In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s explore the healing power of writing fiction.

Pitching a literary agent in person sounds terrifying…until you survive it. In this post, I share exactly how I prepared for my first live pitch session, what the conversation with the agent was actually like, and what I learned after receiving a full manuscript. If you’re preparing to query, pitch at a conference, or simply trying to understand how the publishing process works, this behind-the-scenes look will help you approach pitching with more confidence.

Writing a novel is a long process, and it’s easy to forget how far you’ve come. In this post, I share why documenting your writing journey matters—and simple ways to start, even if you’re short on time. This small habit can help you stay motivated, build community, and create a record of your progress as a writer.

Between teaching, parenting, and everyday life, your writing time is limited, which makes choosing the right novel idea feel surprisingly high stakes. If you’re stuck between too many possibilities, this post will help you sort through the noise, clarify what matters most, and pick one story to begin.

Your novel ideas aren’t scattered because you’re disorganized — they’re scattered because you’re writing in the margins of a very full life. Sticky notes, Google Docs, random notebooks… it all counts. Here’s the simplest way to gather everything into one place so you can finally move forward with your novel.

Writing a novel can feel lonely fast, especially when you’re trying to figure everything out by yourself. But willpower isn’t what gets most writers to the finish line. Support is. In this post, I share my number one tip for novelists: find your people and stop writing alone.