That’s right, Tartlets. Today I’m taking you behind the scenes of a food blog photo shoot in honor of my new collaboration with Replica Surfaces. And, yes, a lot of behind-the-scenes blogging activity involves my cat being very close at hand. If you follow my Instagram, you know that I’m the newest ambassador for Replica Surfaces, a brand that creates extremely realistic-looking prop surfaces for photography. A little backstory: we all...
Some variation of the question “What’s it like being a writer?” inevitably comes up when I tell people what I do in my spare time. As a writer, you'd think I'd have a brilliantly succinct answer ready at a moment's notice. However, since delving back into the arts, I've learned that the writer life is not so easily summarized. Most individuals, when asking the question with gleaming and sometimes envious eyes, expect to hear someting along...
Among all the questions plaguing aspiring authors, one of the most depressing has to be "When should I stop querying my manuscript?" Unfortunately, I think I've found an answer. It's been awhile since I've posted a writer life update. While there's been a lot going on behind the scenes, I've kept quiet since my last post because I was hoping that, by now, I'd have some good news to share with you. You may remember that in early 2020, I revamped...
All I can think of is that scene in Sleepless in Seattle: Tom Hanks summons up all his manly courage to call a woman and ask her out on what'll be his first date in quite awhile, as the old-timey song "Back in the Saddle Again" plays jauntily in the background. Because, that's about to be me. I'm getting back in the saddle again, continuing my quest to find my perfect literary match. Yep, that's right! I'm going back for Round 2 of querying...
Yup, I'm what I could call a "hobby blogger." Meaning: I don't earn a living off my blog.** Everything you see here? I do it all for the love of reading, writing, cooking, baking, and talking with you all on a regular basis. And, I'm totally okay with that. But...it took me awhile to get there. When I launched the Tart in July 2018, it was mainly to showcase my writing for literary agents. I'm trying to get my novel published, and I wanted to...
So, YEAH. My writer life has taken a little bit of an unexpected turn. I had originally planned to use January to write the rest of my second novel, which I started working on in the fall. I'd been making steady progress on it, but once the holiday season hit, there was just no time for writing. Since I was "taking off" from the blog in January, I figured I'd devote the month to writing the rest of my foodie fiction/rom-com story. But, that's...
After I finished writing my first novel, the advice I received most often -- along with "don't query everyone at once" -- was "Keep writing. Don't wait to get an agent or get published. If you have another novel in you, start writing it. Now." I've read various interviews with published authors conveying the same sentiment, and several authors I've corresponded with directly stressed this, as well. Whenever I receive this advice, I usually...
I was driving home from work when I saw the email ping through on my phone. I had stopped at a red light, so I hungrily grasped the phone and opened the preview screen, eager to see the reply. I only managed to glimpse a few (positive) sentences before I realized I should probably wait until I was out from behind the wheel before reading the entire message. I sighed, then closed the screen and sat back, waiting for the light to change. It was...
YOU GUYS. Right now.... as we speak... (erm, type? Read? Whatever!) ... and, quite possibly, at this very moment... A LITERARY AGENT IS READING MY MANUSCRIPT!!!!! *squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee* I can't believe I'm finally, finally writing these words. I thought this freakin' day would never come. You all remember the query quandary I was in last year. Writing my first novel turned out to be the easy part, while crafting the "perfect...
Are you a blogger? Then you should absolutely, positively, 100% read How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul). My husband is wonderfully supportive of my blogging lifestyle, and he bought me this book for Christmas to encourage my dreams of becoming a full-time writer and blogger. After launching the Tart, I quickly learned that there is SO much to learn about the blogging world. Luckily, there are a lot of articles online to help you...
