<![CDATA[WRITING DAY WORKSHOPS - Blog]]>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:27:54 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[“Writing Became My Super Strength”: A Conversation with AJ Skelly]]>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 22:11:45 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/writing-became-my-super-strength-a-conversation-with-aj-skelly
Picture
For AJ Skelly, writing has never been just about the finished book. It began as a way to process a season when nothing felt within her control. What started as survival slowly became something deeper: a source of strength, creativity, unexpected healing, and so much more.  

With thirty-one books behind her and both An Alliance of Ash and Jade and The Rat King heading to vertical film with Lumiview, AJ talks in this conversation about the long road, the joyful decision to keep writing, and the quiet wisdom she’s gathered along the way.
Picture
Looking at the writer you are today versus when you began, what unexpected strength or softness have you discovered in yourself?
 
Writing has been such an unexpected blessing—it’s been a healing sort of journey for me personally. I started writing seriously as a way to process a lot of subconscious trauma I experienced regarding the birth of our first child. It was a traumatic experience for a variety of reasons, and much of it was beyond all semblance of my control. Creating a world where these feelings were safe to explore was a huge help—and it was a world in which I could control the outcome. Characters, relationships, plot twists, they were all something I created, and that was massively helpful to me in a time when I couldn’t really control anything else. It gave a voice to subconscious fears, and it was a safe place to let all the big emotions out.

Writing became my super strength—not because I’m the world’s greatest writer or storyteller, but because I found I needed to tell myself a lot of these stories first. Writing has become an outlet to process stress, create, and enjoy the beauty of creativity itself.


If you could go back and spare your younger writing self from one specific pain on this journey, would you? Why or why not?
 
I don’t think I would. I think I’d let myself make all the same mistakes, figure all the things out just the way I did, because each part of that process defined a part of me, and I’m not sure I’d be where I am without all the pitfalls it took me to get here. Pain is a great teacher, as sucky as it is, it’s effective.
If you could go back to your early writing days, what one piece of advice would you give your beginner self?
 
Your first draft should look like the wrong end of a dog. It’s fine. All the magic happens in the edits.
​
 
What rituals or tools help you stay productive without burning out?
 
Writing for me is a refreshing thing. When I started writing, I always told myself that if this stopped being fun, I could quit. I didn’t have to do this if I didn’t want to. I’m still enjoying it, and I’m still writing stories! I think even if I never had another book published, I’d still write because it brings me joy.
How do you tackle writer's block when you're stuck mid-plot or with a flat character? 
 
I come to this phase in every story I write sooner or later—I hate everything about it. Loath the whole book in its entirety. Sometimes I just keep showing up, because things must be done. But, if time allows, I’ll take a few days off and not work on the book. I’ll read, I’ll watch C Drama. Something else that fills the well. It’s hard to create from a dry well, so keeping it filled, and finding that elusive creature balance, is necessary! 

 
Do you have a go-to technique that's saved a manuscript? 
 
Technique? No. Friends? Absolutely. I have several trusted friends that I often take my story woes to. Most of them are expert plotters (I’m only a quasi-decent plotter. Even when I plot my stories out, I still pants half of them by the time I’m done). It’s very helpful to me to bounce ideas off these glorious individuals and work through plot tangles or holes in my manuscript/s. They are the real heroes.
What's your secret to creating characters that feel alive and unforgettable? Do you start with backstory, flaws, or something else?
 
I write kissing books. Usually charcters jump into my head at least partially-fleshed. And usually the kissing scene is one of the first scenes to appear in my head after the general “vibes” of the story. I typically work backwards from the character chemistry—but I do give my characters flaws, backstories usually with some trauma, areas where they’re vulnerable.

Vunerability is one of the things I think makes characters the most interesting and relatable. Vulnerability is the glue that cements characters together, and when you’re writing romance, that’s a huge part of the plot. I knew I wanted to write enemies to lovers into AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE. I’d done this trope once before in SWORN SHIFT, but it was a different angle. I wanted these two to be proper enemies before they could fall for each other. I had so much fun working on the chemistry angles, but it was also fun to explore the deeper things where the attraction truly rooted—integrity, honor, and doing the right thing, even when it hurt. 
​
 
Revision can often feel endless. How do you know when your book is done? 
 
Books are never done. There are always things that could be tweaked, changed, or fixed. At some point you just have to say, “It’s done. This is as good as I can make this right now at this stage.” And then you move on. Sometimes this is when my editor pries it from my fingers, but usually I get to a point where I know I’m just “done done” as my kids would say, and messing with the story more would just be asking for trouble.
How do you balance writing with the business side—marketing, social media, or day jobs—and still protect your creative energy?
 
I am a creature of habit, and I’m a busy gal. I homeschool three kids, two with special needs, I edit, I market, I write. For me, protecting a specific time in my schedule to prioritize my own work has been huge. Usually, this is the hour after my kids go to bed. I work on my own writing then, and protecting that time has been important in honoring my own desires and creativity. Typically I do social media and marketing things in the morning before we start school, and sometimes a little more in the afternoon after school is finished. It IS about balance, and I’ve found that building in specific time to rest is also good for my brain. At 10:30 every night, I stop work, and I wach C Drama. It makes my brain relax, and it helps fill my creativity well. I’m sure they heavily influenced Ash’s ethnic roots, too, in AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE.  

 
What's one book (or author) that transformed your writing?
 
C. S. Lewis, Brian Jacques, and Karen Hancock were all heavily influential authors for me. When I was three, my mom started reading The Chronicles of Narnia to me, and they were so formative to my early imagination. The same could be said of the Redwall books. I devoured those in my middle school years. The feasts. The quests. Glorious. I read Karen Hancock’s Legends of the Guardian King series in college and it was so different from any other fantasy books I had read up to that point. The way she crafted her world and her characters left a deep impact on me. It was accessible fantasy and it left its mark in the best way.

I remember when I started writing, I’d go back and I’d read passages of some of those books. Which, I suppose is its own kind of irony, too, because all of those books are written in third person. I prefer writing in first person. My next book that releases, THE RAT KING, has the first bit of third person writing I think I’ve ever published. Everything else is first person (and full disclosure, only the prologue is in third person). First person, split POV is my very favorite. I love having both the hero and the herione’s point of view! 
After years in the industry, what keeps you excited about fiction writing?
 
I love stories. I always have. Even if I could never have another book published, I’d still write simply for the enjoyment of story.
​
 
Every writer faces self-doubt. What’s a moment in your career when you questioned your work the most, and how did you overcome? 
 
It took me several books to realize that I hit a point in each story where I detest everything about what I’ve written. After recognizing this was actually a pattern, it’s much easier ot navigate this period of detestation. It’s a phase. It will pass. I will love this story again someday, it just isn’t this day. But realizing that it’s okay to intensely dislike something I’ve created has been a freeing realization.
 
How do you reconcile the tension between writing what you love and writing what the market demands? Have you ever regretted following (or ignoring) trends?
 
Hang the trends. Write what you love. If you love it, chances are good someone else will, too. Will it get picked up by a traditional publisher? Maybe not. But that’s also part of the beauty of indie publishing. It’s slowly changing the industry and some of those niche things (like no spice romance) that haven’t been super popular in trad circles for awhile, are making an epic comeback. I have never once regretting writing the story I wanted to write, and not what publishers requested. 
 

What’s the hardest storytelling lesson you’ve learned—perhaps a technique or perspective you initially resisted—and how did embracing it elevate your fiction?
 
It’s hard to be teachable, if you’re going to survive in publishing for any amount of time, you’ve got to learn to be teachable, take advice, and learn how to pivot.
When crafting a novel, how do you decide which themes or messages to weave in without making the story feel preachy or heavy-handed?
 
I don’t usually discover what themes or messages I’ve written until I’ve drafted the whole thing, and then I’m re-reading the draft. It’s usually then that I realize, “Oh. Apparently I’ve been dealing with this. I see these themes have shown up in the pages.” Once in awhile I set out to make a point with a book. I did this in AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE. Mild spoiler ahead: I created a character with a mental disability. I have special needs children, and I wanted to make the point that their lives are every bit as important, that they are infinitely valuable, just as they are and that they don’t need to be like everyone else. I did this in a way that will perhaps raise some eyebrows, but I did it intentionally to illustrate a point about the sacredness of life—all life, regardless of how that life may be perceived by others.

 
Was there ever a time when you had a project fail—a book that flopped, or a rejected manuscript? Did that setback teach you something unexpected about yourself, your craft, or your career?
 
I stopped counting rejections for the story that eventually became my debut at fifty. Many, many, many rejections. But perserverance pays off. I didn’t give up. I sent it to yet another publisher, who didn’t actually want books as long as mine, but I figured the worst they could do was say no, so I sent it anyway. Low and behold, they loved it, and offered me a contract. I did, in fact, end up signing with them, and it was a lovely experience.
 
Success can be as daunting as failure. After a major win (like a dream contract, a bestseller, or an award), how did you handle the pressure? 
 
Each book is different. Just like each child is unique and beautiful, each story is also unique. Not every book is going to hit the same. Not ever reader is going to love your books or your stories. And that’s okay. Success is fleeting. You can be a bestseller one day and get a one star scathing review the next. If all your hopes are pinned on success, then your writing career is bound to have a lot of disappointment and heartache. Comparison is a thief of joy, and there’s a lot of pressure to compare in the book world. Compare to other bestselling, successful authors, compare to the success of your other books, compare, compare, compare. Enjoy the successes. Learn from the failures. Keep going. You can’t change the past, it is what it is, but the future is still unwritten. Pun intended.

 
What advice would you give new writers chasing their first big break?
 
Grow a thick skin and be persistent. Be generous. Make good connections, ask what you can do for others, not just what they can do for you.

 
Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author?
 
I alluded to this in an earlier question, but telling myself I didn’t have to keep doing this if it stopped being fun, has given me the freedom to continue because I enjoy it. I want to do this. I don’t have to do this. It keeps the pressure from getting too strong. It helps me to remember to enjoy the process. The journey is the battle, and if I’m not enjoying it, then why am I still doing it? That doesn’t mean there aren’t hard parts. There certainly are. But the joy still outweighs the stress of it for me, and that is a great gift.
 
​
If you could leave one word of advice for future writers, what would it be?
 
Keep writing. Don’t quit. Your words are important.
Picture
Writing books full of murder, mayhem, sometimes magic, and always kissing, AJ (also writing as April J. Skelly) is an author, reader, and lover of all things fantasy, medieval, and fairy-tale-romance. And werewolves. She has a serious soft spot for them. As an avid life-long reader and a former high school English teacher, she’s always been fascinated with the written word. She lives with her husband, children, and many imaginary friends who often find their way into her stories. They all drink copious amounts of tea together and stay up reading far later than they should. Both her stories, AN ALLIANCE OF ASH AND JADE and THE RAT KING will be releasing in vertical film with the Lumiview.

You can read more about her stories, shenanigans, random factoids, and new books at www.ajskelly.com


Lumiview Ap: https://lumiview.app/
Picture
This post was compiled by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and Executive Aide for Writing Day Workshops. 

Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest.  WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” 

​Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.
Picture
Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
Check Out Other Great WDW Articles & Resources:
  1. Read interviews with Literary Agents and see if they're a fit for your submission.
  2. Adapt Your Own Novel into a Screenplay: Here's How
  3. 3 Need-to-Know Tips For Aspiring Authors
  4. How to Market Yourself BEFORE You Have a Book to Sell
  5. Get a Freelance Edit on Your Query, Synopsis, or Manuscript

​
]]><![CDATA[Literary Agent Spotlight: John Blase of The Bindery Agency]]>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:38:41 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/literary-agent-spotlight-john-blase-of-the-bindery-agencySee All New Literary Agent Spotlights | Register for a Writers Conference Picture
ABOUT THE AGENT:

John Blase is a literary agent with The Bindery Agency. John spent over a decade as an editor and ghostwriter in traditional publishing working with such names as Eugene Peterson, Ann Voskamp, and Brian Zahnd. During that time, he penned two books with his name on the spine—one of them a self-published poetry endeavor titled The Jubilee. At the end of the day, he tries to live by writer George Saunders’ advice: “Stop trying to teach the world something and instead refuse to be boring.”

John and his wife, Meredith, lived in Colorado for almost twenty years but recently moved back to Arkansas. They have three children, all grown now and out living their one wild and precious lives.
JOHN IS SEEKING: 

John’s long been a culture junkie hooked on everything from the drama of “Hill Street Blues” (which dates him) to the wonder of Game of Thrones to the thoughts of Ta-Nehisi Coates to the poetry of Taylor Swift. And he still mourns the loss of Anthony Bourdain. While loving all genres of literature, he admits a weakness for fiction, short stories, and memoir. A good story, well-told, he simply finds hard to resist.

​You can learn more about John at: https://johnblase.com/. 


HOW TO QUERY: 

To query The Bindery about literary representation, email your query to info@thebinderyagency.com. Please include the following in the body of your email: a clear summary of your book concept, an author biography, the table of contents (for nonfiction), at least two sample chapters, plus a one-page synopsis for fiction,relevant contact information, and any publishing history. Include the word “QUERY” in the email subject line and if you’ve completed a book proposal, please attach that document to your email. You may address your query to one agent or to The Bindery as a whole.
Picture
Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
Check Out Other Great WDW Articles & Resources:
  1. Read interviews with Literary Agents and see if they're a fit for your submission.
  2. Adapt Your Own Novel into a Screenplay: Here's How
  3. 3 Need-to-Know Tips For Aspiring Authors
  4. How to Market Yourself BEFORE You Have a Book to Sell
  5. Get a Freelance Edit on Your Query, Synopsis, or Manuscript

​
]]><![CDATA[Creating Fight Scenes with Real P.U.N.C.H.]]>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:37:33 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/creating-fight-scenes-with-real-punch
Picture
(A guest column by literary agent (and author) Mike Nappa of Nappaland Literary.)

Dean Koontz pretty regularly kicks my butt. 

So does Sharon Carter Rogers. And Chuck Palahniuk. Even Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling frequently leave me gasping on the mat, an adoring victim of their worded blows. These people know how to transform a simple fight description into a breathing, ragged conflict I experience deep in the emotion centers of my brain. 
​
In short, their fight-scene writing kicks butt. And yours can too—if you skillfully deliver the P.U.N.C.H.

Pick a Side

The emotional core of any fight scene is this: The reader must instantly, instinctively care who wins—so you’ve got to tap into the reader’s primal favoritism right away. How?

First: Understand that fighting is a matter of perceived justice. We always root for the more “righteous” of combatants, even if that righteousness is simply a lighter shade of wrong. 
​
Second: Be sure something significant is at stake. Something unbearable to lose, like the fate of a loved one. (“You killed my father; prepare to die!”)[1]. Or the future of the galaxy (Star Wars, anyone?). You get the idea.


[1] Morgenstern, S. and William Goldman. The Princess Bride: The “Good Parts” Version. (New York: Del Rey, 1973) 276
Picture



​Want to sell more books and market yourself? Check out the guide CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM. The book explains how to build an audience, understand social media basics, sell more books, increase promotion & publicity, get engaged online, and much more.
Use Five Senses

If you’ve ever been in a fistfight (and I’d recommend at least one good brawl sometime in your life) you know it’s a multisensory event. Your knuckles ache from bone-on-bone contact. You smell sweat and body odor. You slip on the messy grease of blood, and more. 

You must help your reader perceive a written fight the same way: with vivid sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and touches. Consider:

• Cordie was surprised when Jonathan punched him in the mouth.
• Cordie tasted blood. Heard himself grunt. Only then did it dawn, “Jonathan punched me in the teeth!”

You see the difference? (If not, quit writing action; try romance instead.)
 
Notice Details

Of course, interrupting a fight scene with irrelevant background is unwise—and annoying. But if you can pause the action, ever so briefly…Take note of some detail filled with meaning…Well, that’s a different story.

For instance, in City of Thieves, David Benioff captures a fight’s horror with this tiny detail, “Abendroth made me give him the saw. He didn’t take it from me.”[1]
​
That simple act of submission decries a devastation of will. Likewise, a degrading posture…A handful of rings…Noticing those kinds of evocative details in a fight scene adds untold emotional impact to your writing.
 


[1] Benioff, David. City of Thieves. (New York: Plume, 2008) 132.
Picture
​

​Learn secrets and proven paths to finding an agent with the book GET A LITERARY AGENT. The guide explains query letter writing, submission dos and don'ts, how to craft engaging opening pages, synopsis FAQs, nonfiction proposal tips, literary agent pet peeves, and much more.
Cheat Time

Things happen fast in a fight. Rapid transitions. Quick-fire blows. But in the midst of the action—thanks to your brain’s limbic function—the world quite literally slows down. 

You process thousands of details in a single blink. A hundred thoughts race effortlessly through your mind. When writing, this common human experience gives you permission to cheat time—to insert breaks between seconds and let action unfold in almost slow motion.

These are “breathing moments” between blows. They allow you to reveal a character’s thoughts, reactions, fears, and pains. J.K. Rowling is queen of these kinds of time-cheats. Reread any Quidditch battle in any Harry Potter book; you’ll see what I mean.
 
Hit Below the Belt

Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for. 

In a heated battle, someone, sometime, will hit below the belt. A guy’s going to kick you while you’re down. That girl will crotch-punch her way to safety. Somebody will pull hair—or a knife. Even that cute little dog’s going to bite the bad man’s face.

Keep your writing real, then. Before you finish any fight scene, make sure somebody cheats. The more surprising the blow, the better. The more unexpected the timing, the stronger. 
​
So go ahead. Hit the reader with your best P.U.N.C.H. You’ll both be glad you did.
 
Picture
​MIKE NAPPA is an award-winning theologian, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author. His highlight reel includes VeggieTales comics, the bestselling Coffey and Hill seriesof suspense novels (endorsed by the legendary Lois Duncan!), and the bestselling devotional book, Reflections for the Grieving Soul.

He writes “coffee-shop theology” books, children's books, and lots of articles on random topics such as pop culture, grief, data intelligence, biblical studies, the publishing industry, and pretty much anything he finds interesting at the moment.  Mike is proud to be a person of color (Arab-American) active in the publishing industry. Plus, he once met Stan Lee for 45 seconds, so you know, he's got that going for him too. ​​
Picture
This post was compiled by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and Executive Aide for Writing Day Workshops. 

Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest.  WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” 

​Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.
Picture
Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
Check Out Other Great WDW Articles & Resources:
  1. Read interviews with Literary Agents and see if they're a fit for your submission.
  2. Adapt Your Own Novel into a Screenplay: Here's How
  3. 3 Need-to-Know Tips For Aspiring Authors
  4. How to Market Yourself BEFORE You Have a Book to Sell
  5. Get a Freelance Edit on Your Query, Synopsis, or Manuscript

​
]]><![CDATA[New Literary Agent Spotlight: Amelia Theriault-Brown of Laura Gross Literary Agency]]>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 23:50:30 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/new-literary-agent-spotlight-amelia-theriault-brown-of-laura-gross-literary-agencySee All New Literary Agent Spotlights | Register for a Writers Conference Picture
ABOUT THE AGENT: 

Amelia Theriault-Brown has been with the Laura Gross Literary Agency since 2023, first as a foreign rights director and, since 2026, as an agent.
​
A lifelong Bostonian, Amelia studied psychology and worked in several research labs before pursuing an MFA in fiction at Bennington College and beginning her publishing career at Charlesbridge, an independent children’s publisher in Watertown, MA.

AMELIA IS SEEKING: 

Amelia is looking for literary and upmarket fiction, and narrative non-fiction. Across all of these, Amelia is most drawn to books with an obsessive bent. Her ideal fiction skews voicey and strange, with an indelible sense of place, written by someone who spends an unreasonable amount of time revising at the line level. She likes speculative and dark, but prefers the weird, surreal and uncanny over horror.

In narrative non-fiction, she is looking for writers who celebrate or investigate the overlooked and the difficult-to-categorize, and anything to do with the natural world. Having worked in psychology and neuroscience labs, she has interest in that field—contemporary developments and the history of the science—but she has a high bar, and a low tolerance for pop psychology.

She got her start in children’s publishing and is always happy to read picture book and middle grade submissions, preferably off-beat and contemporary fiction or non-fiction about things as wild and strange as kids are.

​Across all categories and genres, Amelia is looking to amplify underrepresented voices, and whatever stories they want to tell.

HOW TO QUERY: 

Send a query via Query Tracker: https://querytracker.net/query/4364
Picture
Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
Check Out Other Great WDW Articles & Resources:
  1. Read interviews with Literary Agents and see if they're a fit for your submission.
  2. Adapt Your Own Novel into a Screenplay: Here's How
  3. 3 Need-to-Know Tips For Aspiring Authors
  4. How to Market Yourself BEFORE You Have a Book to Sell
  5. Get a Freelance Edit on Your Query, Synopsis, or Manuscript


​​
]]><![CDATA[Pitch an Agent in Person in 2026: Here's How]]>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/pitch-an-agent-in-person-in-2025-heres-how3592413If you're feeling gung-ho and motivated, consider one of our 2026 writers conferences. We are planning many around the country and also online (where anyone can join from anywhere). See the graphic in this post for our official list of events for 2026. Our events have over 170 success stories of writers who signed with agents following meeting them at an event. That's the best proof we can offer.

​Go to writingdayworkshops.com to sign up now. 
Picture
Thanks for considering an event. We have hundreds of agents you can pitch to! The first step is finding your conference at writingdayworkshops.com. 

If you're wondering if you would benefit from a conference, I can say this:

Our Writing Day Workshops conferences usually pull in two types of writers -- 1) beginning writers who need guidance, direction, instruction, and a chance to meet friends; and 2) intermediate writers who have a completed project (or three) and want the unique chance to meet writers and acquiring editors in person, to pitch a project, or get their questions answered. 

If you fall into either one of those categories, then Yes, a conference can help. If you have any questions, write me (Chuck) at WritingDayWorkshops@gmail.com and I can answer. Thanks!
Picture
Attend a Writers Conference in 2026:
]]><![CDATA[2 Gift Ideas for the Pickleball Lovers in Your Life]]>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/2-gift-ideas-for-the-pickleball-lovers-in-your-lifePicture
I love pickleball! I love pickleball so much that I’ve started writing about it to celebrate that love. Let me share some of my books with you.

As of fall 2025, my new Pickleball books are out (and they make great gifts)! One is a picture book from Running Press Kids, the other a calendar from Sellers Publishing. Thank you for considering getting a copy for yourself or friends. Every sale and review truly helps. They make great holiday gifts. GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL got a buy from Target and is a USA Today best-selling book.

Find GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL on Amazon here.

Find GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL at Barnes & Noble here. You can buy it online from B&N, or use the “Find in Stores” button to see if it’s at a physical store around you.

Find GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL at Target here. You can buy it online from Target, or click the “Pickup” button to investigate if it’s at a store around you. As of fall 2025, it’s in about 1/3 of Targets nationwide. 

Find GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL through Bookshop here (formerly called IndieBound) to support local independent bookstores, which is always an amazing thing to do.
​
Picture
PRAISE FOR GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL:

“The child’s excitement is endearing from start to finish, as she clearly delights in not only the sport but also being able to spend time with her dad, friends, and community. Sambuchino’s rhythm is upbeat and lively before transitioning to a gentle and calming path to bed. Cheerful artwork similarly evolves, with sunny spreads to start the story and a soothing nighttime palette to conclude it. . . . This is a recommended and playful introduction to the sport.”―School Library Journal

“A child is excited to watch Dad play pickleball in this rhyming picture book that’s part primer on the sport and part homage to Goodnight Moon.”―Horn Book

From the publisher: Grab your paddles, balls, and a bunch of friends–it’s time to play pickleball! Goodnight, Pickleball celebrates this trending sport, capturing the excitement of the game through the eyes of a young girl who is cheering on her dad’s team on the pickleball court. After the game, the girl says goodnight to all the picklers and the gear before getting tucked into bed with a brand new surprise treat. The book will include a glossary of pickleball terms for any beginning enthusiast! This is a great introduction to pickleball for the younger generation and a wonderful read aloud especially at bedtime for adults who want to share their love of this sport with children in their life.
Picture
If you want a signed copy, write me at ChuckSambuchino@gmail.com and explain more, and we can make it happen. If you represent a school or group or bookstore, and want me for an event, write me at ChuckSambuchino@gmail.com and explain more, and we can make it happen. If you’re a bookseller and want to carry the book, contact Hachette, the publisher, at ORDERS@HBGUSA.com. Companies with vendor accounts should get a steep discount. If you want to do any press about the book, contact me, or reach out to Hachette publicist Rebecca.Matheson@HBGUSA.com.
Picture
THE CALENDAR:

I had such a great time writing a 2025 daily calendar for Sellers Publishing called ULTIMATE PICKLEBALL that they asked me to write the 2026 version too. When the 2025 calendar got picked up by Wal-Mart nationwide, Sellers Publishing greenlit the 2026 edition! The 2026 edition came out in August 2025, and IMO is even better than the first calendar. Buy it here on Amazon!
THE BOOKS OUT IN THE WILD:
Picture
Picture
]]><![CDATA[Literary Agent Spotlight: Juliana McBride of Fine Print Literary Agency]]>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:52:35 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/literary-agent-spotlight-juliana-mcbride-of-fine-print-literary-agencySee All New Literary Agent Spotlights | Register for a Writers Conference Picture
ABOUT THE AGENT: 

​After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Juliana began her publishing career in New York City at Random House in 2000. She spent a decade working with every in-house publisher and all client publishers in various sales and marketing roles, primarily focusing on national accounts. In 2010, she and her young family--husband and twin daughters—embarked on their second act in Northern California, producing and selling wine.

However, Juliana never gave up her connection to the world of books, or her late-night reading habit. So, after another decade, she returned to publishing in 2021, this time on the agenting side, working at Rebecca Friedman Literary.  After 5 years there, Juliana joined FinePrint Literary Management in 2026.
JULIANA IS SEEKING: 

Juliana loves commercial, literary, and upmarket fiction; stories that explore relationships and make her think about the world in new ways across a variety of genres, including women's fiction, contemporary adult coming of age, new adult, light speculative fiction, young adult, grounded fantasy, cozy mysteries and cozy fantasies, and very select contemporary romances with a unique and strong hook.


​To query Juliana, visit QueryTracker.net/query/JulianaMcBride
Picture
Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
Check Out Other Great WDW Articles & Resources:
  1. Read interviews with Literary Agents and see if they're a fit for your submission.
  2. Adapt Your Own Novel into a Screenplay: Here's How
  3. 3 Need-to-Know Tips For Aspiring Authors
  4. How to Market Yourself BEFORE You Have a Book to Sell
  5. Get a Freelance Edit on Your Query, Synopsis, or Manuscript


​
]]><![CDATA[How Do Authors Actually Make Money from Royalties?]]>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/how-do-authors-actually-make-money-from-royalties
Picture
What are royalties and how do authors earn them?
 
Authors who pursue traditional publishing are usually paid an advance against earnings by their publisher when the publisher signs the work. Once a book earns enough money through sales to equal the amount of the advance, referred to as “earning out,” proceeds from the sales after the advance is earned out then get paid to the author in the form of royalties.
 
Royalties are great because they’re basically free money for the author. Not every dollar a book makes after earning out the advance goes directly to the author, however, because publishers need to pay their expenses to stay in business. How much an author earns in royalties is spelled out in their contract. For print books, they usually earn 10-15% of the cover price, though this can vary by publisher, genre, and format. On e-books, the industry standard is 25% of net.
Let’s look at an example of how an author can earn royalties:
 
A writer, let’s call him Dean Winchester, signs a one-book deal for his mystery novel with Hunter Publishing, LLC (not a real publisher). Hunter Publishing pays Mr. Winchester a $20,000 advance against earnings when they buy the rights to his book. Mr. Winchester’s contract states he will earn 10% of the cover price on each hardcover copy of the book sold. The book will sell for $30.
 
At a 10% royalty rate based on the cover price, Mr. Winchester earns $3 per book. To earn out his $20,000 advance, he has to sell 6,667 copies. The royalty magic happens the minute someone buys copy number 6,668. Since Mr. Winchester has now earned out, that $3 per copy goes directly to him. As long as the book is in print, he’ll earn $3 per hardcover sold.
 
If Hunter Publishing has the rights to sell the book in formats other than hardcover, such as e-book or audiobook, then the proceeds from every copy of the book sold in any format help Mr. Winchester earn out his advance. This means he can start earning royalties faster, since earning out isn’t solely dependent on hardcover sales. He’ll also earn royalties on every copy of the book sold in those other formats.
 
It’s true that most authors can’t live on their royalties alone, but an extra check every now and again for doing no additional work never hurt anyone.

Picture

​Carlie Webber is a certified professional editor and former literary agent who holds an MBA from Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School. She works with new and established authors of fiction (all genres), YA,  middle grade, and memoir. She can be reached at carliecopyedits@gmail.com.
Picture
Attend a Writers Conference in 2026:
]]><![CDATA[Laurel Saville: “Remember That It Is Writing, Not Publishing, That Makes You a Writer”]]>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/laurel-saville-remember-that-it-is-writing-not-publishing-that-makes-you-a-writer
Picture
In this Q&A, Laurel Saville offers the kind of hard-won clarity that only comes from decades in the trenches. A novelist, memoirist, and longtime working writer, Saville offers the kind of hard-won clarity that only comes from decades in the trenches.

A novelist, memoirist, and longtime working writer, Saville talks about treating the page like a garden, the discipline of knowing when a book is “good enough,” and the resilience needed to keep going after twenty years of hurdles, setbacks, and second chances.
​
These powerful reminders return us to a steadying truth: it is writing, not publishing, that makes you a writer. And it is in the writing itself that we find the chance for real joy and lasting connection.
Picture
What rituals or tools help you stay productive without burning out?

I think what causes burnout it not the actual work of writing, but some of the highfalutin’ notions about writing, like you must find “inspiration” because your goal is to create “art.” To me, writing is like gardening. Most of gardening is getting rid of the weeds so other, more lovely or useful plants can grow. You have to spend a lot of time down on your knees in the dirt, grubbing away at those persistent, ungraceful, ugly things that keep popping up – like cliches and short cuts and purple prose – to make room for those fragile and delicate sentiments that took root in the hothouse of your imagination and need to be nurtured in the rough soil of the printed page until they grow into those robust ideas and well-rounded characters that cause passers-by to stop and gasp at their beauty and relevance. My “ritual” is to work like I’m word farmer. 
 
How do you tackle writer’s block when you’re stuck mid-plot or with a flat character? 

Put that character into an entirely different situation and see what they do.

Take up a different part of the story line.

Write something else, something short and focused like a compact essay, a shared memory in a note to an old friend, a single scene. 

Lie down for a nap or go take a walk outside.

 
What’s your secret to creating characters that feel alive and unforgettable? Do you start with backstory, flaws, or something else?

My characters often come to me as part of a scene that I observe in the real world and find evocative or as something that pops up in my imagination. The initial writing prompt is me figuring out how that person got into that scene. As I fill in the backstory, that character comes to life.

​Funny story: the inspiration for my second novel was a scene that was part imagined and part observed of a young woman on a snowmobile with her father, racing over the flat surface of a white field in the dark of a New York State winter, looking into the windows of farmhouses she passed in the distance, wondering what made them glow blue. I wanted to know how she got into that field, why she had no mother, and how come she didn’t recognize the light of a television. In my search for her, I ended up writing an entire novel about her parents. The next novel was about her, but by then she was someone very different and that scene never made it to the page.
 

Revision can often feel endless. How do you know when your book is done? 
​
First, let me say this: revision is writing. It’s the bulk of writing. Accepting and relishing this makes it easier to find the end.
 
Personally, much of the writing I have done has been corporate communications work that work required me to incorporate lots of other people’s ideas, adhere to multiple constraints, anticipate approval by a team of people, and deliver at an unyielding deadline. Contrary to what most people think, I found these restrictions provided pressure that pushed my creativity into crystalline clarity. They also provided a continual education in letting go at “good enough.” Any piece of writing has a job to do. Once it’s done, let it go. 
From querying agents to hitting bestseller lists, what was your biggest publishing hurdle, and how did you overcome it?
 
Hurdles are part of the process. It took me 20 +/- minus years of hurdles to get my memoir published. The editor who so beautifully handled two of my novels confessed that the catastrophe of the third represented the biggest mistake of her publishing career. Magazines I wrote for went out of business, a creative director made up complaints about me to get me off the job so he could co-opt my work and claim it as his own, a publicist went AWOL right as one of my books launched. You overcome all this by being stubborn, scrappy, a shameless promoter of your work, and also willing to sometimes let one thing and all your hopes for it go and just get onto the writing the next. 

 
How do you balance writing with the business side—marketing, social media, or day jobs—and still protect your creative energy?

For me, creative tasks create creative energy, don’t deplete it, and I think writing and the business of publishing are both creative tasks. I also set up my writing and business goals to be achievable and gratifying rather than open-ended and frustrating. Instead of telling myself I must “improve my social media presence,” I task myself with something like, “post 3 times every week” or “figure out how to add music to your next reel.” Instead of giving myself a page count to write, I’ll give myself a time slot. “Crank out 100 pages” becomes “write from 9 to 11 with no interruptions.” “Get a big PR hit” becomes “make 10 contacts this week.”
 

After years in the industry, what keeps you excited about writing?

I stopped writing books and stories about ten years ago. Lots of upheaval in my personal life and a big tactical mistake with my last novel left me feeling empty. What drew me back and keeps me going these days is social media. Several years ago, I began posting mini essays about my life on Facebook and experienced the pleasure of instant readers and positive feedback. I wrote my latest book truly because people in my social media community, many of whom didn’t even know I’d was an author, kept asking me to write a book. Writing is usually such a solitary experience. But we write to be read, and social media makes connecting with readers easy and immediate, which keeps me excited. 
 

What’s the hardest storytelling lesson you’ve learned—perhaps a technique or perspective you initially resisted—and how did embracing it elevate your work?

Whenever I shared even the roughest outline of my mother’s life, people’s invariable response was that her story would make a great book. That I should make it into great book. I resisted writing about her for several reasons. Big picture, I’m not much of a memoir fan. I find so much self-regard a little cringey. I also felt that too many memoirs relied on drama instead of great writing to carry their story forward. If I was going to take on my mother’s life, I wanted my craft to be good enough for her tale and I took my discomfort as evidence that it wasn’t.

​Then in my mid 30’s, I enrolled in an MFA program and had the good fortune to work with Bob Shacochis as my non-fiction mentor. When I told him about my made-for-memoir mother, he said, “So, we’re writing a book.” The “we” in his bold statement gave me the courage to try. Over our months working together, Bob often told me, “There can be no mother story without a daughter story.” His insistence that I write about myself not just as me but in my role as a daughter to a difficult mother taught me the importance of rendering relationships as a means to develop characters. In addition, by framing the task as writing a mother/daughter story, rather than a story about me and my mother, he helped me get the bit of distance I needed to see us both as characters in a tale, which gave me a little more freedom to work out my story on the page, rather than be a slave to memory. 
When crafting a novel, how do you decide which themes or messages to weave in without making the story feel preachy or heavy-handed?

Focus on your characters. Instead of imposing themes and messages upon them, give them experiences that demonstrate whatever it is you’re trying to convey. It’s all about “show, don’t tell.” 
 

Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of? 

That at 62, with a lot of rough road behind me, I’m still at it, still mostly hopeful and optimistic about the power of good writing to connect people.

 
What advice would you give new writers chasing their first big break?

Focus on your job, which is to write well and then write better. Sheepdog the publishing side of things, sure. Keep your eye on where it’s going, what it’s doing, but don’t chase anything too hard or you’ll just send it running. Watch for opportunities, trust that they will come and that you’ll be ready to run into an opening when it appears, 
 
Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author?

I’m quite sure that my childhood spent watching a bunch of self-important artists crash and burn in the hippie heyday of 1960s Hollywood biased me, but I’ve never viewed my writing as “art.” I write in an effort to connect with people, in the hope that I can be of use to other people. That’s what keeps me going.
 

If you could leave one word of advice for future writers, what would it be?
​
I can’t come up with a single word, but a single sentence would be: Remember that it is writing, not publishing, that makes you a writer.  
Picture
Laurel Saville is the author of a memoir, three novels, several books on design topics, as well as many articles, essays, short stories, and feature pieces. She is also a brand consultant working with a wide range of organizations to craft creative strategies and write marketing materials. She is a teacher of writing, branding, and dog behavior. Also, she is a trainer of dogs and their humans. Mostly the humans. Laurel is also a wanderer who loves to explore by traveling, hiking, reading, discussing, learning new skills, and finding quiet places to sit and ponder.
​
You can find out more at:  https://www.laurelsaville.com/
Picture
This post was compiled by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and Executive Aide for Writing Day Workshops. 

Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest.  WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” 

​Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.
Picture
Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
Check Out Other Great WDW Articles & Resources:
  1. Read interviews with Literary Agents and see if they're a fit for your submission.
  2. Adapt Your Own Novel into a Screenplay: Here's How
  3. 3 Need-to-Know Tips For Aspiring Authors
  4. How to Market Yourself BEFORE You Have a Book to Sell
  5. Get a Freelance Edit on Your Query, Synopsis, or Manuscript

​​​
]]><![CDATA[A Conversation with Arthur Gee: What Nearly Forty Years Away from the Page Taught Him]]>Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:56:10 GMThttps://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/a-conversation-with-arthur-gee-what-nearly-forty-years-away-from-the-page-taught-him
Picture
​Arthur Gee was born in Moldova and raised in a house where Russian literature and the early Soviet dissident movement shared the dinner table. He settled in Brooklyn in the 1980s and spent nearly forty years writing code instead of stories . . . until the quiet isolation of Covid reignited an old creative itch.

Now the author of two published poetry collections (with a third on the way) and a novel accepted for publication, Arthur is back at the page in earnest. In this conversation he talks candidly about the lessons of rejection and resilience, and what it means to keep going when the work still feels unfinished.
​
His answers are honest, practical, and full of hard-won perspective, especially for anyone who has ever wondered whether it’s too late, or whether the years away from the page were somehow wasted.
Picture
If you could go back to your early writing days, what one piece of advice would you give your beginner self?

I published my first short story in a “little” magazine when I was in my twenties. But a few snail-mail rejections from Asimov’s magazine and I gave up. Life interfered is an easy excuse. Getting better requires practice. I missed nearly forty years of it.

 
What rituals or tools help you stay productive without burning out?

I work on a shorter piece: a short story, a poem, a Medium article, even a joke. 

 
How do you tackle writer's block when you're stuck mid-plot or with a flat character? 

Plotting is not a particular strength of mine, and so I’ve gravitated to historical retellings, where history has graciously provided a skeleton (or two) for the plot. That same historical framing also helps to put meat on the bones of my characters. 


What's your secret to creating characters that feel alive and unforgettable? Do you start with backstory, flaws, or something else?

Complex, certainly, though it’s hard to avoid archetypes entirely. Both of my books are multi-POV so it gives me ample range to explore. The key characters, good or evil, are typically someone who’d I’d be interested in having a conversation with.
 
Revision can often feel endless. How do you know when your book is done? 

The cliché is it’ll never be perfect. I read (or better yet have it be read) out loud. When it sounds good even after a few weeks away from it. It’s ready.
From querying agents to hitting bestseller lists, what was your biggest publishing hurdle, and how did you overcome it?

Bestseller lists are still in the future, unless one counts momentary blips from Amazon free offers coupled with BookBub promotions. I’ve attended several seminars on querying, but ultimately, my query results improved when I stopped following templates and started writing queries that felt more authentically mine.
 
How do you balance writing with the business side—marketing, social media, or day jobs—and still protect your creative energy?

I have somewhat of an advantage knowing social media marketing pretty well from my previous life. I’ve not yet pulled out all the stops there – there are no BookTok videos of me out there. Stay tuned.
 
What's one book (or author) that transformed your writing?

Dan Simmons, when I realize that one can write, literate, erudite, bestselling fiction on the themes I’m interested in.

After years in the industry, what keeps you excited about writing?

Being read. I recently published a short story on Amazon, as an experiment. Most reviews asked for it to be turned into a book. Maybe I will.

Every writer faces self-doubt. What’s a moment in your career when you questioned your work the most, and how did you overcome?

I’ve discovered that I really, really like playing with words. So even though I’m not expecting a random house call from Simon or Shuster, I’ll keep doing it. 

 
Picture

​Learn secrets and proven paths to finding an agent with the book GET A LITERARY AGENT. The guide explains query letter writing, submission dos and don'ts, how to craft engaging opening pages, synopsis FAQs, nonfiction proposal tips, literary agent pet peeves, and much more.
​How do you reconcile the tension between writing what you love and writing what the market demands? Have you ever regretted following (or ignoring) trends?

An agent recently told me they loved reading my latest WIP, but that they probably couldn’t sell it. I’ve no desire for it to become a posthumous classic, nor to be a tortured genius, but I’ve even less desire to write anything that’s not uniquely my own. YouTube videos out there assure me that the path to success on Amazon is “low content books.” Get thee behind me.
 

What’s the hardest storytelling lesson you’ve learned—perhaps a technique or perspective you initially resisted—and how did embracing it elevate your fiction?

Proper filtering for POV is perhaps the hardest. I’ve never struggled with natural dialog, but letting dialog breathe, without too many he said/she saids, without crutches like shrugged and nodded, was a hard habit to break.

 
When crafting a novel, how do you decide which themes or messages to weave in without making the story feel preachy or heavy-handed?

I had to be particularly careful with A King’s Lot, which is after all a story of the rise of the Biblical Israelite monarchy. Among my toughest scenes were scenes dealing with the prophet Samuel's struggle with syncretism – for exactly this reason. I’d like to believe I’ve succeeded, but ultimately readers will decide.
 
Was there ever a time when you had a project fail—a book that flopped, or a rejected manuscript? Did that setback teach you something unexpected about yourself, your craft, or your career?

Rejections plenty. But I’m pretty resilient.
 

Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of? 

For my writing career, without question the moment Sonnet Station was accepted for publication. Finishing A King’s Lot, all 93,00 words of it, a close second.
 
Success can be as daunting as failure. After a major win (like a dream contract, a bestseller, or an award), how did you handle the pressure? 

I’ve published two poetry books and have another one and a novel accepted for publication. Hollywood hasn’t called yet, but I suppose I’ll have to deal with it when it comes. 

 
What advice would you give new writers chasing their first big break?

Everyone wants to have written, the cliché goes, and AI has made that possibility real unfortunately. The problem with AI is not how well it writes now, or will in the future. The problem is that everyone has the same AI. Be sure to develop a voice that's uniquely your own -- and not AI. 
 
Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author?

Perseverance, and a thick skin.
 
If you could leave one word of advice for future writers, what would it be?

Read.
Picture
Born in Moldova and fluent in multiple languages, Arthur Gee grew up in a house where the great Russian novel was as likely a dinner conversation topic as the fledgling Soviet dissident movement. His fascination with "pulp"—Asimov, the Strugatskys—was frowned upon, but excused. After all, the boy could quote Pushkin chapter and verse.

After settling in Brooklyn in the early 80s, he dabbled in occasional short stories but spent the bulk of his career writing code, until the dark days of Covid reignited his creative itch.

Now working on his second novel, with two published poetry collections and a third one on the way, the happily married father of three and grandfather of six splits his time between New Jersey and Texas.
Picture
This post was compiled by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and Executive Aide for Writing Day Workshops. 

Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest.  WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” 

​Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.
Picture
Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
Check Out Other Great WDW Articles & Resources:
  1. Read interviews with Literary Agents and see if they're a fit for your submission.
  2. Adapt Your Own Novel into a Screenplay: Here's How
  3. 3 Need-to-Know Tips For Aspiring Authors
  4. How to Market Yourself BEFORE You Have a Book to Sell
  5. Get a Freelance Edit on Your Query, Synopsis, or Manuscript

​​
]]>