November 16, 2018
Uh-oh I'm Stuck
So... I'm about 50% through the book, and my main character (MC) has made a major life change, found and lost a love interest, discovered something important from his past, and crossed the line with an acquaintance (who may become more). What's next?
Okay, this is the part of the writing process when I've caught up to my ideas, and I don't know what else to write. For now. I've worked through the "everything sucks" stage and persisted through the "when am I ever going to finish this" stage... It's not exactly writer's block, but I'm stuck here.
Focus on the big picture...
In the rest of my story, I want my MC to experience: self-discovery resulting in a definitive conclusion; conflict between love interests; and resolution with his family and old feuds (wizards versus fairies).
1. Self-discovery: MC decided he doesn't want to work in the family business (wizardry). Does his choice mean he has to leave his family now? When so much of his identity is tied up with family, who is he apart from his family? What does he want to do with the rest of his life?
2. Love interest conflict: No love triangles for me. Kind of. But love interest #1, who rejected MC, is jealous of love interest #2 and stirs the pot on an old family feud. The feud impacts his grandfather, his parents, and love interest #2. MC is torn between the different parties. It's not a matter of the MC choosing between love interests... more like keeping one safe from the other.
3. Resolution with family and old feuds: Family—MC becomes reunited with his parents. Why did his parents abandon him? To protect him from the feud between their families. Feud—MC is the child of both sides (wizard and fairy). His very existence helps to heal old wounds. But how? Both sides need to come together for a purpose? Cure for sick family member? Father returns home because Grandfather is ill? Father seeks out Mother for a healing?
How does it all end?
Happily-ever-after. What else did you expect from me? I just need to add a little bit of this and a bit of that to get from where I am to where I need to be... the HEA before THE END.

Maya Tyler, wife and mother of two boys, writes paranormal romance with a twist. Being an author is her lifelong dream. Her debut novella Dream Hunter was released in December 2014. Her second novel A Vampire’s Tale was released in March 2017. She’s a romantic who believes in happily-ever-after. She enjoys reading, listening to music (alternative rock, especially from the 1990s), practicing yoga, and watching movies and TV. In her “free” time, she writes books and blogs at Maya’s Musings.
November 9, 2018
When Health Intervenes
The last three years, especially, have been hard for me. My already declining health took a bad turn (a plummet really) in 2015. Most days, it's hard enough to function let alone write. I'm sick, but I don't want sickness to be the reason I don't finish my book. I've been working on a sequel to A Vampire's Tale pretty much since I published it last year. Before deciding to do nanowrimo, I had written 20,000 words—and it had taken me a year and a half. It's hard enough to sell books as a new author, and one surefire way to keep sales up is to keep publishing books. Which is pretty hard to do if you're not writing. Or, if you're writing—sometimes—and your word count amounts to less than 1,000 words per week.
I keep planning to finish my novel, but I keep pushing my deadline out. Before summer. When the kids go back to school. This fall. And so on. Something always seems to be in the way—other projects, poor health, life. When am I going to write my novel if I don't sit down (actually lie down because I get nauseated if I sit to write) and write it? Enter nanowrimo. I may reach 50,000 words by November 30, and I may not. But I'm fine with either possibility. The excitement surrounding this month has me pumped and motivated to write. And, during week one, I wrote my target of 6,500 words. That's progress.
I can't say it's been an easy week. And I can't guarantee I'll hit my target next week. But I'm doing instead of hoping, and it feels good. Even when I don't.

Maya Tyler, wife and mother of two boys, writes paranormal romance with a twist. Being an author is her lifelong dream. Her debut novella Dream Hunter was released in December 2014. Her second novel A Vampire’s Tale was released in March 2017. She’s a romantic who believes in happily-ever-after. She enjoys reading, listening to music (alternative rock, especially from the 1990s), practicing yoga, and watching movies and TV. In her “free” time, she writes books and blogs at Maya’s Musings.
November 2, 2018
Book Spotlight - Slaughtered by @ka_lugo

Maya Tyler, wife and mother of two boys, writes paranormal romance with a twist. Being an author is her lifelong dream. Her debut novella Dream Hunter was released in December 2014. Her second novel A Vampire’s Tale was released in March 2017. She’s a romantic who believes in happily-ever-after. She enjoys reading, listening to music (alternative rock, especially from the 1990s), practicing yoga, and watching movies and TV. In her “free” time, she writes books and blogs at Maya’s Musings.