So thrilled to announce my second book deal, this time for a heartwarming contemporary novel called The Silver Lining, which will publish with Harpeth Road Press in May 2025. I received the warmest welcome from the Harpeth Road family, which was founded by the astonishing Jenny Hale, who is one of ten contributing authors to the press's yearly lineup of clean romance. The other nine are just as amazing, from USA Today Bestsellers like Teri Wilson and Nancy Naigle, to debut authors that Jenny Hale took a chance on, and who blew expectations out of the water! I'm so excited to be part of such a prolific group of women, and I'm equally as thrilled to learn from HR's team of professional editors. If you know me, you know I love improving, achieving, and working hard! I'm ready for the long and thorough editing process that will come my way this summer and end in the new year! 

Oh! And they sent me a dozen roses! 

You can learn more about Harpeth Road Press's amazing lineup at www.harpethroad.com/our-authors. 

I just endured the worst spell of writer's block I've ever had. And I think I know why it happened.

The conversation on the online writing community sites such as tiktok, twitter, and instagram always seems to organize authors into two different categories: plotters or pantsers, with varying degrees of each. Plotters are those that outline an entire story before writing. Pantsers start a project that they like and see where it ends up.

I knew I was a plotter. Everything in my entire LIFE is plotted. Why I chose to pants just to see if I liked it is beyond me. I should have known better, but I went for it anyway, and I have to say. . . I hated the experience.

Don't get me wrong––I started off strong! 20,000 words (1/3ish) of an exciting time travel romantic comedy flowed from my fingertips, main plots, love interests, and subplots all appearing naturally, as if by my intuition. I'm always intuitive in the writing process, but relying on my intuition fully proved stressful. I was so stuck at that 20,000 word mark that I didn't know how to proceed. Plot points (since they weren't written down) flowed together, becoming jumbled, and I couldn't remember where the story was headed. I found that I had an idea for the climax of the book (80ish %) but I didn't know what happened from 50-75% to get us there. When I tried to write, I felt frustrated, discouraged, and like I had an arduous task ahead of me, instead of the joyous sprints I'd always enjoyed.

I started to feel like I'd lost my knack.

Enter new Christmas WIP [work in progress]. An idea hit me the other night, as inspiration often does, for the swooniest couple––an actor and a nurse––who are stranded due to snow. Each has other dreams they'd like to fulfill, and despite their chemistry, a few things are still keeping them apart. When the nurse discovers an antique that is related to the actor's great grandmother, solving the mystery behind it will bring healing to his family, but also might just open a place in the actor's heart for her.

OH GOSH. This was good! My mind was spinning. I knew all the things that would happen to lead up to that big holiday kiss, just like in a Hallmark movie.

But then. . . I couldn't write it. The leftover angst from pantsing had discouraged me and made me doubt myself.

So, I sat down to plot the whole thing. It wasn't fun. It wasn't exciting. It didn't flow. I thought maybe I'd never be able to write again. Thankfully, my husband talked me through the plot one night, reassuring me that I did in fact know what all needed to happen, and that I **COULD** put it on paper and make it work. (He's the best!) Over the next two days I was able to finalize my plot. I know where it's going, and I'm up to 8,000 words on my new Christmas romance novel. It's flowing and it's so enjoyable––just like I knew it could be!

Here are a few practical remedies for plotters to overcome writer's block, which helped me through this spell:

1. Plot it all first, even if it's hard. If I don't know where a story is going, I can't write.
2. Talk to a trusted beta reader or friend who can help you plot. My husband came in handy for this.
3. Read what you have so far. It's amazing how what you've written can remind you of the story ahead.
4. Calm down and remember that "the gifts and calling of the Lord are irrevocable". If you had it once, you still have it. If you did it once, you can do it again!

Hoping this helps writers in the same situation! Be sure to head over to the "contact" tab and join my newsletter for updates on new blog posts, my book releases, book signings, and more. It's the best way to stay in the loop!

xx
Audrey

There were times that I never thought I'd be able to say this: my debut historical romance is coming in 2024! I'm so excited to be publishing with Vinspire alongside favorite authors of mine like Pepper Basham. If you think you'd enjoy page-turning suspense and heartwarming romance in a Victorian mansion, this book is definitely for you!

But it almost didn't happen.

My agent and I had "the talk" about this book after it was on submission for over a year. We agreed that it was dead, even though we both loved it and couldn't believe it had failed, and we moved onto other projects. However, my agent's health took a bad turn, thankfully only for a short period of time. During that hospitalization period, I asked her if she minded if I submitted it to small presses while she was recovering. Always supporting my ambitious self, she agreed, and I'm so glad she did because it led me to Vinspire! Within a month of pitching to small presses, I had an offer from Vinspire, another offer from an additional small press, and a bigger house very interested in pursuit. 

I passed on the other small pess offer, but I was torn on the other two for a short time. Vinspire loved my novel for what it was, just as it was. That's all I'd ever wanted––editors to fall in love with my writing. The bigger house wanted to explore an R&R type situation, which would add a substantial amount of words as well as subdue some of the edginess from some of my scenes, which their readers would have enjoyed more if they were calmed a bit. I agreed with their vision for their house, and was willing to put in the work, but ultimately I believe we both felt that an offer in hand was best, rather than speculating about what could be if the manuscript were overhauled. And so, I reached out to Vinspire, thrilled to *ACCEPT*! (I do hope to work with the bigger house in the future on other projects, even if we weren't a fit for this one!)

Now I've been paired with my amazing editor, Kassy. We're in the developmental stage. As a developmental editor myself, I'm super excited to work through her suggestions and make SEVEN DAYS AT MANNERLEY even better than it was before. 

You won't catch me complaining during this process––I know how hard I worked to get here, and I know what a huge blessing it is to debut in this clogged fiction market! I am grateful, thankful, and blessed to be where I am!

It's hard to believe the book of my heart will be hitting shelves in 2024 (hopefully spring). Join my newsletter for updates, or connect with me on socials. Thanks for reading––will update soon! xx