“I thought the hotel changed some things between us.” His brows are drawn down. “Nope,” I say way too quickly, and take a step back. I do not want to hear what he has to say about that night. I can’t bear to think about the way he’d held me like he was afraid I would disappear any second. #WIPSnips

Guilt twists in my belly when I think about the last couple weeks. His tenderness when I burned my hand, and the way I’d melted into his touch, absorbing the glow of his attention like it was a ray of sunshine after weeks of rain. #WIPSnips #amquerying

His fingers slip under my shirt leaving a trail of fire everywhere & I arch into his touch, letting him tilt my head as he leaves a hot line of kisses over my collarbone. He skims down my back & around my ribcage, thumbs gently stroking the underside of my breasts & I whimper into his lips #WIPSnips

The vineyard uses fake plants for decor. That’s ironic. My eyes snag on a pothos on the end of a floating shelf. Maybe that one’s real. A patron brushes it on their way to the bathrooms and I watch the vine wave too stiffly. #WIPSnips #amquerying

I had been this close to losing her. I’d been beating myself up for it, imagining her on a Hawaiian beach with the wrong man when I’d come into the greenhouse and frozen at the sight of her red puffy eyes, and felt my heart start to beat again. #WIPSnips #amquerying

Today's weather reminded me of living in Dublin, walking beneath woolly clouds as a cool breeze carried my hair. And getting that whiff of cigarette smoke as I passed one house just really put the finishing touch on the scene. Real authentic experience. 👌

I change in the bathroom & run my hands under the water. A twenty minute car ride with Mackenzie shouldn’t make my hands shake. I spend forty hours alone in a greenhouse w/ her every week, for crying out loud, why is this different? You know why, a small voice in my head says. #WIPSnips #amquerying

But because Collin’s watching me and our competition is clearly still on, I lift my chin. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Okay, I’ve had better lines, but kissing this man has put me out of practice. His smirk deepens like he knows just looking at him scrambles my brain now. #WIPSnips #amquerying

“One of us has to leave,” I say instead. “Leave where? You’re at my house, if you’ll remember.” “I mean Potting Around.” The only sound from the bathroom is the faucet’s slow drip. “Why?” he finally asks. “Because we’re the worst functioning team there ever was." #WIPSnips #amquerying #booksky

“He looks happy with her.” Collin takes a half step closer, hands wrapping around both my arms. I go still, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. “He would’ve been happy with you if he knew what was good for him,” he says so firmly that my vision blurs. “Do you hear me, Mackenzie?” #WIPSnips #amquerying

It feels like I'm doing a lot of waiting around these days. Waiting to hear back from agents. Waiting to hear back about competitions, about that short story that was going to be pubbed ages ago. And all of it is out of my control. Best I can do is find something else to do. #amquerying #amwaiting

The sounds from the deck are a low hum outside, and this is the first time I’ve been alone with her all evening. “Mind if I join?” I ask with an up-nod. She offers me a small smile. “Sure.” I sink into the sofa and inhale more of that heavenly floral scent I’ve been missing. #WIPSnips #amquerying

Very disappointed to report that, despite exhaustive planning and plotting, this first draft is still destined to be a shitty first draft. Someone remind me it's SUPPOSED to be terrible the first time, and that I should have expected this all along. 🤌 #amwriting #writesky

Her hair is loose, falling over her shoulder in a cascade of blond curls, and her cheeks are rosy. Those blue eyes are hooded with drowsiness, and there’s a sudden pressure on my chest as I realize this is what Mackenzie looks like when she wakes up. #WIPSnips #amquerying

“I can put on a bandaid, you know. I don’t need you to —” “Just … let me,” Collin says in a pained kind of voice I’ve never heard before. Surprise dries up my retort. I don’t recognize this version of Collin who’s developed a psychic ability to tell when I’m upset or hurting. #WIPSnips #amquerying

Nothing like drafting a new WIP to take your mind off your #amquerying MS! Even if it's only until you finish a scene and then check your inbox ✨just in case.✨ One week in, and I'm at 17K words and getting excited for this new story 🥰

Collin’s hand closest to me twists in the sheets and he clears his throat. “And after an event like solstice I’d settle you into my couch with blankets and a show, get takeout, and keep my arm wrapped around you when you fell asleep even if it went numb.” #WIPSnips #amquerying

I #amquerying these days, so I'm really enjoying how the #WIPSnips make me pull out little bits of my MS & remind me how much I love this story. How even when I get a rejection, I still have something beautiful here, & it makes me proud. It's motivating me to keep trying. #booksky #writingcommunity

“What’d I miss?” he asks. Collin and I glance at each other, last night heavy between us. “Not much,” Collin says, affecting a casual air as he sips his second coffee of the day. I can’t stop looking at him. He catches my eye and a soft smile hooks the corner of his mouth. #WIPSnips #amquerying

“He thinks I cheated on him. With you.” Collin blinks. His hands rake through his hair, then tug at the ends as he growls, “That piece of shit.” “I tried telling him it wasn’t true. I mean how insane would that be? You and me?” He pauses and releases a long breath. “Yeah." #WIPSnips #amquerying

“Mackenzie,” Collin says softly, & my breath hitches. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” He looks like my answer actually matters. The ache in my chest swells, overpowering my self preservation. No, it’s not okay. I’m so tired of our rivalry. I wish we could’ve been friends. #WIPSnips #BookSky

“I’m not going to lose.” “But what if you do.” “You’re so negative.” I scrub the rag over the handle of a trowel. Urushiol oil is the worst. This is the last time I poison ivy anyone. But she has a point, I need a backup plan. #WIPSnips #WriteSky

That morning was a fever dream. His warm hands, the black shirt against his green eyes, his perfectly tousled brown hair, that broad smile & the sandpaper kiss on my cheek. Fake or not, it was more romantic than any date Aaron & I had, & I’d relished being precious to someone. #WIPSnips #WriteSky

She comes to stand in front of me, and in the tight space, she’s close again. I force long breaths through my nose and remind myself we’re not “faking it” anymore for Nicki. It’s just the two of us, and now the only faking I have to do is act like I don’t want to reach for her. #WIPSnips #WriteSky

Still refreshing my inbox like a querying newb hoping, just hoping to hear back. #amquerying

I had this one house project. I didn't think I could do it, it felt way out of my skillset and out of my usual Type B "good enough" personality. But ... I did it. And I'm so stinking proud.

I'm big on plotting, but sparks fly whether I'm in the plotting or drafting phase. I planned a whole scene out but then in the drafting an idea came to me, so I added it, and it became a significant piece in the story, slotting other pre-planned elements together rather nicely :) #writersofbsky

Is it just me, or did something happen to QueryTracker? I can't tell if it's glitching or if a significant percentage of the agents I've queried have deleted their accounts, and I'm a little worried. #amquerying #amwriting #booksky #writingcommunity

I sent out 5 more queries with my revisions & I'm already questioning everything. Is the query bland? Too vague? I swear it's an interesting story, I just don't feel confident in my ability to talk succinctly about it. The subjectivity of the industry makes it hard to tell. #amquerying #writersky

The post that no one has asked for: one like, one opinion from a query trench lifer #amquerying #writingcommunity

After a little hiatus to revisit my query package, I #amquerying again! And of course, I'm fueled by newly-querying-author optimism that THIS time I've got it right and it'll catch an agent's eye! Here's hoping 🤞 #WritingCommunity #writersky

I'm very disappointed to report that my manuscript did not fix itself in the night and I still have to do revisions on it. Very rude if you ask me. #amwriting #writersky #writingcommunity

I love stovetop popcorn. I'm a bit of a snob about it. Tonight, I'm trying purple popcorn using truffle oil and I am a little afraid, because what if I like it and I become even snobbier about my popcorn?

Things about mainstream publishing I wish more people knew: 1) The NY Times Bestseller List is a marketing list, not an accurate list of the best-selling books for that period. 🧵

Query re-writes are hard, but I'm thankful for @joelbrigham.bsky.social's keen eye on my query package to identify why it's not working in the trenches! If you're only getting form rejections, consider booking a critique with him. He'll find the problems & give you tools to fix them. #amquerying

Oh definitely Mackenzie. We'd swap plants and eat takeout on the couch and eat all the sourdough bread that Collin would make for us and it would be perfect. #CampRevPit #CRPDamselflies

Mackenzie would swear off relationships for years then settle for a fellow horticulturist who was safe and stable, even if he didn't thrill her. Collin would promptly enter therapy to work through his falling-too-fast tendencies eventually settle for a town councilwoman #camprevpit #CRPDamselflies

*sighs in obsessive planning mode. #camprevpit #crpdamselflies

Oh man I'm trash for tropes! Love: enemies/rivals-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, Divine Rivals-esque letter writing, forced proximity, fake dating, forbidden romance. Not my vibe: some opposites attract & fish out of water. In my WIP? rivals-to-lovers/forced proximity/fake dating. #CRPDamselflies

Hi #CRPDamselflies! I just found my way to the cabin today and I feel covered in twigs and leaves for how disastrously late I am, but I'm Cat, and I'm so excited to be here and talk romance and get to know everyone! 🌻

So um 👉👈 I didn't do #RevPit this year because I was still editing, but is #CampRevPit just for people who participated this year?

I sent off my first five queries today and am officially #amquerying!! I'm so excited to be sending my manuscript, ROOTING FOR YOU, out into the agenting world! Wish me luck guys! 🤞

Finally got my romance MS formatted the way I want it. Goodness gracious I love Scrivener, but there's still so much to learn, even after 5 years. #amwriting #WritingCommunity

Spending hours on a synopsis only to remember at the end of it that you have a *fantastic* article saved on just this subject. And now you have to re-do the entire thing. 🤌 #amwriting #amquerying

Shout out for beta readers! I'm looking for adult #romance readers to get some feedback on my 94k-word manuscript. 🌱 greenhouse coworkers 😈 rivals to lovers 😬 forced proximity 💙 he falls first 🤫 fake dating 🛌 there's only one bed 🌶️ light spice Interested? Let me know! #WritingCommunity #amwriting

Anyone know what this fuzzy growth is coming out of my Philodendron blue star fern? I've got quite a few of them and they're freaking me out. #gardening #houseplant

How to get a gym bro to quit hogging a machine: Use the machine right next to him. Take breaks that are just as long as his. Let him think you're watching him as he putzes on his phone (you're not). Let him get uncomfortable. Watch him leave.

I finished this round of edits!! And while I'm so excited to be another step closer to querying, I don't want to rush these final editing passes. Tomorrow I'll start in on my CP's notes, and I can't wait. #amwriting #romance

Good news! You can search Bluesky #MSWL just as well as Twitter Advanced Search. We recommend searching #MSWL with: * Your genre * Possible comp titles * Date range (if you do frequent searches) * Keywords related to your book Demo here! youtu.be/LnZt1MCjKZE

Rather peeved that Microsoft Word just tossed in an AI. Feels intrusive and creepy, and I'd love to believe that merely disabling it means it's gone from my system and won't be watching me, but I don't know how I can trust that and now I don't want to use it. Anyone have any thoughts on this?