About the series: Nate is the master of darkness and shadows. Clara has explosive telekinetic abilities. When the Blue Star, the most dangerous power source known, steals Clara’s memories and leaves her with blue blood and a lightning scar, she’s forced to run away from The Complex and the evil threats chasing her. On a path to corruption from the cold, Clara and Nate discover there’s a lot more behind the Blue Star than they first believed. Will they stop the evil before it takes control of her?

Okay, I’ve always been in love with superpowers. It’s one of my…

Need to get your character out of a bind? Here are some tips on writing escape scenes that are realistic and raise the stakes.

Mentions: The Curse of Broken Shadows | Writing Fight Scenes

Confession: foreshadowing the escape

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Show Notes:

• tools to help make your escape scenes more realistic
• foreshadow
• don’t let your escape come out of nowhere
• have your character prepare for the escape
• plant an object early on that will help them escape
• make a quick reference to it (doesn’t…

Curious what Kindle Vella is? I’m talking about Amazon’s new serialized storytelling platform.

Mentions: The Curse of Broken Shadows

Confession: celebrating wins

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Show Notes:

Amazon’s new serialized platform — Kindle Vella

• publish a story one episode (chapter) at a time
• available on a browser and Kindle iOS
• Authors — how are you taking advantage of this new reading platform?

The first three episodes are free to read (like the look inside feature on Amazon)

• unlock episodes using tokens — longer episodes require…

Before I dig in to my collection of favorite quotes from some of my books, I wanted to announce that my epic fantasy project The Curse of Broken Shadows is now live on Kindle Vella! New episodes are released every Friday, and you can join the conversation over on Discord. There’s also a Shadows Series page here on my website that will be updated with more information as I write it!

Now, on to the good stuff. Here’s a collection of some of my favorite quotes from my books! …

Alright, it’s a tentative title right now, but I’m excited to announce my brand new epic fantasy series: The Curse of Broken Shadows!

If you’ve been following along on social media, you might have seen a few teasers and the cover for this story. You might have even read the first two chapters and met three of the five main characters (you can read them for free here). I’m 140K words into this story and getting closer to the end every day!

So, why am I announcing this project before it’s officially completed?

Because I’m publishing it next week!

Wait…

I feel like I blinked and it was suddenly July. Even more scary-the year is half over.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of summer. The sun and I aren’t really on good terms, and don’t get me started on the bugs. I’ll take AC and cozy indoor weather any day.

June recap:

Yikes. I looked back to discover I only read two new books last month. However, I did re-read a few favorites as I (still) wait for the library hold times to not be so ridiculous. Hopefully I’ll find some new reads this month! …

It all started with an instagram post about van life and turned into a dream of writing novels on the road. One simple post became the inspiration behind If Found, Do Not Return, my romance novel that took a left turn away from my normal fantasy genre.

I don’t talk much about this book since it’s a standalone, but it’s still one of my favorite creations because it ties together a lot of things I enjoy — minimalism, small town romance, and an IT nerd who falls in love with adventure.

Right before I wrote this book, I came across…

It’s really important to develop a sustainable creative practice, but what exactly does that look like? What works for you might not work for others, but there are some key themes that can help you build a creative process that helps you stay focused, stay passionate, and have fun!

Mentions: The Expanse to Donoma

Confession: straying from routine

Email your writing confessions to author.laurawinter@gmail.com for a chance to be featured!

Website | Books | Newsletter | Instagram

Show Notes:

Sustainable creative practices look different for everyone

• create what works for you

go in with a beginner’s mindset — be open, curious, and explore the depths of your creativity

• the more you do this, the more you release perfectionism, the easier this becomes
• give yourself permission…