I treated myself to a four-night yoga retreat in Guatemala. Here’s what I came away with (in addition to stretchier hamstrings)

I’ve done yoga for many years (love me some hot yogs), but I’ve never done anything like a yoga retreat. But the jungle was calling, so I booked a “personal yoga retreat” at Kawoq Forest in Lake Atitlán.

It wasn’t until I landed in my sweet forest cabin that I realized I’d unknowingly planned the trip around the one-year anniversary of my imprint passing on my last book; aka, the moment everything changed.

That not-so-great time became my own personal reckoning. It’s when I decided to create My Novel Year and take a year off from writing any new book — the first time wouldn’t be working on something since I’d landed in NYC in 2009. Instead, I devoted 2026 to coaching writers, Generation Women, and my family. So my time in Guatemala became the perfect time to take stock on this past year, and look ahead to the future.

Over four nourishing days, I did three hours of yoga a day plus a morning meditation, had two massages, a tarot card reading, and many chats with the very cool wellness staff. And here’s what I came away with.

Last October was like being a baby bird pushed out of the nest and into my next chapter. Yes, there was some grief in letting go of what didn’t happen. But this past year has been rewarding in more ways than one. I’ve built a successful business that offers intellectual engagement, considerable flexibility, and personal satisfaction. I’ve been able to support our family while my wife seeks out her own next chapter. I work with clients I genuinely adore and want to succeed. My life didn’t end because I’m not working on a new book. Just because I can do something doesn’t mean I have to (a constant life lesson for this Type A overachiever).

It almost feels like a cliché to say it, but my priorities, desires, and dreams are changing. The hungry 29-year-old upstart who arrived in NYC determined to become a writer at any cost is now a mid-40s mum of two who wants to be in bed by 9pm and dreams of owning real estate. I’m changing — we all are, constantly — and while I will also love writing fiction, I no longer need it to feel whole. I simply want to enjoy the lovely life I’ve already built without always looking to what I don’t yet have or may never have.

I was terribly anxious in the days before this trip, bewildered as to what I’d committed myself to. Now, I’m so glad I took myself on that little adventure (and not just because I got an inordinate amount of sleep.) I’ve landed in a place of clarity moving forward, and renewed appreciation for what I already have. Namaste, babes. Namaste.

Have you ever been on a retreat? When was the last time you gave yourself time like this? Let me know in the comments below!

Five Scenework Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

One of the most common notes I give as a developmental editor is that a chapter isn’t actually a scene.

Instead, it’s what I call a ride-along. That’s when we’re riding along with a character as they go about their life. There might be action and dialogue, but nothing shifts in a way that makes it technically a scene. It’s a slice of life, but nothing important has happened. It’s not a building block of a larger story.

You want readers to see the important parts of your character’s journey, the moments that add up to an engaging, unforgettable story, and not just watch them move through life. So make sure at least one of these five things happens in every scene.

1. A decision or choice is made 🤔

For all the big moments in a story, we want to be right there in the room with your character as they happen. One of the most compelling things we can watch a character do is make a decision that really matters. Choosing what to have for dins? Not important. Choosing whether to go to the funeral, go on the date, tell the truth, or pursue the thing? That’s an active moment that matters to the character, and it’s emotionally high stakes. Make sure your important choices and decisions happen on the page.

2. Important new information is learned 💡

Got escalating stakes, a classic midpoint twist, or the rules of the world that we might later see tested or broken? We wanna be there for it. Partly that’s because we need to understand the story. But watching your character take in important new information, whether it’s professional, personal, or emotional, generally makes for a strong scene.

3. A character experiences change 🔄

By this, I mostly mean emotional change. Has the scene tipped from positive to negative, or vice versa? That’s often what makes it feel like there’s been movement on the page. Your character starts the scene depressed, angry, ashamed (pick yr negative emotion). Then over the course of the scene, as a result of story events, they shift to feeling hopeful, upbeat, happy, or inspired. That kind of emotional transition makes us feel like something has actually happened. No change often feels flat on the page.

4. Emotion deepens, stakes heighten 💞

In my genre, romance, we often have scenes that just show our lovers falling deeper in love. They’re not necessarily learning new information, making decisions, or going through an emotional reversal. To make these scenes feel like something is happening, and not like we’re drifting through life, take us on a journey of deepening emotion. Maybe your character starts the scene with their armor up, determined to get through it by keeping the other person at arm’s length, and by the end they’ve let them closer. Or maybe they’ve already accepted this person is The One. Then they start the scene smitten and take one more step into full-blown love, through seeing the connection deepen. The more they’re in love, the more they have to lose.

5. Things don’t go to plan 🙃

This one can overlap with all of the above. Say you have a scene where your character fails a test, literal or metaphorical. You want them to start the scene not expecting that to happen. Take a driving test. If your character walks in knowing they’re going to fail and feeling totally ill-equipped, then it goes badly and they fail… we haven’t seen any change. They start unsure, end in pretty much the same place. What they thought would happen did happen. So start your character in the opposite place. They feel confident and sure they’ve got this. Maybe they’re even a little cocky. Then when the test goes sideways, it’s a big surprise to them and to us (or we love the irony). Once you learn this technique, you’ll see it everywhere: characters walking in with the wrong idea of how things are going to go, which gives us that delicious moment of reversal and surprise.

At their core, scenes are story events, and events are about change. If none of these things is happening in your scene, it might just be a ride-along, or what we call exposition. It’s information, but it isn’t a scene. To build a compelling story, make sure every scene is doing crucial work.

😲I’m teaching two FREE writing webinars!

Join me in November, live on Zoom

• ✍️ Starting a Novel: Wednesday, November 4, 12 - 12:30pmET

• ✂️ Revising a Novel: Wednesday, November 11, 12 - 12:30pmET

Join me for an intimate chat where I’ll answer your Qs, like Does the book you’re writing really have legs? How do you write a compelling scene? How do you find an agent? How do you decide between two book ideas? How do you set a practical writing schedule? etc etc.

Let’s get into it. RSVP below for the link!

➡️ RSVP: STARTING A NOVEL (WED NOV 4)

➡️ RSVP: REVISING A NOVEL (WED NOV 11)

📚Applications for 2027’s My Novel Year cohorts open November 2 for a January start.

Dream of finishing a robust first draft, or revising one you already have? If so, this is for you!

You’ll join a cohort of six or fewer writers, all working toward the same thing. Together, we’ll spend a year filled with expert guidance and editing, real accountability and inspiring community to help you reach your publishing goals.

Most of my writers hope to be traditionally published, which (as you’ve probably seen in the publishing world chatter) is getting increasingly difficult and competitive. That’s why I drew on everything I learned publishing eight novels, plus my extensive publishing network, to create these signature programs.

Curious? Let’s connect with a free 15-minute Novel Roadmap session to chat about your book. I’m also happy to connect you with current students so you can hear about their experience firsthand, or share a sample outline critique (The Draft) or developmental letter (The Revision).

Let’s make it your novel year!!

➡️ EXPLORE MY NOVEL YEAR: THE DRAFT

➡️ EXPLORE MY NOVEL YEAR: THE REVISION

Subscribe now

✍️ Writers! Join me January 8 - 11, Hudson Valley, NY

Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year to write more? And with the holidays just around the corner, are you realizing, erm, it wasn’t exactly your year?

Let’s make 2027 the year it happens by kicking it off at the Generation Women Writers’ Retreat, Jan 8-11th. Join me and 12 fascinating women/nonbinary writers in the Hudson Valley for three glorious nights devoted to you.

All-inclusive, babe:

• 🏡 Three nights’ lodging in a sprawling Catskill estate

• 🍽️ Chef-prepared meals, unlimited wine and other bevs

• 💬 A one-on-one coaching session with me

• 👯‍♀️ Meet other East Coast–based writers

• ✍️ Uninterrupted time for the project that’s been calling you, be it a screenplay, memoir, novel, short story, poem, essay or other

• ✨ A way to start the new year with intention, clarity, and a touch of luxury

All rooms are currently 20% off for a limited time, with packages starting at just $1,000 for the full weekend. Whether you’ve always meant to try a writers’ retreat, you want to give your writing more time and attention, or you simply want an experience that’ll set the tone for an unforgettable year — whichever it is, this is your time. And you don’t need to be a published writer or have a consistent writing practice to join us. All you need is a curious mind, an open heart, and a notebook with a few blank pages in it. See you there!

➡️ MORE ABOUT MY WRITERS RETREAT

🤤Current Obsessions 👀

This month’s curated list of faves, finds, and future buys…

• I gobbled up The Only Thing There Is to Want by Sarah Hepola, best-selling author of Blackout. This memoir takes us through Sarah’s 40s and the three men she loved over that decade. It’s rife with longing, beautifully observed, and an unsentimental testament to the people we love and who love us, even if those romances don’t end in a happily ever after.

• My wife and I giggled our faces off at Kate Berlant’s new comedy special Parmesan, now streaming on HBO Max. You might know her as John Early’s comedy partner. She’s screamingly funny, wonderfully physical, and (happily for me) a newish member of Team Gay. I cannot stop thinking about her joke about scrolling Insta, seeing a post from scientists sharing a photo of a never-before-seen solar system, and just… scrolling right past. So darkly funny.

• I just re-upped my beloved Oak Essentials’ faves, Ritual Oil and Moisture Rich Balm (bundled), the latter being the only moisturizer that gets me through a NY winter. Nab both a get a free full-size Vitamin C serum, til today only (Wed).

• This month, I freshened up my bathroom after my wife informed me my shower curtain was “absolutely disgusting” (thanks babe!). I subbed in the Reyes Rose bath mat and Sun Shower curtain in Lip Liner from Quiet Town, and the incredibly lux Super Plush towels in Lotus from Brooklinen. Disgusting no more!

• Congrats to Leila Sales on the publication of Encore Performance, a novella I edited for 831 Stories! Emmy Gold—the frontwoman of an indie-sleaze breakout band who’s since gone solo—is back on tour with her former collaborator and first love, Bishop Ward. She's always trusted she can write a hit song, and now she’s finding out if she can rewrite her past… Loved working on this!

• Come see me at the next Generation Women show — our feel-good and funny night of curated storytelling, Tues Nov. 10th at Joe’s Pub. Our theme is “Reckoning”. I host and perform!

⭐️That’s it from me!⭐️

Can’t wait to hear from you in the comments — keep writing, keep reading, and thanks for following along!

This month, my wife took our two kids to spend time with their grandparents in Lake Tahoe, and I had five full days to myself, aka heaven.

Now, I love my family, but every parent will tell you there truly is no greater gift than unstructured days where you are no longer someone’s personal concierge. And oh boy, did I make the most of it!

I took myself to an afternoon matinee of Rocky Horror Picture Show just days after Tim Curry passed, at the iconic old Studio 54. It was fun, weird, sexy, and just a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. My good friend Caitlin and I saw Cat Cohen’s new stand-up show, Broad Strokes, about Cat’s experience having a stroke in her 30s (?!). We had dinner at Hudson Clearwater beforehand, and I was so engrossed in the story Caitlin was telling me that we almost missed the show and had to RUN up Hudson Street to the theater! I had lunch with my pal Phoebe in the backyard at Misi Pasta, one of my fave spots in the neighborhood. I finally replaced my sunglasses, got my roots touched up, drank a bit too much with my old mate Matt, and just enjoyed having time to think and sleep and do all the things you don’t really get to do when you have two smalls.

The day after they got back, we all got on a plane to Montreal for a much-anticipated reunion with the close group of friends I spent all of my 30s with here in New York, before the pandemic and Life™ scattered us to various parts of the globe. It was the first time we’d all been together since 2020, and it was such a fun weekend of nonstop giggles, deep chats, and seeing how my friends live in Montreal. You can’t make old friends, and I’m so grateful that even if we aren’t living in each other’s pockets anymore, we’re still so close.

I also had a blast at the publishing event of the season: Trellis Literary’s five-year anniversary. Five years ago, my agent Allison Hunter emailed me to say she was leaving her agency to co-found a new one, and would I come with her? I’d follow her to the ends of the earth, so ofc my answer was yes. It’s been incredible watching that initial staff of five grow to a team of 16, a true powerhouse in the industry, and all women! Writers, if you’re planning to query soon, make sure Trellis is on your list (and see below for some tips on making sure that query is ready to rock).

Other than that, I’m feeling strong back-to-school energy as my next Revision cohort kicks off — I’m just on the other side of delivering six 20-page dev letters and about to dive into a bunch more. So basically, life right now is a lot of editing, thinking about fall fashion, and taking my daughters to the fountains at Domino Park for one last summer splash.

How are you doing? Let me know in the comments!

The query letter is how you introduce your book, and yourself, to literary agents. It’s a high-stakes, one-shot missive where every word counts. Are you making any of these sneakily common mistakes?

1. Your one line isn’t clear or compelling enough 🎯

In publishing, a killer one line is crucial, as it’s how books get talked about in-house. You might have the best pages in the world, but if the book can’t be summed up in one fascinating line, it’s hard for anyone to champion it internally. The standard format is: person, situation, trouble. Here’s one from an actual deal announced this summer: A beauty technician is recruited by MI5 for an undercover operation in a salon run by the mafia, and falls for her annoying handler.

We know who the main character is: a beauty technician. We know the sitch, aka the promise of the premise: she’s recruited by MI5 for an undercover op in a mafia-run salon. And we know the complication: she falls for her dreamily annoying handler. (Sounds like a fun read!) Your one line should be specific, shouldn’t lean on adjectives to create tension, and should be easily repeatable. Imagine how different this’d land as “a woman who gets in over her head with the government and falls in love.” It’s essentially the same idea, but we lose the excellent specifics.

2. You’re explaining too much of the plot 🗺️

Your query should cover the book in broad brushstrokes. Think flap copy. The point of a query isn’t to walk us through the entire plot. It’s to make someone want to request pages. Less is more. We want a bird’s-eye view of most of the plot, plus a clear sense of what’s creating tension throughout. Keep it to one or two named characters, not your whole key cast.

3. You’re including emotion (any emotion at all) 🥺

“I’ve wanted to be a published author since I was a kid.” “This book means more to me than anything.” “I’ve been working on this for ten years. You’re my dream agent, and this would be a dream come true!!!!!”

Heartfelt sentiments, great for a journal. They don’t belong in a professional piece of communication, because they’re not useful to your agent. No one’s opening a pitch to editors with, “Well, this writer’s wanted this forever, so I really think you should consider it.” Put yourself in your agent’s shoes. They want a clean pitch for a book they can sell not, not to make your personal dreams come true (even if that’s what happens!).

4. You’re not clear on genre or positioning 📚

Books are sold into shelves: contemporary fiction, thriller, romance, mystery, horror, lit fic, etc. If your positioning isn’t clear, if the book sits somewhere in between as a hybrid that doesn’t fully satisfy on any level, it might not get very far. Publishing works to sell books to existing readerships, not invent new ones.

A kooky genre mashup is fine (and rising in popularity!) as long as it fully delivers on both genres. A Western horror, for example, needs to work as a Western and as a horror, and satisfy both of those readerships.

5. You’re querying too early ⏳

Your agent should never be the first person to read your manuscript. It’s expected and standard for the book to have gone through outside readers, like beta readers or a developmental editor (hello!), who’ll read and give feedback, for a proper revision. Not just a clean, a real revision.

Publishing is incredibly competitive, and the books being acquired are polished, strong, lean, and confident. That comes from revision. A good gut check is length: for most genres, and esp. for debuts, a manuscript over 100,000 words might be a red flag; usually means the book needs another tightening pass.

If you feel the book isn’t quite ready but you’re losing patience, know that this is a risk. Querying too early is one of the most common self-inflicted wounds in publishing.

I’ll help you write your perfect query letter in both My Novel Year: The Draft and My Novel Year: The Revision, both year-long courses that’ll help you write or revise a novel. We meet live on Zoom every month, so join from anywhere in the world. Applications open in November for a January start — join the waitlist to get a reminder when they do!

Look around you right now. Can you see endless space and sky? A dozen new friends tucked into cozy nooks, quietly working? Can you smell a delicious lunch being prepared for you in the kitchen? Do you feel relaxed, expansive, creative… like a writer?

Well, you could at the Generation Women November Writers’ Retreat!

Spend three nights with us at a sprawling estate in Catskill, New York, just two and a half hours north of the city and right off the train line. Settle in for the long weekend of your dreams with chef-prepared meals, ample writing time, a private one-on-one with me to talk about anything you want (your pages, your career, your next big thing), and a group of vibrant, interesting, passionate female and nonbinary writers.

Prices for the full weekend start at just $1,250. We’re almost sold out, so grab your spot now!

🤤Current Obsessions 👀

This month’s curated list of faves, finds, and future buys…

• I am DYING to talk with someone about Hope, a bizarre, cosmic, utterly unique Korean sci-fi action flick I took myself to see at my beloved Nitehawk Cinema last weekend. My jaw was unhinged on multiple occasions, and when the film ended the girl next to me simply squawked “What?” If you like fun foreign thrill-rides that get real weird and c’mon who DOESN’T, see it spoiler free so we can dissect.

• In my fantasy, I am effortlessly classy but comfortable, not at all basic and maybe I speak French. I am Sézane. I’m eying this polka dot Leonella Dress (which I actually thought was a coat when I tried it on because I don’t get clothes?) So maybe I’m further away from the dream than I think. Le sigh.

• I finally re-upped my skincare resume with some missing products, so I’m all set for NY winter. I switched my current Thayers rose petal toner with its unnecessary added fragrance to Byoma Milky Toner, then picked up Naturium’s Vitamin C serum to combat the city’s pollution, The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum (hydrating, improves skin barrier, works alongside my existing prescription tretinoin), and some Squalane because winter, he coming. I’ll be using my beloved Oak Essentials' - Moisture Rich Balm all season long, plus SPF ofc!

• Reading the expertly observed Switzy by the always hypnotic Emma Cline and enjoying; DNF The Correspondent — couldn’t connect to the protagonist or figure out what the story was. Just not for me!

• Come see me at the next Generation Women show — an inspiring night of obsessively curated storytelling, Tues Oct. 13th at Joe’s Pub. Our theme is “Nerve”.

• If you, like me, rent to live in your dream location (i.e. Williamsburg) but also dream of home ownership, maybe you should buy your second home first. My friend Katie Cline created a self-paced course for people who want more income, optionality, and freedom in their lives, by buying a home that operates as a full time rental (and your own vacation spot!). Get 40% off, dropping the $595 price tag to $357, with code GEORGIA at check-out.

⭐️That’s it from me!⭐️

Can’t wait to hear from you in the comments — keep writing, keep reading, and thanks for following along!

☀️Hot town, summer in the city!

August in New York always feels like a month of Sundays and while work hasn’t exactly slowed down, my wife Lindsay and I’ve been soaking up as much of that summer-in-the-city magic as possible.

We took the kiddos to the Central Park Zoo for the first time. As a vegetarian bleeding-heart liberal, I have Feelings about animals as entertainment, but I’ll admit the zippy sea lion show, the grizzly bears taking a dip, and the snow leopard glaring imperiously at the tourists were kinda delightful. We’ve also spent a lot of time at the Domino Park fountains and sailed the model boats at Central Park. Simple pleasures, fam.

My wife and I got dressed up for our dear friend Esther Perel’s birthday party in Soho — a super-sparkling evening and a real reminder of what it means to be part of a vibrant, generous community.

And yesterday I took myself on a solo date to the US Open, an absolute blast. While it was beyond thrilling to catch Alcaraz and Serena in some mixed doubles action, I think I enjoyed the qualifying matches even more! You can sit literally front row, right next to the players’ box, for qualifying matches. Actual professional tennis players, so close you can count their freckles, for almost nothing. A perfect New York day!🎾

On the work front, I’m deep in developmental edit territory for my new My Novel Year: The Revision cohort. No place I’d rather be! There’s something truly thrilling about reading a first draft — seeing the potential of what the book could become, identifying what’s currently holding it back, finding the places where the writer’s vision and the words on the page haven’t quite met yet. It’s like being handed a blueprint and being able to see the finished house. I love blue-skying a novel. It’s a serious intellectual workout, which I dig. I want to be using my brain at full capacity, and dev editing does that for me every time.

If that sounds like what your manuscript needs — I’d love to work with you!

📚How has your August been? Let me know in the comments. 💬

Five Myths About the Publishing Industry

Week one of my new course, My Novel Beginning, covers the publishing industry in full — agents, editors, advances, and how it all actually works. Consider this a lil preview!

🤔Myth 1: Your agent or editor will help you finish your book.
One of the most common misconceptions I hear from aspiring writers. Serious agents are receiving dozens of submissions a week from writers who have been through multiple revisions, multiple rounds of beta readers, and are submitting their absolute best work. Your manuscript needs to be 100% — not 80%, not 95% — before it lands in anyone’s inbox. An agent’s job is to sell your book and advocate for you in the publishing process, not to help you get it across the finish line. They’ll have notes, sure. But they’re looking for your best version of your best work. Get it there before you submit.

🤔Myth 2: If you can’t find comp titles, that’s a good thing.
The idea that breaking the mold makes you more attractive to publishers is a persistent, damaging myth. Comp titles — books similar to yours that speak to the same readership — aren’t a limitation. They’re proof of concept. Agents and editors aren’t in the business of creating new readerships; they’re in the business of selling books to people who are already buying them. Your book is most likely to get a deal if it’s an exemplary example of a genre with a thriving existing readership. If your book is genuinely genre-defying — a hybrid, say — it needs to fully deliver on both genres, not partially deliver on either. There are always exceptions to every rule, but for every rule-breaker who succeeds, there are a hundred who don’t.

🤔Myth 3: Authors live off their advances.
The dream of becoming a full-time novelist is a beautiful one, and I’m always happy to help writers work toward it, but the reality is more complicated. Even a $50,000 advance loses 15% to your agent immediately, then gets taxed, then arrives in installments over two or three years. We’re talking about fairly modest lump sums landing at six-to-twelve month intervals. My agent has said, point blank, that her happiest clients are those with a full-time job. To live solely off advances, you’d need to be publishing roughly one book a year at bestseller level, consistently. Most novelists — myself included, for much of my career — write around other income streams. That’s not failure. That’s the reality of a pretty tough industry.

🤔Myth 4: The most important thing about writing a book is expressing your vision.
I want to be careful here, because I believe deeply in creative expression, and I do think the best books are expressions of a writer’s unique vision. But here’s the thing: a book is ultimately not for its writer. It’s for a reader. Readers are who bring the story to life in their imagination, and whose money keeps the publishing industry alive. When I ask writers who their reader is, I sometimes get a blank face, because they simply haven’t thought about it. But this isn’t a journal. It’s a novel. Going into the process knowing you are writing for a readership, that art needs an audience, is not a compromise of your vision. It’s what makes the vision possible.

🤔Myth 5: A book deal will (finally) make you happy.
Having worked with writers for years, I know how powerful the book deal dream is. And having gotten bunch of book deals over my career, I can tell you: wherever you go, there you are. Sure, there’s a buzzy rush when you land an agent, sell a book, and hit pub day. But that thrill comes and goes, and what you’re left with is … your life. The goalposts move. By the time the deal arrives, you’ve often already shifted to the next goal: a bigger deal, a film option, another book. True satisfaction, in my experience, comes from somewhere else entirely. Be careful putting all your emotional eggs into one very hard-to-get basket. You deserve happiness that isn’t contingent on an outcome you can’t fully control.

If this is the kind of craft and industry talk that fires you up, My Novel Beginning might be exactly what you need. It’s a four-week live intro-to-novel-writing course taught by me, starting Sept. 21st (or Sept. 22nd for those observing Yom Kippur). Four 90-minute sessions covering publishing 101 through to a full review of your story concept, so you leave with the skills and confidence to execute an outline that can support a novel that sells. The full $500 fee credits toward My Novel Year: The Draft if you choose to continue. Spots are filling, so get to it!

FIND OUT MORE AND SIGN UP

🤤Current Obsessions 👀

This month’s curated list of faves, finds, and future buys…

• My wife and I have NOT stopped raving about The Invite! It is such a funny, smart, and surprising movie, so well directed by Olivia Wilde, who I love. Lindsay used to be the COO of Esther Perel’s company — E is a consultant on the film — and we kept squealing every time Penelope Cruz said something straight from the Esther Perel playbook. “Sex isn’t a thing you do, it’s a place you go” is a phrase I have heard at many a speaking event, ha ha. Highly recommend!

• I was less satisfied with the new Spider-Man movie, unfort. I am a big Tom-Holland-as-Spidey fan, but so much of the pleasure of the franchise comes from the friendship/relationship dynamics, and the humor, both of which this film didn’t really deliver on. Great as an action flick, those sequences were amazing, and New York has never looked New Yorkier, but the scenes with Peter/Ned/MJ were thin, and not enough laughs. Sad!

• I just booked a “personal yoga retreat” this fall in… wait for it — Guatemala! I’ll be off-grid in the jungle for four nights, doing yoga, getting massages and tarot card readings, and generally being zen, I guess? I’ve never done anything like this before, but wanted to book a mini-break where I was doing something, as opposed to my usual trips of simply eating/drinking/wandering aimlessly around foreign art galleries (I’ll definitely still be doing many more trips like this.) I’ll let you know how it goes, namaste.

• My fave podcast Handsome just celebrated their three year anniversary! ICYMI, queer comedians Mae Martin, Tig Notaro and Fortune Feimster riff weekly on everything from the their real lives to delightful flights of fancy. Since the pod started, the trio have shared going through a divorce, a break-up-and-make-up, career pivots and wins, personal highs and lows, all while always inducing belly laughs and many, many inside jokes. Fortune Marie! Mae fact! Yeah ghost! I’ll stop now. 😂

• Hit some delish W’burg hotspots this month: the classic ice cream sundae from Daveys (don’t skip the fresh strawberry and homemade choc fudge); the heavenly caramelized banana cinnamon roll from Birdee; the well-priced and tasty lunch special from the light and airy Nami Nori — that’s three handrolls and two sides for $19; pastries and the famous $2 baguette from La Bicyclette.

  Catch me at Generation Women’s Sept 15 show at Joe’s Pub! Theme is Beginner, guaranteed to inspire you to try something new, no matter your age. Grab live tix.

  ⭐️That’s it from me!⭐️

  Can’t wait to hear from you in the comments — keep writing, keep reading, and thanks for following along!

How generous are you? Generous enough to let a family with two kiddos stay in your beautiful, sun-spangled, expansive home for a month — every year?

Lucky for me, I have friends who are exactly that generous. This marks the fifth summer I’ve spent in Fairfield, CT, for the month of July, while our dear friends take their kids to Europe, where they’re from. What started as a one-off week has become one of our most beloved family rituals, made possible by the extraordinary generosity of spirit of people we love.

There are many holiday moments I dig. Christmas. Any holiday that involves eating. But none I look forward to more than the Fourth of July — not because I’m particularly patriotic, but because it means I’m on the couch in Fairfield with a Tajin-rimmed Michelada in hand, watching Wimbledon between dips in the pool, the smell of veggie sausages on the grill drifting in from outside. Truly my happy place!

July in Connecticut is a reset for the nervous system in its complete absence of FOMO. Slow mornings. Early nights. There is something deliciously indulgent about being in bed by 9pm while the sky is still dusky outside. More than anything, it’s the physical space — the house, the backyard, the sun-stretched days — that allows us to truly relaaaxxxx.

My wife and I always try to pay this kind of generosity forward. While we were living the surburban dream, no fewer than three families stayed at our pad in BK. It just confirms something I already believe: there’s nothing better than being able to give people space to breathe, and have fun.

We then tacked on a quick lakeside trip with my brother-from-another-mother Dan Fox — Uncle Dan to our girls — and are now back in NYC, ready for the dog days of August. Summah in the city, long golden evenings, the lit life fully resumed. How are you spending your summer? Let me know in the comments. 💬

After eight published novels and years of developmental editing, these are the principles I come back to again and again — with my own work and with the writers I coach.

1. Show the story; don’t explain it.
The most common pattern in first drafts is the writer explaining the story to the reader: having characters tell us about their personalities, or think directly about the book’s themes or their own arcs. It makes sense: a first draft is often the writer figuring out what the story is. The work of revision is converting that explanation into scene work. Readers don’t need to be told that your protagonist is disciplined and perfectionist — they need to watch her do something that makes them feel it (label her lunch even though she lives alone?), and come to that conclusion themselves. It’s the difference between being told about a great love affair or terrible break-up, and being in the room for it, riding along for every high and low. We want to make readers feel, not just inform them — that’s the magic of fiction.

2. Give your protagonist an active agenda.
Readers connect most deeply to characters who want something and are going after it versus those floating through life. An active protagonist has a clear goal — something they’re chasing, in real time — and the plot is driven by their decisions. The opposite is a character who largely reacts: things happen to them, opportunities arrive before they’ve pursued anything. A useful test as you write or revise: in each scene, can you name the choice or decision your hero makes? If the answer across several chapters is “er, none,” your story has started happening to them instead of being driven by them.

3. Create and sustain tension, don’t resolve it too quickly.
It’s common in early drafts to smooth the path for your protagonist — to give them the things they want before they’ve had to fight for them. I think writers do this because we instinctively want ease for the people we love, and by the time we’re deep in a manuscript, we love our characters. But in fiction, the struggle is the story. At every point when your character wants something — an opportunity, something practical — make sure it isn’t simply handed to them. Make ‘em earn it, through cleverness, hard work or difficult decisions. This does two things at once: it makes the plot more engaging and it reveals character. Tension keeps readers flicking the pages.

4. Make every scene a scene.
A scene is not just recording what a character does. It’s seeing something happen — a decision made, a relationship shifted, new information that changes what happens next. If you can’t name the key thing that happened in a scene, it isn’t a scene yet. A useful rule to write and revise by: dramatize change, summarize transitions, and cut arrangement. Logistics, travel, phone calls that set up the scene we actually want — these might be a line. Save your pages for the moments that move things forward and deepen emotion. Every chapter should end somewhere different — emotionally, narratively — from where it began.

5. Trust your specifics.
"The lake was beautiful” paints, well, nothing. "The silvered afternoon light turned the lake into a mirror, its surface broken only by a diving kingfisher" — ah, that's a world we see. Specifics create a rich picture: the cracked leather of the barstool, the smell of the burnt coffee, the exact thing he said that she couldn’t stop thinking about on the drive home. If your novel promises access to a special world — an industry, a subculture, a city, a community — your narrator should never generalize. The specific detail is what makes a book feel inhabited, like only you could have written it. Go through your draft and find every place you’ve reached for the general when the particular was right there.

If craft is your crack — hi, you're my people. Let's work together. Find out more about My Novel Beginning below, and join the waitlist for The Draft or The Revision to be first to hear when the next cohorts open.

🌱New 4-Week Class: Intro to Novel Writing

My Novel Year are full-year, high-touch programs priced accordingly — and some writers wanted a more accessible entry point into working with me. I heard you, and I'm happy to announce something new launching this month!

My Novel Beginning is a live intro-to-writing-a-novel course, kicking off over four Monday nights, live on Zoom, starting September 21, 6:00–7:30pm ET. Week 1 is also offered Tuesday September 22, so no one misses night one for Yom Kippur. Only $500.

I’m pouring everything I’ve learned — and everything I wish I’d known — about writing a story that sells and navigating the publishing industry into four fun weeks. It’s designed for anyone who wants to write a novel but doesn’t know where to start, or for anyone who has started but worries their idea isn’t strong enough to sustain a book that’ll sell.

Over four weeks, we’ll cover how publishing actually works: how to get an agent and what they do, what editors are looking for, what readers are looking for, and what advances pay these days. Then we’ll turn to your book: how to build a story with a premise that pleases your readers and realizes your vision, and exactly what goes into a strong outline.

You don’t need anything to start. By the end, you’ll have everything you need to jump into your draft — including your logline and story concept, which I’ll be editing live in class. You’ll connect with me directly, every single week.

And if you choose to continue into My Novel Year: The Draft, your full $500 fee credits toward tuition, making My Novel Beginning effectively free :)

The class is capped at ten to keep the room cozy and leave space for everyone’s Qs.

Want the full curriculum, testimonials from writers I’ve worked with, and more on who this is for? It’s all on the website, babe. First come, first serve, so hop to it.

🌈Love seeing the love for Play It Again!

My new romcom Play It Again is out now — I think it’s a ton of cute gay fun, but don’t just take my word for it! Shoutout to everyone who’s left a sweet review on Goodreads or Amazon; I really, really appreciate it.

“Georgia Clark is one of my go-to auto-buy romance authors. She has really mastered the art of a multi character romance novel. I adore this group of misfit, former repertory players and their sweet mission to revive the theater of their youth with romantic surprises along the way. Georgia is so funny and this novel is full of her characteristic wit and charm. I loved it and can’t wait to discuss it with my book club!”

“Clark has made a sturdy case that the supposedly larger life is not necessarily elsewhere, only more expensively lit. Sometimes it is the life that survives the missed cue, the private jet, the bad lanyard, the old lie, and still heads into the night hungry for curly fries.”

“Oh, I loved this queer romance and tribute to theater kids! I was not a theater kid myself, but I loved how this book so skillfully used the world-building of theater to build a new world of the novel. I was all in with Jazz and her intentional creation of queer community. I loved that there was an epilogue. Delightful all-around.”

BUY PLAY IT AGAIN NOW (and leave a review to support me!) 🌈

🤤Current Obsessions 👀

This month’s curated list of faves, finds, and future buys…

• My poolside read of choice was Girl’s Girl by Sonia Feldman. Highly recommend this beautifully rendered queer coming-of-age lit fic that perfectly captures a long, hot teenage summer that changes everything. A gorgeous debut, edited by my editor and friend, Katy Nishimoto.

• I’m currently tearing through The Make-Believe by Hannah Murray, a memoir about the writer’s slippery slide into joining a cult (!). Prose is straight-forward but the story is hypnotic and has me firmly under its spell. Cannot put it down.

• I just made a lunch date at abcv, one of NYC’s best vegetarian spots, for their excellent Restaurant Week menu: summer roll of stone fruit & tender baby vegetables, elderflower dipping sauce, herbs; mushroom walnut bolognese, carrot paccheri, celery, mint; vegan chocolate cake, amarena cherries = heaven.

• This month, I’ll be checking out comedian Cat Cohen’s new show, seeing The Invite with my wife tomorrow afternoon at Nitehawk cinema in Williamsburg, and taking myself on a solo date to see the new Spiderman. I’d also love to see the new Rocky Horror show on Broadway, and will reliably be at some Domino Park events, our local.

• And you can catch me at Generation Women’s August 11 show at Joe’s Pub! Theme is Heat, our stickiest, sexiest show of the year. Grab live or livestream tix.

⭐️That’s it from me!⭐️

Can’t wait to hear from you in the comments — keep writing, keep reading, and thanks for following along!

Subscribe now

Play It Again is here, queer, and yours forever. Book eight!🥂

When I tell people I’ve published eight novels, the reaction is almost always the same: How? And honestly, when I look at the list of previously published titles in the front matter of my own book, my bewilderment matches theirs.

I’ve long maintained that the secret to creative success isn’t talent — although ofc it’s a factor — or luck, which plays a larger role than most people imagine. It’s perseverance. Determination. Grit. Stubbornness, even. I attribute my publishing track record entirely to not giving up in the face of what often felt like insurmountable odds. That’s meant pushing on through two unpublished novels and many more unrealized proposals, navigating quieter books, big life changes like having kids, and all the other things that make writing hard — including, until I got some therapy to help manage it, fairly consuming professional jealousy.

But despite all of it: launch days are a time to celebrate.

I had lunch with my editor Katy Nishimoto at abcv — the best vegetarian restaurant in New York City — where we demolished fancy veggie mains and a fat slice of chocolate cherry cake. Then came the main event: the Generation Women book launch show. I’ve done this for multiple books now, folding a storytelling night into a launch celebration, and it never gets old. For Play It Again, the theme was Play — but what emerged through the stories wasn’t so much play as something deeper: the yearning to live authentically, to say yes to joy, to take an active role in your own life. It was a perfect fit for a book that is, at its heart, a celebration of doing things not for money but for fun, for community, for connection, for creative fulfillment.

Which is, ultimately, why I’ve written eight novels. I chose creative fulfillment over financial certainty, again and again, and I’m proud of that decision every time.

It was a wonderful night. I wore a sparkly dress. We drank champagne. We laughed. We cried. I welcomed back many beloved performers and a few wonderful new ones.

Thank you to everyone who came out. And if you haven’t yet picked up a copy of Play It Again — now’s the time. 💕

BUY PLAY IT AGAIN NOW 🌈

You may remember my previous newsletter roundup of creative disappointments — the books, scripts, and projects that never quite made it into the world.

It was cathartic to write and, judging by your responses, deeply relatable.

This month I’m doing something similar but different: a look back at all the gatherings, programs, courses, and events I’ve organized over the years. Not from the angle of failure — I don’t see any of these as failures — but more as a kind of origin story. A paper trail of the person who would eventually create My Novel Year. Some of these things ran their course. Some just didn’t quite work. Some evolved into something else entirely. All of them taught me something.

So! A brief and lightly chaotic walk down memory lane.

🍷The New York Author Salon (2015–2020)

When I sold my first novel in 2015, I didn’t know a single other novelist in New York City. Rather than accept this, I did what I always do: I organized something. I asked my editor for names of other local writers, sent cold emails inviting strangers over for cheese and wine on a Sunday afternoon, and waited to see who showed up. The first session: me, my then-girlfriend-now-wife Lindsay, my visiting mother, and two other writers. Modest. Cozy. Immediately useful — at that first meeting I learned that if you hated your cover, you could actually request a new one. I had no idea. I thought you just had to live with it.

The salon ran monthly for five years, eventually co-hosted with the wonderful Amy Poeppel, alternating between our apartments. So many novelists passed through those doors — Fiona Davis, Hannah Orenstein, Brian Platzer, Lexi Freiman, Jamie Brenner, Lynda Cohen Loigman, Corinne Sullivan, and many others — and it remains one of the things I’m proudest of building from nothing. The secret formula, I have since confirmed, is: wine, cheese, a room with a view, and one very tenacious organizer.

📣The Proactive Author (2016ish)

After going all-in on the launch of The Regulars and learning an enormous amount about self-promotion and publicity, I channeled all of that hard-won knowledge into an eight-week self-study digital course called The Proactive Author. A step-by-step guide to proactively and effectively launching your book. It was my first real foray into digital course creation and, honestly, it was pretty great. It’s no longer available, but a lot of what I learned building it lives on in My Novel Year.

🏠The Williamsburg Writers’ Retreat (2021)

My first foray into organizing a writers’ retreat — and yes, it was held in my own apartment. I need to acknowledge the low-key audacity of this. My wife and I still live in the same place on the Williamsburg waterfront, which is beautiful, but it is also our home, and I once hosted half a dozen writers in it for a long weekend of writing, coaching, food, drink, and sharing work. Originally scheduled for 2020, postponed to 2021 (you may recall there was a thing), it only worked because we had a spare room pre-kids. This was the earliest iteration of what would become the Generation Women Writers’ Retreat.

🌶️Erotic Fan Fiction (2023)

Possibly my most unhinged and beloved project. This comedy storytelling concept — performers writing erotic fan fiction about unlikely pairings from pop culture — originated in Sydney, where it became something of a cultural phenomenon, before we brought it to New York as a late-night comedy show at Caveat.

Based loosely on the Generation Women model but with, shall we say, a different energy.

My own flagship piece centered on the unspoken sexual tension between Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood from The Great British Bake Off — a very silly story rich with puns about soggy bottoms, golden handshakes, and the emotional weight of a Hollywood Handshake finally, finally meaning something more. Pure late-night chaos energy.

Ultimately, the brutal reality of 6am baby wake-up calls made running a late-night comedy show increasingly untenable, and we let this one run its natural course. No regrets. Only fond memories and one very compromising Word document about a soggy bottom.

❤️The Romance Workshop (2022-2025)

My first foray into working with writers in a substantial, structured way — and the direct predecessor to My Novel Year.

Born out of the pandemic’s normalization of online teaching, this four-to-six week workshop was where I first began formalizing my ideas around structure, craft, and industry readiness in a group setting. Every cohort was a wonderful group of largely women who were passionate about romance fiction, and the work was real: substantial developmental feedback, craft lectures, honest industry conversation.

It ran for four years and taught me more than I expected — about how writers learn, what they need, and how to deliver feedback that actually lands. Many of those writers went on to work with me as private clients, and some are now in My Novel Year. The through line is obvious in retrospect.

Looking back at all of this, what strikes me isn’t how much didn’t last — it’s how much each thing taught me, and how clearly one thing led to the next. The salon became the retreat. The course became the coaching. The workshop became the mentorship. The shows became the community. None of it was wasted. And all of it — every cheese plate, every soggy bottom gag, every cold email sent into the void — eventually became My Novel Year.

⏰I have one spot remaining in both The Draft and The Revision — the summer cohorts kicking off in July and August.

I designed these programs to draw on everything I wish I’d had coming up as a novelist: the craft knowledge I’ve accumulated across eight published books, the editorial eye I’ve developed working with developmental editors, acquiring editors, and agents, and the industry access I’ve been lucky enough to build over a long career. I’ve also been on the other side of these programs — I’ve taken courses and mentorships, some of which were truly transformative, and some of which were frankly disappointing: underdeveloped, unprofessional, not worth the investment. Every one of those experiences shaped what I was determined to create and determined to avoid.

My Novel Year is designed for serious writers — people for whom novel writing is a meaningful part of their personal and professional identity. It’s not for hobby writers, and it’s not for anyone looking for a ghostwriter or co-writer. It’s for the writer who has a story that matters to them, and who is ready, finally, to do the work to get it finished and into the world.

I truly believe this program offers exceptional value. If you’d like to see a sample of my developmental editing before you commit, just reply to this email — I’m happy to send one through.

We won’t be running new cohorts until 2027 at the earliest, and even those dates aren’t set. This is your last chance to work with me on your novel this year.

Explore the page. Ask for a sample. Book a free discovery call. Let’s get writing.

📝APPLY NOW FOR THE DRAFT

✏️APPLY NOW FOR THE REVISION

🔬 Current Obsessions (a brief departure)

Typically this final section is full of finds, faves, and future buys. This month? I’m talking about my first colonoscopy.💩

I had been putting it off for the obvious reasons. The procedure involves, to be frank, a camera up your butt, which just sounded deeply weird. But after my agent Allison Hunter bugged me about it, I finally bit the bullet and booked it in.

Here’s your TLDR: you fast for 24 hours prior, then spend the 12 hours before the procedure on a liquid diet plus an industrial quantity of laxatives. You will become very familiar with your loo. The hardest part for me was drinking half a bottle of Miralax mixed into a large blue Gatorade at 6am — not because it tastes terrible, but because who wants blue Gatorade at 6am? I was gagging purely on principle.

The hunger was less bad than I expected. You can have calories on the liquid diet — apple juice, broth — so it’s not like fasting, which I’ve also done.

The procedure itself? I had never had general anesthetic before and was nervous. Turns out: sign me UP. It was my fave part of the entire thing. One moment I was lying on my side in a hospital gown surrounded by nurses with an IV in my arm, the next I was waking up in a completely different room an hour later feeling entirely normal. I sometimes have trouble sleeping, and honestly, if I could arrange a wee GA every night, I’d be living my best life.

Results: all clear. I walked out, went home, had a slightly early night, and then returned to work the next day.

So consider this your PSA: if you’re 45 or older, go get a colonoscopy. It’s so much less scary than you think, and the peace of mind is everything. And best of all, you’ll have a really great nap.

⭐️That’s it from me!⭐️

Can’t wait to hear from you in the comments — keep writing, keep reading, and thanks for following along!

You know the one. The novel you keep meaning to write. The one you think about in that boring work Zoom, in the shower, at 2am. The one that’s been “someday” for a couple of years now.

My Novel Year is how someday becomes this year. Twelve months, blank page to finished draft, with me beside you the whole way — monthly one-on-ones, a small cohort of fellow writers, craft masterclasses, and a pitch session with a literary agent and an editor when you’re ready.

If you’ve been hovering over this one — reading these emails, nodding along, telling yourself maybe next time — this is your last chance to make it this time.

Need proof it works? A writer I mentored closely for a couple of years, Andrew Maguire, signed with a literary agent after eight offers of representation. Better yet, his debut novel, Grand Slam, is being published by Alcove Press next spring. That’s what happens when you stop writing alone — and My Novel Year is the most immersive version of that I offer.

The Draft track takes you from idea to finished manuscript. (Already have a complete draft? The Revision track gets you query-ready — same deadline.)

I have ONE spot left in both cohorts. Grab it now — I don’t expect to open another cohort until 2027.

📝APPLY NOW FOR THE DRAFT

✏️APPLY NOW FOR THE REVISION

🎭Play It Again is out now!

The story is 100% true — yup, including the bit about the children. Consider it the origin myth.

Play It Again is my queer ensemble rom-com about four former theatre kids who reunite after twenty years to save the community stage where they first fell in love. It’s out now from The Dial Press/PRH. If you’ve ever loved something that wasn’t cool to love, I think you’ll find yourself in it.

GRAB PLAY IT AGAIN NOW 🌈

Happy reading,

Georgia x

Hello, my dudes! The sun is out, the beer is cold, — come over?☀️

May has given me my first real reprieve since the year started. I’m in a calm-before-the-storm moment: June is absolutely stacked — book launch, My Novel Year cohort opening and closing, a close friend’s wedding at the Greenwich Hotel, end of school year — so I’m savoring this window while I have it. We hit the Domino Park splash pad for the first time this season and I had a lunch date with my wife in the backyard of Misi Pasta working through their insanely good grilled artichoke sandwich. Oh, and I had a real blast hanging in the green room at Joe’s Pub before at our last Gen Women show. Life is good right now.

Also: I cut my hair. Short and blonde for the summer! Feelin’ groovy, feelin’ free.

What’s going on for you? Tell me in the comments. 💬

My Novel Year applications are open!🚀

Is this the year you finally finish your novel?

You’ve been thinking about this book for a while now. Maybe you have a draft that’s been sitting in a drawer. Maybe you’re still trying to write the first chapter. Either way — you know the story is in there. You just need the right structure, support, and someone in your corner who’s done this before.

That’s My Novel Year.

A year-long novel-writing mentorship working directly with me — published author of eight novels, book coach, and editor. Think of it as an MFA without the price tag, but more practical, more personal, and entirely focused on getting your specific book finished and ready for the world.

Two tracks:

📝The Draft: For writers working on a first or new novel. You’ll finish a complete first draft, get a full developmental edit, then pitch a top literary agent and editor.

✏️The Revision: For writers with a completed manuscript ready to be transformed. You’ll get a full developmental edit, complete your revision, then pitch a top literary agent and editor.

Both tracks are small cohorts, high-touch, and include monthly 1:1 coaching with me, group sessions, craft lectures, and year-round Slack support.

One year. Your novel, finished.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT “THE DRAFT” AND APPLY 📝

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT “THE REVISION” AND APPLY✏️

And if you know a writer who deserves to be published, please share this with them!

ps. Not ready to apply yet? Start with my two free guides — one on writing addictive, page-turning fiction, and one on approaching revision without losing your mind.

🎭Play It Again drops June 16th — but I’m not feeling how I usually do…

I’ve never been in a more positive headspace about a book launch 😌

Early in my career, the weeks before publication were a hyper state of anxiety, expectation, and desperate hope. A book launch can change your life. For a lucky few, there’s a snowball effect — the industry term is “catching fire” — and everything shifts. You go on tour! You hit the list! Hello, hello, Netflix is calling! But for most writers, a launch is not a life-defining moment. There are events, a flurry of interest, and then things settle. Eight books in, I feel clear-eyed about what a launch is, what it’s likely to be, and what it’s probably not.

What it’s likely to be: a fun night celebrating a book I loved writing, with people I adore. The launch is folded into a Generation Women show at Joe’s Pub — a stage that now feels like home to me, which is wild, because it is one of NYC’s best venues.

And then life will move on — swiftly, and happily — into a Connecticut summer and My Novel Year’s summer cohorts.

The panic that used to tip into despair around launch time? Completely gone. So much of that shift is about lowering expectations, rethinking magical thinking, and having lived through enough launches to know what they actually are. Everyone will tell you there’s never been a harder time to sell books, and that’s probably true. But I keep coming back to the same truth I always do: the pleasure for me was never really about the selling. It’s about the creation. The privilege of building a world I want to live in — one where queer joy and queer romance are effusive, sophisticated, and real.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me across this long writing life. As I step more intentionally into the role of mentor, editor, and guide, I do so in the footsteps of the teachers, editors, and believers who made me feel capable of all of it.

In the meantime, if you want to spend some time in a very fun world I'm incredibly proud of, here she is:

PRE-ORDER PLAY IT AGAIN NOW 🌈

BUY TICKETS TO PLAY IT AGAIN BOOK LAUNCH SHOW AT JOE’S PUB🥂

🤤Current Obsessions 👀

This month’s curated list of faves, finds, and future buys…

• 💧I refuse to gatekeeper my go-to moisturizer! Oak Essentials’ Moisture Rich Balm is VERY sticky but VERY hydrating. It’s best for nighttime as it does take a while to sink in but I really feel nothing hydrates my always-a-bit-dehydrated face better. I actually like the stickiness — sort of a Stockholm Syndrome between me and this balm I guess?!

• ✨While you’re at it, grab my go-to foundation! I take skincare pretty seriously but Kosas Revealer is truly the secret to flawless skin. It’s clean beauty, with a little SPF (I usually wear sunscreen underneath but on the days I forget, it’s a nice addition). It blends so well, leaves skin smooth and even, and features hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides, squalane and more! I use shade 180, but just pop into a Credo or Sephora to get color-matched.

• 🧢Speaking of good skin, as I explained to my daughter last week, “we’re a hat family” — 86 that sun damage, baby! My go-to hat is the Winona (in Ivory) from Wyeth — comfortable, chic, with an adjustable headband to fit your noggin. The neutral off-white means it goes with pretty much every outfit — I have it hanging by the door and grab it on the way out. At $59, it’s a steal.

• 📚I absolutely flew through Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. It’s the one you’ve probably already heard about, where a trad-wife influencer wakes up in the 1800s and is forced to live the grim reality of the lifestyle she cheerily promotes online. It’s a fantastically paced and plotted satire that sinks its teeth into the paradoxes and performance inherent in womanhood, religion and what it means to be good. The ending is bananas! I loved it. (Psst: I heard there was blowback online about this book? I’d advise writers never go on the record dissing other writers…)

• 🍷🍔Because I had some extra breathing room this month, I hit up a few of my fave Williamsburg spots, all of which I VERY HIGHLY recommend! My pal Jill and I popped by Rude Mouth, a gorgeous wine bar with great snacks (get the baguette, the camembert, the olives, and the comte ribbons); I met my friend, the artist Frances Yeoland, to collect an artwork I bought from her over a Negroni and their daily breads with butter at Good Days (ramp butter for the win!); and I’m thinking of opening up my marriage for the Impossible Meat cheeseburger and the Impossible Chicken sammie at Moonburger. The love is real.

  Some links are affiliate, meaning I get a wee kickback if you buy. I only recommend things I use and love!

⭐️That’s it from me!⭐️

Can’t wait to hear from you in the comments — keep writing, keep reading, and thanks for following along!

Georgia x

This month, my little family spent a week in Montana visiting friends and taking in buckets of sun and sky. We even glimpsed the last dusting of snow from a gondola up in Big Sky. Back in New York, I also got to record my author’s note for the Play It Again audiobook. A very fun experience at Penguin Random House HQ.

But that’s not what’s on my mind right now. Here’s what I’m chewing on:

My business is thriving. My Novel Year is working — my writers are crushing it, all developing quality books. Enough editorial work is coming to me that I can’t take it all on. Generation Women is selling out Joe’s Pub. My new hire is fantastic. I live in my dream city. My marriage is solid, my kids are happy. I am not, as I have always dreamed, swimming in a pool of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, but there’s no debt, no catastrophe, nothing a stiff Negroni can’t put in perspective.

And yet. I almost always feel behind.

Why? Because the goalpost is always moving. Success, for people like me — hustlers,…

Read more

At last, there *is* a *hint* of spring in the air — an atmospheric amuse-bouch if you will!🌷

March was a bit of a ride, largely ruled by jet lag, followed by some lost days of a mystery illness I picked up from my in-house germ factories aka children. Between all that, I hosted our last writers retreat of the season up in Catskill, New York — a life-affirming weekend of connection and community with a fabulous group of women writers. It’s always so gratifying to see how thrilled everyone is when they give themselves the gift of time and focus to create new work.

We also had another sold-out show for Gen Women at Joe’s Pub. I love taking the stage with our lineup of storytellers each month, but the hang in the green room beforehand is secretly just as much fun, as you might tell from the backstage selfie above.

I previously mentioned I was working toward a four-day work week. That remains a goal (delusion?) and is sadly in no way close to my reality. One of my toxic traits is overextend…

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I’m escaping the blizzardy New York winter with a quick trip to Australia for some Aussie summer sun. I’m celebrating my birthday this week in a beach house my wife and I rented right on the water on New South Wales’ glorious South Coast. We fall asleep to lapping waves under a spread of stars and spend quiet days swimming in the nearby rock pool and cove, eating good food, and hanging out with the kiddos.

My best friend Sarah cooked us incredible meals over our first weekend in her typical overachieving style, while my other dear friend Mai was one day late due to a hangover, had gotten the name of the town wrong, and her Airbnb booking hadn’t gone through (also typical!😭). I love these girls so much, and we had such a fun weekend talking about old times and making new memories.

After last year’s disastrous trip to Spain, we realized our typical city-hopping, high-energy style of travel is on pause while the kids are small—and that these sort of slower family vacations are actually …

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🎪January Update: Welcome to the Circus

The year of the horse is already taking me on a wild ride. I’m juggling so many balls right now, the only way to catch me is front row at a circus.

Here’s what’s currently in motion:

I have my eighth book coming out in June—Play It Again, my ode to community theater and gay kissing (more on that below). I’m launching two new year-long novel writing programs, My Novel Year. Generation Women, my multi-generational storytelling series, continues to sell out Joe’s Pub (bragging!), and our next Hudson Valley Writers’ Retreat is on sale now for March. We just launched Spotlight, a six-week storytelling intensive for professionals. I’m working with 831 Stories as a freelance editor —catch me at The Ripped Bodice on February 3rd for the launch party of my first novella with them, Rooting Interest, by Cat Disabato. I’m also hosting 831’s Romance Book Club, discussing The Pairing by Casey McQuiston and Grape Juice by Eliza Dumais, at McNally Jackson on Feb 1…

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It’s. All. Happening!

Last month, I shared that I am going all in on creating offerings for writers and creative communities, and basically growing a creative empire beyond just my own books. And my dudes, I sure am. I’ve hired my new Ops & Program Manager, , who is already helping me get organized and think big. (Fun fact: over 80 people applied for that job! Way more than I expected.)

I’m transforming in realtime in not just my identity, but also my own sense of control and power over my own life. It’s revelatory to me to think about designing a life that focuses on what I want to do, not what I feel I have to do. I’m energized and excited about creating my own programs like My Novel Year (soft launched!); continuing to edit and consult with the babes at 831 Stories (incl being a co-host of their new Romance Book Club with McNally Jackson!); scale Generation Women; and create bespoke storytelling series and workshops for cool communities and creative corporate types. Oh, and launch …

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🍁 Fall Reflections (and Some News)

It’s sweater weather in Brooklyn, and the leaves aren’t the only things changing…

I’m in production for my soon-to-be-revealed Summer 2026 rom-com which means the book is done and now we’re into copy edits and gearing up for all things publicity and marketing. I just sent feedback on the EXTREMELY cute cover design. Think small-town magic, quirky lovable locals, A LOT of gay kissing, and a special sorta world you’ll never want to leave. More details coming soon.

Outside of work, life has been simple and sweet. Our little fam sat front row at the Fort Greene’s annual PUPkin Dog Costume Contest (the very definition of wholesome) hosted by one of my best mates Dan Fox; our nine-month-old is this close to walking (and possibly said “doggie” this morning in the elevator?); I caught up with my literary agent, Allison; and chopped all my hair off and went back to being a brunette, as evidenced by my backstage snap at Joe’s Pub!

🎉 Okay, now my big news!

For tho…

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It’s your time to write.

If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know that storytelling—in all its forms—is the heartbeat of what I do. From writing novels to hosting Generation Women, I’ve always been fascinated by how stories connect us, heal us, and help us understand who we are.

Now, I’m thrilled to share something new that grows directly from that same creative soil: Kindred—a four-week creative coaching and writing retreat for women and non-binary writers who are ready to create boldly, connect deeply, and build lasting momentum.

Kindred combines three weeks of live group coaching with a three-night Hudson Valley retreat at a private hilltop estate overlooking the river. You’ll be nourished by chef-prepared meals, nightly salons, and focused time to write, all within a supportive, inspiring community of kindred spirits.

It’s more than a retreat; it’s a reset for your creative life. ✨

Applications for the January 2026 program are open now. Spots are limited, so if you’re cr…

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Book baby’s all grown up!

If you’re new here: Most Wonderful is my queer Christmas romcom about three adult siblings, one glamorous mother, and one unforgettable Catskills Christmas. Today she officially turns one! 🥂

When I dreamed up this chaotic, sparkly, big-hearted family, I had no idea how deeply the Belvederes would burrow into my heart, or how much readers like you would embrace them. Writing this book was like wearing a glittery Santa hat 24/7 and realizing I never wanted to take it off.

To celebrate the Belvederes’ first birthday (and the unofficial start of cozy reading season), I thought I’d share a few fun behind-the-scenes facts from the making of Most Wonderful, plus how you can help keep the love alive this holiday season.

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Greetings from yr friendly neighborhood novelist.

Monthly writing tips, pop culture recs, and secret peeks into the publishing process. Let’s go!

Our little fam spent the past weekend up in Connecticut, staying at our friends’ groovy new home, checking out local bounce castles, and peepin’ those Fall leaves. I’m still spiritually recovering from our ill-planned trip to Spain, and since our pals have kids the same age as ours, it was just so fun to hang out with adults we adore and watch the smalls have the best time.

I also recently celebrated my dear friend Natasha’s Clinton Hill quinceañera—15 years of living off Brooklyn’s Clinton-Washington G stop. Isn’t that clever?! A big group of us hit all her fave spots in the neighborhood, including Habana Outpost for queso and slushy margs (aka my heaven). I also pushed my love of sitting in the front row too far at Improvised Shakespeare, getting a close-up view of my favorite troupe’s red-socked ankles. True to their name, Improvised Shakesp…

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Greetings from yr friendly neighborhood novelist.

Monthly writing tips, pop culture recs, and secret peeks into the publishing process. Let’s go!

Hola from Spain! But before you get too jealous…

Don’t worry, I’m having a terrible time! JK—sorta?

For the past two summers my wife and I successfully home-swapped our way to Greece, then Netherlands, Mallorca, and Copenhagen, with our first kid, Rozie. This year, we’re homeswapping just outside Barcelona with two kiddos, Rozie (3½) and Lulu (7 months). And we radically underestimated just how f*cking hard parenting two smalls would be. Both require different forms of non-stop energy and attention, hate being in the car, have colds, and are still jet-lagged! The house we’re staying in is beautiful—and, crucially, has a lovely pool—and we are finding pockets of joy, typically involving Spanish wine or cheese. But overall, I’ve never been so exhausted anywhere, let alone on “vacation”. Champagne problems? You bet. Traveling like this again with…

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Greetings from yr friendly neighborhood novelist.

Monthly writing tips, pop culture recs, and secret peeks into the publishing process. Let’s go!

Summer time, and the living is eeeeasssssyyyyy

I’m just back from three dreamy weeks in Connecticut. Our dear friends, Caro and Raz, spend part of the summer in Raz’s home country of Sweden, and each year they generously offer us their light-drenched, kid-friendly home in Fairfield, which is right by the beach. This was our fifth year trading bodegas for backyards—and the best yet. They just put in a POOL. Starting the day with a quick dip is 100% my idea of heaven. We taught our three-year-old to swim, the baby floated around in her little floaty thing, and my New York-frayed nervous system finally reset to baseline. Bliss.

Now I’m back in the sweaty stinky city, entertaining visiting pals, hosting Generation Women shows (backstage snap from this month’s show at Joe’s Pub above) and soaking up some only-in-NY summer moments. I caught Josh Shar…

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Greetings from yr friendly neighborhood novelist.

Monthly writing tips, pop culture recs, and secret peeks into the publishing process. Let’s go!

Hi hi and happy summer, y’all!

Mamdani won (I love him, I’m obsessed), the sun is out, life is good!

I am IN IT right now with two kiddos — Lulu is five months, and we’re sleep training this week (pray for me). Rozie is three, so curious, SO smart (like, scarily?), so funny, so sweet. Yes, she’ll have a full meltdown if I don’t cut her peach the right way but then she’ll tell me she loves me apropos of nothing and all is well. My wife and I even snuck away for my fave lunch, the Artichoke Sandwich at Misipasta — grilled artichoke, sharp provolone, hot peppers, on a sesame roll. Heaven.

In my writing life, I’m celebrating (with a cheese plate and bubbles) finishing the second draft of my new book (yet to be announced, but it’ll drop next summer). It’s another ensemble romance, this time focused around two couples, all friends. One of the bigger n…

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Greetings from yr friendly neighborhood novelist.

Monthly writing tips, pop culture recs, and secret peeks into the publishing process. Let’s go!

Greetings from Sunny California!

My wife, Lindsay, and I are staying with her folks in Huntington Beach for a little family time, re: extra help wrangling our adorable three-year-old (Rozie) and three-month-old (Lulu)! It’s been a *very* low-key trip, because when you’re doing anything with small humans, best to abandon any expectations. Lots of time at various parks and beaches, afternoons watching basketball and eating See’s Candy with my father-in-law, and watching all the cousins put on “shows” (too cute!)

We celebrated Lindsay’s birthday over the weekend, starting with an epic brunch (Giant Cinnamon Roll and Dutch Baby pictured). Her mom made the same ice cream cake she used to bake when Linds was a kid! Hard to imagine hosting my own kids' 40-something birthdays down the line, but I guess that’s part of the deal with parenthood: ice cream…

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