Hi! On the off chance that you’ve turned to my social media to gain a richer context for me after uncovering my query letter in your slush pile, I’ve outlined 10 relevant insights to help you understand who I am and who I want to be as an author. I queried you because you’re a badass who I believe can help me with my publishing goals. Maybe you’re debating whether to request my full manuscript or offer representation. This will help.

1 ) I’m excited for a strategic partner. I’m a self-starter - I had a baby on my own, and I ran my own PR firm - but I’m so ready to have a foil, an iron against which I can sharpen. I have a ton of ideas, but I don’t know publishing like you do. Let’s set a strategic direction together.

2) I want a big career. Emphasis on career. Let’s do a book a year. But really, let’s go for it. I know success doesn’t happen overnight. I have major aspirations, and I’m willing to work for it.

3) I’m motivated. That blonde cutie with the curls? I want to show my daughter Celine that anything’s possible. A foundational quote, from Conan O’Brien: If you really work hard and are kind, amazing things will happen. Also, I’m the sole breadwinner.

4) I wrote my book with a marketer’s eye for audiences and partnerships. The book’s primary topic has a built-in audience. International appeal, press and brands are all baked into the book explicitly to create sales and marketing opportunities. And with my background, I can help make the partnerships happen.

5) Ask me about my research. The industry featured in my book (the plot is private until you and I decide when/how to unveil it) is experiencing a moment. Viewership is up. A flurry of movies and tv shows on the topic have been greenlit in the last year. This book is right on time.

6) I’m lucky to have an awesome community ready to support this book. I’ve not even told them what it’s about! I sent them this post written to someone else, and they still liked and commented to show you how pumped they are for this book.

7) The book I’m querying now isn’t my first. I’ve gotten the proverbial first pancakes out of the way. I’ve written two other books, both complete and unpublished. To be honest, the first is… pretty terrible. I was trying to be artistic, and I forgot about the reader experience. The second could work but needs a massive edit. Those books got me here.

8) I have plots for my next two books. I haven’t started writing them yet because we need to align our strategy, but I can’t wait to dig in. The ideas are flowing; I’m ready to go.

9) I’m an Enneagram 7. Optimistic. Adventure-seeking. Playful. Even an objective personality test confirms I am a fun time! Yes, being an Enneagram 7 also means I may occasionally be late to our meetings. But when I’m stressed, I organize.

10) I went to high school with Taylor Jenkins Reid. More than a cool fun fact, my classmate has been a super tangible example of what’s possible in publishing.

—

Talk soon! You know how to find me.

xx Elisabeth

Other Insightful Reads

Insight on my process + two of my best shorts

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Heyo! Let’s take a moment to celebrate! I wrote a freaking book! And it’s good! It’s making me want to try dating again, but that’s a story for another post.

This milestone - particularly how grueling this last round of edits has been - has me reflecting on my expectations about writing a book while managing as a single mom to a toddler. And how they were alllll sorts of wrong. I, myself, the author of this piece, was surprised with the takeaway here.

Am I Manifesting or Delusional? Writing + Single Motherhood: When Vision Meets Reality

Publishing Plot Twists During Postpartum

THE DELUSION / I assumed that once Celine was born, I would simply set aside several hours a day to write. I understood newborns needed to eat every three hours, but they also slept a lot. I envisioned feeding and playing with Celine for an hour, and then she would sleep for two hours, allowing me time to methodically write, eat, shower, etc. Easy!

I was quickly humbled.

THE REALITY / In December 2024, Celine was born healthy but small, just 4 oz. from being declared a preemie. It was a lot of work to get her weight up. Understatement of the century. I remember crying through dinner, utterly too exhausted to eat thanks to weeks of triple feeding (nurse, bottle, pump every three hours - and it took two hours). I couldn’t close the closet in her nursery, the door ajar for the pile of diapers spilling from it, our teeny condo stuffed to the gills to accommodate this new arrival. It was a simple task, but I could not get to it. It drove me mad.

It was a tough time, but not terrible. I was adjusting to motherhood. I have no complaints - except maybe triple feeding. It’s funny to me just how naive I was about my anticipated capacity during the early days of motherhood.

And yet, I didn’t miss a week of publishing Plot Twists until Celine was 10 months old.

But now I miss them all the time.

Writing A Book While Raising a Toddler

THE DELUSION / At the end of November 2025, I started writing my romance novel. It’s my full-time job. I busted my butt in my previous career of PR to give myself this time to be a mom and write.

I once managed my own agency, clients, employees and profit-and-loss statements. Surely I can be a mom with childcare, write a book, and maintain my various social media accounts to find my readers, valuable for future publishing prospects.

THE REALITY / I knew writing a book would take a while. But A) I don’t have forever financially and B) I would like to be a career author, releasing books with some regularity, every year or two. This is not going to be the project I spend a decade polishing.

In a little over ten months, my book is pitch-ready. I’m proud of that. We’ll have to shave that timeline down a bit next time, but for now, all good.

I started a final pre-querying edit in August, thinking I could maybe really concentrate - like live and breathe - this edit and knock it out in two weeks. Try two months. I had to let a lot of things go during that time to prioritize the edit: my social media, our home’s orderliness, my sleep (I go to bed around 1-2 a.m. most nights).

Querying Agents In Today’s Publishing Landscape

THE DELUSION / I have a quiet, steady confidence about the book I’ve just written. I believe the simple, compelling premise is going to open doors, and I will quickly land a strong agent. By the end of 2026.

THE REALITY / Publishing is notoriously tough. Agents take weeks or months to respond to queries, if they ever do. 1% of books get published. Average advances are $50,000-$80,000 paid out in three installments over two years, and they almost never earn out, yielding royalties.

I know this firsthand. Over the last twenty years, I’ve already queried agents for two other novels. I’ve racked up rejections, clearing myself karmically for a powerful yes.

AND YET.

Conclusion

Honestly, I wasn’t planning or expecting this takeaway.

Even after my “delusions” have been exposed, even though I’m in on the joke, I have learned nothing. Confronting my expectations for writing and editing in motherhood has done nothing to quell my optimism or hope.

I still believe it’s all possible. I’m still willing to work for it. And I won’t be deterred by lagging timelines, impossible odds, or reality.

You see, it’s not all delusion. To me, it’s vision. It’s manifesting. It’s having the audacity to try - and remaining undaunted by inevitable challenges.

Also - and I forget this on the conscious level, but it’s rooted in my subconscious where it grounds me - I’m living the dream. This is it.

I share this picture above of me working on my novel while comforting my sick baby, because that’s a dream come true. I have a baby, I can be there for her, and my presence comforts her. I have made time to write a novel because I’m chasing getting published.

So yeah, Tuesday, I start querying agents. Unless getting my wisdom tooth out tomorrow sets me back. Doesn’t matter, I’m still pumped.

My Project List

For the last 10 weeks, I’ve been all in on editing, ignoring ideas, house projects and future plans. As I query, I will do another re-read and dive back into social media, but here are the other projects my brain has been circling, in no particular order.

• plant tulips and dandelions to add joy to our spring

• clean out the shed / Our dumping ground since we moved in a year ago, the space could be so much more. A massive sell-off of items, then we’re getting hyper-organized.

• plan our 2027 travels / I want to do a better job of traveling during natural downtimes and appropriately escaping heat or cold. And I want to travel using points, while maximizing our credit card perks.

• start writing book 2 / I saw a man at Home Depot this morning that reeeeally got my wheels turning. But I need to wait until I have my agent so we can strategize on book 2 together. Another reason why finding each other soon would be great.

• bake Levain-style cookies at home

• finish my laundry room gut job

• follow up with the next authors for From The Library Of

• fix my hair and buy new makeup / A forever blonde, I had a recent mishap when trying to take my color darker. My correction appointment with a new stylist is October 21. Meanwhile, I’ve run out of blush and realized my makeup could use a refresh giving my updated coloring.

• share my single-mother-by-choice story / I’ve been saying I would do this for months. I’ve already filmed it. I’ve not had the proper space to finish it - and I’m nervous.

• organize my pictures and video

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers.

Thank you for reading and being part of this community!

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Last week was for the aspiring authors among us; this week is for the readers!

is back for round two! Last week on Plot Twists, Liz blessed us by sharing the wisdom she’s earned along her publishing journey. (Is this a topic you’d like to continue to explore? I’ve already had another author volunteer to tell her very different story.)

This week, joins the ranks of our From The Library Of authors! Liz is celebrating her birthday and the highly anticipated release of her novel The Three Graces of Pearl Street by naming the most precious book in her library - and giving us a glimpse of her favorite reading spot while we’re at it!

In prepping for the interview, I was also blown away by the fact that Liz covers travel for Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and more. I’m forever trying to map out a year of travel by season, so I enlisted her help. Get out your 2027 calendar!

I cannot express how lovely Liz is. She poured care into these interviews, as if she wasn’t managing a major book tour and marketing campaign to support her debut. I’m learning so much from her example.

Let’s get into it!

From The Library Of: Elizabeth Wellington Rollins

Favorite book in my genre: Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood is the perfect book.

Favorite book outside of my genre: The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear has been my companion since I discovered it in my 20s. I’m always keen to recommend them to smart women who need to remember to trust their instincts.

If I were sent to space with only one book, it would be: I would probably take Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I love the novel, and I could read it a thousand times. I listen to the audiobook during the holidays every year.

The book I’m embarrassed to share that I loved desperately: The Twilight Saga, which I gobbled down like every other teenage girl my age. I worked at an independent bookstore at the time, and I was the one to open the box of Breaking Dawn. Can you believe it? The power I held!

The book that left me with a million questions: Liz Moore’s Long Bright River is a masterclass in writing familial relationships and tackling sensitive issues with nuance. Her work left me with a thousand questions about how she pulled it off. I felt the same way Lauren Groff’s The Vaster Wilds, although for different reasons.

The book I actually want to repeatedly read to my child: The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, forever. It’s a beautiful story and one that I always hold close. I also love the Beatrix Potter books—I named my dog after her—and they are zany in the best way.

The classic I confess I’ve never read: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I would love to audit a college class and drill into it for a few months.

My go-to cookbook: The Silver Spoon is a comprehensive, 2000-recipe guide for at-home Italian-American cooks. It’s the one I most commonly reference. I love the simplicity of their recipes. No fuss, no stories. My maternal lineage is Italian, and I open it up all the time.

The book I gift most often: I often give ’s self-published book of essays, Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, to my mom friends because it’s the perfect mix of honest, heartfelt, and hilarious. (For transparency, I copy edited that book. The errors are all mine.)

My favorite film/tv adaption of a book: I love so many adaptations, but the six-episode 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice is a masterpiece. Greta Gerwig’s Little Women is a close second for me.

What was the original kernel of an idea that led you to The Three Graces of Pearl Street?

I knew about the ancient Roman myth of the Three Graces from high school classes, and I always found it fascinating. The idea for the characters in this novel came to me the day we buried my dad’s ashes in New York. (He passed away four years ago when I was postpartum, and it was an emotional time.) That day, I imagined the Three Graces as three generations of Italian-American women in the town my family is from outside of New York City. I let the idea simmer until I was ready to write it.

When you were a Vogue contributor, you covered many intriguing lesser-known travel destinations. For the travel enthusiasts among us, which destinations would you recommend for each season of the year?

WINTER / I love winter up here in our Vermont snow globe. If you ski, I suggest staying in a community that’s adjacent to a ski town rather than in the middle of it all—you’ll get a bit more local flavor. Hang out at the local general store.

SPRING / We lived in Madrid for two years before the pandemic, and the blooms kick off in February. I would say visit Madrid in spring and stay in our little neighborhood, Salesas.

Bonus Rec / Later in the season, I would recommend Porquerolles, a small island off the town of Hyères, France. I used to work for a study abroad program and took boat loads of students there on a day trip. Later, I reported on it for Vogue, and you won’t see many Americans there. (With Europe getting hotter, I think the shoulder seasons are the way to go.)

SUMMER / Quebec City is the closest you can find to the feeling of an old-world European city in North America. It’s an absolute gem. A summer visit, followed by some lake time in the Eastern Townships would be delightful.

FALL / Asheville, North Carolina, is really spectacular in the fall, but there’s a small town tucked deeper into the mountains called Sylva that’s like a lovely, mini version of Asheville. My husband’s family is from Sylva, and it’s one of the sweetest towns in the South.

What is the quirkiest part of your writing process?

I believe in the power of a head-clearing walk with my dogs and a cup of tea.

But if you’re really in a pickle, do as a toddler mom would: bribe yourself. “Finish this chapter, and you get that cookie or to go see your friends.” It works.

THANK YOU LIZ!! We’re so grateful to you for sharing all these book recs and publishing insights. 🙏

🍝 The Three Graces of Pearl Street is now available for purchase!

Everyone always talks about how pre-orders and first-week sales are so meaningful to authors. To be more clear, initial sales indicate reader interest and inform booksellers orders. This first week is also typically an author’s best shot of making bestseller lists. If you’re going to buy this book, do it this week!

Liz is currently on a lengthy book tour. Check out if she’s coming to your town - or sign up for a virtual talk!

Follow Liz’s journey on Instagram, or read the glowing reviews of TTGOPS on GoodReads!

🩵 If you enjoyed this post, please click the like/heart button below.

That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers.

Thank you for reading and being part of this community!

💌 Looking for your next read?

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A quick search yielded a curious result: Liz was already subscribed to Plot Twists! And let’s be honest, I only have so many subscribers. It felt like kismet, like our paths were meant to cross. I sent her a note gushing excitement for her book.

As an aspiring author hoping to follow in her steps, I’ve been watching the rollout to Liz’s Sept. 1 release of THE THREE GRACES OF PEARL STREET with great interest.

But I had questions. More than how she found her agent. How did her extensive book tour come about? What was her experience selling rights in different territories? What are her ultimate goals? What is she building?

And wouldn’t other aspiring authors and fans of Liz be interested in listening in on the answers as well?

In a classic author-crush move, I pitched the idea via late-night DM: a debut author and an aspiring author, in conversation, talking through the business and strategy of publishing, passing on the fresh wisdom from the trenches of the weeks leading to launch.

The scaffolding, she called it later. That poetic phrase alone reinforces the idea that her book is going to crush.

Liz immediately, graciously agreed. And is incredibly forthcoming in this conversation. I kept trying to take notes as she was speaking, forgetting I was playing host.

Please, press play on the conversation above, and listen or watch. I hope it helps map out vision for your path to publication or simply invites you into getting to know the lovely Liz and her debut novel.

And once you’ve listened… should we do a part two?! Once Liz’s book tour has wrapped, once she’s had time to process? What follow-up questions do you have?

Leave a comment

All The EWR Connections

Be sure to pre-order THE THREE GRACES OF PEARL STREET!!

• If you’d like a personalized copy with a free mini cookbook and sauce stains stain stick (the book will make you hungry), pre-order from Yankee Book Shop.

Meet Liz! Attend her book tour, including both in-person and virtual events. Chicken cutlets may or may not make an appearance.

To hear more about the book, listen to her interview on Book Of The Month Live.

Follow Liz’s journey on Instagram.

Read the glowing reviews on GoodReads! And add the book to your TBR.

Next Week!

Liz rejoins us, this time for her From The Library Of interview. We’ll get all her books recs, plus some rare destination tips. Did you know she’s also a travel journalist, writing for Vogue, T: The New York Times Magazine, and Condé Nast Traveler?

🩵 If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button below.

That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

I was three weeks into triple feeding my newborn and a few days into handling nights on my own for the first time, and I wasn’t simply delirious from exhaustion - I was on the verge of passing out, light-headed and stumbling. I had just done our entire feeding routine again and was slowly realizing that, instead of waiting for our three-hour cycle, I had miscalculated and had done it again after 45 minutes.

It felt like my sanity was slipping through my fingers.

Not the only one crying, my three-week-old daughter Celine lay on the changing table, which I clung to like a lifeboat.

Despite my thick confusion, it dawned on me that this was the moment that I had been anticipating. In my preparation for motherhood in general - and single motherhood specifically, I understood there would be hard times ahead, regardless of resources and experience. And I had proceeded because I knew, when tested, I would rise to the occasion.

Now, one of those hard moments had arrived.

Mired in confusion and despair, I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “dig deep.”

Silently, I clawed into my reserves to call up my track record of strength and flashes of brilliance and summon my deeply rooted desire to be a wonderful, loving, capable mother.

Another deep breath.

I straightened, wiped my nose and whispered to Celine, “We can do this. We can do this.” It brings tears to my eyes even now.

I re-snapped her onesie and her sleeper and redid her swaddle and I snuggled her and laid her in her little bassinet and I put myself to bed. Still exhausted. Still wrung out. But holding onto that clearer sense of myself and what I’m capable of.

Cut to today.

I learned this week that my car needs to be put down. If I were being honest with you, I have been wanting a new car, but I’m in the middle of a thing, and a car is not really in service of the thing.

And I learned that my romance novel — if I can beat the odds and secure an agent and publisher — may not release until 2029. I sort of knew the book might not come out until 2029, but I had been denying this. We can push for 2027!, I think to myself, knowing full well I haven’t even started querying. I like to be optimistic. I like to think all things are possible. Confronting reality is a bit of a bummer.

The one-two punch is enough to leave me nervous.

Two and a half years ago, I sold my PR firm, and those proceeds have been supporting me while I was pregnant, had the baby, wrote the book and began the (very) early marketing work. The money won’t last forever, and though I’m not there yet, I’m closer than I was.

Similar to single motherhood, pursuing my dream career of being a published author full-time is bold. It’s not exactly guaranteed to deliver financially, while also being creatively grueling. There will be hard times ahead.

Such as car purchases and the rude realities of publishing timelines tugging on my fragile financial runway.

But moreover, I’m nervous that I will waste this opportunity. That I will spend my days snuggling and scrolling, instead of dedicating enough energy to my novel. I’m nervous I’m learning that I don’t have what it takes. I’m nervous I won’t be able to support my daughter how I’d like to.

But as in front of the changing table 20 months ago, when I root around in my nerves and fears, my mind trips against something hard and solid, unmoved by the turmoil of my emotions.

I am strong. I am capable. I possess enough talent to try and enough sheer will to give my dreams a full and proper shot. And I actually perform very well when nervous.

I’m an excellent mother. Even if potty training is humbling.

I’m trying to right a career out of nothing, from the spinning of imagination into words.

But if I already made an entire human from a few cells, how hard can writing be?

—

What are you working on that requires bravery? That requires clambering over your nerves and your fears to get where you’re going?

People (myself included) always say, “Keep going.” But how do you keep going when you’ve in a pit along that unexplored path you alone had vision for?

When confronted with your own audacity, remember your track record. You’ve done hard things before, and you can do them again.

And that potential you’ve been wondering about? You’re about to find out exactly what’s there. Keep going. 🤍

Larks + Links + Other Hijinks

A handful of joy-starters that have captured my attention - and may yours as well!

• Hope alert!! My bestie-in-my-head landed a film deal for her latest romance novel Dolly All The Time, which you need to be reading!

• To me, the sign of a good book, series, film or piece of art is how it lingers in your thoughts. To my surprise, I can’t stop thinking about Peacock’s The Five-Star Weekend (speaking of adaptations! Elin Hilderbrand’s book). The stacked cast! The plot structure! What could happen next… I’m so excited it’s been renewed for season two!

  

• I made banana bread at 1030pm last night, and the idle moment had me reflecting on my demanding considerations when buying my mixing bowls:

  • must be chic, timeless, functional and quality to last forever

  • should conjure fond memories for my daughter as we bake together

  • would be nice if they held some some personal meaning

  • can’t be too expensive

  Sounds insane but I actually nailed it. If they look familiar, it’s because they’re used on The Great British Bake-Off!

• Yummy, decadent and relatively easy: a recent dinner Celine and I both devoured by .

• I wrote a short essay of sorts about my business class flight experience with Celine.

• The quickest of updates on my book: I’ve rounded up feedback from my beta readers and am now descending into edits. Research trip in September 👀, then hopefully querying. 🤞🏻

Next Week

In the spirit of you never know what’s coming on Plot Twists anymore*, next week’s post will be something completely different.

Here’s the concept:

Debut author + aspiring author, in conversation.

That’s all you get. THURSDAY!

_{*it is called Plot Twists after all}

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

Press play on the video above to follow us on our three days in Paris. 🇫🇷🥐💞

Paris Toddler Activity Ideas:

• Square Saint-Lambert | this is where French children play, complete with a park, playground, carousel, puppet theater, ping pong, more. more info

• Playgrounds off Le Champ de Mars | there are multiple depending on age, buys you more time at the Eiffel Tower.

• The Kids Room at Musée de L’Orangerie | you want to see Monet, they want to play. This hidden play space is inspired. more info

• Ride the bus! | See the city, while seated. Can be hit or miss depending on your route and time of day, but I bet you’ll both love it.

3 Magical Paris Stay Recs

I feel like we always see the same Paris hotel suggestions. How many of these have you heard of prior to this? Skip to 10:45 in the video above for visuals and a full breakdown of these stays.

• stay near Rue Cler

  • Merveil Paris Property Rentals | Grenelle II (where I’ve stayed) or Grenelle I

  • Hotel Relais Bosquet

• La Fantaisie | Instagram

• Hotel Particulier Montmartre 🤯 | Instagram

Additional Resources

• fave French children’s clothing shops:

  • Monoprix - doesn’t ship to the US so make a point to visit when in town

  • Cyrillus - consummate French kid clothing

• THE Caudalie Beauty Elixir Mist - the #1 French pharmacy buy, also at Sephora

• Celine’s cherry outfit, blue dress + pjs brand

• my $36 $27 drop-waist chambray dress

• the gingham set (top + bottom) from our viral video

• heck, most of what I packed

• the one suitcase we shared for three weeks in France

• cutest toiletry bag set on the planet

• our chic, light travel stroller

Thanks for watching!

Happy to answer travel questions or would love your feedback as we get more into vlogging! These are a lot of work. Your support is appreciated.

🩵 If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button below.

That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

I’m still new to traveling as a mom. There are pros and cons. Celine can totally handle a restaurant, but eating in one three times a day is rough. I was wildly underprepared for the beach, as much as that was a main purpose of the trip. I didn’t know what we needed! But I love how our time together is freed of laundry and chores etc. We have more time for fun! That’s the beauty of vacation, after all.

Press play on the <10-min video above!

Travel Hacking a Free, Five-Star Stay at The Dunlin

If you ever wondered how I travel the way I do, as an currently unemployed single mom, this is a big piece of it!

I love a luxury hotel, but I also like being fiscally responsible, particularly when I’m not currently making a regular income. My writing won’t generate revenue until I sign a publisher, and that’s a ways off.

For our 2026, I told myself that we could take as many trips as we wanted and go wherever we wanted so long as we secure free flights and hotel stays. So far, we’ve done just that!

My explanation of this can be found at 7:03 in the vlog above.

For our time in Charleston, here’s how I covered our five nights of hotel stays.

I very much wanted to stay at The Dunlin, the five-star Auberge Collection resort in the South Carolina Lowcountry outside Charleston - even though they’re not part of a loyalty program where I have points. I was still able to layer discounts and travel-hacks to cover our full stay.

1. The Dunlin was running an offer: stay three nights, pay for two. This reduced our cost by 33%.

2. I booked via Hotels.com, which was also running the Dunlin’s offer on their site. I was able to apply the rewards I would earn from the reservation to the balance, which must be new. Usually you would earn it, then apply it to the next trip. That saved us $105.

   Rakuten offers rebates on Hotels.com purchases, so I should get another ~$80 back, though it hasn’t come through yet. Accommodation credits through Rakuten take a while; you’ve got to be patient.

3. My Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card absorbed the rest. Meaning, I used the card’s annual $300 travel credit toward this charge, and used my welcome offer points to offset the balance, because the Reserve card has a 1.25 redemption rate that I find decent.

   I could get a better redemption rate by staying at a Hyatt property or elsewhere, but I wanted to stay at The Dunlin!

Is this a touch complicated? Yes. Did I pay $0 for a $3,000 stay? Also yes.

Covering our two nights at Hyatt House in downtown Charleston was much simpler. I redeemed 36,000 Hyatt points and called to ask for an upgrade which they granted without hesitation. We had a ginormous room which was so helpful with an active toddler. This was a more functional, centrally located stay. Less luxe. Still free!

Our coming flights to France, including business class return, and my trip to NYC will all be covered by points.

Interested in travel hacking?

The Points Talk podcast is where I started. Also, Monkey Miles maintains a public spreadsheet tracking the best credit card welcome offers. I reference this regularly.

If I were getting a Chase card right now, I wouldn’t go for the Reserve card, just because they’re running their average welcome offer. I apply for cards when they are running elevated offers, and Chase has a number of all-time best offers right now. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is running a 100,000-point offer; this or the Reserve card is a first-in-wallet card for me. I also just got the Chase Ink Unlimited Business Cash card because they’re also running a 100,000-point offer and the card doesn’t have an annual fee.

Full disclosure: I am including referral links in the above, which rewards me a referral bonus at no cost to you.

Thanks for watching!

Please let me know what you think of this travel vlog because we’re about to make another. Celine and I are off to France for three weeks - Paris and an itty bitty town in the Dordogne. What would you like to see from our adventures?

Check out previous vlogs!

🩵 If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button below.

That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

It shifts. It evolves. It changes its mind.

That’s one of the reasons why the name Plot Twists felt appropriate. Plot twist! Something’s different and new and exciting…

—

I’ve been looking for a way to go more in-depth and offer more detail on solo motherhood, writing BTS, travel adventures and designing our dreamhouse. And I’m a wannabe director. Long-form video is it!!

I was thisclose to launching a YouTube channel. I love watching vlogs on YouTube, I know the space, I had vision for it. But as I was about to launch, I got nervous. Adding another weekly piece of content on a new platform, when I’m already struggling to post here regularly, felt like setting myself up for failure.

After some conversation and reflection, I’m bringing those videos here, to you. I want to give you to best of me. Sharing the videos here gives those ideas a home, while solving the issue of posting here consistently again.

Videos I’ve already shot and will release soon:

• 🤰🏼 my full single-mother-by-choice story, likely a three-parter ‼️

• 🌴 our Charleston vlog

• 💘 bts on writing the first draft of my romance novel (already live!)

I still plan to share written posts. After all, I’m a writer first and foremost! But while I’m deep in the romance novel, it’s been tough to turn out short stories. So my written posts may evolve as well. And I still plan to publish From The Library Of!

Substack insiders are notoriously anti-video. I get it, they don’t want to this beautiful literary space turned into the busy, distracted pinball machine of other platforms. Yet, I stand by this addition of video. These are my heartfelt stories, now with more visuals.

Thank you for watching! 🩵

PS I considered putting these videos behind a paywall, particularly my deeply personal single-mother-by-choice series, but I decided against it. I want to stay focused on delivering meaningful value and entertainment while growing this community - with hopes you will one day buy my published novels.

It always means a lot when you share, like or respond to these pieces. Who of your friends might also dig this? 🫶🏻

The first vlog is already live!

Well, I’ve taken it too literally, and now I’m vlogging.

As I’ve documented on Plot Twists, I’ve been writing the first draft of my novel since mid-November, with varying degrees of word count rates. Progress waxed and waned with literary obstacles like determining the plot and characters or learning commercial story structure in real time - as well as practical setbacks, like ice storms knocking out my child care or deciding to clean my house instead of writing or just feeling lazy.

Drafting couldn’t simply continue on forever, so at the begining of April, I gave myself a deadline and a carrot. I would finish my first draft before Memorial Day Weekend when I would treat Celine and myself to a vacation in Charleston (which I also vlogged!).

I made excellent progress but I fell behind pace, leaving me with 15,000 words to complete in 10 days. 😳 Keep in mind I wrote 18,000 words in December, January and February COMBINED.

To hold myself accountable, I vlogged that final 10-day push, giving you an unfiltered dive into the vulnerable, messy process of writing a book.

Press play on the video above to see if I completed the book in time… and how it went.

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The Video Decision

You may have noticed this is my second video post, the first being a vibes trailer teasing some of my romance novel’s tropes and emotions.

I’ve had a lot of long-form video ideas and was fully prepared to launch a YouTube, when I stopped and reconsidered my bandwidth as well as what’s most convenient for you. The solution? Infuse video and vlogs into Plot Twists.

More to come! xx

I’m writing the most encouraging news to share!!

I completed the first draft of my in-progress romance novel - and I am ✨giddy✨ with the story, the characters, the moments. 1 draft, 39 chapters, 74,965 words

🤗🤗🤗

A month ago, when I noticed my word-count progress was routinely derailed by writing new Plot Twists posts, I took some time off from here to concentrate on knocking out my first draft. Thank you in advance for understanding!!

As a little reward for your patience, I wanted to offer a peek into what I’ve been creating.

This video montage pulls together some of the scenes and feelings that were front of mind when imagining my characters and plot and constructing the book’s world!

From this video, can you guess some of the book’s tropes?!

And how many of the seven film/tv references do you recognize? It’s a nice mix of current obsessions and iconic classics, spanning the generations.

Leave a comment

For the month of June, I will be editing my draft. As much as I love it, it needs A LOT of work. But it’s all clicking, which is such a good feeling.

I’ll turn the edited draft over to a few beta readers (keeping this list closed for now) for the month of July while I’m in Europe… and then will dive back into edits in August, with the perhaps-delusional goal of querying agents in September.

I have some plot twists in the works for this space. I’m taking you along on this publishing ride with me! I SO appreciate you being here.

More soon! xx

In her January appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Taylor offered more color on the book plot elements that most appeal to her. We already knew she had taste, but when she referenced Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca (my all-time favorite novel), my respect for her somehow grew, a feat I previously thought impossible.

Given Taylor’s penchant for easter eggs, what if the Rebecca was the first in a trail of breadcrumbs for me, asking - nay, begging - me to pen a Plot Twist Writing Challenge short story for her based on these plot elements as a writing prompt? She pointedly used the words “plot twist” in the interview. And my name is allll over her The Life Of A Showgirl album. The exultation behind the first “Elizabeth” in “Elizabeth Taylor” (my name, her name, what?!) gives me CHILLS. It’s like she’s speaking to me.

This is all to say, here is Taylor’s prompt, the basis for today’s story:

“If you present me with a plot line where there’s a family compound on an island off the coast of Maine. There’s secrets in this family, right? This brother… like, what’s going on with him? Why don’t we know where he’s been for 10 years? Why did he just show up? If there’s a marriage, and the marriage isn’t what it seems. And it seems like this dude is, like, clearly, like, why are you with him? He’s horrible to you. Oh, plot twist: unreliable narrator. She’s the psycho.”

Can you guess which of her albums played while I wrote today’s story?

One day, I will write a short based off one of her songs. I’ve been tempted to for a long time, but it’s a tall order.

Until then, enjoy this! It’s short!

She’s The Psycho

No one tells you how to react when you discover a dead body.

Is it horrifying, haunting? Should you scream for help? Collapse into wails? Carry the trauma for decades? Calling for medical attention is moot. I suppose alerting the authorities is recommended, if only to maintain your innocence.

But what if you don’t mind that the deceased is dead? What then?

By daylight, the rose garden is lovely, boasting heritage blooms earned over decades, but in the wee hours of the morning, with dew-stained petals and a soupcon of fog, it’s giving ghostly. It’s giving graveyard.

Or maybe it’s my husband’s body sprawled along the fieldstone and pea gravel walkway, the stones thick with blood, his stab wounds no longer gurgling. Mother is going to be pissed. Sourcing replacement stones with the right patina will be close to impossible.

He’s facedown, literally and perhaps metaphorically stabbed in the back. I wonder who hated him more than me, enough to kill him. He was a leech. A sniveling, groveling parasite. My family’s wealth was never enough for him. He’d scream at me and call me spoiled and drive off in a disgustingly flashy car my trust fund paid for, all in the same breath. I hated taking his name. But he was a means to end, an accessory to satisfy Mother and the requisite genes for beautiful babies. But they never took.

Another level of consciousness unlocks. I realize I don’t remember how I arrived to the rose garden. I had been asleep in the Rochester bedroom, but I don’t recall leaving.

I roll my eyes. Sleepwalking again. You would think sleeping pills would bind me to my bed, not animate my unconscious body. I really should stop taking them. What if I saw something that would help identify the murderer? There’s always hypnosis.

Speaking of seeing things. A muddy glint biting at the moon catches my eye. A signet ring on my husband’s pinky finger. That’s not right.

My stomach drops, as though my body knows before my mind can piece the puzzle.

It’s his cashmere sweater. His slacks. His loafers. His thick brown hair.

Isn’t it?

But that’s my brother’s ring. My brother who’s been lost to us for a decade. My brother who never approved of my marriage, but then disappeared before he could stop it.

How could that be his ring? Unless…

I look down to my hand and drop the knife in shock, the blood dripping down to my elbow and splattering onto my silk nightgown.

A sob catches in my throat. The simplest explanation is the most likely.

It’s his ring.

I’m the only one here.

But, how?

I fall to my knees and shove his shoulder. His dead weight is heavy.

Oh, shit.

Larks + Links + Other Hijinks

A handful of joy-starters that have captured my attention - and may yours as well!

• This viral article on “Shoot Your Shot Wednesday” is an incredible accompaniment to my risk series, a powerful articulation of how to take risks, how to shoot your shot. Highly recommend reading! I will be touching on it again in next week’s risk piece.

• I planted Eden Climbing Roses on either side of my front porch today with hopes they will one day eclipse the structure with 4” blooms. They grow to 10 feet in height! I believe these to be the same or a similar variety to the roses that captivated me in the south of France two years ago. And yes, this did influence today’s story!

  

• I crossed 50,000 words on my in-progress romance novel! It’s getting juuuuicy! Goal is to finish the draft by mid-May…

• Children’s brand Hanna Andersson’s Friends + Family Sale is live right now, up to 40% off sitewide. I rounded up all of Celine and my selects here.

  

• Celine and I both have been loving this deeply flavorful Spiced Chickpea Stew recipe from .

• I’ve sworn off new projects on the house, in favor of dialing in details on existing projects. Look for lots of posts on my Instagram and TikTok revealing our playroom and laundry room transformations in the coming weeks. Here’s a tease of the laundry room’s journey:

🩵 If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button below.

That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

💌 Looking for your next read?

If you liked this story, I would also recommend:

It stands to reason that, as a bookseller, librarian and novelist, Stephanie Perkins has a multi-room library in her home, gifts fat stacks of books to her friends and makes an art of offering the perfect book recommendation.

You are in for a treat today! The author of romantic contemporary fiction novel Overdue responded to allllll my queries with thoughtful, endearing book suggestions and a few hot takes. Plus, she’s the first to participate in our new section where we get a peek into her library and nightstand stack. Prepare your TBR, you’re about to load up on new must-reads.

Stephanie is a subscriber-requested author (thank you Marianne!), and I’m so delighted to have been introduced to her work and world. Who do you want to see on From The Library Of next? Let me know!

This interview goes longer than email can handle, so head to Substack to read the whole thing. Happy reading!

From The Library Of: Stephanie Perkins

The book with my favorite plot twist: It tends to be hard to surprise writers because we’re used to picking apart the threads of a story, but I remember studying Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith in one of my creative writing classes in college, and everyone being floored by what she had accomplished. It’s a sexy Dickensian crime novel with layers and layers of deceit, and it’s such a page-turner. Park Chan-wook’s 2016 adaptation, retitled as The Handmaiden, is also impressive, but I’d read the book first.

Favorite book in my genre: I’ve written in a few genres, but my latest novel, Overdue, is romantic contemporary fiction—that is to say, it sits in that nebulous, hard-to-shelve zone between romance and contemporary fiction. It’s firmly a love story, but it will appeal more to readers who enjoy authors like Rainbow Rowell, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Marian Keyes. I love all three of them, and my most recent favorite in this canon is Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy. It’s a smart and swoony novel whose sly jokes (the protagonist is a Tina Fey–type who writes for a pseudo-SNL) continually caught me off guard and made me actually laugh out loud. I’ve recommended it to so many friends, and it’s knocked the socks off every single one of them.

Favorite book outside of my genre: I’m a voracious reader across all genres! Impossible to pick favorites, but these are all great:

DYSTOPIAN: The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa is about an island where people’s memories of objects are being systematically erased. And Ogawa actually wrote a second, non-dystopian novel about memory called The Housekeeper and the Professor. I’m intrigued whenever authors revisit a theme, and memory is a subject that fascinates me.

FANTASY: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier is “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” meets “The Frog Prince” set in sixteenth-century Transylvania. I have a fondness for fairy-tale retellings, and this one is so special. All of her novels feel rich and complex.

HISTORICAL: The North Water by Ian McGuire scratches my itch for grim stories set in remote icy locations. (I’m always up for a grim story set in a remote icy location!) But I also want to mention Tracey Chevalier. Many of us readers love Girl with a Pearl Earring but few seem to know about A Single Thread. It’s about a woman whose entire identity becomes “spinster” after World War I, and then she starts embroidering cushions for her local cathedral. Now, I realize that sounds dull, but it was positively gripping. I still think about the protagonist regularly.

HORROR: Kiersten White is my author BFF, so I’m always inclined to gush, but I’ve had so many people come back to me and rave about how much they loved Mister Magic. It’s about the intersection between a creepy children’s television show and a cult-like religion, and it’s so, so good. One of her best.

MYSTERY: I’m such a fan of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, probably because I would like to live in the village of Three Pines and eat a licorice pipe.

SCIENCE FICTION: I’ve been slowly making my way through the giant Everyman’s Library edition of The Stories of Ray Bradbury, and… dude is a legend for a reason.

THRILLER: Out by Natsuo Kirino. A group of women who work night shifts in a factory that makes box lunches decide to help a coworker cover up a murder. Sticky and grisly. I read it years ago and still remember everything.

WESTERN: How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang is about two Chinese-American siblings who set out to bury their father during the dying gold rush amidst the buffalo . . . and the tigers. Great pick for a book club or Cormac McCarthy fan.

The book that made me want to be an author: As a child, Roald Dahl was the first author who made me understand what an author even is. Nobody else sounds like Dahl. (How awful it was to grow up and discover the depth of his bigotry. Yikes.) But in my early twenties, I obsessively reread Helen Fielding’s first two Bridget Jones books and Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series, so there’s no doubt they imprinted heavily on my authorial DNA.

The book I wish I wrote: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. It’s perfect.

The book I wish #booktok knew about: No doubt this is more of an algorithmic problem than a user problem, but: anything else. Everything else. There are so many more books in the world, #booktok! Show me something I’ve never heard of before. Dig deep into your shelves and surprise me.

(But for a more straightforward answer, The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. It’s right up there with anything written by Austen.)

If I were sent to space with only one book, it would be: I’m still trying to decide if it would be more stressful to be sent to space or to only have one book.

The book I’m embarrassed to share that I loved desperately: I’m a firm believer in not feeling shame or embarrassment about any art that I love. The phrase “guilty pleasure” really bums me out, perhaps in part because I’ve seen my own books labeled with the phrase. Whenever somebody tells me they didn’t enjoy something that I did enjoy, I take great pleasure in trumpeting, “I liked it!”

The book in whose world I’d most want to live: Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot duology takes place in on a planet similar to ours where humans were faced with all the same catastrophic problems we’re currently facing, except . . . they made the right choices. Their world is now stable and environmentally friendly, and everyone has what they need. They’re thriving. Even though the protagonist is still searching for an elusive more, it’s a hopeful and comforting vision of the future that I’ve never quite seen depicted anywhere else.

The last book that made me cry or gasp or laugh (which?): Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett probably made me do all three, but it definitely made me clutch it against my chest and physically hug it. It’s a clever, comforting fantasy novel with strong Howl’s Moving Castle vibes. An absolute pleasure from cover to cover. I also heartily recommend her charming Emily Wilde series.

The book I can never reread: I know this isn’t what you mean, but the honest answer is most of them, right? I take enormous pleasure in rereading, but a book has to reach its claws inside me and light my soul on fire for me to prioritize it over something unread.

The book I actually want to repeatedly read to my child: Only cats here, but I’ll happily recommend some modern picture book authors and illustrators. Hopefully most readers are already familiar with the cheeky work of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (auto-buys for me), but it’s worth noting that they also have a masterly Substack called Looking at Picture Books. I’ve learned so much from them.

Barnett has also collaborated a number of times with illustrator Shawn Harris, whose work I also admire, both solo (Have You Ever Seen a Flower?) as well as with authors like Dave Eggers (Her Right Foot, a book about why immigrants are awesome) and Colin Meloy (Everyone’s Awake, a book that would have been so much fun to read at storytime if it had existed back when I was a children’s librarian).

And I’m currently infatuated with the work of illustrator Sydney Smith, especially his collaborations with Jordan Scott (I Talk Like a River and My Baba’s Garden), but also The White Cat and the Monk (with Jo Ellen Bogart), Town Is by the Sea (with Joanne F. Schwartz), and Island Storm (with Brian Floca). Nobody illustrates water the way Smith illustrates water! I didn’t even know I could fall in love with something like that.

Oh! And everything by Sophie Blackall, especially Hello Lighthouse and Farmhouse. (I like stories about houses.) And everything by Phoebe Wahl, especially The Blue House (ha!) and Little Witch Hazel.

The classic I confess I’ve never read: I was supposed to read Anna Karenina for a personal reading challenge a few years ago (more on my love of challenges below), and I made it about a third of the way through before stopping. The thing is, I was loving it. I felt the language rewiring my brain. The experience was intense, yet I still managed to get distracted by another book, and I’ve never picked it back up. The more time that passes, the more I suspect I’m intimidated by it. Silly!

(It was oddly stressful to pick a translation; each has their fans. I went with Louise and Aylmer Maude’s translation because supposedly Tolstoy approved it. Was this the best choice? I will never know, and it will haunt me.)

Most cherished book from childhood: Bear by Himself by Geoffrey Hayes is a quiet picture book about a bear who enjoys being alone. Every illustration shows the bear having a fun time doing his own thing without anyone else around. As an introverted child, it resonated deeply with me, and I was relieved that it wasn’t trying to encourage me to go be social. It’s a book that understands that some bears need space from other bears.

My go-to cookbook: About seven years ago, I finally had to stop eating dairy. Instead of despairing over something out of my control, I made a conscious decision to turn it into an opportunity to learn some new skills. I love a ridiculous challenge, so I bought a vegan cookbook from my local indie bookstore — I Can Cook Vegan by Isa Chandra Moskowitz — and decided to Julie & Julia it. In other words, I’m cooking every single recipe in the entire book. I’m not in any rush, so I started in 2019, and I’ve currently made eighty-nine recipes. I’ve learned a TON, and I’ve been happily surprised by numerous dishes that I never would have tried otherwise. Moskowitz’s other cookbooks are excellent, too, especially Isa Does It, which is also heavily stained and splattered and bookmarked in my house.

The book that feels like advice from a friend: I mean, this is such a writerly answer, but Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic speak to me in ways that other craft books don’t. And there’s another fantastic one that’s not as well known in America that my Australian friend (hi, Jade!) sent me called The House That Joy Built by Holly Ringland. I keep it on my desk to remind myself that I’m here, doing this job, to interact with the joyous energy of creation. It doesn’t always feel that way.

The book I gift most often: This is my second shoutout, but I’ve gifted many copies of Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy.

But here’s another stack that I recently gave to a friend for her birthday: Woodworking by Emily St. James (my favorite novel released last year), Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (the movie is good, but the novel is astounding), The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (flawless, timeless middle grade), Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee (delightful and satisfyingly well-researched sapphic Regency romance), and Foster by Claire Keegan (I have also gifted this gem of a novella to several people).

My favorite film/tv adaption of a book: Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, her adaptation of the biography Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser, is a magnificent, macaron-tinted interpretation. I’ve been a passionate defender of this film since its release, and I’m grateful that more and more people are recognizing just how remarkable it is.

For the same audience, I wish more moviegoers had seen Autumn de Wilde’s sparkling adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. It was released right before lockdown—it was literally the last film I saw in theaters before they closed—and it’s a visual feast. The director’s background is in fashion photography, so she has a spectacular eye for the colorful and elaborate and feminine. It’s still her only feature-length film, and I’m dying for more.

And for a different audience, Kelly Reichardt’s meditative films have really been speaking to me over the last few years. They quiet my entire body down. My favorite is First Cow, which is about gentleness and friendship during a time and place where those were dangerous things, based off Jonathan Raymond’s novel The Half-Life. Several of her wonderful films are based on his work, but I’d also like to mention Certain Women, which is a skillful adaptation of three Maile Meloy short stories (from Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It). I admire that challenge of taking three separate stories and finding the common ground between them to make something new and whole.

Start reading my books with this title: I’m really, really proud of my latest novel, Overdue, and I hope more readers will find it. It’s a bookish book about librarians and booksellers, and I’ve worked in both professions. It’s about a twenty-nine-year-old woman and her longtime boyfriend who make an obviously bad decision to date other people for a while, instead of breaking up. The fallout leads to a reexamination of her entire life over the course of a year—how she imagined adulthood would be, and the reality of what it’s actually been. And by her side the whole time is her friend and coworker, on whom she’s been having crush-y feelings for years. It’s a novel filled with a lot of honesty, human mistakes, and kindness.

Unless you’re a horror fan. In that case, check out The Woods Are Always Watching, my quickly paced thriller about two teenage girls versus two adult male serial killers in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s gruesome and gnarly, and I wrote it during our president’s first term. It’s safe to say that my fear and anger gave it a very different vibe. (I’m still afraid and angry, but I’m also consciously seeking other outlets.)

In addition to writing, you’ve worked as a librarian and a bookseller. Tell us, what does the movie You’ve Got Mail mean to you? What other films have you loved that you would place in the same category of scratching that bookish itch?

Oh gosh. You’ve Got Mail . . . means everything to me. It’s huge. A top five film. I watch it every November because it’s perfect for that autumn to winter transition. I hope Nora knew how much that movie means to my generation of romance writers. I hope her sister, Delia Ephron, who co-wrote the screenplay knows. Thank you, Nora and Delia.

Wes Anderson’s films have excellent bookish elements—the illustrated middle grade novels in Moonrise Kingdom, the framing device of The Grand Budapest Hotel, almost every character in The Royal Tenenbaums is an author, and the design of Fantastic Mr. Fox being so heavily inspired by the novel’s original illustrations by Donald Chaffin, which also happened to be one of my favorite books as a child.

Adaptation, Barton Fink, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? are phenomenal films about the madness and desperation of writing. Bright Star is an achingly romantic film about John Keats, and The Hours is a great adaptation of a brilliant novel about Virginia Woolf and the resonance of another novel (Mrs. Dalloway) through time. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a winsome adaptation of an epistolary novel that involves a book club. And though it’s not about books, hardly anyone knows about this film, but it’s made for a similar audience: Puzzle, the 2018 film starring Kelly Macdonald and Irrfan Khan, about a lonely mother who begins to competitively solve jigsaw puzzles.

What is the quirkiest part of your writing process?

My process used to be very quirky to the point where it all blew up in my face over a decade ago. My basic habits, which included chugging caffeine, blasting music in my headphones, writing all night long, and sleeping during the day, were not sustainable. My physical body and mental health completely broke down, and I was faced with the choice of finding a new career or drastically changing all of my writing habits. I changed.

Now my process is only quirky in that it’s monastic. I write in the morning, I meditate before and after, I only drink water, I eat healthy meals, I get a lot of sleep, I avoid my phone, and I stay off the internet during work hours. I write in silence so that I can hear myself think. Everything I do is basic, but basic things are incredibly, monumentally difficult to do in our modern world. They’re also worth it.

Is there a distinction in writing YA vs adult, process-wise?

For me, no. Each story guides me. I just have to stay quiet and healthy and listen to it.

On Her Nightstand

A bonus section for you!

These books are neither artfully stacked nor curated to impress, but I’m pleased they’re an admirable representation of what’s normally here. I skip around based on my mood, so a few different types of books are always present.

Here we go, from the top down:

MIDDLE GRADE: The Library of Unruly Treasures by Jeanne Birdsall. Reading her beloved Penderwicks series is like eating a delicious warm cake, and so far, this standalone has the same agreeable and kindhearted energy.

FICTION: The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis. It’s about a gossipy village in eighteenth-century England where everyone is convinced that five sisters are turning into dogs. I’m only three chapters in, but so far, it’s as dark and unsettling as expected.

POETRY: I typically read poetry in my office because I like starting my workday in that sort of mindset, but this Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets edition of Edna St. Vincent Millay found its way into my bedroom because my husband and I are fostering a cat that we’ve named Edna St. Vincent Kittay. So, she’s currently on my mind and in my heart.

NONFICTION: Hot and Bothered by Jancee Dunn. As a lady in my forties, menopause is rapidly approaching, and culturally I’ve been taught almost nothing about it other than: OMG hot flashes!!!!! I appreciate how approachable and easily digestible this one has been so far. Not always the case with health-related books.

CLASSIC: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. Major blind spot for me. Her novels are also super approachable, especially considering some of their subject matter, but boy is this one a tough hang right now. I need to buckle down and finish it.

FOLKLORE: Mountain Ghost Stories and Curious Tales of Western North Carolina by Randy Russell and Janet Barnett. I’m interested in regional folklore but oddly hadn’t read much about my own region. Each story in this collection is only a few pages long, so it’s fun to dip into this collection at night when I want an old-fashioned campfire tale brushed with local history.

WOO: Ecology of Souls: A New Mythology of Death & the Paranormal, Volume One by Joshua Cutchin. The world is weird, everyone! Embrace the woo. I enjoy pondering the questions raised by high strangeness, and Cutchin is one of my favorite interdisciplinary thinkers in this field.

—

Also pictured: my reading glasses, an alarm clock (so that I don’t have to keep my phone in the bedroom), and a pad of paper and pen. A lot of my best ideas come to me in that murky state between dreaming and waking, and I have to be able to write them down immediately otherwise they’ll vanish back into the ether.

THANK YOU STEPHANIE!! I’m so floored by the time and thought you poured into these book recs. 🙏

Be sure to check Stephanie out on Instagram or on her website. And obviously go read Overdue!

🩵 If you enjoyed this post, please click the like/heart button below.

That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers.

Thank you for reading and being part of this community!

💌 Looking for your next read?

If you liked this post, I would also recommend:

I’m hoping as we get more into these more practical application lessons, the concepts will become less ethereal and more galvanizing. I know that, in writing, sometimes you have to slog through to get to the good stuff. Here’s hoping that’s what’s going on!

I’m also dealing with some residual baby/mom brain where ideas float in and out of my grasp on a whim. I’m combatting this with vitamins, regular sleep and nightly ice cream.

Finally, I also realized I’ve been trying to emulate the style of viral articles with bolded this and subheading that and short paragraphs. There’s truth to the efficacy of that style, I won’t deny it. But it’s not natural to me.

Instead, what if I borrowed a page from Raye and leaned into being an artist and trusting my instinct and crafting something original, knowing it will be thrilling in its own right, even if it breaks the mold?

Or at least I can aim for that…

Ironically, it’s turning out that this entire series is a risk. The distribution of a half-cocked theory with hopes it turns into something.

Fingers crossed.

The Momentum of Small Risks

Not all risks have to be as big, bold or grandiose as throwing your body out of a plane or starting a company or having a baby on your own or finally professing your love.

Risks can be small, a nudge out of your comfort zone. And they count just as much.

Today, we’re talking about the momentum of small risks.

One trick to risking with confidence at whatever scale is taking courage from your track record. Looking back and realizing that you have a history of taking risks, and they’ve paid off, they’ve been successful - and they will be again. It can propel you forward.

But what if you don’t have that track record? Or if you want to warm up before graduating to a bigger risk? It’s one thing to want to risk, and quite another to do it. So let’s start small.

In many ways, we risk all the time. Crossing the street. Trying a new food. Let’s take a baby step up on the risk chain to one that feels like you’re taking a chance.

Small Risk #1 / The Stand-Alone

In the spirit of practice, what small risk can you take today? It needn’t be related to anything, no deep strategy behind it.

Introducing yourself to your mailman. Trying a new route on your daily walk, a new nail polish for your pedicure (why does that sound so scary?). Speaking up in a meeting. Going to the movies alone. Inviting a neighbor over for cocktails.

Getting small reps in on risking can break down fear or hesitation about risk in general - and help prepare you for taking a larger risk in the future.

Small Risk #2 / The First Bite

If you’re mentally psyching yourself up to take a big risk, one way to build momentum with small risks is to break down your big idea into small tasks - and choose one to do now.

For example, whatever your idea may be, give yourself 30 minutes to brainstorm on it. (Be sure to sit for the full 30 minutes. The first 20 may be full of nothing; if you keep slogging through, it will come together.) The act of dedicating time to your idea feeds it, makes it feel loved and ready to give you more of itself.

Or, try a little test, dip a toe in. Email someone about your idea, see if you can get an early win. Throw some paint on the wall, literally or figuratively.

—

My point here is simple. Small risks add up. What small risk can you act on today to start building momentum?

As inspiration, a few small risks I’ve taken that paid off big:

• At a brand launch party in NYC, I knew no one but the founder/host, who was clearly spread thin. Instead of paying close attention to the snacks (my usual “I’m feeling awkward” move), I started talking to another attendee. He turned out to be a big influencer, which is helpful from a networking standpoint. But more importantly, he turned out to be a wonderful friend and constant source of inspiration.

• Early in my career, I would be asked to proofread documents, as I had a sharp eye for grammar, typos, structure. After a while, I started offering suggestions on the content as well. Very quickly, I went from the identity-less entry-level employee who was given busy work to a valued team member who had important ideas to contribute. It changed my career.

• Another time at work, I was given an exciting but practically impossible task. Long story short, I summoned the courage and made the lofty ask on behalf of my client. I got no response. It doesn’t sound like much but this was an important step. I learned I could try - and not succeed yet. I didn’t get a no. So I kept thoughtfully and strategically asking until I got a yes for my client.

April Homework

As mentioned above: take a small risk!

It’s easy. And thrilling. It can be stand-alone or in support of a larger plan. Up to you.

Care to share? Tell us what small risk you’re taking in the comments or DM me!

Leave a comment

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

I got ahead of this week’s newsletter, drafting it a week early. I’m so accomplished and prepared!

Now, as I’m polishing off edits on the below essay at 11:22PM the night before this distributes - and I still have 1,000 words of the book to write tonight - I realize I’m on the wrong cadence. This should go out next week.

Really, no one cares. Or if you do, you’re flexible (thank you). But damn, just when you think you’ve got your shit together… 🤪

On Feeling Adviced-Out

There came a point in my pregnancy where I could no longer consume any more advice. Not on pregnancy or childbirth, nor motherhood or raising a daughter.

I hadn’t over-inundated myself with books (I only read one…), and I didn’t have any overbearing relations. I was simply doing my research on the path ahead - and I hit a wall.

I worried that by shutting out the noise I was under-equipping myself. Parenthood was not a topic in which I was well-versed. I could legitimately use the advice! What wisdom was there in shutting out the wisdom of those who had gone before?

Have you experienced this as well? Where you’re admittedly a novice at something but you can’t handle any more advice?

I bring this up today because I’m now in a similar position, this time while I’m pregnant (metaphorically) with my romance novel.

Unlike with my first two books, this time I’m actively educating myself on structure, beats, how to prepare for publication. I’ve uncovered so many incredible resources that are full of good, meaningful advice.

But I’ve hit the same point as before. It’s enough, I’m full. I’m adviced-out. Now, when I come across posts with incredibly valuable insight, I get a heavy, overwhelmed feeling. Doubt creeps in, undermining my progress.

I’m applying the lessons learned during my (human) pregnancy. Amid the hormones, I realized a few things:

• there comes a point when you do have enough advice for where you are in the journey

  • you can always return to find advice later, when you’re further down the path!

• I like learning by doing

  • my learning style requires I get my hands dirty. As in, let me make my own mistakes!!

• I need to find my own way of doing things

  • advice can be weighed and rejected, refining my own path

At this stage with the book, it’s time to shut out the voices of others and tune into my inner voice.

I need to wrestle with the book myself for a bit. I’m shifting from what is the book readers want? and what is the book that will sell and be the greatest success so I can support my daughter? (hello, pressure), to what is the book I want to write? and what is the book I want to read?

I’ll bring the reader back into consideration with the second draft, but I believe/hope they’ll love the book I want to write. I found myself over-indexing on consulting the beat sheet to ask what should happen in scenes, instead of turning inward to tune into my gut and creativity - or heck, asking the characters! - to follow the story there.

I feel the start of the same feeling as I share about my new backyard cut-flower garden.

I have minimal gardening experience, but I’m excited about this experiment. Will my seeds grow, will the plants yield flowers, will the foxglove actually turn out to be poisonous? I don’t know!

I’ve been getting some well-meaning feedback on social media where people are telling me how it’s going to turn out - hey, I started the conversation - but my response is: “no spoilers please!” The seeds are in the ground. I’m not digging them up now. If they don’t grow or die, I’ll learn, which I’m okay with.

As I pondered on this theory, and so articulately named it “feeling adviced-out,” I then had to ask, am I part of the problem?*

As a writer and content creator, am I dumping advice on people? Here’s how to risk, here’s a book to read, here’s a link to click.

This led me to an important distinction. In those times when I am feeling adviced-out, I still seek inspiration, story, ideas.

This renews my desire to provide value here in Plot Twists. If I’m not psyched to share it with you, it gets cut. I’m always open to your thoughts and feedback.

In case you needed it, consider this essay permission to tune out the voices, skip an edition of the newsletter you typically love, mute an account that is too much, give a friend the feedback that you need a break from advice.

Create a little space and margin for your own voice to come forward and flourish.

*Wow, that sounded so SATC Carrie Bradshaw sitting at her desk and musing existentially. Unintentional, promise.

Quick Writing Update!

Welp, I didn’t quite hit the goal of completing my romance novel’s first draft by the end of March.

• in February, I wrote 7,300 words

• in March, I wrote 17,900 words

A notable improvement - and I passed the halfway mark on March 30!

Part of the hold-up was that I didn’t know exactly what happens in the book. It’s one thing to understand the big picture, or the larger beats of the acts, but then there were chapters that were blanks. And they can’t read like blanks. So there was a lot of thinking - a lot of mentally exploring the story. Which doesn’t advance your word count for the day.

The plan going forward: churn out 1000 words/weekday + 1000 words/weekend until I hit 70,000 words - aka a completed first draft - by May 8. And then Celine and I are taking a vacation!

Writing *the middle* definitely feels like a slog - but the good news is, when I read my previous day’s draft, I’m always giggling. We’re getting somewhere! 💘

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

I’ve been struggling to land on an appropriate sound going for my new book, but I had a bit of a breakthrough this week, thanks to Raye's new single “Click Clack Symphony,” which led to me to her back catalog - and I was off and running. Interestingly, her work is less so feeding the tone of the story and more so fueling my desires to lean precipitously into my creativity.

I mention this because my first step for writing today’s story was landing on the right background music. I started with The Band Camino but that felt too upbeat, so I pivoted to Hoobastank and Incubus, but they felt too emo. Mind you, I didn’t know the story yet. Which gave me an idea! New Linkin Park. Familiar but not. A story I don’t know, but a tone that I did.

Remember, this is the Plot Twist Writing Challenge, in which I have 2 hours + 1000 words + 1 writing prompt to create a story. So I don’t have time to mess around. New LP it is!

Here’s the prompt for today’s story:

Uncertain of what's about to come of his family's life when he gets back home, a desperate husband and father discovers a cryptic, long-forgotten note in the middle of a hymnal in the last pew of an empty church.

If last month’s prompt was right up my alley, the above is not my typical fare, but I like the challenge! But man, subscriber, you really painted me into a corner with this one.😤 I’m writing this intro before even starting the story, so let’s see what I came up with…

👉🏻 I’m in need of more Plot Twist Writing Challenge prompts! It’s just a sentence - can you share one? Here’s more info on what I’m looking for. I dreamt last night that someone mailed me a prompt with a very elaborate presentation. That’s not necessary; you can simply comment or message me directly lol.

And! After today’s story, I included a round up of a smattering of things that sparked joy for me and might do the same for you.

Tic-Tac-Toe Revival

He would have laughed at the drama of the moment, if the overwhelm and frustration weren’t so suffocating.

The lightning flashes. The swirling rain. The seeking refuge in a church. The water pooling under his shoes. The urgent texts. The looking over his shoulder.

From the onset, his ill-fated mission in the city took turn after turn. Before he even arrived at the meeting point, he had to ditch his vehicle and divert to the train. The deadline was looming. There was no time for such rookie mistakes. If he didn’t successfully make the delivery, there would be hell to pay.

Speaking of hell paying, the weather – a microburst – took an already impossible situation and doused it in discomfort and inconvenience.

It’s like they knew his moves before he even made them, always one step ahead. They were taunting him, like they didn’t know his seniority – or worse, didn’t care. He could make their lives miserable if he unleashed. But that’s not who he wanted to be.

And today was not the day for that. Today was about setting aside all personal grievances and staying on mission, no matter what they threw at him. There were eyes everywhere, and they could ill afford additional scrutiny.

He pulled on his collar, as if getting some air would alleviate the feeling of being trapped. The only way out was through. He had to find a way to endure.

Lightning threw a garish glow across the empty church. He wasn’t sure what was more unnerving – the unnatural over-exposed church or the darkness afterward. The storm cast an early night over the city, but he still had a long way to go.

Ducking into the church was a move of desperation. There was no option to get away, not really. If he didn’t take a moment to breathe and collect himself, he wouldn’t be able to go on.

How to find relief enough to sustain him so he could complete the mission? Prayer? At this point, he wasn’t sure divine intervention would prove sufficient. The word? Always a good option, but he knew his heart would resist.

He flipped open a Bible, but instead of red letters, he only found music. A hymnal. He glanced up and down the pew. Against the odds, the entire pew was only stocked with hymnals. Even the word wasn’t available today. He tossed the hymnal from one hand to the other, powerless to act out further without drawing attention.

Jostling the book knocked loose a paper, which wafted to the floor below. He picked up the remnant and examined the surface.

The page was old, the paper weathered from years, perhaps decades, of friction in the hymnal. The pencil marks were faded, making it tough to decipher. Could this be what he was looking for?

A series of tic-tac-toe games graced the page, one hand more confident than the other. Childlike large hearts were drawn around some of the games, perhaps indicating the victor’s preferred victory celebration.

The same young hand wrote along the bottom: when can we go home? The response, presumably from the father, based on the handwriting style: soon!

It was the final small heart at the end that started the defrost of this father’s struggling heart. How old were this duo now? Did they still play tic-tac-toe or pass notes in church? Sadly, likely not.

This snapshot of a father-child relationship had him tearing up and remembering his own son differently.

Differently from the middle-school-aged beast who was hell-bent on undermining today’s school field trip. The kids were all in it together. His son was another half-cocked, feral mess. But his responsibility. Text notifications from his wife pinged in the darkness with requests for a good photo of the two of them from the trip.

How would they get through the remainder of the afternoon?

This little note – a reminder of what was and the fleetingness of time – might be enough.

Larks + Links + Other Hijinks

A handful of joy-starters that have captured my attention - and may yours as well!

• For starters, can we talk about how freaking adorable my baby drummer Celine is in her world tour looks, a little content piece we did as brand ambassadors for children’s fashion brand Hanna Andersson? Also the interview she gave?! My girl! Below are some BTS shots that Instagram didn’t see. You can shop the collection here. 🍓🌸🥁🐶🌼

• From our latest For The Girls screening, I’m delighted to report that Jane Austen Wrecked My Life was a wonderful little film. If you’re looking for a quiet, satisfying escape, this is it. I loved the quiet pauses in scenes, leaving space for you to slip into the characters’ inner worlds via your own imagination.

• Seemingly boring household items that bring me untold joy:

  • the ultimate cushy rug pad. It’s ostensibly for Celine’s knees, but really it’s saving mine.

  • a pink hose! I’m so delighted by this. It follows my mentality of “what’s the dream version of this?!” If I’m buying a hose, I want it to add as much as it can to our home.

  • the newest member of our Sonos family, this time to facilitate backyard dance parties. I love the Olive colorway. Our neighbors are going to love us…

  • bonjour! This doormat makes me so happy every time I cross it.

  

• Ready for some TMI? My takeaway from this video is that I need a new bra, stat. Why am I still wearing a nursing bra? I’m not nursing during the day. Well, I got sucked into the ads for this bralette and… it lives up to the hype. I’m a new woman. Catch me in my next video looking supported.

• Speaking of evolving wardrobes in motherhood, I loved this article about rebuilding your closet and the outfits styled by . My closet needs an overhaul. I basically have a new life, but my clothes haven’t changed in three years leading to some very questionable school drop-off looks. This article was validating and inspiring.

• Julia of is also inspiring my revived wardrobe vision. Could I also look chic while chasing children? Maybe not that chic… but a girl can dream!

  And since my feet have grown in motherhood, effectively wiping out my previously stocked shoe collection, I’ve been eyeing her new collaboration with Margaux. Also, the supporting campaign video was brilliant - this is a perfect example of leading with inspiration, not advice.

• A book recommendation! To help end a reading drought, I pledged to my book club that I would indeed read the book this month. A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen turned out to be a four-star Norse-inspired fantasy romance read. We’re reading the sequel next month!

  More of my books recs can be found here.

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

💌 Looking for your next read?

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It’s me! I’m kicking off our 2026 From The Library Of series, because I’m jealous and I wanted my own! That and Emma Thompson kindly declined - which means she considered! or, at least, her publicist’s assistant did - so I’m jumping in.

If you are a new reader, hello and welcome!! Here’s a little more about me, but in short, I’m a single mother, aspiring author, and serial entrepreneur with too many ideas and not enough time.

I already have our April author lined up - one of your requests! - and I have a number of requests out. It’s going to be a year of voracious reading with all these inspired recs!

I started From The Library Of because your #1 content request was book recommendations, and I knew I would not have enough - titles, genres, perspectives - to satiate. But I do have a few…

It’s time for my definitive collection of book recommendations. Let’s get into it!

From The Library Of: Elisabeth Edelman

The book with my favorite plot twist: Oh, absolutely A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas. The most riveting plot twists happen when the author sets the rules of a world, establishing “the way things are.” Then, when you least expect it, the author upends one of the rules. The best plot twists strike at the most fundamental understanding of “the way things are.” Enough mansplaining.

Sarah took an entire book to set up the plot twist in ACOMAF. That’s bold. And there’s a flicker of foreshadowing in that first book, that hit me funny on first read, but I didn’t know what to do with it, so moved on, unaware.

Favorite book in my genre: I’m calling myself a romance author, so the honors fall to The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. It’s the classic workplace enemies to lovers, with an absolutely delicious he-tends-to-her-while-sick scene. The movie is cute as well and available on Netflix. (Elisabeth, do not stop writing this to go re-watch that!!)

Favorite book outside of my genre: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. How I wish I could read this again! I will not watch this adaption because I want to preserve the book as it is in mind.

The book that made me want to be an author: In college, I petitioned the English department to allow me, a journalism major, to take an upper class dedicated to Toni Morrison with the argument that I wanted to learn. They had to say yes to that. We read all of her works, and I, so utterly floored by her writing, decided to be an author. I wrote my first complete novel senior year, following her auto-didactic strategy and attempting to be deep and artistic. The book is an utter travesty, but it was a start. The lesson that has stuck with me is that Toni’s first sentences / paragraphs / pages often contain an entire story/world unto themselves.

Also, Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. I never wanted this book to end.

The book I wish I wrote: The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. My perfect romance? As in, this is the romance that I wish would happen to me - minus the being-a-widow thing. Sooo wrote - or lived? I also appreciated the depth of plot to this story. They didn’t fall in love over the course of three days - it was earned.

The book I wish #booktok knew about: If I could wish any book to blow up and experience wild success thanks to the ravenously generous community of TikTok, it would be Nora Goes Off Script by . The book’s already a fixture in the romance world, but I’ve not seen it green-lit for a film adaptation. TikTok’s finest could make that happen - and dig into the debate of who should play Leo Vance.

If I were sent to space with only one book, it would be: The Martian? Or would that be back luck? Instead, How about Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier, so I could study the intricate layers of prose and mystery? It killllls me (in the best way) that the book is titled Rebecca and the main character is unnamed, which tells everything you need to know about their relationship. What an unparalleled brilliantly creative flourish. I can’t get over it.

The book I’m embarrassed to share that I loved desperately: The Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. Finally a dystopian story with a beautiful ending that heals your soul after all the hardships and tragedies from the rest of the books.

The book I can never reread: The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I describe these books as excellent and excruciating. You know the premise already, but did you ever stop to think about it? Ugh, I don’t even want to get into it. What devastates me the most is the lack of faith. There is no higher power in Panem, nothing to cling to.

The book I actually want to repeatedly read to my child: Anything and everything by Sandra Boynton. Her books are silly and poignant at once. They abound with plot twists. Her rhyme and cadence are unmatched. Most recent favorites? Belly Button Book. Bee-bo! Also, Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great! is the children’s version of Kris Jenner’s “you’re doing amazing, sweetie!”

The classic I confess I’ve never read: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy has been sitting on my bookshelf for a few decades now…

My go-to cookbook: I’ve written about my favorite cookbooks before, but the one that rises to the top is Fresh, Happy, Tasty by Jane Coxwell. For starters, Jane is Diane von Furstenberg’s private chef - on the fashion designer’s yacht. You have my attention. Actually reading this cookbook transformed my understanding of flavor - I’m now super generous with herbs, spices, citrus and toasted nuts. Tactics for leveling up any dish.

My signature coffee table book: Coloring outside of the lines here, I would like to offer that you can/should make a coffee table book of your vacation photos. Not a thin photo book. A chunky, oversized big boi with a full-bleed cover. Now that’s a signature coffee table book.

How to make this happen? Artifact Uprising. Try their Photo-Wrapped Layflat Album, and if you can’t swing graphic design (reasonable), engage one of their designers to do it for you! I did this with pics from my 40th birthday celebration in Harbour Island.

The book that feels like advice from a friend: More Than Enough, by my fellow Enneagram 7 friend . The book chronicles how a year-long minimalism challenge redefined her family’s priorities, leading them to a new mantra: “less stuff, more adventure.” Also, I highly recommend Miranda’s podcast, Practically Happy. 320 episodes of advice - search for the topic of your choice!

The book I gift most often: Essentialism by Greg McKeown coaches you on identifying your highest point of contribution and focusing on that. This book changed my career, prompting me to start my own company. Every employee received this book on their first day.

My favorite film/tv adaption of a book: How about worst? The A Discovery of Witches trilogy (I guess I read a lot of trilogies…) by Deborah Harkness are beautiful books - a fascinating development of a witch’s power. Sure, the time-travel second book drags a little with the history, but the ending is the perfect culmination of stepping into power. Who decided this book should be adapted?! Specifically, who approved the third season when they apparently ran out of money? They cast it well, but damn, it’s so, so comically, tragically terrible, I think primarily due to lack of budget. I wish so, so fervently I could unwatch the series.

Start reading my books stories with this title: In a perfect world, I would get to know you as a reader a little before recommending one of my almost 40 stories! But if forced to choose, please start with Sort Of (Part 1 and Part 2). It’s my best writing, maybe ever. Even I’m in awe that I wrote this.

My latest title story: Flying Blind, based on a reader-submitted prompt! On a tiny six-person plane going to Nantucket, you’re sitting next to a terrified celebrity, and you support him through it. What happens next?

Just a couple more questions…

What is the quirkiest part of your writing process?

Probably that I am completely and irrevocably and forevermore a night owl. All leadership and writing advice suggests waking at 5am and focusing your best energy of the day on your most important projects. I’ve tried. For two dedicated years, I tried to be a morning person, hitting the gym at 6am before work. Two years! You can’t say I didn’t give habit enough time to take over. I was miserable.

You see, something powerful happens to my brain after 10pm. I get a second wind, can hyper-focus and produce my best work. Everyone else goes to bed, and I get that same quiet time that others experience at the crack of dawn. I still need sleep, but I do my most productive work at night. I wrote my second book from 10pm-3am most night. I crushed 130,000 words in three months.

Now that I have a baby? I’m still working at night. I try to be in bed by 1am, so I can be up with her at 7/730am.

What can you tell us about the new book?

When I wrote books one and two, I had a little superstition that I wouldn’t breathe a word about the plot until the draft was ready for beta-readers. I wanted to create a draft that was purely mine, before I opened it up to the world for their feedback.

On one hand, I want to preserve the sanctity of the first draft.

On the other, I want to tell you EVERYTHING. Not just the premise. But sit down and absolutely GUSH about the characters, that wicked thing she said to him, the beauty of the place they’re living, the dog!, this wild moment when…

Enough teasing, just spill already!

Okay, okay! Here’s what I can tell you at this stage:

• it’s a romance (you know this)

• it’s sports-based (ooo)

• I had the idea after seeing a Reel about this sport and immediately thought to myself, but what if it were hot and they hated each other?

• I want to write a lower-stress story, kind of like Sarah Adams. Still plenty of tension and action, but it’s not heavy. Would you be into that? Or do you want impossible stakes and stressy ticking clocks?

P.S. There’s a decent Easter egg in this post that would point to which sport…

This was so fun to write! Thank you for indulging me!

In April, a proper published author will once again join us for FTLO. Until then, check out the full series here.

Or tell me who you’d like to see profiled!

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers.

Thank you for reading and being part of this community!

💌 Looking for your next read?

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Maybe it’s because I lived alone for 15 years (until recently), but sometimes you just want to get all your girlfriends together and watch that really girly movie or series.

Last summer, my bestie + creative director Emma and I did just that. We invited our friends to enjoy newly released episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty, season three, at a private screening room (part of my social club membership). Leaning into the moment, we surprised everyone with themed gift bags and made bag charms together.

It was sweet. I loved hearing everyone’s reactions to scenes, the giggles, groans and gasps.

Maybe it’s the film festival attendee in me, but I wanted more.

I used to attend a different film festival every year with my childhood bestie Neha - we did Tribeca, Toronto, Telluride, Sundance.

Maybe it’s because, as I’ve gotten older, I want to read and watch more escapist fare. I don’t want serious, hard, scary. I want love, fantasy, intrigue. I want to admire the artistry needed to catch feelings.

So Emma and I expanded this one-off screening idea from last summer into a series called For The Girls. Every month, our group of friends dines out at a different restaurant, then gather at the screening room to watch a must-see title.

We kicked things off with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour docu-series, then Emily Henry’s Netflix adaption of People We Meet On Vacation, season four of Bridgerton, and tonight - Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (writer on a Jane Austen retreat + romcom in French = my dream movie? we’ll see). The gift bags got shelved - not sustainable. We’re prioritizing thoughtful convos and making new friends.

I forgot to book the screening room once - and realized it the day before the screening, ie too late. Y’all, I scrambled so hard but finding a back-up screening room is tough. We ended up piling into Emma’s living room - because I don’t have a tv - and it was delightful.

Otherwise, this series is my favorite thing: fun.

It’s important to write, create, share and enjoy women’s stories.

I used the word “girly” above on purpose. Somehow, as I wrote it, I felt a frivolous undertone. Like I shouldn’t be doing “girly” things at the age of 42. Like girly is wrong or less than.

We didn’t create this intimate screening series as an act of rebellion. We did it because it is fun to delight. To be girly. Is that an act of rebellion itself? I don’t know. I’m not trying to get too heady here.

I’ve been writing to you recently about agency, how you have the agency to make your life great. For The Girls is a lighthearted example of creating the experience you want. It doesn’t alway have to be a huge career move or having a baby on your own.

My larger point is this: sometimes you just want to watch a movie with your girlfriends.

You can make it happen.

Two Instagram Reels recapping our super-girly The Summer I Turned Pretty screening:

Quick Writing Update!

I recommitted myself to completing my romance novel’s first draft by the end of March - and the early numbers are in:

• in February, I wrote 7,300 words

• in March (so far), I’ve written 9,600 words!

Honestly, this was a lot more impressive four days ago. A week into March, I had quadrupled my rate from February, though I still wasn’t on target to hit 70K words by March 31.

Then we redid my home’s HVAC which required a lot of displacement, and I posted on social and wrote this article and blah blah blah excuses excuses…

That said, my March progress is categorically an improvement over last month. I do continue catastrophizing and romanticizing the book / writing experience as I go. What an absolute emotional rollercoaster.

The book is going to be great! Unless it sucks! But I can fix it if I need to. It’s just the first draft, calm down. 🙄

From The Library Of Update!

I’ve taken your suggestions to heart and reached out to almost everyone you named. And the responses are starting to come in. All acceptances so far…! (one lol)

One of you suggested Emma Thompson. You know, of Sense & Sensibility, Love Actually and Late Night, just to scratch the surface.

Yes, Emma Thompson would be amazing. But let’s be honest, would she really appear on my teeny tiny Substack? My immediate reaction: not going to happen.

But I gave it more thought. I did ask you for dream participants. I didn’t ask for reasonable participants. Emma freaking Thompson would be beyond cool. I absolutely want to know what she’s reading and what it’s meant to her.

So I emailed Emma’s publicist. I was channeling the whole spirit of “taking risks helps make your dreams come true.” I’ve not heard back - yet. But feel free to manifest her name in your inbox this year!

This reader also suggested Meryl Streep - what faith they have in me! 😮‍💨 - but I’ve not summoned sufficient courage for that one. Yet.

I’m listening to you - and acting on your feedback!

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers.

Thank you for being part of this community!

Last month, we ruminated on making our lives great and remembering that we have agency. We believe things are possible!

This month, we start preparing to risk. Ooo…

As much as this is a series, my hope is that each of these lessons can stand on their own. (But I’m only writing the second now, so we’ll see!) It need not be cumulative. Join us where you can, when you feel called.

Who did their homework last month and watched my 2016 talk on risk? Identify yourselves in the comments to receive your props!

Brief side quest…

Um, Who Is Writing This and Why Are We Listening To You?

It occurred to me that I wrote Lesson One under the assumption that you’re a long-time reader and know who I am and why risk is relevant to me. I skipped my credentials specific to this series, which isn’t helpful if you have no idea who I am. 🙄

Actually, who I am isn’t as important as what I’ve done. (in this context)

Over the last 20 years, I’ve taken massive risks to pursue my passions and callings to live the life of my dreams. I’m not waiting for things to happen to me. I’m making my dreams happen.

Some of the risks I’ve taken that have worked out:

• I moved to New York City after college graduation without having ever spent a night in the city.

• I quit my first job in NYC to stay in the city and write a novel.

• I started a PR firm at the age of 24 without a business plan.

• I walked away from the company I started to move from NYC to Richmond.

• I left a stable agency job to work for a startup, then left that startup to launch my own business.

• I sold my business to have to a baby on my own and build a career as an author.

Why should you listen to me? I move. I start businesses. I make my dreams happen. I walk away from situations that no longer serve me. I take big swings confidently.

And through it all, I’ve developed a system for embracing risk that I want to share with you.

more about Plot Twists

Lesson Two: Figuring Out What You Want Is The Hard Part

Figure out what you want, and then go get it.

That’s my simplified formula for shaping a great life. Step one, figure out what you want. Step two, go get it.

It’s so simple that you might gloss over it. Let me offer some orientation. “Going and getting it” isn’t the hard part. “Figuring out what you want” - that’s the hard part.

In order to risk well, you have to be clear on what you want. You have to set a direction before you point your energy and hard work, before you put things on the line. An informed direction sets you up for success for “going and getting it.”

Are you clear on what you want?

A few times in my career, I felt restless. I had outgrown my position at work, or my priorities had shifted and I wasn’t living in alignment, or I had an idea I couldn’t shake. I knew I needed a change, but I wasn’t sure what that change should be.

Tips To Figure Out What You Want

1) Take the time you need

In big career/life transitions (moving, changing careers, starting something new, etc.), I take gobs of time to evaluate my options and figure out what I want - sometimes up to three months.

This isn’t analysis paralysis. This is exploring the possible paths and giving it time to feel right.

An important litmus test: if you give it long enough, you get a sense of whether the idea feels right to you. Does it still hold your attention? Are you noticing chemistry, patterns that make it feel like the universe is aligning? (Yes, I’m serious.) If your idea doesn’t hold up to this test, it may not be worth the risk.

For less monumental moments, reduce the timeline accordingly. But don’t rush. Marinate.

If you feel you don’t have the luxury of time, consider whether that’s true. Could you give yourself another week? It’s the whole measure-twice-cut-once mentality. If you set direction properly from the start, your pursuit will be more successful - and it’s less likely you’l have to do it over.

2) Be specific

The mistake I often see is that people realize they need a change, but don’t get more specific on what that change is. So they flail about, change departments or jobs, but they don’t feel settled because they weren’t specific about the next step.

Instead of “I need a new job” or “I just need out,” it’s “I want to work for xyz company” or “I want to move into xyz role or xyz industry.”

3) Find the true end goal

My journals are littered with the declaration “I want to be a writer.” I knew I wanted to write fiction and get my books published. The desire has evolved over time, from creative passion to a vision for a sustainable creative life.

What would I say I want now? “I want to make a living as a published author.”

Are you digging to the root of what you want? Do you need a new job or a lifestyle change? You don’t want to invest in a change to find you missed the point!

—

As I’m writing this, my inner critic is jabbering away, “This feels like a slog. Borrrring. Risking is sexy. Where’s the jumping out of a plane? The impulsive packing up and moving to Europe overnight? Why does this take so loooong?”

Sorry, not sorry. If you want to risk well, if you want your bold moves in life to succeed, then your wild turns aren’t actually so wild after all.

Next time, we go get it.

March Homework

I bet you can see this one coming.

Your homework this month: figure out what you want.

Look, this series is taking place over a year. If you’re intent on taking a fixed risk right now, this cadence will be too slow. But, maybe you’ve got an idea for a risk that needs some marinating. Are you clear on what you really want?

Or you’re game to learn how to risk. This month, what’s a risk you want to be able to take and work on this year?

Care to share? Add your target risk to the comments or DM me!

Leave a comment

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Also, if you know someone who might appreciate this series on risk, would you please share with them, so they can join us from the jump?

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When conjuring story or scenes, I lean on a trick learned in a screenwriting class half a decade ago. Our instructor suggested we come up with at least 10 options for the item we’re trying to create. It forces you to get beyond the first idea your brain comes up with and tends to stick to.

In this case today, my first thought was for our main character to meet an older celeb, perhaps inspired by Dick Van Dyke. She gets invited to his compound, they become friends, he leaves the house to her when he passes. It felt unexpected but ultimately flat.

So I pushed for more options. Some were bad, others underdeveloped. Until I stumbled on the below concept! The framing felt particularly cool - it gave the story instant voice.

This is the latest result from the Plot Twist Writing Challenge, in which I create a story from 1 writing prompt, 2 hours and 1,000 words.

I’m looking for more prompts! Learn how to submit yours here.

Flying Blind

AS: Welcome back to Blind Item! I’m your host Alisa Smythe. Today’s guest has an insane story to share, particularly for our millennial listeners. You are going to lose your shit. As always, our guests share celebrity blind items, so identities are veiled. That means names aren’t shared, but we don’t skimp on details. Our twist is that our guests are part of the story. This celebrity interaction happened to them!

We’ve given our guest today the name Hannah, which, yes, is an Easter egg. Come on, people, we’re in season three. You know how this game works!

[ad break]

AS: Hannah, welcome to Blind Item. Per our show’s format, I’ve not heard your story, but my producer’s notes tell me it kicks off on a flight to Nantucket?

H: Thanks for having me. Yes! I’m an interior designer, and I was headed to a dream assignment: a client just hired me to do their new beach house. I had never been to the island before, so I arrived a few days early to soak in the local design aesthetic. We weren’t flying in any old plane, but a proper six-seater sea plane. It was feeling all very 1990s Wings. Cutesy. Small town. Working class but luxury.

AS: Love it! Okay, the stage is set. Go on.

H: It’s a tiny plane, no assigned seats, and I board second, so I follow the guy in front of me to the back of the plane. I’m thinking I’m making room for additional passengers. It’s one seat on either side of the aisle, three rows deep. After a moment, I realize no one else is coming, so I’m feeling very self-conscious for taking the seat next to his. I could have sat anywhere else! It doesn’t help that the guy is giving serious “don’t talk to me” vibes. He has his hood pulled up and sunglasses on. Honestly, he looked more threatening than famous, though I should have known better, on a flight to Nantucket.

AS: I mean, no celeb in their right mind is taking the ferry, so yes, you should have known better.

H: We take off. Everything’s normal – it’s a quick 45-minute flight. He’s looking out the window. I’m dozing off a little, planes put me to sleep immediately. We’re like 10-12 minutes into the flight, and out of nowhere, the plane just drops. Not turbulence. It feels like we’re falling out of the sky. The guy next to me grabs my hand. The plane immediately levels off, thank God, but the turbulence doesn’t stop. My heart is going, but I’m handling it far better than the man, whose grip on my hand is vice-like, like we’re in the sea and I’m his flotation device. I’m holding his hands, occasionally patting the back of his hand to help calm him down. But then he whips off his sunglasses and pulls his hood back, and I have my second heart attack in five minutes.

AS: Omg who was it?! You can tell me later.

H: He’s SO famous. You know how everyone has their favorite rom-com? Like, their comfort watch, they can quote every line, the one that set their standard for men? He’s the guy from my rom-com, one of the good ones from back in the day, and he’s only done incredible work since, including I guess maintaining his hotness, because Lawd, this Southern woman was weak in the knees.

AS: >squeals< I can only imagine the drama of this moment.

H: The turbulence is wild. The pilot is shouting something at us, but we can’t hear it. Seriously disconcerting. We’re both terrified, but at least I have a distraction to keep me entertained.

After the longest – and most surreal – 30 minutes of my life, the plane finally lands on Nantucket. We’re still clutching hands – and still haven’t spoken. We sit on the runway a moment, regrouping, and still holding hands, he turns to me – it’s as though he’s staring into my very soul – and says, “Now that we’re here and still alive, what do you say to lunch?”

AS: How did you react to this?!

H: Honestly, that it was such a normal invite helped me remember to also be normal. I’m so proud of myself; instead of automatically accepting, I respond with: “What do you have in mind?” He tells me he could drive us to his house, and we could do sandwiches. The interior designer in me is dying at the thought of getting to see his house. So obviously now I coolly accept. We walk out to his car – a vintage cream Landcruiser a staff person dropped off for him – and he drives us through town and then to his beach house. It’s a dream. We have an absolute perfect sunny day, blue skies, white fluffy clouds, hydrangeas everywhere.

AS: This is so JFK Jr. coded.

H: His neighborhood is beyond gorgeous. Classic coastal New England. And then we pull onto his property. He’s out on a point, so it’s incredibly private. You might expect a sprawling manse, given the sweep of the grounds – you can’t see any neighbors, but the house was surprisingly small. Small, but so perfect. It’s original, storied and weathered, but he blew out the kitchen, which opens up to the pool deck. Then this part kills me. I ask him who designed the house for him, and he says, all casual, “Oh. I did it.”

AS: As if you weren’t into him before…

H: I didn’t think he could get more attractive. I am so wrong. He pulls some sandwiches from Something Natural out of the fridge. His staff preps the house for him. I learned later they are the sandwiches of Nantucket. We walk down to the beach with Diet Cokes and kettle chips and sandwiches and a blanket, have a picnic and toast to life. It was amazing.

AS: So intimate, so normal. Nothing like the shared trauma of a near-death experience to bring you straight to the inner circle. Then what happened?!

H: That’s all you’re getting from me today. A girl’s got to keep some secrets… Thank you for having me!

AS: Wait! … Hello? … She hung up? I want more! Can you get her back? Well, listeners, that’s never happened in the history of this show. One can only speculate how the rest of her story goes…

A Few Larks

• Just bought this Chore Jacket from Veronica Beard on deep discount. Their finishes are too good: the brass buttons, the pocket designs, the corduroy lining and suede collar. I love their jackets.

  If budget were no option, I’d scoop this bejeweled number. But more than likely, I’ll wait for this one to get discounted; it’s so soft. You’d absolutely wear it forever.

  PS: Are you following ’s newly launched Substack, A Need To Know Basis?! Don’t you think I should be one of their guest editors? I could pen a custom short. What happens when two women named Veronica marry brothers with the last name Beard?

• I was asked today what to gift an expecting mother. Everyone has their own particularities. I didn’t need any special pillows or things. I just wanted to nap and eat carbs. But then I remembered! This cream might be the reason I didn’t have any stretch marks. Perfect gift for this stage.

• I made ’s Chicken Parmesan Soup tonight. You know I’m a soup person. It was delicious and oh so comforting!

  The recipe includes a finishing touch I’ve not seen before: sprinkle with cheese and parmesan breadcrumbs. Celine was literally begging for dinner to be ready, and I was simultaneously meeting a woman in the alley to sell a microwave from the shed in my backyard, so I didn’t have time to make the parmesan breadcrumbs. I simply sprinkled panko on top, and it was magical.

  • I have 5 gift subscriptions for Zoe’s Restaurant Dropout to share, giving you a free month. Please comment if you’d like one!

    Leave a comment

• TikTok loved my doorknob restoration project at the new house this week. I’m still smitten myself.

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That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!

💌 Looking for your next read?

If you liked this story, I would also recommend:

Today, I would love your input on two elements for From The Library Of, so we can really dial it in to what you want!!

For the uninitiated, From The Library Of is the monthly column on Plot Twists that interviews authors and notable readers on their book recommendations and writing habits. Romance author Annabel Monaghan kicked us off and legitimized the whole thing.

Now, I want to raise the bar. This is where you come in.

Subscribe now

Part 1 | Who Is Your Dream From The Library Of Participant?

Imagine you have been given access to creep around the most *fabulous* home and push your nose up to all the books piled high on the nightstand and sitting on the stairs waiting to be brought up and tucked into totes slouched in the mudroom.

Further, the homeowner is there to divulge why the book caught their eye and how it made them feel and whatever other clever anecdote this gem of a human shares.*

Who would that person be?

To date, six incredible authors have exposed us to their world of books. We’ve not yet leaned into the “notable reader” side of things.

The first person that came to mind for me - because her taste level is oh-so-Nancy-Meyers for its restraint and specificity and effort meets effortlessness - is of Dinner at Isabelle’s IG/TT and now YouTube fame!

Is she a reader? I don’t know, but I intend to find out!

Who would you add to our list of subjects? Author. “Notable reader.” Reality TV star. Educator. Someone whose taste level intrigues you.

I’ve got a few in the works, but I’d love some fresh perspective beyond my own circles of people and thoughts.

Please comment your suggestion below!! So excited for your ideas!

Leave a comment

*Sidenote: goodness, I’m riveted by my own writing and now I want to turn From The Library Of into a YouTube series where we tour our subject’s home and see their cherished books and hear the stories firsthand. As though Vogue’s 73 Questions and From The Library Of had a baby. No one steal this idea. I’ll add to my list of lofty dreams I don’t have time for. Is this insane?

Part 2 | What Creative Prompts Can You Suggest?

For the From The Library Of interview, I provide a long list of book recommendation prompts and invite the subject to pluck out those that inspire them to respond to.

I’d love to get even more creative, more unhinged, more dramatic prompts to help pull rich stories and compelling reads from our interviewees.

What prompts might you add to my existing list below? Comment them below!

• The book with my favorite plot twist:

• Favorite book in my genre:

• Favorite book outside of my genre:

• The book that made me want to be an author:

• The book I wish I wrote:

• The book I wish #booktok knew about:

• If I were trapped on a desert island with three books, they would be:

• The book I’m embarrassed to share that I loved desperately:

• The book in whose world I’d most want to live:

• The last book that made me cry or gasp or laugh (which?):

• The book that left me with a million questions:

• The book I can never reread:

• The book I actually want to repeatedly read to my child:

• The classic I confess I’ve never read:

• Most cherished book from childhood:

• My go-to cookbook:

• My signature coffee table book:

• The book that feels like advice from a friend:

• The book I gift most often:

• Start reading my books with this title:

• My latest book:

Leave a comment

In other news, I refreshed the Plot Twists About page today, as well as the publication’s description, logo and my profile. I wanted to ensure our presentation matched the current iteration of the newsletter, to attract and welcome new subscribers.

I’d love for you to check out the newness and share Plot Twists with a friend or fellow reader who would enjoy it. Thank you, always!

🩵 If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button below.

That small action means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that you are who I’m writing for, and it helps me get these stories in front of new readers. Thank you for being part of this community!