Welcome Back To Indigo Plains

The brand new chapter for Patchwork and Pitchforks will be live on January 1st. Thank you for reading and happy new year

Helloooo! Yes, I am back with more Patchwork and Pitchforks! I have been writing it, I swear! I’ve just been juggling a lot, like self-doubt and impostor syndrome. I gotta tackle this monster in 2025! I have to subdue it! I must! And I will! Anyway, I want to post more and I plan on doing just that. This story is dear to me. I love these characters and where they’ve taken me so far. The world is bigger than I thought it’d be. Exploring every aspect will be fun, and hopefully, y’all like it too. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

Merry and Bright!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And I know! I’m a few days late, but Happy Solstice! I hope everyone has had a fantastical day with loved ones, pets, or alone. However you celebrate, I hope you are happy and relaxed. Please be gentle with yourself in the coming year. It may be easier said than done -in my case- but it isn’t impossible.
Extend grace and gratitude to yourself. Thank yourself for the little things. When times are rough, take a breath and do whatever brings you joy. I don’t give a damn what that is. Cling to your hobbies, films, crafts, and/or books. Write what you want, read what you want, and be who you want to be! I am taking my own advice here. I want to be one with my inner child and write, read, and create, with a smile.
Let’s be Merry and Bright but in our own way! Have a lovely evening and thanks for stopping by!

Patchwork and Pitchforks

Be prepared for fluff, steam, romance, and paranormal happenings!

After Jasper Marrow relocates to Indigo Plains she’s prepared for paint, hammers, and broken nails. What she finds on moving day is more than she cares to deal with. Busted pipes, growing mold, and an eager-to-please married couple offer too much excitement for one night.

All Jasper wants is her new-ish house fixed and perhaps exorcised. When the happy duo extends a helping hand and free temporary housing, she has no choice but to accept.

This isn’t close to what I normally write, but I wanted something cute on Whitney Houston’s internet. I’ve been trying to do light and fluffy for months. And I don’t know, I thought why not put it out there.

You Can & You Will

Five months ago, I set out to write a shorter novel and have done it! Brevity, as I’ve stated before, is my weakness. I am a long writer who enjoys 100k+ word counts. I am not apologizing for that. I still prefer them, but I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to put my ass through it. I needed this exercise. It was a great lesson. Now, my shortest book is 43k not, 91k. I went in with a 15k goal. Clearly, I was off by a couple thousand. Lol. But, I still set out to accomplish this thing. This goal I made for reasons other than to prove to myself I could do it. For those like me, writing short stories is unfamiliar and hard. Cutting details and world-building down to a chapter or two is not fun.

My typical genre is paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Those books are known to be longer but in the world of indie, standards such as word counts do not exist. We can write a 30k hard fantasy if we want. We can write a 20k hard sci-fi epic if we so please. My point is, the industry standard is no longer my goal post, however, I will STILL prefer longer novels for paranormal romance but that doesn’t mean I won’t write shorter ones. It’s difficult, not impossible,

If you’ve set a personal goal, and it seems unreachable, REACH FOR IT! You can do this thing! I doubted myself for a long time. Said I could never write a shorter novel, it was too hard. Well, I did it and I pushed through until typing ‘The End’. Believe in yourself and whatever it is you want to achieve, I promise it’s worth the work.

“From my point of view, your life is already a miracle of chance waiting for you to shape its destiny.” ~ Toni Morrison

Killing the Art of Sexual Intimacy

Puritan culture is going to kill the arts. Sterility is what they seek and I loathe it. To say this generation is more sexual than the last is not only ignorant but false. To speak on sex in novels without having any knowledge of old works of fiction is absurd. I can understand if you’ve read every book on planet earth and have facts to back your claims. Then I’d say good day, sir, ma’am, ENBY you have stunned and stumped me.

But nah! Hell nah.
Most who recite these points on intimacy in literature and film haven’t read enough. They haven’t researched enough or cared to. They have a ‘me’ mentality about it. ‘I don’t like this so I don’t think it’s called for’. SAD! Please, go sit down and open a book which has what you crave within those pages.
There are too many novels and movies out there w/out sex for them to complain and gripe. If you wanna nitpick about the resurgence of sexuality, genitalia and nudity then fine! Has if ever occurred to them, some may be squeezing in these sex scenes out of spite?!
I have written my fair share of sex scenes because of this. I have made certain in my recent works to make those characters fuck! I can’t take a world filled with this evangelical approach to all things linked to passion and carnality.
Sex will sell! Nothing you can do will stop it. Even if these bible thumping Neanderthals ban erotica and ‘displays of intercourse’ it won’t put an end to this.
Sex and art have ALWAYS been and will always BE one!

A Break from the Norm

Oh my! I have had quite the writing day. I started at 4:30 and ended at 2.6k! Every day isn’t so great and that’s okay. Yesterday was a bust, and I don’t care. This book was fun to write. I’d be on schedule if I kept to the 40k goal, but I’ll be going over by 20k.
Listen, it’s still a feat for me. At 60k this is the shortest novel I’ve ever written. When you’re used to 100k+ this feels like a snippet. But again, it was fun. And I plan on writing another cozy, low-stakes novel at some point. There was no pressure. A TINY external conflict, autumn vibes and romance.
The spice factor sits around 2/5. Normally I keep things piping hot at 4-5/5. Three to five sex scenes. Two quickies and three sessions are where I most comfortable. My WIP had none of that, but it feels good. The amount of sex and intimacy fits the story. Do I miss the nasty, thigh soaking sex scenes and drama? Yes, yes, I do.
I will not give up my high stakes/spice, thick plot books. I can’t quit gritty paranormal romance, but I’ll return to these cute, fluffy waters at least once a year. If only to give my dark mind a break for a spell.

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Albert Einstein

Learning Curve

Helloooo starshine! With my writing day complete I can breathe easier. I figured this cozy 50k fantasy romance would teach me a few things and I was right.
I’m learning to stick my goals and make them count. For years I’ve tackled huuuuge projects. Novels with a 90k+ WC. I’m talking high stakes paranormal romance/urban fantasy series with extensive world building.
I’m used to detail. Where, when, why and how. Thick plots with lengthy backstories. Worldbuilding is an integral part of any story, but this short, low plot adventure has taught me to keep those details short and sweet. Light and tight has been a challenge, no lie. From a long writers pov, this is an excruciating lesson.
I don’t have a 90k words to play with. Typing ‘the end’ at around 45k seems unfathomable. I keep thinking, ‘I’m missing something, this is too short, it’s too fast, not enough backstory, what about this or that’. But I’m learning here, this is a fun journey, though nerve wracking at times.
Right now! I’m going to watch the Mandalorian and Ahsoka while enjoying sticks of cheese! I hope y’all have had a wonderful day and are chilling!

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
TONI Morrison

Conflict Is at the Root of Every Story

Some who enjoy external will find low stakes a bore. I love low or high, it doesn’t matter to me. But I will say, after reading cozies for a long time. even they, have some form of conflict. Without the internal struggle there’d be nothing. What is this character’s goal in life and how will they get there? What’s stopping them from getting it?

Sally wants to bake bread. She kneads a lump of dough until her hands hurt. Satisfied, Sally throws it into the oven.

Cool. But you know what would be awesome? Conflict.

Sally opened the flour jar and gasped. She was out. With only pennies to her name, she couldn’t afford much else. Most nights all she had was a warm loaf of bread to fill her belly. A five-mile hike to the market was her only option, and quite risky with an approaching snowstorm.

WILL SALLY STARVE TO DEATH OR RISK HER LIFE?

Will she get injured? Will a charming passerby help her, or will she perish in a blizzard?! I don’t know, but I kinda wanna find out.

Fear, My Best Buddy!

For years and years annnnnd years, I’ve let fear run amok. It’s controlled many parts of my life, I threw away huuuuge opportunities because of such cowardice. My lack of spine, and lack of faith in self! I let doubts and impending criticism hold me back from sooo much.
But sis, bro, them!I am so over it. I have been a writer for seventeen long arse years. I have written scripts, poetry and scribbled ideas on napkins, journals and receipts. I have finished 16 MS! No one, has read so much as a word. Not one person, why? Cause I scarwed, or was. I was terrified of someone saying, “yo, this is garbage.” After I’ve just spent months pouring my whole soul into 120k words.
I was polarized and mortified by the mere thought of criticism. Not that I think I’m above it, absolutely not. No, it’s someone looking at my work and thinking I’m no good, cause I wanna be good, I wanna be a published author. And, I think I’m good, I do. I think I’ve got a knack for it, but what if someone disagrees?! That’s the scary part. Thing is, with age, I’ve grown less concerned with what others think of me, what I wear, or how I choose to live my life. For the life of me, I can’t find those same set of balls when it comes to writing.
Letting strangers read what I’ve written is exposing! I think that’s what it boils down to. People get to see what’s inside my dark, dank, attic which some would call a brain. It strips me bare for all to see, and perhaps that’s what I’m fearful of most. But by gods of Olympus, I’m sick of it y’all, I am done! Ya girl is fresh out of excuses. If I want people to read what I have, even ten sets of eyes, I will mush on! I want someone to see this world full of vampires and demons that reside in my head for weeks on end.
I feel it’s time you know, to throw caution to the wind and say, F it! Some will hate it, I am not delusional about this, there will be folks who will give it one star. But, that comes with the territory. Life as a storyteller isn’t easy, but if I can write it, I can publish it.

Fourth Book Blues!

I loooooove writing book series! I mean, I really enjoy it! I tend to have a lot going on for my MC’s. Once they start talking it takes a long while for them to shut up. Which I am not complaining about. Cause well, when they go dark it’s typically in their last book. Hearing them gets harder and they often don’t know what to do or where to go by then. I often refer to myself as a messenger cause I don’t seek out much. Everything comes along naturally. But during the fourth and typically final installment things get stagnant. Not in W*iters B*ock (I hate that word) sorta way, but more of a slow crawl to the finish line. Third acts and the last hundred pages are a pain in the arse to write. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve had this issue for two years. Eventually I type “The End” but it’s a hassle getting there. And being that I’m on a fourth novel as we speak, the turtle pace has begun. I am feeling the drag!