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If there's any one thing I'm grateful to the internet for, it's the rise of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. And no, I'm not just saying that because my Kickstarter campaign for Moonshadow's Guardian is 112% funded - I'm saying it because crowdfunding has transformed what it means to be a creative professional. I first became aware of Kickstarter when Amanda Palmer raised over one million dollars on the platform. I was immediately intrigued, but I was still in the early stages of editing my books and I didn't have a stable income, so for a while I forgot about the platform. Kickstarter entered my sphere of awareness again in 2014, when the tech education non-profit I worked for, STEAMLabs, raised $20,000 on Kickstarter to purchase equipment. By then Kickstarter had…

Today I woke up to discover that the Kickstarter campaign for Moonshadow's Guardian has officially raised more than $1,100, or 75% of my total goal! To celebrate, I've put out a very special update, sharing a video about how the kingdom of Moonshadow was founded: Support the Kickstarter campaign today to unlock more secrets of Moonshadow!

Watch this article instead! Last week I launched a Kickstarter campaign for self publishing Moonshadow's Guardian, my second book. I made the decision to self publish, and to run this Kickstarter to fund professional editing, over a year ago. Today I'd like to explain why. Why I chose to self publish Moonshadow's Guardian My first book, Keeper of the Dawn, is traditionally published by a small press. When I decided to publish my second book, Moonshadow's Guardian, many people had a question for me: why self publish when you know you can get traditionally published? This question often has good intentions behind it, but it's based on a fundamental misunderstanding. Despite how far self publishing has come, these people still believe it's a last resort. They fail to see that…

Watch this article instead! Hi folks! Today I'm participating in the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, a blog hop for writers who want to learn from each other and build a community. Last month I tackled comparisonitis, the tendency to make yourself feel like crap by comparing yourself to others. Today I'm going to look at the opposite: how you can make comparisons that actually serve you. What are healthy comparisons? I've heard it said that the only healthy comparison is a comparison to your past self. I even almost agree with it. After all, using your past self as a basis for comparison keeps you focused on your own journey, but still encourages you to keep moving forward. It seems like the best of both worlds. But here's the thing: our work isn't…

Watch this article instead! A couple weeks ago I got my first tattoo, a semicolon with the lyrics "in my darkest night I am beautiful" written underneath. Today I'd like to share the story, and the symbology, behind that tattoo. My affinity for tattoos I have wanted at least one tattoo since I was twelve, a wolf similar to the one my dad had tattooed on his forearm. Unfortunately, there are no good pictures of said tattoo, so I don't have a good basis for mine. This means I will get it one day, but it'll probably take me another decade to decide exactly what I want. Discovering the semicolon movement In 2015 I discovered the semicolon movement and Project Semicolon, a nonprofit dedicated to suicide awareness and prevention. The…

Watch this article instead! As many as 80% of people fail their New Years' Resolutions by February, and only 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions by the end of the year. But if you want to deeply improve your life, and especially if you want to build a creative career, you'll need to stay motivated long past February. Today I'm going to show you how to do exactly that, using three strategies I've built into my own life. (more…)

Watch this article instead! Hi folks! Today I'm participating in the first #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, a blog hop for writers who want to learn from each other and build a community. This month I've decided tackle one of the most common personal struggles writers face: comparisonitis, the tendency to make yourself feel like crap by comparing yourself to other, more successful/wealthier/happier/more in love people. (more…)

Sort-of Transcript: We're exactly one week into 2018. Some of us have already started on our 2018 goals. Others are returning from vacation to begin their 2018 work today. Either way, the year is officially kicking into gear and it's time to dive headfirst into achieving our goals. Or is it? I want to encourage you to stop for a moment. Take a look at the goals you've created, and ask yourself an important question: are these goals really serving you? Most people wait until one, three, or six months into the year to re-evaluate their goals, but by then we've often already wasted weeks on goals that aren't helping us. Some of those goals might even actively harm us. Checking in with ourselves more often, especially at the beginning…

2017 is officially over! I've accomplished a lot of great things and written many wonderful words. Now I'm gearing up to make 2018 the best year of my writing life - and I've compiled 18 of my best articles to help you do the same. Articles to improve your writing practice 1. 5 Tips for working with beta readers, critique partners, and editors - Based on everything I learned preparing Keeper of the Dawn for publication. 3. How to be a good beta reader or critique partner - Lessons from my own time as a beta reader/critique partner. 4. Evening Pages - A night owl's take on the concept of "morning pages". 5. How to push through when you hate your novel - I did this one for Nanowrimo participants…

Sort of Transcript: This week I'm doing the Phenomenal Female Character Book Tag created by Nicole Pierman. I'll be sharing some of my favorite women in fiction with you, then passing this along to some other authors I love. 1. Your Favorite: Who is your favorite female lead in bookish history? I hate being asked to pick favorites. HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO CHOOSE ONE? But at this moment I'll go with Oree Shoth from The Broken Kingdoms, the second book in the Inheritance Trilogy by NK Jemisin. Oree is a fascinating character in large part because she's blind. The only thing she can see is magic. The book is written in first person, and her blindness makes her one of the most interesting narrators I've ever read. She's…