Brain Dumps and a Book Sale!

Ciao mi amica!

I’m fresh off my recent travels to Scotland and Italy, and I’m feeling more inspired than ever. I’m absolutely starving to write something set in the high valleys of the Isle of Skye, or inside the Etruscan walls of Perugia, Italy. But priorities are priorities for a reason, and I get to dig into two other projects before I start exploring those settings.

Nonetheless, I’m glad to be home. Portland is pretty special too, and I just discovered a cafe in town that was actually founded by two brothers from Perugia. Hang on while I go get a quick espresso.

PAPERBACK SALE

Did you know WHEN SPARKS IGNITE is available in paperback! This is very exciting because if you already own the first three in paperback, you can have a matching set. Also, BUT FOR THE MOUNTAINS in paperback is currently ON SALE! Check it out!

DUMP IT REAL GOOD

I love a good brain dump. What’s a brain dump, you ask? It’s just what it sounds like: a list of anything and everything in your head. I create a fresh one every day when I sit at my desk so that I don’t forget all the things I need to do. Once I’ve created my brain dump, I identify what tasks need doing first. (Hint: this newsletter jumped to the top of that list today…) Then I move through the list from there.

I love doing the same thing with drafting and revisions. For drafting, I start with a list of things I know I want to happen in a given scene/chapter/novel. Then I organize and prioritize them. Inevitably, this process leads to more ideas that get added to the brain dump, and so on.

For revisions, it’s the same process. I take a list of the things I know I need to tackle in a given revision, and I just keep adding to that list. It can become quite cumbersome, to be honest. That’s where the organizing comes into play. I organize like with like, and then prioritize, starting with the big picture ticket items first, and working my way down the list.

This might not sound like much, but let me tell you, when your brain feels like the equivalent of spaghetti on the wall, it sure does help to find a way to pull them down one noodle at a time.

Have you ever used a brain dump? Or do you have a different or similar method to organizing your tasks/thoughts? If so, I’d love to hear about it! Reply to this email and let me know!

BACKLIST BOOKCLUB

First of all, can we just admire this cover?

Anatomy: A Love Story may not be going very deep into the backlist. But it’s the most perfectly Edinburgh book, and combined with Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts, it takes me back to those cobbled city streets, the buildings streaked with a wash of industrial revolution grime, and the narrow closes that feel like the perfect place to fall through the veil or stumble across a grave robber.

Set in 1817, long before women were allowed training in medical schools, Hazel Sinnet dresses as a man in order to learn the trade. But when her plans go awry, she has to make her own way, learning the intircacies of the human body through less than reputable avenues. (Yeah, there’s grave robbing involved.)

It’s the perfect mix of gothic horror and period charm. Think Bridgerton meets Frankenstein. I give it 4 filthy shovels.

That’s it for now! I’ll be back next month with updates on my own projects! Until then…