Hello Reader,

This morning, I woke up before six when sirens raced past on the main road at the top of our neighborhood. I admit I grumbled a bit. But then I remembered that part of the reason my husband and I moved away from our little retreat in the woods was so that we could be in town, closer to neighbors, activities, potential new friends. And that helped me reframe, even if I was awake before the sun.

Writing can be such a solitary activity, so writing in the woods, far away from community, was sometimes an isolating experience for me, especially during a pandemic. Although we're reaching a new normal now (my kiddo had COVID along with many of his fellow students on campus last week, so I won't say things are back to how they were before!), I still find myself yearning for connection and community. That's part of the reason I created the Wyrd Writers Collective last year.

I know quite a few of you are considering whether you want to be the one to fill three five three open spots in the Wyrd Writers Collective this fall, so I want to tell you about something magical that happened in the community this week. The Collective includes a monthly Craft Magic webinar and several of our memoirists had asked for a session on the Nonfiction Book Proposal. I love helping writers with their proposals because it lets me put on my marketing hat (one I earned in a past life before I worked in publishing) and demystify a process that can be intimidating for writers. And although only nonfiction authors use a proposal for pitching purposes, the parts of a proposal--particularly the audience analysis, comp titles research, marketing plan, and annotated table of contents--can help writers of fiction as well. This is just one example of the synchronicity we have in the Collective, even though it's a group of writers across genres and age categories.

There is so much we can learn from each other, especially in a supportive and nurturing environment.

But one of our Collective members knows even more about writing proposals than I do. Maxie McCoy is an award-winning author in her own right and also helps folks write and pitch their proposals in her work as a ghost writer. So it was obvious to me that she should be leading the call instead of me.

And my instinct was spot-on, because last night's call was full of energy, commiseration about the difficulties of the writing journey, support, and learning. I love that this can happen even when I'm not taking the lead on an event in the group. It was a beautiful thing to witness Collective members supporting each other and learning from each other, and it's exactly why I created this community.

So if you're one of the folks who is on the fence, please fill out the interest form and jump on Zoom with me this month--I'd love to hear more about your story and your struggles in a low-pressure call where we can determine together if the Wyrd Writers Collective is the right fit for you.

What I'm Reading

Is anyone else absolutely obsessed with Only Murders in the Building? Ever since I first listened to Serial years ago, I've been fascinated by true crime podcasts and even though I'm a bit of a chicken about these things, I have been a faithful Serial listener. So I was thrilled when Only Murders came out because it took the form and added humor. Imagine my surprise when one of my favorite romance author's new books was set during an investigation for a true crime podcast. That's right--I devoured it!

Kate Clayborn's The Other Side of Disappearing has more than just podcast lore to recommend it though. It's a sister story, a story about mothers and daughters, a story about the stories we tell ourselves and how they hold us back. And of course, it's also a love story! Football. Conmen. Pancakes. Podcasts. Family Secrets. Love. What's not to love?

Hope to see your name pop up in my inbox this week. I'd love to talk with you about the Wyrd Writers Collective!