On January 10, 2011, I published my first blog post. Here it is:

I decided to start this blog in anticipation of my YA novel RESURRECTING EMILY being sold to a publisher. It could happen tomorrow or months from now. Still, in visiting other author sites, both published and unpublished, the message was the same: it’s never too soon to start sharing your work with the world, hoping to build interest for the day when the manuscript has become a published novel.

So, here I am! I have started by completing the “About Me” section and outlining how I wrote my first novel in the “Resurrecting Emily” section. In future days, I will post the faux-book cover I created to stay inspired and other things related to the novel.

Since I am not a full-time blogger, I won’t be posting daily, but I will be posting at least once a week or when there is news. I will also be blogging about other things that interest me, including YA novels I am reading.

That’s all for now!

Almost 15 years later, I’m back here on the blog. Why? you ask. Why not? I say. Seriously, though, in 2011, having a website and a blog was really THE thing to do as an aspiring writer. Since then, a lot has changed. People dropped blogs for social media content–posts and reels and live events. And many people converted their blogs to newsletters as a more permanent, controllable way to keep in touch with readers. I’ve tried all things, and I’ve realized that this space right here is where I feel most comfortable, the spot I feel like I can most control.

So, let’s get reacquainted. In 2015, my publishing career officially began when my YA novel, retitled WHEN REASON BREAKS, was published by Bloomsbury. My upcoming middle grade contemporary fantasy, THE FIRE SERPENT LEGACY, which will releases 7/28/26 with HarperCollins will be my 10th book. You can explore the web site for the other titles. I’ve written YA, middle grade, and a picture book that’s available in English and Spanish. Two titles are graphic novels based on true events. I’ve done work-for-hire projects as well as my own, and my writing has been published by small and large presses, including one of the Big 5.

I’ve accomplished a lot, but I want to do more.

I’ve learned a lot about publishing, but I still have a lot more to learn.

I have a lot to say, and I’ll do it here.

One thing I won’t do this time is overpromise. I will not post regularly. I know that’s breaking a golden blogging rule, but the reality is I don’t always have something worth posting twice a week or even twice a month, so I’m not going to set a schedule like that. What I will do is post when I have something to say–about the books I’m reading, lessons learned, and other insights like my experiences with work-for-hire and what it means to be a midlist author, which means I’ve had some success but there’s always the possibility that my current contract will be my last.

I’ve maintained the old blog posts that I thought might be helpful–ones about the struggle to find writing time and the process I went through with my first novel. If you have any questions or want me to honestly address certain topics, let me know. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the holidays and HAPPY READING!