last summer, but I’m so glad I finally picked it up. It pushed so many of my favorite trope buttons. There was a dual timeline between childhood/teen years and adult years. There’s the friends-to-lovers trope. There’s a sarcastic older brother. There are lakehouses and skinny dipping and just…it’s summer in a book.

My only caveat is that, though this is an adult book, you spend a lot of time in the teen years, so it had some YA vibes. If you’re not into YA, it may be too much. I love YA so it wasn’t a hindrance for me.

Also, if you’re looking for something that isn’t a light summer read but is absolutely gorgeous, I loved the audiobook of You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

Smith is a poet, and this is a memoir about her divorce, so not a happy story, but it was so, so beautifully written. And though her divorce is the topic, she covers so much ground about parenthood, midlife, being a writer, etc. that it didn’t feel one note.

I had gotten an early audio copy from Libro.fm (referral link) and I recommend it in that format because the author reads it herself, but I also purchased a hardcover version after I finished the audio. I liked it that much.

Also, I need all memoirs going forward to be written by poets.

Have you read anything great lately?

Subscribe to The Nourished Writer

Summer Motivation for Writers

I also wanted to drop a little note about a summer project I plan to undertake. This one will be for writers (all levels, from aspiring to wizened). I’m calling it The Summer of Love (of Writing). I feel like I and a lot of my writer friends have gotten into a rut, particularly over the last few years, so I wanted to take some time this summer to focus on renewing our energy and love for writing. Because, let’s be honest, sometimes the business side of writing—and the state of the world in general—can drag us down.

This isn’t something you’ll have to TO DO. It’s more about encouragement and remembering why we love(d) to write and be creative.

More details will be released soon, but if you’re interested, sign up for my other newsletter, The Nourished Writer, because that’s where I’ll be hosting this summer event.

All right, I think that’s all I have for you today. I hope you have a great rest of the week!

Roni