...Sigh...Amazing book reviews that make me smile...

Thanks to Library at the End of the Universe for such a wonderful review of the book. I can't wait to share book 2 with everyone...and I'm most excited to start writing book 3....so much I want to share but my lips are sealed!!!

"After The Ending hooked me into the idea from the back cover blurb, which is a snare trap for books. A good blurb does not always mean a good book. This time it does though. Yes, it is an apocalypse story, and that has been a trend that some steer clear of, with good reason. The difference here though is that the story is more about the endurance of a friendship. Dani and Zoe anchor the cast of highly developed characters, which is a huge plus for me. Characters that are flat and boring, make a story hard to stomach. Even though the story is dealing with the harsh reality of surviving the end of the world, the characters are richly built by the authors. They do not choose to hammer you with all of the details at once though, the slowly reel you into the characters personalities as the story plays out. You know I do not like to give spoilers, so I am not going to highlight all of the characters, but I want you to know that every character has a role that they play. Fairleigh & Pogue crafted every minute aspect of each person and animal so well, they alone make the novel worth the read.
The true star of the show though is the story format that the authors chose to use in telling their tale. Alternating chapters from different points of view, including email communication between Dani and Zoe until that is no longer available, all makes for a fairly unique format. I found that I liked this way of story telling and was easily drawn into the unfolding drama on either side of the world. The story is also one that is beautifully written with a clear understanding of the subject matter. Whether it is survival training, medical knowledge or mental health the authors went into just the right amount of detail to show they were aware of the topic, but not going to hammer you with unnecessary details. There is the right amount of action and drama within the story that the reader is never left waiting for something to happen. Just as you think things may be coming to some level of closure something surprises you and the characters and the story moves further forward.
This is the first book in The Ending Series, and I know I am eagerly anticipating the second book."

...first official guest blog posts and interivew...

CRAZINESS!!

So, I guess another crazy part about being an author is that you have to answer interview questions and write guest blog posts. While I enjoy interacting with people, I have to say it's a lot of pressure to convey who you are and what you feel in a three-line answer.

Team Lindsey's first official online interview: The Dark Phantom Review


My first guest blog post...The Busy Mom's Daily


As foreign as it is to do these sorts of things, it's also becoming familiar. Another couple of things to add to the list of deadlines...there are worse things :)

...Shatter Me Book Review...

Shatter Me Book Review - By Lindsey Pogue

Team Lindsey adores Tahereh Mafi and her Shatter Me series. Although Shatter Me is the first book in the series and has been out since 2011, I'm only just now about ready to jump into Unravel Me and wanted to do a quick recap.


!If you haven’t read Shatter Me, POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!

Summary: Juliette doesn’t know her own strength that she’s cursed. That is, until she tried to help someone inadvertently killed a small child, was labeled dangerous and locked away in a cell…by the Reestablishment…from the crumbling, chaotic world in which she lives. While 17-year-old Juliette isn’t exactly cursed, no one knows why her touch is fatal or what to do with her…that is until someone gets a bright idea and deems her useful.


Juliette thinks she’s been forgotten about until Warner, the son of the leader of the Reestablishment, begins to show interest in becomes obsessed with her, trying to convert Juliette into one of his weapons to help take over what remains of the decaying world that they live in.


Adam, a childhood acquaintance and a soldier in the Reestablishment, is the only one willing to help her, who sees Juliette as good, who loves her, and who helps her escape Warner’s evil grasp. There's a little romance, a little action, but a lot of heart, which I think is what really grabbed my attention.

What I like about it:

• Mafi is a fresh author with a unique voice. I love the strikethrough idea because, let’s be honest, we think this way so why not write this way? It seems ingenious to me, especially because the censorship and uncertainty is written as it is inside Juliette’s head. Sometimes Juliette makes no sense, but that’s because her mind is reeling and she’s trying to comprehend her life…the world…love…fear. She’s a naive girl in an uncertain and unpredictable and dangerous world so it makes sense her inner-most thoughts would be wishful, confused, self-deprecating, and wanting.
• The prose. While I don’t necessary write with so much fluff, with as many adjectives or abstract thoughts, that doesn’t mean it’s not refreshing to read once in a while. I generally like simple and to the point, but I can definitely appreciate the time and creativity an author can put into description and elaboration.

For instance…

I always wonder about raindrops.
I wonder about how they’re always falling down, tripping over their own feet, breaking their legs and forgetting their parachutes as they tumble right out of the sky toward an uncertain end. It’s like someone is emptying their pockets over the earth and doesn’t seem to care where the contents fall, doesn’t seem to care that the raindrops burst when they hit the ground, that they shatter when they fall to the floor, that people curse the days the drops dare to tap on their doors.

• The prose are really quite beautiful. I could never write something so clever, so thought provoking. I think Mafi doesn’t it nicely and while some people don’t like it, I think others absolutely love it. There were many times during this book that I literally stopped reading and thought “how does she do it?”
• The characters. Warner was creepy. Adam was lovable. Juliette was endearing. That’s what a good story needs and I think the author did a good job of making the reader want what she did…to either love OR hate the characters. Even Kenji was entertaining and kept the suspense up because we don’t really know if he’s sincere until they arrive at one of the Resistance bases.
• THE NEW COVER IS BEAUTIFUL!

Some of the issues that I had…

• Because the story takes place so much in the whirling mind of the heroine, I did find myself sometimes wishing the action would pick up, the romance would pick up, something that would help at a little more life to the story along with all the inner turmoil.
• Sometimes the prose did seem a bit much and I could have done with them more sparsely laced throughout the story, but again, it’s the author’s writing style and I can’t do that, so I appreciate it (even if it is sort of distracting at times).

Overall, I’m a huge fan of this book. I am anxious to get started on Unravel Me, but I wanted to get my thoughts down on paper before immersing myself in the second installment of Shatter Me. I have a feeling I’m going to be wishing I’d waited for book three, but I can’t help it…I’m reading it anyway.

...character quote...

I like quotes, especially when they mirror my very thoughts, but I could never pinpoint them or formulate the words...

"I don’t have a very clear idea of who the characters are until they start talking." ~JOAN DIDION

...Get to know the Lindseys...

What is your favorite quality about yourself?

LF: That I’m obsessive. When I find something that I love, like a book series or show, I put so much energy into finding out everything I can about it, from the characters to the creators. I know it’s probably not something that other people, like my mom or husband, would say is their favorite thing about me, but I love it. Besides, I think it makes me a better writer...when I’m immersed in a project, it’s all I think about. Sometimes I even forget to eat, and I love food!


LP: I’m passionate about a lot of things--movies, reading, writing, laughing, eating, learning, traveling--I don’t get bored very often.

What is your least favorite quality about yourself?

LF: Definitely my insanely awesome ability to procrastinate. It’s really not so helpful if I’m having a tough writing day…or need to schedule an appointment at the dentist. With the latter, I usually end up going about a year late. I feel sorry for my teeth.

LP: I get sidetracked easily. I’d like to think it is the creative part of my brain, but I think it’s just impatience and lack of focus more times than not. Oh, and I worry too much.

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?

LF: “I didn’t jump. I took a tiny step, and there conclusions were.” Why? Because it’s Buffy and Joss is a genius, and that’s the only reason I’ll ever need to love that line.

LP: That’s really hard for me...it would have to be “Yippee Ki-yay mother*BLEEP*“ by Bruce Willis or “It’s not a tumor!” by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Most cheesy one-liners make me smile.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?

LF: I’d have to say writing and publishing After The Ending independently…with LP, of course! It’s a ginormous, never-ending learning process, but it is so worth it.

LP: Ditto

What is your favorite color?

LF: Green.

LP: Green

LF: Jinx.

What is your favorite food?

LF: Cheese, bacon, or tomatoes. It depends on the day.

LP: Breakfast food...and Mexican if I had to choose something else.

What’s your favorite place in the entire world?

LF: Favorite place I’ve ever been…Tuscany. Favorite place I’ve never been…Egypt. I studied Mediterranean archaeology in college and worked on a dig in Italy. It was the craziest, most amazing experience I’ve ever had. There’s nothing like being the first person to touch a piece of pottery in 2,000 years--it’s like there’s a connection between you and someone who’s been gone for millennia.

LP: While I love traveling around the world and learning about different cultures, there’s something to be said for the serenity of nature and being comfortable in your surroundings. That being said, I love The Ranch. It’s my grandparents’ home located in the hills of Northern California. The Ranch has always inspired me and brought me peace of mind.

How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
LF: For me, I’d have to say that because my parents encouraged me to be a bookworm, I gained a passion for fiction early on. It started with Matilda and The Witches. Then, my mom suggested I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and I read all seven books at least a dozen times. That was my springboard into all of the amazing worlds that can be found in fantasy and science fiction books. Because of that, I eat, sleep, breathe—and write—within those genres.

LP: While reading is a pastime I’ve only embraced in the last five years or so, I’ve always been passionate about writing. Whether it’s a story idea, journal entry, a research piece for the newspaper, or my master’s thesis, I have always had something to write. My family has always encouraged me to do what makes me happy and has supported me in all that I do, allowing me to find what it is that makes me truly happy.

How long have you been writing?

LP: All my life.

LF: I’ve been keeping journals since elementary school, but I’ve only been writing fiction for about six years.

When did you first know you could be a writer?

LP: Honestly, I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but never felt it was possible until I met LF. We sort of clicked and started brainstorming and one thing led to another. It’s really exciting and encouraging to have someone who feels the way I do about writing--who has the passion and the drive. I don’t know if I would’ve ever gotten this far if we hadn’t met.

LF: Awww...thanks friend! I feel the same way. As for when I first knew I could be a writer...it was a conversation I had with one of my professors when I was an undergrad at the University of Washington. For some reason, I had been under the impression that I wasn’t a very good writer, and his was one of the courses that would earn me a writing credit without actually being a dedicated “writing” class. He called me in for a meeting to discuss one of my papers and ended up convincing me that I really could write. Several years later, I started working on my first manuscript.

What inspired you to write your first book?

LP: Aside from my partnership with LF spurring forward my passion for writing, I have to give the credit to my grandfather. All my life I’ve escaped to The Ranch, spending my summer having some new adventure, writing about it and hovering over my notebook or my computer. My grandpa would always asked me if I was finished yet and when he could read it. He passed away last year right when LF and I started this project. I wish he was here so that I could show him that I finally finished something and that it’s an actual book.

LF: Family is really the thing that inspired me as well, though sort of in an inverse way. I was dealing with some personal and family issues when I started my first manuscript, and writing was the only thing that made me feel any better. It was like therapy...except free. And once I started, I couldn’t stop.

Who or what influenced your writing over the years?

LP: Throughout my life, I’ve journaled everything that’s happened to me--dreams, heartbreaks, family drama--but, I’ve always been horrible with grammar and it detoured me from enjoying writing anything for other people to read. I had red lines through my essay papers in high school and was struggling to keep good grades in my English classes. When I entered my Junior year, a very passionate, wonderful teacher showed me the power of writing and the fun of reading, and I’ve been writing stories and taking creative writing classes ever since.

LF: For me, I’d say there are two things that have always influenced my writing--my super vivid dreams and the thousands of science fiction and fantasy books I’ve read.

What made you want to be a writer?

LP: I just love it. It feels right.

LF: Same for me. Once I started writing, I felt like I’d finally realized who I really was. Everything else felt forced, but like LP said, writing just feels right.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?

LP: I find it difficult to control my impatience. When I’m brainstorming, I get too many ideas that I consider “good stuff” and then I can’t stick with one story. I have so many unfinished stories it’s sort of embarrassing. I think, other than After The Ending, I’ve only ever completed one draft of an entire story. There are always too many ideas floating around in my head, and I become impatient to get to the “good stuff” down. That makes it difficult to stick with one project at a time. I like working on The Ending series with LF because it holds me accountable and I stay focused. I need deadlines.

LF: It’s so funny, because this is probably where we differ the most. I focus on one project so intently that I want to keep revising and reworking...pretty much endlessly. I have to force myself to take a step back and work on something else. But then, the process starts all over again with the new manuscript...

Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?
LP: It has taught me more about myself, what goes into publishing a book, and the writing process itself. I can’t even begin to explain. I think I’m still absorbing it all. But the one thing that I keep coming back to is...I can do it. I’ve always wanted to publishing a book and we did it! I’ve taken the plunge and it feels...indescribable.

LF: Writing and publishing After The Ending has taught me that sometimes the best things are also the most terrifying. I mean, we created this world, these characters--this story is like our child--and now people we don’t know are reading it...and enjoying it. I just read a review this morning where the reader said she felt like she was a member of the group in the book, and that she didn’t want it to end. Hearing someone say that about our book is absolutely amazing.

Do you intend to make writing a career?

LP: I hope so because that would be absolutely wonderful.

LF: Absolutely yes. I’m all in.

Can you tell us about your main character?

LP: Like most people, Zoe gets in her own way a lot. She over thinks things, which is probably a personification of me, but our similarities end there. She is strong, but she doesn’t realize how strong, at least not yet. She’s always felt disconnected from her family for a reason she doesn't understand, and her internal conflicts have jaded her--that’s why she cherishes Dani’s friendship so much. Dani provides the balance Zoe needs to be happy and feel normal--Dani makes her laugh, live and gives her something to look forward to as she struggles to uncover and understand the family secrets that have loomed over her for as long as she can remember.

LF: Dani is a petite redhead with a quirky personality. She’s passionate, silly, and willing to give up everything to help the people she loves. For all of her life, she’s felt survivor’s guilt over the death of her mother--she died in childbirth--which is only compounded during the events of The Ending. She draws strength from Zoe, who has always looked out for her, and considers her to be more of a sister than simply a friend.

Who designed the cover?

LP: We came up with the concept together, wanting to have a cover that was different, simple and that left people curious as to what the book was about. Once we agreed on the images and the overall concept, LF did the formatting and made an amazing cover that I am so very proud of.

LF: It was a lot of work--a lot of learning--but I’m really happy with the end product. That being said, I make no claims of being a cover designer, and I have immense respect for the truly talented cover designers out there.

Who is your publisher?
LP: Wanting to retain as much creative licensing as possible, we started our own publishing company, L2 Books, that we run out of my house. So, not only am I a new homeowner, but we’re new business owners as well. I think it’s safe to say we’re grown-ups now.

LF: I don’t know if I’d go that far, LP. Grown-ups is quite a claim...

Will you write others in this same genre?

LP: We plan to write four books in this series and who knows what we will tackle together after that. I have some Sci-fi story ideas I’d like to work on personally, but typically Sci-fi isn’t my preferred reading genre--it’s not my comfort zone--so it will be interesting to see where my next, individual project takes me. Probably somewhere in the contemporary romance genre.

LF: Yes, absolutely. The science fiction and fantasy genres are a part of me. For me, writing in another genre would be like writing in a foreign language.

How much of the book is realistic?
LP: Although our book is fiction, we tried to make it as realistic as possible. We did as much research as we could before taking our own creative licenses and adding things into our post-apocalyptic world that might not have been there otherwise. Overall, we did try to keep the reader engaged and constantly thinking “what if?”.

LF: There were a few “real world” things that we tweaked for the sake of the storyline, possibly the most obvious being that the internet stays up for several weeks after almost everyone is dead, but we stuck with it because of the way the project originated. In the beginning, the entire thing was epistolary--it was all written in the form of emails between Dani and Zoe. We changed that, thankfully, but felt the need to retain the email communications because they were the original heart of the story--everything else formed around them.

How important do you think villains are in a story?

LP: They are very important. Without the villains, my characters would remain static. The villains definitely help drive the story.

LF: Beyond that, I think it’s important that some of the villains are hard to distinguish...and that some of the good guys might really be villains in disguise. It’s the gray characters who make things really interesting.

What are your goals as a writer?

LP: I would love nothing more than to be able to write for a living, but only if I could write something I’m passionate about, that I feel connected to, and something that brings me joy.

LF: I want to write science fiction and fantasy novels that transport people to another world, or another version of our world. I want people to feel like they’ve been to my worlds, met my characters, and been touched by their struggles and successes. If I can do that with my writing, I’ll be happy.

Have you started another book yet?
LP: When I’m not working part time for a non-profit organization, I am working on my chapters for book two, Into The Fire.

LF: Along with Into The Fire, I’m just putting the finishing touches on Echo Prophecy, the first book in my debut solo series. It’s a paranormal romance slash time travel novel with strong mythological connections to Ancient Egypt. It follows a young archaeologist, Lex, as she uncovers a historical mystery, a terrifying prophecy, and an ancient, powerful species that has been hiding among humans for millennia. I’m aiming to release it in late summer.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

LP: Writing full time and enjoying life. Hopefully I’ll have the time to get back into horseback riding again as well. I miss it, a lot.

LF: Writing, globe-trotting with my husband, and spending a lot of time in my garden.

Are you reading any interesting books at the moment?
LP: My guilty pleasure is reading J.R. Ward’s, Black Dagger Brotherhood. I’m catching up on her latest books in the series, anxiously waiting for the Blay/Quinn story to come out.

LF: I’m totally addicted to George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. I also just started The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa and am loving it.

Are there any new authors that helped inspire you?

LP: We’ve met Tahereh Mafi a couple times and she’s so quirky and fun. I think in a lot of ways she reminds us of...us. Watching her grow and succeed as an author has definitely been inspirational. We loved Shatter Me and can’t wait to see where the rest of her series leads us.

LF: Good answer. Ditto.

What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out?

LP: I just discovered Scrivener and I love it! It keeps me organized and I need that to stay focused.

LF: Yeah, I’m on board with Scrivener too. Also, post-its are the greatest outlining and plotting tool ever invented.

Do you have any advice for writers?

LP: Go with your gut and keep in mind that you will NEVER please everyone--that latter is something I’m coming to terms with during this process.

LF: Put your manuscript aside for several months--like lock it away in a safe and don’t peek at it even once--and then when you look at it again, you’ll have all these new ideas for improving it. I know a ton of people have already said it, but there’s a reason--they’re right!

What do you do to unwind and relax?

LP: I love curling up and watching movies with my man or drinking wine and laughing with my friends.

LF: I spend a lot of time cooking--like several hours a day--and I listen to an audiobook while I’m doing it. It’s akin to meditation for me. Also, gardening, walking, and running...also while listening to an audiobook. Haha, I’m totally an audible.com junkie.

What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

LP: That I am capable of achieving my dreams.

LF: Writing something that other people can connect to...a story and characters that make them feel something. Even though it’s what we were trying to do, I’m still astonished. It feels amazing.


When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have?
LP: I did everything I wanted to and have no regrets. I want to have enjoyed the path I chose, my life.

LF: I would like to think that my work, my writing, meant something to somebody else. That would make all of the time and effort worth it.

Finding Your Voice: Writing in First Person (or Third)

by Lindsey Pogue & Lindsey Fairleigh

Deciding which point-of-view to use when writing our first book, After The Ending, was probably one of the most difficult decisions we had to make...and the most time consuming. The POV is so immensely important to a storyline, allowing the readers to get into the characters’ heads and experience the story along with them, or to be omniscient and know things the characters themselves aren’t aware of. We knew that making the wrong decision would have devastated our goal to engross the reader, to make them care about what happened to Dani and Zoe as the young women learned to survive and thrive in their post-apocalyptic world. Although After The Ending is written in first person, it definitely didn’t start out that way, and making the decision to change it was a trying process.

After The Ending has gone through so many different stages that it’s become a completely different project from the one we initially set out to create. While the concept and storyline has essentially remained the same, the format of our work has gone through multiple revisions, transforming the original online blog version into the nearly 500-page book we finally published.

Because our initial idea was to start a blog where our two characters documented their apocalyptic survival experiences solely conveyed through emails, we started off writing in first person...and only in the format of emails between Zoe and Dani. It didn’t take us too long to realize that we were severely limiting the story that Dani and Zoe could tell. As the After The Ending developed, we were unable to convey the depth, dynamics, and true nature of our characters because we only allowed the reader to see them through their silly, realistic, and sometimes melodramatic emails. 
Halfway into the storyline, we found ourselves wanting to share our characters in a way the emails wouldn’t allow, so we did a complete overhaul of everything we’d written, combining the emails with third person narration. The revisions not only allowed us to learn more about our characters, but also enable our readers to see beyond their quirky emails--to see Zoe and Dani as they truly are, including their fears, passions, and even their secrets. 
As Zoe and Dani’s Abilities--what we call the extraordinary powers that some survivors develop early on in the book--began to develop during the writing process, we wondered if using the first person POV would be a better way to share what our characters were actually feeling and experiencing. We wanted there to be a personal connection between the reader and Dani and Zoe, and we felt that using first person could establish such a connection far more effectively than using third person. However, we also worried that by limiting the POV to first person, we were taking away from the development of the other important characters, somehow making them seem less important or relatable.
 
Conflicted, we asked fellow authors how they went about deciding which voice was best for their stories, in hopes they could help us make up our minds. As expected, all their advice was the same...what do the characters want? What does your gut tell you? We knew the answer, and it was then that we made the decision to do another huge overhaul and change everything to first person. Because Dani and Zoe are so essential to the story, we wanted them to be as alive as possible--for the readers to be able to connect with them and grow to love or hate the supporting characters as the women do. Since we made the change, we haven’t looked back.
 
Even though we decided to write the entire series in first person, we’ve come to realize that we don’t have to limit ourselves to Dani and Zoe’s perspectives. There’s still a lot of story left to tell and the two young women are only part of the world of The Ending.

...First Author Interview...

First Guest Blog Post Interview:

Inside the Mind of the Author

by Lindsey Pogue

I’ve always had a passion for storytelling and delving into a world that’s so completely different from my own. Like most kids, I created books and wrote fantastical stories in my youth. I continued researching and writing about past cultures in my academia, along with developing new worlds in which made-up characters live and breathe into my adulthood. Despite my passion for writing, I’ve allowed myself to be detoured in the past, both by my unrealistic expectations and by unreachable standards that I’ve set for myself. It’s only now, after working on this project with Lindsey Fairleigh (LF), that I understand myself better as a writer and as an author. I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t, and I can go into book two of The Ending Series, Into The Fire, with more ease.

Co-authoring After The Ending has taught me how important it is to really identify how I work best as a writer so I can continue to be productive and creative to the best of my ability...and so I can keep what remaining sanity I have intact. My brain works very differently than LF’s, and because we work so closely together, it’s imperative that we appreciate how different our writing processes are, both for our separate story lines and POV’s and also when we’re working on combined chapters. That being said, looking back at book one, I notice two very important characteristics about myself and my writing style that I’m so grateful to finally understand.

First, I have come to terms with the fact that I’m not omniscient. I never have been, nor will I ever be. Obvious? Sure, but it’s also hard to remember when you’re the creator of something. By consciously acknowledging my lack of omniscience, I am giving myself permission to loosen the reins and let the characters write for themselves. While I am a planner in life, that is not the case in writing. No matter how many details and story arcs I devise in my head and outline on paper, things always change--characters have a way of commandeering the story, no matter what my intentions might be. That being said, if I don’t have my characters completely solidified in my mind before I start writing, that’s okay. I know some authors see the entire story in their mind, but I see bits and pieces, or what I call the “good stuff”. I’m learning how to accept the fact that I can get the “good stuff” down and fill in the holes as I go...especially since the story inevitably writes itself and generally unfolds into something more amazing than what I had planned in the first place.

Second, I’ve learned which type of writer I am--a “revisionist” so to speak. I have to remind myself there is no rule that says you can only revise four times, and if there is, I’m pretending it doesn’t exist. I need to revise A LOT. My inspiration to write comes in spurts. So, instead of getting frustrated with my brain for vomiting ideas incoherently and out of order, I’m learning to embrace the spewage—to get the ideas down to flesh out later. Nothing will ever be or even has to be perfect the first time around. I learn about and discover my characters as I go, and I don’t have a plethora of interconnected details and ideas that just flow out of my mind and onto the page, resulting in an almost complete manuscript that just needs some tweaking. Instead, I write down the “good stuff” and build around it. I write a chapter, then walk away…come back to it…read and revise…walk away…and read and revise another five times before I even feel comfortable passing it on to LF. I think this is where she and I differ in our writing processes. She tends to have very fluid thoughts and ideas and gets them down eloquently, whereas my ideas are always jumbled in my head.

Going into this project, I pressured myself to have my characters ironed out in my mind—the details, the obstacles they’d face, the love triangles they’d get mixed up in—but this is one instance in my life where planning isn’t so helpful. In fact, it’s more of a hindrance to my creativity, and it’s a relief to know I’ve discovered how my mind works so, as we work on book two, I can allow myself the space to be inspired and creative with no restraint. When inspiration flows, when my thoughts and ideas meld together and the characters come to life, that’s when the best ideas make it onto the page. I love “the zone”.

So, now that we are finished with AE, I’m able to take a step back and appreciate what we’ve accomplished, but I’m also able to reflect on how we’ve gotten to where we are and how to have fun and grow as a writer. I’ve been able to recognize what the writing process looks like for me, allowing me to set realistic standards for myself and to be more productive, lose some of the added stress, and have some fun.