THIS MONTH'S CHAPTER / self-expression is human connection

Updates, inspiration, and musings from this writer's desk

Apr 09, 2026

Worrying about being palatable and appealing to everyone is not only stealing from yourself — it’s stealing from the people who need your unfiltered, most authentic presence.

The people who will feel seen and moved by the most uninhibited version of you. That connection is what it’s all about. And if you think they’re not worth it because there are not “enough” people who will get it, consider your favorite non-bestselling book or non-blockbuster movie or non-household-name artist. Is their art not worth existing, then, either?

In a world increasingly scary, greedy, and homogenized, human connection is an antidote.

To be human is to be vulnerable. To be human is to be messy. To be human is to exist as a kaleidoscope. Some won’t understand or appreciate your perspective, but it’s immensely valuable to those who do.

When you feel powerless and hopeless, remember — expressing yourself is an act of courage, rebellion, and radical humanness. Fall in love with the process.

Please don’t dull your edges. Please don’t water down your weirdness or make yourself smaller to fit into a world that desperately needs your fullest expression of self. Make that your discipline against the self-doubt, the fear, the imposter syndrome, and the forces hoping you’ll stay small and fall in line.

Fall in love with your art (and yourself and your humanness) again and again.

ARDEN BEACH: BOOKS 2 & 3
— high-stakes, feel-good contemporary romance series

I’ve drafted 35k words for Project Takeover, book 2 in my interconnected standalone contemporary romance series, which has been putting up quite a fight. My original plan was to focus solely on finishing the first draft before I worked on anything else, but after trying all my usual tricks and banging my head against a wall, I decided to take some time with other projects to give this stubborn one some space to breathe. It worked—I finally had a huge breakthrough! (cue applause)

I’ve been itching to share more about this book, but while it’s still in such a state of developmental flux, I don’t want to jump the gun. I’m continuing to work on multiple projects at once because it’s working for me creatively right now, including the third Arden Beach book, which has overarching storylines that are closely intertwined with the second book.

PROJECT COASTLINE
— modern romantasy series that’s like TVD meets GoT

My problem child for a decade. Several drafts at this point. I recently revisited it after a year away and started revising — only to realize it needed some restructuring again because one of the POVs didn’t actually move the plot forward, and the first act was too slow. Going to ditch the multi-POV and try one POV to see if that tightens it up. Pray for me. (I’m feeling good about the progress I’m making. Knock on wood.)

PROJECT TIME TRAVEL
— modern romantasy/sci-fi novel about a young, lonely time traveler

I wrote the first draft in 2019, but something was missing, and I couldn’t figure out what it was, so I shelved it. Let it breathe for several years. I finally had a huge breakthrough recently and re-outlined it. I’ve started working on the second draft, and I’m a tad obsessed with how it’s unfolding.

Includes some affiliate links, which means I’ll make a small commission on purchases through them to help me fund my indie publishing at no extra cost to you 🫶🏻

MEDIA

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes — Finally read this book and loved it. Can’t believe it took me until the 10th-anniversary edition to get to it, despite being a huge Shonda fan since the 2000s, but the timing worked out well for this season of my life. It’s a great, encouraging, brutally honest push to yeet yourself out of your comfort zone and quit living small. Highly recommend the audiobook, too, as she reads it herself.
The Florence Given Show — This podcast is like a hit of sunshine to the soul. As an introvert, I love her inspiring riffs on embracing your weird and living a main character life, especially her episode “Embarrassment is the Price You Pay for Excellence.”
Dynasty (1981-1989) — I missed having a soap opera to watch (I grew up on All My Children), so I started binging the original Dynasty and I’m having a great time. Though it’s rife with inconsistencies and lazy writing at times (the poor handling of Steven’s character is particularly frustrating), it’s just fun to watch. I love the glamour and campiness, and the comforting nostalgia of the 80s (minus the era’s casual sexism, etc).
The Backrooms trailer — I fell down the liminal space/dreamcore rabbit hole years ago, and if you’ve ever gone on that same journey, you know the Backrooms are at the heart of it. I’ve always been obsessed with dreamcore (Alice in Wonderland and The Twilight Zone shaped me as a child), and I love the inherent eeriness of liminal spaces, so the Backrooms quickly became one of my hyper-fixations. Kane Parsons, the filmmaker who made a popular YouTube series based on the Backrooms lore, is the director of the new A24 film. Can’t. Wait.
Artemis II — Everything to do with this mission is awe-inspiring.

EXPERIENCES

How to Write Irresistible Romantasy (live on April 19, 2026, on-demand access afterward) — As I mentioned earlier, I’m revising two romantasy projects I’ve had in the pipeline for years. I spent the last few years primarily focused on publishing my debut contemporary romance novel, so when I heard about this upcoming online romantasy conference by Reedsy, I thought it’d be the perfect thing to help me get back in that headspace and prep for revisions. I used to take writing courses and attend online conferences all the time because I always came away feeling like my cup was so full and my inspiration was on fire. It’s been a minute since my last one, so I’m really looking forward to this. I’ll post my favorite takeaways from it later this month.

What I’m most excited for:
- The live panel with 3 bestselling authors and the 3 masterclasses with romantasy editors — super helpful while I’m in the revision trenches
- Techniques for balancing fantasy and romance elements — while I love romance with a touch of fantasy and vice versa, my favorite is an equal balance (which I’m aiming to achieve with mine)
- How to sustain reader interest throughout a series — Project Coastline is a beast, so sustaining engagement through the whole series is going to be a challenge