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Yikes! Scared & excited, I'm pulling the plug on my future writing retreats. - Book Mama
Love bugs! I wanted to share news of a random turn of events. Mama’s taking an indefinite break from hosting writing retreats—online and in person. This Tuesday’s Virtual Retreat and my Feb. 3rd Carmel Retreat at the gorgeous La Playa Hotel will be my last ones for the foreseeable future. I MAY still have a spot open for Tuesday’s […]
Hurricanes got you triggered? When the world f*cks with your focus. - Book Mama
Did anyone else find yourself triggered last week between hurricanes? Since I was nowhere near the storms, I obsessed about telling a few clients I’d been unable to focus on their manuscripts. Would they see me as unprofessional if I admitted I’d been so worried for friends and clients in N. Carolina and Florida (and […]
Before the Holidays! 5 Ways My Oct. Virtual Writing Retreat Could Rock Your World - Book Mama
The world will never make it easier for you to write your masterpiece. You know this. Halloween’s coming in spooky fast. And the year’s end will be here before you’ve digested all that candy corn. Rather than starting 2025 wishing you were further in on your writing project (where did the year go?!) or racing […]
LOVE before publishing. Follow these steps & save your tears. - Book Mama
“Do NOT publish your book unless you LOVE it,” I warned. Simple enough, right? The women staring back at me from their Zoom squares nodded in unison. Of course, they wouldn’t publish books they didn’t adore. Except, I knew some of them absolutely would, hence my plea. It felt personal. I’d come to deeply cherish […]
My son's woo-woo readings are so accurate it's like we really do live in the Matrix - Book Mama
The Olympics were a great reminder that we fall hard for others when we know their stories. It makes me think of what Glennon Doyle says: People are hard to hate close up. Once you know someone’s story, try not to care about their journey, right? As Jenn Sutkowski wrote in our last Beautiful Writers […]
My son's woo-woo readings are so accurate it's like we really do live in the Matrix - Book Mama
The Olympics were a great reminder that we fall hard for others when we know their stories. It makes me think of what Glennon Doyle says: People are hard to hate close up. Once you know someone’s story, try not to care about their journey, right? As Jenn Sutkowski wrote in our last Beautiful Writers […]
Wow. The new Beautiful Writers Group. Have you seen our latest upgrades? - Book Mama
I have a secret place I go to connect with writers. It’s my safe place, where I can be vulnerable and talk about everything related to writing and publishing, especially the hard stuff. It’s where I feel the most support, and other than my writing retreats, where I give the most, too.Okay, it’s not technically a secret, but The Beautiful Writers Group, my membership community, could be seen that way for all I talk about it.
I was heartbroken my son wouldn't read my book. The audiobook changed everything. - Book Mama
I can die happy now. My kid loves my book! Forgive me if this sounds hysterical. The stress has been weighing on me. As a mom, you want nothing more than to protect your kid, and I worried that I had hurt mine by publishing my story, which included scenes centered around his childhood. I'd asked him to proof the text for years beforehand, but he never wanted to, saying to publish anything I wanted. We're open books in our family, so phew.
Double dream fulfillment: Rhonda Byrne on the Pod + Audiobook birthday - Book Mama
The magical duo of Rhonda Byrne & Kelly Noonan Gores are rounding out a bucket list week here at the Beautiful Writers Podcast. After years of dreaming, writing, podcasting, and, more recently, recording my latest book, the audiobook for Beautiful Writers: A Journey of Big Dreams & Messy Manuscripts—with Tricks of the Trade from Bestselling Authors (aka the […]
It's Audiobook raffle time for Beautiful Writers! Order yours & it's a win-win. - Book Mama
I LOVE giving gifts on my birthday + book birthdays—and I’ve never been so excited to do so! After what’s felt like forever, the AUDIOBOOK for Beautiful Writers drops next Tuesday, July 2nd. To celebrate, I’m doing an audiobook release raffle on July 8th, where you can win all sorts of writerly prizes for ordering early. Arizona […]
Techtastic Livestream links from Zibby's Bookshop signings—the next best thing to being there. - Book Mama
What a great couple of days in LA. For a gal who doesn’t get out much (eight horses + eight dogs will jack up a gal’s schedule), I always appreciate it when technology allows me to experience an event after the fact. If I say so myself, both signings last week were so special. And […]
I'm going to Hollywood! Join me at Zibby's Bookshop next Thur. & Friday - Book Mama
Are you in town? Can you meet me on June 20th and/or 21st (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) for a few rockin’ signings—Friday with a Hollywood icon you’ll flip to meet (he’s the most likable and will have just accepted the 1st Sam Rubin Critics Choice award and because after he interviews me about Beautiful […]
Books Bursting Out All Over: 15 recent retreat releases from 14 authors to celebrate! - Book Mama
It’s that time again! I’ve raved about these titles on social media (following agent signings & inked deals, announcing pre-order campaigns & pub days). But I’m HOPELESSLY TARDY sharing these beautiful books with links to their author sites, a tradition I started last year celebrating new alum books between Carmel writing retreats. It was easy to pen blogs promoting five […]
Writers! Has the well gone dry? Time for a refill... - Book Mama
Our faucets went dry last week in the AZ desert, so the topic of wells has been bubbling up. Thankfully, we didn’t run out of water; a faulty pump stopped our flow. A small fortune, a large crane, and several dusty days later, I no longer smell like dirt. But that, and last week’s BWG […]
Solo Pod: My published books woke me up at 3 am with intel they wanted us to know . . . - Book Mama
What happens when your dream comes true after years of work? 🎉 What happens when that dream twists into what feels like a career-killing nightmare? 🥺 In this episode, I’m telling the truth like never before—solo, my first in nine years—and it’s the most real, vulnerable, and perhaps ill-advised show I’ve ever done. Catch it […]
A Magical Night of Book Talk & Sisterhood w/ Kelly Gores & Me in LA! - Book Mama
I’m beyond excited to share news of an exclusive book-lovin’ evening. Imagine this: a cozy gathering in Encino, Los Angeles, the air buzzing with inspiration and the company of incredible women. Happy Women Dinners is hosting me and my dear friend Kelly Noonan Gores (the bestselling writer, producer, director, and creative force behind the phenom documentary […]
Magic! Take one small action today for your writing - Book Mama
So I signed up for Gabby Bernstein’s 21-day New Year’s manifesting challenge because, let’s face it, 2023 was a mess. Wonderful things happened in 2023, of course. I’m so grateful! But, yikes, world. And every time I turned around, I had an animal emergency. I needed a reset. Whoa, am I ever getting one. It’s been […]
Ever wish you knew the order of things when it comes to editing? . . . - Book Mama
Well, easier 😉. You’ve written much of your book. You’ve made sure the blue eyes on page 46 aren’t brown on page 220 and that Uncle Grady’s southern accent doesn’t come and go. What’s next? You’re looking ahead, getting ready to get ready. Here are the steps I often use and suggest for others. One […]
Dramarama summer? Me, too! Here's to writing into a fabulous fall . . . - Book Mama
Is it just me, or has it been a SUMMER? Between freak horse injuries (two at once, unrelated), our four-year-old dog, Wild, waking up blind for no apparent reason (glaucoma at four… whaaat?!), followed by surgery to remove a tumor on her stomach (not cancerous, TG!), and now our thirteen-year-old pup, Troji (the blind one’s […]
Her dream agent, hardback book release, article in the NYT. Yay! - Book Mama
Don’t you love a good success story? Me, too! Today we celebrate one of our own, Beautiful Writers Group member Clare Frank, and lit agent Laura Yorke (who’s sold many books for #BookMama clients). This, my friends, is an example of how a life-long mission + experience intersect with real-world urgency to uplift millions of […]
Begging the writing gods for HELP? I've been there! - Book Mama
Have you ever wanted something so badly that you thought you might die without it? My literary agent was about to drop me. I could feel it. He’d been sending my book proposal to editors for a year with no takers. I was an unknown, but the book was damn good—I trusted her and my muse.
No one's immune. The #1 thing I've learned talking with bestselling authors. - Book Mama
I thought delays and drama had singled me out. Until Danielle LaPorte & I started the Beautiful Writers Podcast, and I learned of the unexpected setbacks many bestselling authors faced. 💚 Steven Pressfield wrote for seventeen years before he sold a single piece. 💜 Seth Godin sent queries for hundreds of book ideas in one […]
Weeping in my yard in my PJs. But, PLAY! The stars are getting happier! - Book Mama
YES! I finally kicked the nasty cold and cough that made me sound like a heavy smoker living on cheesecake for the past month and went to the ZOO! When was the last you spent the day marveling at apes, giraffes, elephants, and flamingos so close you could see the bugs in their ears? The […]
What do they know, the Smarty Pants crowd? You know best. - Book Mama
Okay, you’ve got the ache, but no writing credentials. No school newspaper bylines. No teachers calling you “gifted.” No stellar grades in English. Or worse: you got bad grades; your papers returned covered in red ink. A teacher said you’re not gifted. A writing group sniggered at your early attempts. Will a publisher tell you […]
Zoomtastic writing retreats. You’ve waited this long & your book’s ready to roll! - Book Mama
“Are you ready yet because I’m heeeere?” says every book everywhere, waiting on its harried, overwhelmed person. She’s opinionated, your story: “Listen, sister. I’ve given you my best content. WTF? We gotta get this s#it down yesterday!” (Okay, your book may not swear at you, but mine def does.) Your muse is patient. Well, she has been. […]
The hotel made me do it. Book your spot before my retreat rate rises. - Book Mama
I post pretty pics on Instagram, but this mama doesn’t need luxury to be happy. Don’t believe me? I’ve lived in a one-room guesthouse with pee-stained cement floors (from the landlord’s dogs). I raised my son in an off-the-grid solar cabin, lugged water inside from jugs, collected kindling from poachers for heat, and bared my […]
Stuck, blocked, scared? Listen to this unbelievable and totally true story. - Book Mama
My agent couldn’t get me a book deal to save either of our lives. It didn’t matter that I’d been writing for years and had hundreds of pages of a beautiful manuscript. Or that he’d sold thousands of titles, and had been sending out my book proposal for nearly a year. Losing hope, the weight […]
Here ya go. Some of my favorite bite-sized writerly tips, all in one place. - Book Mama
Are you endlessly editing in the trenches? Or are you stuck at the starting line of your manuscript? Maybe all you need are a few reminders from the pros—those marvels who magically appear to crank out copy year after year, book after book. Making it look easy when we all know it’s not come naturally […]