It's Here! First Love, with that little something extra...

It's Happy Release Day, and I'm so thrilled that my little rom-com was selected to appear in this anthology with a fantastic group of writers.

As one of the writers featured I was able to get an early copy, and I LOVE the variety and creativity between these pages, you guys. We were all working with the same concept (First Love) and took it in so many different directions. 

Here are my personal reviews of each story (minus my own) featured in this year's anthology: 

 

“The Art of Making Doughnuts” by Linda Budzinski

“A sweet surprise of a story. First love, with that little something extra.”

“My Heart Approves” by Melissa Maygrove

“Maygrove sweeps readers into the time and place from the very first line. A lovely historical promenade of two characters easing into a love not even a lie can’t temper.”

“My First Love(s)” by Templeton Moss

“A ‘he-said’ then ‘she-said’ tale of all the loves one man can (sort-of) recollect and the woman who sets him straight. Moss nails the characters’ voices and pacing. I am 100% sure this story is worth the read.”

“The Real Thing” by Sammi Spizziri

“It’s not the first love Lola anticipated, but a rideshare to the airport turns into a meet-cute worthy of the most classic of rom-coms.”

“Paper Faces” by Sylvia New

“A swoon-worthy historical account of a journalist who refuses to sacrifice her scruples and the man who adores her for it. The romantic tension between the main characters keeps these pages turning.” 

“Oliver’s Girl” by Michael Di Gesu

“An old man’s sweet imparting of love at first sight, and the namesake who believes in second chances at first love.” 

“Clyde and Coalesce” by Kim Elliot

“Sparks fly when a musician and teacher keep running into each other—sometimes literally. The romantic chemistry between them seeps off pages that seem to want to turn themselves.”

“Marmalade Sunset” by Denise Covey

“The vivid imagery and captivating descriptions of Greece pull readers straight into Cora and her grandson’s journey to reunite with her first love.”

“The Castle of Ohno” by S.E. White

“A grateful Hippolyta disarms the reclusive Konrad as two lonely outcasts work their way towards love in a gothic castle worthy of the most exceptional fairy tales.”

So if you're looking for a nice collection of sweet love stories....

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

A New Short Story!

I'm so happy to announce that my contemporary romance short story was selected as one of the winners of the 2021 Insecure Writer's Support Group's annual anthology!

Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels

You'll be able to read "How to Save a Princess" (along with nine other stories from some incredible authors) when the book releases later this year. 

Hot New Release!

So this little labor of (nonfiction) love is live today!

And don't let the title fool you. This book isn’t just about writer’s block. It’s a love letter to writers at all stages—equal parts inspiration and application—a reminder that our writing (and what we have to say) matters.

It's a nice, two-hour read, and my hope is that you feel inspired and ready to tackle this creative life by the time you've reached the end. 

(But yes, there are plenty of tips on how to tap into that well of creativity and keep it flowing.)

Here are the buy links:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

iTunes

Kobo

Google Play

Feel free to share these on social media and/or with a writer in your life who could use some encouragement. 💖

And always. . . .

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Coming Soon!

Be Inspired. Be Bold. Break Through.

What do Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, Virginia Woolf, and F. Scott Fitzgerald have in common?

Writer’s Block. 

Yes, in addition to being bestselling and/or celebrated authors, each of these writers admitted to suffering from writer’s block at some point in their literary careers.

In fact, writers of every caliber have faced a creative block at intervals throughout their journeys, but when it happens to us—when a project stalls, when the right words refuse to manifest, when the page remains empty—the doubt creeps in.

What is happening? 

becomes 

What am I even doing? 

becomes 

Why am I even bothering? 

There is, however, a way out. 

The Ambitious Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Creative Blocks and Building a Writing Routine that Works not only breaks down the components of a creative block—what it is and isn’t, how it affects us, and how we can move past it—but also offers insights into the creative process, inspiration for writers at any stage, and tips for kick-starting a stalled writing practice.

So if you’ve hit that proverbial wall in your current project, if the new project doesn’t want to transfer from your head to the page, or even if you want to safeguard yourself so the creative blocks are fewer and farther between, then this book was written with you in mind.

A Screenplay Competition Update

In my February Newsletter, I wrote the following:

Dear Reader,

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to write a screenplay. I knew next to nothing about this, though I’d read a few before, so I knew I would have to teach myself. Armed with a couple of books and a few reputable websites (and largely Googling as I went), I wrote a 120-page holiday romance (a la Hallmark because they follow such a predictable structure).

I really loved the process, so a few months later I adapted All I Never Wanted, turning it into a screenplay. 

I eventually plan to do the same with All I Never Needed, and, not surprisingly, I turned that original Christmas screenplay into a novel (which I’m not quite ready to do anything with). Yes—writing is a bit of an obsession for me. 

But that All I Never Wanted screenplay, which I’d tentatively titled Saving Summer, had been sitting on my hard drive for a couple of years now, and I wasn’t really sure what to do with it. . . .

 . . . until earlier this month when I stumbled across information about a screenplay competition and thought: “Why not?” I’m always preaching to my students—and you, faithful newsletter reader—as well as my blog readers and Twitter followers to get out there and make some creative noise, take chances, toss as many darts as possible because you Just. Never. Know.

Why not?

The $60 entry fee was tough to swallow. It’s not really the kind of cash I keep lying around (kids, bills, you know the drill), but that “what if?” ate at me until I couldn’t stand it anymore. 

So . . . it’s entered. Will anything come of it? I don’t know. Probably not. (?) But I wrote it, I’m proud of it, so why not?

That’s it. 

Why not?

It will be months before I hear anything, if I hear anything at all. The entry will be long forgotten by then, and I will likely be far into the next project, anyway. . . .

~UPDATE~

Dear Reader,

I am happy to report that Saving Summer has made it to the quarterfinal round. 

Scriptapalooza 2021 Quarterfinalists

Will it advance to the top 100? I don't know. It seems like a long shot, but I am happy for this (however temporary) "high" and will hang on to the idea that yes: maybe I still am moving in the right direction.

I rarely like announcing things, but felt this news needed to hit the blog, if only for posterity's sake. 

One day I will look back on this post and. . . . 

I don't know. We'll see. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~