New Writing Course
Unlock the Power of Chapter Breaks
All good stories deserve to be on the bookstore shelf. Let’s get yours there.
Self-paced, on- demand video course
Learn the psychology behind the rules
Chapter breaks aren’t just white space between scenes. They’re powerful tools that control pacing, reveal key information, shift POVs, and propel your story forward. There’s a real science behind them, and mastering chapter breaks is one of the best revision techniques to sharpen your fiction.
Lifetime access
Sloan Wilder Romance
Forthcoming
There’s nothin’ better than reading a good love story…except for maybe writing one! I’m in the midst of drafting a new rom-com and launching my first-ever pen name: Sloan Wilder.
My mom was actually the first to suggest Sloan when I said I wanted to do a pen name (I mean, she named me, so why shouldn’t she come up with my first pen name, too?), and because my rom-com has a Hollywood setting and angle, I immediately thought of Wilder as a nod to Billy. I also love the way it sounds like Joan Wilder, the fictional author in Romancing the Stone.
Fun fact: as a child of the ‘80s, I was once at a friend’s house watching Romancing the Stone (on VHS!) when my friend burst out laughing at the opening scene—the one in which Joan Wilder is seen crying as she types up the final pages of her latest book. “That’ll be you!” my friend shouted.
I’m definitely looking forward to shedding a few tears (including some tears of laughter) as I draft the first Sloan Wilder release. You can be sure to be notified of all the latest in Sloan Wilder by subscribing to her newsletter:
Mistletoe on Main Street
Each year, I release a new story set in Ruby’s Place, a magical supper club. Word has it that on Christmas Eve, the spirits inside Ruby’s Place are far more than the liquor bottles behind the bar. Those who go to Ruby’s Place on Christmas Eve get a chance to reconnect one last time with long-lost loves. They get a chance to tell that person everything they didn’t get a chance to say when that loved one was still alive. Maybe I’m sorry or I love you.
I’m in the midst of writing Mistletoe on Main Street now. To introduce you to a bit of backstory about Ruby’s Place (and to put you in the right frame of mind for this year’s story), you can get Ruby’s Story, the first of the Ruby’s Regulars series, for free:
Additional Resources for Writers
I’m at work putting together a writing craft book on narrative transportation, relying on what I’ve learned about the psychology of storytelling to show writers how they can use some basic principles to ensure their readers are whisked away and deeply immersed in their novel.
There’s more to the story.
I’m a storyteller. Always have been, ever since I was a little girl. I’d sit at my child-sized rolltop desk, writing stories and adding crayon illustrations. Or I’d tell them out loud, off the top of my head, into a tape recorder. I’d even make my brother play out some of the parts, giving him dialogue to repeat!
Since the crayon and cassette tape days, I’ve gone on to publish with the Big 5 and smaller houses, as well as independently through my own imprint, InToto Books. I’ve received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, won silver and gold medals in Foreword INDIES Book of the Year and the IPPY Awards, respectively, been featured on Booklist’s Best First Novels for Youth and School Library Journal’s What’s Hot in YA, and chosen as a PW Pick of the Week. I’ve also made the Master Lists for several children’s book awards, including the Missouri Mark Twain Award.
In addition to my writing and publishing, I founded InkBerry Designs, where I sell illustrative and commercial art, I produce a podcast, and I offer both editorial guidance and courses for writers.
It’s all a story in progress…
It’s My Story & I’m Stickin’ With It
The writing life isn’t easy, but it in no way has to be as hard as we often make it. I’m the first to agree that there are no hard and fast rules in writing. But too often, that leads writers to think they can find no rules for themselves. Which, in turn, only leads to grappling around in the dark every single time the writer sits down to draft the next novel.
I’ve spent more than twenty years as a full-time author (a published novelist since ‘10), and I’ve learned that the messy, elusive process of writing a book can absolutely be streamlined. As writers, we can also equip ourselves with a step-by-step guide for revision, so that we never have to dread the editorial letter.
My Substack (It’s My Story & I’m Stickin’ With It) offers tips, tricks, and insights into various approaches to writing—and by writing, I mean drafting, outlining, brainstorming, revising, etc.—that work for me and (now that I’ve opened my door as an editor) my own clients. Those approaches will help other authors find their own paths as well.
When a writer stops fighting the process, it opens them up to experience more creative play.
And there’s no better feeling than that—than creative play. If you’re struggling to find it again, “creative play” can sound like the loftiest of goals. But we’re writers—we specialize in lofty goals.
Let’s play.
InkBerry Greeting Cards
My most popular offerings at InkBerry Designs are my greeting cards. It’s been so incredibly lovely to be a small part of so many special occasions: birthdays, friendships, and love stories.
Digital invitations and personalized physical cards coming soon.
My Author Shop
Stories for All Ages
I’ve written for readers of all ages. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed releasing works for young readers—visiting them in classrooms and meeting them in virtual discussion groups. My MG novel The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky, a Finalist or Master List nominee for readers’ choice awards in Missouri, Illinois, South Carolina, Alabama, and Oklahoma, got an updated re-release in ‘23 and is available in ebook, hardback, and paperback forms.
My story “Spooklight” represented Missouri in the Haunted States of America, a spooky anthology for young readers, published in conjunction with SCBWI and Henry Holt.
