Hello There!
Welcome to my tiny, but cozy, corner of the world.
It’s so good to see you!
This month’s newsletter is for all things book-ish, nerd-ish, life-ish and whatever else may have popped into my head.
Stay Weird! 🤟🏼
~Brandy
“Quoted”
Art is to console those who are broken by life. ~ Van Gogh
Pay attention to who you’re with when you feel your best.
I. Am. GROOT.
Marry the Beast and get that library!
You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. ~C.S. Lewis
STACKED: My T.B.R.
Want to know my thoughts?
Let’s be Friends on GOODREADS!
✨ Looking to stock your bookshelves on a budget? ✨
Check out my online PANGO Bookstore:
Inky Updates
✏️ In Picture Book news, I am thrilled to be enrolling in another class with the Institute of Children’s Literarture. As a former graduate, I now have access to their advanced course: Writing and Selling Children’s Books. I am anxious to get started, and to really vamp up my #PB Manuscripts to a whole new galaxy. This opportunity, plus my 12x12 Membership, is really going to help this gal’s picture books ✨SHINE✨!
✏️ After receiving some extremely helpful feedback for my #AdultRomCom I am excited for summer to officially hit. I will be heavily revising my novel as I continue to grow and expand scenes. I also bought a new notebook (and new highlighters!) to use as my “Book Bible” in hopes to consolidate all of the notes and clippings I have for the novel so far. New notebooks always make me swoon.
My goal is to have the newest draft completed and ready for beta readers* by the end of the summer!
*If you are interested in being a beta reader, please let me know!
✏️ My Chapter Book series, THE MAGIC LEARNING LIBRARY, may have some good news to share soon, including an updated title. Stay tuned…😉
Since SUMMER BREAK is finally here…I cannot wait to start tackling these projects head on! ☀️ 🌴 🏖️ 😎 🍹
Monthly Writing Tip 📝
It could be my teacher heart talking, but I have an obsession (a healthy one, I swear!) for school supplies. The smell of fresh crayons still gets me every time!
One school supply that should be on every author’s desk however, is the classic highlighter. And not just the shiny day-glow yellow either. I am talking ALL the colors: Pink, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple…etc!
After I have revised a manuscript a handful of times, I love to take it through what I lovingly call “The Rainbow Method”.
Here is how it works:
I assign a bright highlighter color to each of the five senses: Sight, Touch, Hearing, Smell, and Taste. As I read through the manuscript, I highlight (using the corresponding color) sentences that relate to each of the senses. When finished, not only does my story look a LOT more colorful, but I can easily spot areas in which I may have used more of one sense then another. I prefer to have a healthy balance for my stories, as I believe it makes my story more appealing to readers.
It’s a fun, simple and COLORFUL way to look at your manuscripts with a whole new perspective.
If you try it, be sure to let me know how it works for you!
Author Peep 📣 Shout-Outs 📣
✨ My newest CP, Brooke Windsor, has recently jumped into the Query Trenches for the first tim! She is rocking it so far and is such a breath of fresh air for the writing community. Be sure to follow her here.
✨ My longtime and AMAZING CP, Elizabeth Soule, has scooped up an agent and is already on SUB with her YA Novel! I am manifesting all the positive things for her in these upcoming months! Follow her here!
✨ Another longtime CP, the lovely Susan Fischer, has recently published her new book! I cannot wait to dig in this summer! Follow her here, and snag your copy today!
📚 PB Line-Up 📚
Check out the Picture Books I am using as Mentor Texts next month!
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