Hi there!

Wow, my first ever blog post. I told myself I wouldn't do a blog, because who would want to read about my writing or blabber on about whatever? But here I am. I have no idea how often I will be updating this but I'm going to aim for once a month at least.

So, right now, I'm currently writing on a handful of projects and I'm struggling to pick one to dive into. Maybe writing it out here will help me decide.

First, I have my party girl romance that I started back in 2023. The novel is unnamed still, hence the very generic title. The problem here is its failing to hold my attention. I've picked it up and read up until where I stopped, and I love where it's going, but I fall flat on proceeding any further. I've made it past the dreaded chapter 10, but I'm stuck on chapter 14. It seems like the chapters 10-19 always have me sputtering out, but not from a lack of ideas, but more so how to just beat the damn writer's block. I know where I want this story to go, I have some fun, dark, twisty things in store but just trying to write on it feels like dragging nails on a chalk board. Maybe, this just isn't the project I'm meant to be working on.

Which brings me to my next big project, my Casper-inspired novel. I have been able to write on this one and I love the way it's going too, but this one is so research heavy. I find it bogging down the writing process. I am a Pantser through and through. I don't have an outline, or even a basic summary on where this is going. All I know when I write is what the next line will be and sometimes even that will surprise me. But when the main character runs a historic home restoration business, I find myself diving into research about all kinds of things I never thought I would. Since the novel also takes place in Maine, I'm doing research on different trees, landscapes, animal life, temperatures, and what it looks like. It wasn't until I wrote on it last week that I remembered why I took a couple months break on it to finish the last book in my Secret Society Series. The sheer amount of research is steep. I never want to be that author that places my story in a state and doesn't do that place justice. A TikTok video I had seen about this subject has stuck with me, where a girl who lives in a small mountain town complained that there are some many authors placing their stories in small mountain towns, but never captures that essence or even gets some of the bare minimum information right. So, because of that one video, it's stuck in my head that I want to honor the places I write about, even if some shitty stuff happens there. So, because of that, the research is becoming a lot to say the least. And if you have watched my podcast, Writing with Witches, that I host with my friend and fellow author Leona Urbansky, I joke that our tagline should be 'Do Your Research' because it's important to me to get it right.

Next is a short story. It's unnamed but it was based on a story prompt that was randomized for me. It's about a fallen angel and a vampire, which has been interesting. If you have a watched the podcast, you may know, I don't consider myself a Christian. I am a pagan that works with two specific deities, so writing a short story that is quickly becoming steeped in Christian lore is odd. I grew up in a home that was loosely Christian, meaning my dad used to read me Bible stories at bedtime, and that was the extent of it. I decided to go to church and quickly became turned off by it. I stand by Jesus's teachings and those who follow him with no judgement, but it just wasn't for me. So, writing this I'm finding I am trying to do justice to the Christian teachings while not fully believing in them and I know I'm biased. So, it's giving me pause, and I'm wondering if it's something I should even consider writing. Maybe this is a short story I shouldn't touch because of that bias, but who knows maybe I smash it out of the park, and it becomes a story you all love. I guess only time will tell.

I still feel just as conflicted on what to write as I was when I started, but who knows maybe I will use one of the many ideas my husband has given me and I will start a pirate novel, or maybe one about three sister witches. I do love witches! More to ponder on. Fingers crossed I can figure this shit out haha.

Okay. Bye!