AmiMaxine

Writing Slump

On the morning of Friday, March 5, I received All Falling Things back from my editor. I asked for a timeline since they didn’t offer a deadline, and the response was by the end of April if possible. I returned the manuscript March 18. [strained smile] Any moment I wasn’t working or sleeping, I wasContinue reading “Writing Slump”

Editing Alice

I will say this – the process of turning a manuscript into a book can be a humbling experience. I mean, here we are – finally ready to query. Because we’re done. The book is done. [enter sad laughter here] When I received my manuscript back from my editor, I felt like someone had dousedContinue reading “Editing Alice”

Celebrate Good Times (Even During COVID)

A couple weeks ago, the U.S. passed 500K deaths from COVID-19. So many others have lost their jobs, their businesses, their homes. They’re struggling in ways they weren’t even a year ago. There is so much chaos and hate. It’s staggering. This last year has been nonstop. It’s been 363 days since I’ve been remoteContinue reading “Celebrate Good Times (Even During COVID)”

In Today’s Research

In today’s research, I learned that L. M. Montgomery used her initials to mask her gender when she was trying to publish. I also learned that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was on the list of books that inspired her to become a writer, eventually leading her to write the Anne of Green Gables series (theContinue reading “In Today’s Research”

Looking for Lucy

I’ve got a working title for my work in progress! *pops champaign* Titles are hard (as I’ve written about before). I don’t know why – but they are. I find that if I don’t have the title first, if the story doesn’t evolved from a pre-picked title, it gets incredibly hard the longer into theContinue reading “Looking for Lucy”

A Love Letter to Scotland

I first fell in love with Scotland when I took a Scottish Lit course in college. Our professor, hands down, was the best prof I’ve ever had – I kid you not, when he taught History of the English Language, it was the first time in the university’s history that the course had a waitingContinue reading “A Love Letter to Scotland”

Lucy is Now Luminous

I always require that my students title everything – and not just “Narrative Essay” or “Haiku”. I tell them, if the introductory paragraph or first few lines are like the first impression upon meeting someone, then the title is like catching eyes across the room – it is the thing that will get them toContinue reading “Lucy is Now Luminous”

Research Rabbit Hole

I really love doing research for a project. I love learning random facts and exploring places and meeting people – even if it’s only via the internet. I definitely would not have been as productive with my writing during this quarantine if not for the internet. Well, the internet and my training on how toContinue reading “Research Rabbit Hole”

A Year Since…

It’s hard to believe it’s been an entire year since I completed All Falling Things, but Facebook reminded me of how I had posted this picture when I finished. Life looks a lot different today than when I typed those two little words. For one, we’ve been in quarantine for almost ten months due toContinue reading “A Year Since…”

Goode Versus Melville

In 2015, I got an idea for a Young Adult superhero novel. It would be told in first person by the son of a super villain hellbent on revenge against the man who killed his wife, the mother of his child. Our narrator, though, both used and neglected by his father, would want nothing toContinue reading “Goode Versus Melville”