I’ve learned a lot over the last year about what works well for my book signing events. With Twice in a Lifetime’s book launch event coming up next weekend, I wanted to take some time to apply some of the ideas I’ve had recently. Here’s what I’ve been working on: 

​1. Prepping the Usual Merch: Bookmarks, stickers, art prints. As I’ve started making more money from my author endeavors, I’ve been able to start ordering these things printed for me rather than printing and cutting them myself, which saves me quite a bit of time!

2. Treats! I’ve started bringing treats to my book signing events, and surprise surprise, they’re always a hit. I have found that donut holes and cookies do better than other sweets. Even better than chocolate, which was surprising to me. 

3. Fun Facts about the book! I’ve had the idea to write out fun little facts about the story, the book, or the publication process. This week, I’ve been writing down these facts as they come to me so I can share them with people who come to the event. 

4. About the Author Q+A. I thought it would be really cool to answer some questions that people often ask me to share as well. I get a lot of people asking questions at my book signing events, so I’ve started to write them down and pair them with my answers. I’ve also added in some silly random questions and answers, too.

5. Mini-prizes. I want to engage my readers by incorporating little prizes for activities. One of the activities I’ve thought up would be a guessing game. I’d have a list of quotes or characteristics about some of my characters, and readers would have to guess who said what by matching the quote to the character’s picture. If they get it right, they get a little prize.

6. Day-of giveaways. At each event I host, I like to do a giveaway for anyone who signs up for my email list as a way to thank them for their support. I’d now like to be able to give the item away before I leave at the end of the event. I’m not certain yet how this will work in comparison. I know not everyone has time to spend hours in the bookstore, but I think it would be really cool if I could offer this giveaway as an in-person thing rather than shipping it later. I was able to test this out with a small bookish giveaway at my author event this last weekend, and it seemed to work okay! 

7. Author Merch! I've been working on expanding my brand and making t-shirts and book bags with my author info on it. As of right now, I've only given these things away, but I'm hoping to work toward offering this merchandise for purchase and make it more widely available.

I am so excited for Twice in a Lifetime to come out on Wednesday of this week, and to celebrate it at the Park City Barnes & Noble book launch on Sunday! That’s it for this week! For more book-related content, be sure to sign up for my email list so you never miss a blog post! 

The number one praise I get from readers is that my scenes suck them in. This is a high complement, and I’m grateful to hear that, because this is something that I’m always working on. 

My scenes are not beautiful or grounding in any sense in the first draft. Rather, during my re-writing or first edit phase, I like to ask myself questions and slow the scenes down so I can really look at them closely. Here are some of the questions I ask:

1. What can be seen? What can my character see right now? If my character is standing right here in this spot, what is their vantage point? If I want them to be able to see something else, I want to make sure I have them turn their head, look around, etc.

2. What can be heard? Are there nature sounds? The crackling of a fire? People talking in another room? The clinking of dishes? What would my character likely (and realistically) hear in this setting, in this moment?

3. What can be tasted? If my character was just in a fist fight, do they taste blood? If they’re dining with the king, what does the king’s elegant feast taste like? 

4. What can be smelled? (This is one of my favorite senses to play with, I think). If my character is traveling through the forest, can they smell the grass, the decaying leaves on the forest floor? If they’re on a ship, can they smell the salt of the ocean? Do they smell the scent of freshly baked bread, or rain on the breeze?

5. What can be felt (physically)? What textures might my character come in contact with in this scene? How does the table feel beneath my character’s elbows? Or the burlap blanket they’re sleeping with? What does the chocolate feel like on my character’s tongue as it melts in their mouth? 

6. What can be felt (emotionally)? How is my character’s feeling emotionally? How can I describe this in a physical way? Is my character’s hands shaking? Sweating? Is their stomach growling? Are their shoulder’s tense? Do they keep eyeing the steaming soup on the table? 

7. HOW DOES MY CHARACTER REACT? One thing that I’ve learned on my writing journey is that no matter how beautiful your descriptions are, they’re pointless if they’re not meaningful to your character. Every observation should have some kind of emotional tie for a character, and if a character notices a certain scent, or a specific detail, that should say something about the character as a person. 

I absolutely love to slow my scenes down when I’m editing and really flesh out these details, and I love describing things. As I keep writing (and as you do, too), I hope to continue to evolve in this area, and find new ways to improve the way my stories connect with their readers. 

That’s it for this weekend. Have a great one, and stay tuned for more writing-related content. 

I took a lot of great things from my college and teaching days that still help me a ton with my writing process. Today, I’d like to go through some definitions I shared with my students (and how I shared with them) that can be super helpful to know as an author.
 
1. Plot is the series of events that take place in a story. Plot is ALL of the events together in order.

• Exposition is the beginning (sometimes) of a story. Exposition happens when we get information about the setting, the characters and their backstories, and the quest. Exposition can also come up naturally throughout the story. Sometimes it’s better to weave it in throughout than giving an info dump at the beginning of the story.
• Rising Action is the build-up of tension as the hero begins their journey. Rising action includes all the obstacles and challenges the hero faces.
• Climax is the most dramatic part of the story. The tension has boiled all the way up, and something has to change.
• Falling Action is everything that happens after the climax that leads to the end of the story. Even though there are still obstacles and challenges, the story is winding down.
• Resolution is how the story ends. How does that big problem get solved? All loose ends are tied up, and that big conflict is resolved or addressed.​

2. The setting of a story is where and when the story takes place. A story can have many settings.

• The mood of a story is the emotional atmosphere the author creates through his or her descriptions. “It was a dark and stormy night…”

3. The conflict of a story is the problem the character faces. Conflict can be internal or external.

• Internal conflict happens when a character is troubled emotionally or mentally. This is when a character cannot make a decision or fights with themselves.
  
• External conflict is when the problem comes from outside the main character. Someone or something is causing the issue.

4. Characterization is what happens when the author creates and develops the characters in a story. There are many ways to do this.

• Direct characterization is when the author directly states how a character is or what the character looks like.
  
• Indirect characterization is when the author shows readers what a character is like by describing what the character says or does.
  
• Dynamic characters are characters who change throughout the story.
  
• Static characters stay exactly the same throughout the story. They do not change or grow.
  
• Round characters are a lot like real people. They have good and bad traits. These characters are not perfectly good or perfectly bad, but have a mix of positive attributes and faults.
  
• Flat characters are those who only have either good characteristics or bad characteristics.
  
• An antagonist is the character, thing, or situation that opposes the main character. The antagonist gets in the way of the main character getting what they most desire. An antagonist is often a character, but can be weather, drama, or other obstacles.
  
• The protagonist is the character the reader is typically cheering for. This is usually the main character.

5. A monologue is when a character gives a long speech without anyone else talking. Often monologues occur when the main character has reached their breaking point, or when the antagonist or villain describes why they are doing what they are doing.

That’s it for today! If you enjoyed this blog post and would like to be notified when I post more writing-related content, sign up for my email list today!