Winona Willow is the character readers of Digital Dryad loved to hate. She’s arrogant, she’s wrong about almost everything, and she’s the reason I wrote The Honey Tree. Here’s why the unlikeable girl deserved her own story—and why I don’t write role models.
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— In Defense of the Mean Girl →
I caved and re-labeled my novel middle grade, then resented every minute of it. Middle grade gets heard as simple, and simple gets heard as not worth an adult’s time. Here’s why that’s wrong, who the categories actually serve, and what I’d rather have instead.
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— Middle Grade Isn't Kiddie Lit →
Ever asked a simple grammar question online—only to get buried in bad takes and unearned confidence? In this writing-focused rant, I dissect a Reddit thread about em-dashes in dialog and the tidal wave of “well, actually…” comments that followed. It’s a love letter to clarity, CMOS, and the bliss of drafting in solitude.
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— You're Not Wrong—But You're Not Right Either →
What if your favorite hero would be a total jerk in real life? In this post, I talk about why flawed, messy, and imperfect characters matter—and why perfectionism isn’t just unrealistic, it’s paralyzing. From spilled coffee to unfinished novels, this is a love letter to the glorious disaster of being human (and a sneak peek at my latest book, Silverlock – The Forging).
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— Perfection Is a Lie →
Tired of fantasy stories that long for a golden past where witches were burned and power wore a crown? In this essay, I argue that magic hasn’t vanished—it’s evolved. From fungal networks to fiber optics, the Fae didn’t disappear. They just upgraded. Let’s stop mourning the myths of yesterday and start building the enchantment of tomorrow.
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— The Fae Are in Your Firewall →
Bookmarks, postcards, and stickers. Oh my!
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— New Marketing Materials →
Sometimes reading email is a chore, and other times, it’s a delight. Today was one of the latter days.
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— Today was a good email day →
It’s been a long time coming, but Digital Dryad is nearly ready for me to show it to agents and publishers. I’ve gotten some amazing feedback from my alpha readers and the Barnsian Nobility (my writing group) and it’s turned this story into something I’m proud of.
Of course, that means that if I share it with an agent or publisher, they will likely 1) ignore it/me 2) trash it. At least that’s what I’m afraid will happen.
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— Getting my novel ready to shop out - Nervous!! →
I’ve written 50,366 words in November 2019. I’m a little under half way through the novel. It’s been fun, and not really all that stressful.
I had hoped to cross the 50K mark a little earlier in the month, but life got in the way. However, it’s all moot as I’ve proven to myself for the third time now that I can write a good chunk of a novel in 30 days if I just push myself to do it.
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— Winner! →
This year I discovered that outlining is my jam. In August, I finished Digital Dryad (currently in editing and alpha readers). I had been working on that novel since around 2009, but I was able to complete the entire second draft–a complete rewrite from scratch–in around 28 days. That novel is currently 79,000 words. I was able to write this draft so quickly because I created a comprehensive outline first.
So I decided in September that I would outline my next novel to prepare for NaNoWriMo instead of pantsing it as I had done nearly every year I’ve participated in NaNo with a novel. I planned and thought about the novel through September and wrote the outline in October. And now, in November, I’m writing it.
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— Killing it in NaNoWriMo →
