Grief and death have been huge parts of my life in recent years. And of many of my friends’ lives. And of my communities’ lives. I do not (alas) have to ponder hard to come up with ideas about why I’ve gotten into what I cheerfully and enthusiastically call “grief books.”
 
When a romance writer asks me for help envisioning ways they might deal with grief in their own fundamentally happy and hopeful book … or when someone’s experiencing grief and wants a joyful read that also engages with loss and mortality … these are the novels that come to mind immediately:

I think a lot about the cost of editing and other forms of writer support. I don’t typically work with wealthy clients (although, hello wealthy person reading this, do feel free to book me), in large part because my professional interests, deepest skill sets, and social circles all revolve around queer, neurodivergent, and otherwise marginalized people/stories as well as parents, teachers, and other people who are doing care work. We’re not, on the whole, the sort of people for whom money is no object.

And also, this is my business; I’m a highly skilled and educated professional making a living.

This post is my way of collecting the strategies I offer clients, potential clients, and friends when they’re trying to work out what they can afford and how best to use their limited funds. I hope it's helpful for you too!

[A slightly different version of this piece was originally published on 22 May 2023 at the romance blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.]
 
Confession: I’m a little obsessed with both consent and romance. A couple years ago, I taught a course and gave several presentations on consent for fiction writers. As I spoke with participants and did research, I was amazed by just how many connections there are between consent and storytelling—especially in our genre, which is of course the best.
 
This essay shares a little of what I’ve learned about consent, how it’s connected to romance, and what diversity has to do with all that. And I am obviously honor-bound to share reading recs: At the end, you’ll find a list of romance novels that are super smart about consent and diversity, as well as links to some favorite resources on consent.