what’s on my mind

I’ve been wanting to put this newsletter together for a while now, because I finished drafting book 5 and turned it into my editor two weeks ago, and I do think some of the tools I used this time around were crucial to reaching the finish line a little bit ahead of schedule despite how much trouble I was having with it earlier on. So if you’re a writer, or just interested in how authors work, this one’s for you.

Note: most links here are affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase anything from them, I receive anywhere from 0%-10% of the purchase price (at no additional cost to you). Feel free to buy elsewhere if you prefer!

13-inch MacBook Neo - I saved and saved to buy myself a MacBook Pro when I went to college in 2009, and I loved that thing. But by the time I started my master’s degree in 2016, the battery wasn’t holding enough charge and I had to retire it. I wound up switching to a Chromebook, which I actually also loved—so much so that I stuck to Chromebooks for the next decade. Chromebooks do have limitations though, namely that they can’t run the full versions of Word or Adobe Reader, which are two programs I’m required to use for copyedits and page proofs. They also can’t run Scrivener (more on this in a minute). And while I’ve never minded working in Google Docs, longer documents (like entire novels) can lag or start to frequently crash, which is obviously not ideal. So when I learned about the MacBook Neo, which is the same price as a Chromebook but does all the things a MacBook does, I was like yes okay I guess I’m a Mac girly again. I wound up getting the blush, which is a beautiful rose-goldish color, and it’s such a genuine pleasure to use. You can completely opt out of Apple Intelligence features at setup, which is a major bonus for those of us ethically opposed to AI, and it’s made to be repairable so (in theory) should last a good long while!

Scrivener - One of the main advantages to being in the MacOS is that I could finally try out Scrivener, which wound up being the single biggest boost to my writing process in years. I was skeptical after years of making do with Google Docs that I needed something so complicated, but after just a few days of the free trial I was all in. The automatic formatting, the distraction-free word processor, the ability to easily move scenes and chapters around were all game changers that I know made the last half of book 5 easier to finish. It’s definitely feature-rich, in a way that is somewhat overwhelming maybe, and I’m still learning how to make it work best for my particular needs, but I can’t recommend it highly enough and am so excited to experience creating a project from beginning to end in this program.

Writing Habit - When I was using Google Docs for drafting, I had the Writing Habit extension and every single time I posted a screenshot of it on Instagram I would get a bunch of DMs asking about it. The Google Docs extension can be a little finicky, but it’s free and easy to use and served me well for many years. It’s expanded into a full web-based word processor and apparently can also be used in Word and Scrivener now. There are free and paid versions depending on your needs, and a whole online community to go with it if you’re into that.

Craft books - I truly believe the mark of a good writer is that they never stop trying to learn to be better, and one of the many ways to do that is through reading about craft. Whether brainstorming, drafting, or revising, there are some excellent books out there to guide you through. Several of the books on this list have helped me along the way during various points in my author journey, and I tend to turn to them again and again and will always recommend them to new and seasoned writers alike.

BONUS! My favorite signing pen:

OHTO Fude Ball Rollerball Pen (1.5 mm) - I was turned onto this pen by the events manager at Browseabout Books during my event in Dover, DE this past Valentine’s Day, when he generously gave me one after having me try signing stock with it. It’s perfect for signing—archival safe (crucial!!) with the perfect thickness and ink texture to be somewhere between a pen and a marker. I’ve since stocked up in preparation for lots of signing this summer.

book stuff

• I have secret good news that I cannot share yet. (But if you’re a Mrs. Nash’s Ashes fan, I think you’re going to be very excited when I can… *looking eyes emoji*)

• I’ll be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival again this year, and I hope to see you there! Admission is free and it’s one of the most wonderful and well-organized events I’ve ever attended. Find me at the Gertrude Stein Pavilion at 2:15pm along with Audrey Ingram to chat with Andie Burke, with signing to follow! More info on GBF and the master schedule here.

• I’ll also be touring for Wild Goose Chase this summer! I’m very excited and will have all of the details for you next month. (If you just can’t wait, there’s a sneak peek of my stops on my website’s events page.)

• There’s still time to preorder your signed/personalized copy of Wild Goose Chase from Curious Iguana. It’s slightly discounted, and will come with an exclusive art print and sticker! Click here to reserve yours!

what we’re reading at our house

me - The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit (ARC); The Feather Wars and the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds by James H. McCommons

H - Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher; The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

me and H together - Maggie & Arthur’s Magic Moment by Leslie René (ARC)

h - Daddy and the Beanstalk by Andrew Weiner, illus. by Bethany Crandall

what i’m listening to on repeat

you should check out

Mythical Kitchen. Truly obsessed with every single video, and all of the people behind it seem genuinely wonderful.