SUMMER/FALL SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

It’s been a wild summer so far but settling down. Which means it’s time to get out there and push my writing and creativity agenda on anyone who will listen, and some that don’t want to.

I will be teaching a class, JULY 26th, through WHWA on how to write a great villain (including a protagonist who is their own worst enemy). The class is $40 for non members and Free for active Members. Register Here.

I’ll be speaking at Fort Collins Comic Con, on a panel with Rod Martinez and Heather Hein on August 16th. We’ll be answering questions about writing, creativity, story, and all the dirty bits of the trade that you didn’t want to know.

I’m teaching at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2025 GOLD CONFERENCE on September 26th through the 28th in Aurora Colorado. If you’re a writer and you’ve never been to a conference, I highly recommend this one. Something for every level and so many great writers to talk to.

Our annual Fall Retreat (WHWA) is open for registration. Three days of nothing but solid writing time where I cook (it’s really not that bad) and clean and make you coffee or tea so you can just focus on your work. The venue is in Winter Park and, y’all, it’s stunning! Register HERE. Spots get snagged fast.

NEW BOOK!

No Words After I Love You is available HERE. Yay!

Here’s a little blurb from the book.

DEALS: I’ll be offering a special signed copy with goodies shipped to you directly (Everyone loves a book box!) Check back here for more details!

Writing Heights Writing Association: Directorship

Hey Ya’ll. 2025 marks the start of my position as the Director of Writing Heights Writers Association. This group, originally Northern Colorado Writers is a community organization centered around helping writers and authors of all levels hone their skills, network and find community, and boost their opportunities both in publishing and in creative advancement. If you have questions or are interested in joining there are several very affordable levels. We have monthly classes, critique groups, promotion opportunities, member meet ups, and tons of other benefits. Visit us here for more information: Writing Heights

Here’s my first Newsletter Address if you want to know more about my philosophy:

I think we can all agree, that this year has been strange in total. But I suppose that’s what life does, right? Surprise and upend us in the best and worst of ways.

Truth be told, I am reluctant to step into this role. One, I’m not much of a leader. Two, I’m a hell of an introvert. Three, I’m an idiot (who knows next to nothing about tech, businesses, or taxes). To add, I have an incredibly small bank account (like a true writer).

But I love the writers in this group. And Writing Heights (Northern Colorado Writers) was the place I found home, support, and so much encouragement on my way. I love this community and I couldn’t let that go without at least trying. It helps knowing that I have a such an amazing leadership team that has been supportive and kind, and I literally could not have taken this on without their help.

I believe in this group. I believe in the community of writers here. I believe in your stories and your pursuit to tell those stories. I think, more than ever now, books matter. Our voices matter. Different perspectives, the empathy gained from listening to one another, and the broader intellect created by learning matters. It may be the only thing that saves our species.

It is my hope that whether it’s in our memoirs, our fiction, our nonfiction, or how we bleed through our poetry, that we always commit ourselves to our truth through writing.

It is my hope to always foster the belief that the written word is one of the most beautiful and precious things humanity has to offer. That no machine can capture the human experience and that art is human-made. From our joy, our loss, and our struggle, beauty is in the expression of our art. It is not replicable by algorithms and it should never be stolen for uninhibited profit.

It is my hope that we remain free from oppression, from hatred, and from fear. WHWA will always be a safe space for every writer to be. This will always be a place where freedom of expression and being who you are is supported and upheld.

It is my hope that we love one another (supporting and uplifting our fellow writers in their losses and successes), foster love for the community at large (volunteering our time, beta reading, encouraging new writers), and preserve our love for the written word (constantly aiming to improve and fighting for the right to have all words heard).

So, as I get ready to take the reins of this organization, I’m centering my purpose on what I can do to support you and make sure you have access to the resources and education you need to tell your story. Ultimately, Writing Heights exists for writers and my goal is to continue fighting that good fight.

My email is always open, so feel free to write me if you have concerns or ideas. The year will bring some changes. I don’t have the financial means to maintain an office space, and I don’t believe raising membership dues is the answer. But I do believe meeting in person is important and I’m doing my best to find ways to still be able to do that. Classes will continue, our retreats are still on, and our monthly membership meetings (critique group, marketing, member roundtable etc.) will continue with a few additions (member coffee, write ins, poetry critique group, workshops).

This community lifted me up and gave me the support and skills I needed to become a better writer. I believe in it and I believe in you. It may get a little bumpy, mistakes will be made, and I’m sure I’ll drop a few balls in the process, but I promise to do my best. We’re in this together.

THE REST IS OLD NEWS (but feel free to read if you want to know more about what I’ve published and where I’ve been)

Book Signing and Charity Event!

Hey kids! I’m so pleased to announce that the third and final book in the Sweet Valley Series, “Composing Laney” will be released November 14th through 5 Prince Publishing.

I’ll keep you posted on a local book launch (in Northern Colorado), but for certain I will be hosting an event in Saratoga, Wyoming on the 21st of November at 4pm at the Saratoga Public Library. I’ll be selling books, signing books, and giving a little talk about the characters, inspiration for the series, what rural communities have meant to me growing up. I’ll also answer any questions I can, you can even leave those here in the comments section.

I’m hoping this will be a good turnout because for the entire week of November 12th thru the 25th I will be donating a portion of my book sales to the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to help women in my home state find help and services in times when they need it most. So, even if you can’t make the event, please consider buying the books and spreading the word.

Also, if you’re not into my romances, or you already have them, I’ll be setting up a donation page on my social sites to donate directly. Here’s the Link!

Here’s a little back cover info about Composing Laney for you:

“Laney Sullivan is struggling. A writer without inspiration, divorced and losing hope as her career teeters on destruction and her family’s small ranch is in danger of being bought. She’s given four weeks to get her life back together on the pristine island of St. Croix. But her peace is quickly interrupted when Jameson Clark, former Country Singer Superstar enters the scene and shakes up her responsible-to-a-fault life. Sparks and insults fly, but can she keep her heart from being broken when he turns out to be more than just a flashy star?”

HOLY CRAP…SHE JUMPED ON THE HALLMARK BANDWAGON

Okay, this is still weird to me. My friend and co-author Kerrie Flanagan have done it again. Last February, I saw that 5 Prince was taking submissions for Holiday romance. I’ve never written one. I shy away from Hallmark in general (There’s nothing wrong with it, I get it, I understand…its feel good stuff and we all need more of that. I’m a closet lover of swoon and campy romance. It’s just that time of year is busy, I rarely sit down to watch tv and if I do…its Die Hard or Love, Actually. I swing wildly. I have no middle ground. Am I still in parentheses?)

In any case, being a writer is about pushing your comfort zone. What happened was Rewriting Christmas. A short, funny, Hallmark-style romance that pits a grumpy girl with a sunshine guy in a snowstorm forced proximity. And there’s a moose. And a dog named Steve Perry. And a lot of warm fuzzy. So…Preorder that and all the other fun holiday books out November 14th from 5 Prince. I’ll get you the link as soon as it’s live.

In Gratitude…

I am so thankful to the folks at Old Firehouse Books in downtown Fort Collins, for another great book event with Granting Katelyn. If you haven’t checked out the “middle child” of this series, give it a go.

If you’d like a cool sneak peak of the first chapter, take a look here:

Itsy Bitsy Book Bits 1st Chapters

If you want to listen to something cool, Check out this interview Kerrie Flanagan and Skye McDonald and I did with the fantastic Lisa from Reader Seeks Romance.

Here it is: 80’s Interview

“Raising Elle” The first book in my new Sweet Valley Series was released May 2, 2023! You can order it through Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble or through the publisher, 5 Prince Publishing