How many times have you stared endlessly at a single word on the page, thinking, It’s close, but it’s just not the RIGHT word. Then you mosey on over to Thesaurus.com, (or if you’re old school, break out an actual thesaurus), search for synonyms of the word only to find that NONE of them are the right word either?  … Read more

Hello Fellow Laterrians! As we prepare for the launch of BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS (System Divine #2), we thought it would be fun to host a read-along of Book 1, SKY WITHOUT STARS!   Join us as we take you inside the System Divine and introduce you to the world of Laterre and our leading players:  … Read more

  Attention Teachers! I’m giving away a classroom set (20 signed paperback copies) of my latest middle grade novel, BETTER YOU THAN ME! The book is appropriate for readers 10 and up (scroll down to read more about the book.) If you’re interested in entering the giveaway, please fill out the form below. (Open to  … Read more

  Welcome to the System Divine Fan Art Challenge! We have 3 “out of this world” prize packs up for grabs (each containing a signed advance copy of BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS plus other awesome goodies!) for the three fans who come up with the most creative pieces of art, inspired by the System Divine series.  … Read more

So, you’ve just finished writing your (possibly very messy) first draft! Which means it’s time to start the revising.  When I finish a first draft I immediately start to think about my revision plan and soon (after a much-needed break!) you should too!  Here are the 5 things I focus on for my first revision  … Read more

Writing a novel can be a lot of fun. But it can also be stressful. For many people, writing a full-length book can take its toll on the mind and body. So I’ve decided to put together a list of my top 5 tips for avoiding Novel Writing Burn Out  And if you’re participating in  … Read more

All writers, at some point or another, will face this debilitating dilemma: I have an idea for a novel! But is it worth writing? If you’ve taken my Develop Blockbuster Ideas that Sell Online Course, you know that a strong idea for a novel is just as important as how well the novel is written.  … Read more

I’ve been using the Save the Cat! methodology to structure and plot my stories for more than ten years and  17 novels now. I even wrote a book on this very topic and created a Save the Cat! companion course. And yet every day, I feel like I’m still learning and expanding my knowledge about  … Read more

This tip will help you manage your list of revision tasks with efficiency (and sanity!) It’s a trick I picked up over several months of revising BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS (the sequel to my sci-fi space opera, SKY WITHOUT STARS). During the revision period of this book my co-author and I had a lot of super  … Read more

If you have a chapter that’s feeling a bit…well, meh. Try out this Writing Mastery hack! One of the best ways I’ve found to quickly power punch up a scene is to use a tactic I like to call… Hiding the Ball Basically it breaks down to this: Don’t give your reader EVERYTHING they need  … Read more

  EDITED: This hunt has ended. Thanks for playing! Welcome to the Spring 2019 YA Scavenger Hunt! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one  … Read more

To Our Future Laterrians, Joanne and I would like to invite you to participate in our official Part 1 Read-Along of SKY WITHOUT STARS! Join us as we take you inside the System Divine and introduce you to the world of Laterre and our leading players: Chatine, Marcellus, and Alouette! It’s completely FREE to participate  … Read more

MON DIEU! Check out all the amazing goodies you get when you pre-order SKY WITHOUT STARS, our sci-fi re-imagining of Les Mis…in space! This galactic swag pack comes with an exclusive full-color map of Laterre, plus a signed bookplate, bookmark, and postcard! Offer ends 3/26.

One of the hardest things a writer has to do is cut scenes from their novel that they really love. In this video, I share with you my tried and true quick test for deciding which darlings to keep and which ones to kill.  A lot of times in the drafting phase, we might get  … Read more

Stories are made inside our heads. Worlds are built, characters are born and die, universes are constructed. And yet, sometimes our silent brain space fails us. Sometimes, we get stuck and just can’t think our way out of a problem. Here’s a simple yet effective hack to help you deal with writer’s block and get  … Read more

Have you ever found yourself staring down a page or chapter in your revision, knowing you have to cut or rewrite major chunks of text, and thinking, “I DON’T WANNA DO IT!” Or maybe you say to yourself, something along the lines of, “But I love that passage! It’s some of my best work!” But we all  … Read more

Human beings are creatures of habit. We are hard-wired to thrive in routine and rituals. That’s why so many Olympic and professional athletes have rituals for when they train or compete. Tennis players bounce the ball the same amount of times before serving, basketball players do the same thing at the free-throw line. Swimmers will  … Read more

When I speak to writers–professionals and beginners alike–there seems to be a LOT of worry out there about being a “good” writer. Imagine that! Apparently a lot of us writers out there want to write WELL. The nerve! Consequently, I also get a lot of questions along the lines of, “how do I stay motivated  … Read more

When I look back at the 185 rejection letters I got from agents when I was trying to sell a book to a publisher, I can find one common theme throughout. And it usually looked something like this: “Great voice! No story.”  At the time, I didn’t understand this critique. I was like, “What are  … Read more

Here’s a little secret. Readers don’t like reading about perfect heroes who have all their stuff together. Perfect heroes without any flaws or problems whatsoever are bo-o-oring. Not to mention, completely unrealistic. (I, for one, have yet to meet a human being whose life is entirely flawless.) . So if you want to create a  … Read more