What am I hoping for this year?

I will be honest: 2026 is not a year I’m going into with an excess of hope. Between various personal and authorial things and the state of the world, I expect that this year will probably be challenging in a lot of ways.

But I do have a lot of goals I’m excited to meet! I expect to have two full novels on the docket to write this year, including my first ever sequel (which I’m both nervous and excited to start—I am determined to write a really excellent sequel) so my number one resolution: don’t burn out. I’ve also got a number of secret goals and milestones I hope to be able to share soon. (Newsletter subscribers will get the first peek at some special stuff.) And I’m going to my first con! One thing I can say for sure: 2026 is going to be busy.

I can’t control the rest of it, but I can control the writing. And I love that. Writing has always been an escape for me, and it’s one I’m probably going to need.

Behooved was named a Library Journal best book of 2025! I’m so honored to have made it on their list!

And Enter Here is now available across retailers, so if you were waiting to pick up a copy until it’s not just on Amazon, you can now do so! The paperback is also up on Bookshop and Barnes & Noble, and you can ask your local independent bookstores to order it in. (Though weirdly, it’s not on Amazon, where it should have shown up first. It has been a Process.) There have been some delays behind the scenes outside of our control, but CJ and I are super excited that it’s becoming available!

In December I did my first round of developmental edits on fantasy rom com #2. It’s back with my editors now, and hopefully I’ll get to share more about it soon (including a title)! For now I’ll just say it has my favorite love interest I’ve written yet… I hope you love him, too. The book isn’t out until early 2027, but I imagine there will be ARCs at some point this year… stay tuned!

This is a snapshot of what this “light edit” looked like! I didn’t have to pull the main plot or structure apart on this one; this was almost entirely work on subplots and world building, and a few scene-specific revisions. But that still adds up to a lot of changes!

I’ve also been working on a short story for an anthology I was invited to contribute to—more on that soon! It’s horror, which is a muscle I haven’t flexed in a minute, so that was a fun challenge. I’m so excited to get to share the details.

I’m also planning to revise my historical fantasy novella this month, utilizing beta reader feedback. And I’m expecting line edits soon on my YA debut, This Treacherous Night—the final stage before it’s off to the copy editor and essentially in its final form!

No new appearances, but I’m super excited for Love Y’all next month! The schedule is live and I cannot wait!

For the first issue of the year, I thought it might be fun to talk about the tools I use most often for writing and revision! Everyone writes differently; maybe you’ll find something helpful here. Or maybe you just wanted a peek behind the scenes. That’s fun too.

Scrivener: Scrivener, my beloved. I confess I was a late adopter (I was overwhelmed the first time I tried it), but it makes novel writing so much easier for me. I especially love the inspector function, which lets me write descriptions of what actually happens in every chapter and notes on what I need to revise in each section so I can reference everything in one place. And the custom labels are a lifesaver for multi-POV books—it’s SO helpful to be able to see the balance of chapters at a glance!

Adjustable height desk: I am a very fidgety person who doesn’t do well with sitting, especially when I’m thinking through plot problems! Having a desk I can move up and down with a button push is incredibly helpful.

Notebook: I don’t draft in a notebook anymore (except for poetry), but I use a notebook to track what I did each day and also to mark off my progress on bigger revisions.

Focus Friend: This is a very recent addition to my process, but I’ve been finding it very motivating to have a little bean friend knit socks and prevent me from checking my phone. You can also use it as a sprint timer.

Kindle: When I’m line editing my own work, I find it super helpful to put my manuscript on my kindle. It helps me catch echoes, typos, and bits that I can trim! I usually work with the kindle and my laptop open at the same time so I can make those changes as I read instead of transferring them later.

As you can tell, I’m not someone who relies on a bunch of bells, whistles, or fancy tools! But it gets the job done!

Is there a craft or publishing topic you’d like me to cover? Hit reply or leave a comment!

A Vow Made Twice by Emma Denny comes out this February, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s a historical romance set in Medieval times (and you can tell the author has done the research). It’s the third in a series following a set of rather unconventional and very traumatized siblings. I’ve loved the whole series but this one is my favorite—the trio (yes, it’s poly) of main characters is just so fun and angsty in the best way! I recommend starting with the beginning of the series, One Night in Hartswood, so you get all the Easter eggs for the conclusion!

To see all my newsletter recommendations, visit the full list here!