First, a bright thanks to so many of you who sent in questions about the writing process a few months ago. I'll be answering them—slowly but surely—over the next several issues.

This month's question involves the idea of story endings, and if it's important to know the ending of a story before I begin. For me, the answer varies from book to book, from story to story.

For my first novel. Dragonflies at Night (More Than a Love Story), I wasn't writing from an outline; I was letting the story come to me, one scene, one chapter, at a time. So in that case, I only knew that I wanted Ben and Savannah to find a way to work out their challenges. I knew that it would be a good, soul-satisfying ending, but when I began, I didn't know what that would be.

With Feathers in the Sand (Seahaven Sunrise Book 1), once I knew how I wanted the book to start, I knew exactly what the last scene would be. But I didn't write it until the end.

I had a different experience with Sea Glass Memories (Seahaven Sunrise Book 2) - landing on bookshelves 10/10/23. Before I even wrote the first sentence, I had already written the last paragraph. However, this was after I had gotten to know my characters and what their challenges/needs were, and after I created a fluid outline of what would happen when.

So there's no clear answer to this one. It all depends on the story, the characters as they've revealed their stories to me . . . and, of course, my Creative Muse!

 🏆 June Give-Away Winners 🏆

a paperback copy of You, Me and the Sea, by Meg Donohue.

Tina from Texas

Connie from Texas (I need your address!)

In honor of this novel's ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY, this month I'm giving away THREE paperback copies of Feathers in the Sand (Seahaven Sunrise #1).

Gilmore Girls meets This Is Us with plenty of mother-daughter drama, small town Maine vibes, several special sunrises, a second chance romance, and mysterious feathers that are appearing seemingly out of nowhere!

To enter, just fill out the short form here and I'll do a random drawing THIS SUNDAY JULY 16.

I will send you an email notice that you've won,

(NOTE: I use the random generator at random.org to choose the winners

Would you like to help me promote my new novel this fall? It's called Sea Glass Memories and will be easing onto bookshelves on 10-10-23.

As an Indie Author, I depend on the support of my Super Fans to help spread the word about my novels. I have a good group of dedicated Super Fans and am interested in adding 10-20 more.

If you enjoy women's fiction with a splash of romance and would like to be considered, please read more info on this page about what you'd need to do (it's really very simple!).

Greetings! I'm grateful to you for reading my author newsletter! This is me exactly one year ago getting ready to launch Feathers in the Sand. Yes, that's our dining room table behind me.I am looking back at this memory and smiling because I'm celebrating this book baby being in the world for a whole year!

In between newsletters, I'll be posting more often on Instagram, my blog, and/or my Facebook Author page, so please be sure to visit me there too.

I'm open to hearing from you so please don't hesitate to reply to this email with any questions about the writing process, or the name of one of your own favorite authors who stir YOUR heart and soul.

And don't forget to enter our July fiction give-away, Feathers in the Sand, a beautiful story that will stir your heart and soul.