Presenting a guide to my NA Romance, NO LOVE IS AN ISLAND. A spiraling grad student travels to Sri Lanka to search for her missing father, but her mission is compromised when a baggage claim mishap forces her to take the spot of her nemesis’ ex-girlfriend on the couples’ trip he planned.

🚨CHARACTER ART REVEAL🚨 Meet Sandali and Cliff from NO LOVE IS AN ISLAND, my travel romance (with a dash of mystery) set largely in Sri Lanka 🌴🥥🇱🇰 Props to the talented Yenthe Joline for this beautiful character art. 🥰

Thanks to a few months away from my manuscript and the astute feedback of my agent, I had the perspective I needed to cut nearly 9,000 words! 🪓🤯✂️ Now I’m confident my manuscript is even stronger. Thought I’d share a few cutting insights in case they come in handy to any writers out there!

Writers, give me your best wordcount-slashing advice! I’ve cut/consolidated slower scenes without enough key action. I’ve tightened long-winded dialogue. I’ve trimmed descriptions. I’ve chopped filler words. I’m almost at the finish line, so hit me with anything I’ve missed!

I had fun making a couple moodboards for my YA tech-free summer romance WIP, one before and one after the Banishment. 📱🚫🏔️ #yacontemporary #yaromance #summerromance #techfree #wip

The job of the writer ✍🏽⚙️☁️✨

My YA wip vibes ✨ #amdrafting #writerslife #writersofbluesky #booksky #writingcommunity

Romance writers (and anyone with a romance subplot), what is keeping your MC and their love interest apart? Valentine’s season is here, so I thought it might be fun for the #writingcommunity to share more about our love stories 💕🥰💘 #romance #lovestories #romcom #valentines

Sharing this Writer Resources spreadsheet in case it’s helpful to the #writingcommunity. It includes tabs on various stages of the writing and querying provess. Let me know if I missed a resource that was helpful to you! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Flip that newly hung calendar to July 21, friends - the countdown for The Ghost Who Saved Halloween is on! 👻 Clever Ghost will slink into your heart & hopefully…your pre-order carts! www.harpercollins.com/products/the... @jenanyong.bsky.social @harperkids.bsky.social #picturebooks #kidlit

What are your New Year’s resolutions and wishes for your writing life in 2026? Here are mine. #writingcommunity #writing #newyear #resolutions

I finished writing and revising my travel romance! 🎉At least until my agent sends me edits 😅. I can’t believe I cut over 80k words during revisions…that’s like a whole other book! 🤯). How many words do you have in your excess content document? Have you ever reused any of them later?

@letiziawrites.bsky.social and I met during the golden age of Writer Twitter through Revpit posting games. 🐥💛📝 Since then, we’ve become CPs, friends, and even agent siblings (shout out to the great @morgan.c.hughes!). We can’t wait to share our books with the world!

What’s your take on creating a fictional town for a contemporary novel?

As this round of revisions draws to a close, I’ve begun listening to my own novel draft with earbuds using the Read Aloud feature on the Microsoft 365 app. 📖🗣️ What a great way to catch awkward, wordy, or repetitive language while immersing yourself in the novel through a different sense!

Character inspo for the art I’m commissioning!!! I’m deep in revisions for my travel romance (set largely in Sri Lanka), and Sandali and Cliff feel so alive to me…what better way to bring them to life for everyone else than with some character art (until you can read my book, that is 😉).

#Editors prepare to have your bones chilled and your heart warmed! THE SHIVER’s got thrills, chills and feels!!! 👻🕯️🖤

AHHHHH CONGRATS to @christiecurry25.bsky.social on this book deal 🥳🎉🥂!!! I LOVED reading this hilarious, swoony, important story (and your others that I’m sure will quickly follow in getting published!). SO WELL DESERVED. I CANNOT WAIT for everyone to read LOVE BETWEEN THE LECTURES!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I have some exciting news to share 👀👀👀 This author is officially in her ✨VAGUE✨ era!!!!!!!!!!!

A human sexuality professor is blindsided when she's paired up with her childhood crush, now a PhD candidate, to organize a SEXTIVAL, only to face fierce opposition from the university's biggest donors: her conservative parents. Editor's Guide, on sub soon! #PopUpPitE #PopUpPit #LuckyPit #A #romcom

Hope things are coming up roses for you ✨💐

Look what was finally delivered! 📖🤗I was so excited to read Christine Letizia’s ( @letiziawrites.bsky.social ) engrossing short story, An Enchantment of Twelve. The voice! The slow burn! The spell! I devoured this magical morsel 💛✨🕯️ Congrats on being selected for this delightful anthology! 🎉

✂️✂️🚨CUT ALERT 🚨 ✂️✂️ Since completing the first (bloated) draft of my travel romance, I’ve cut 36,000 words! 🎉🎉🎉 Also, I got a cute haircut 💇🏽‍♀️. My manuscript is tighter now and so much closer to ready! 💪🏽

Congrats @jenanyong.bsky.social and @kalyquarles.bsky.social !!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Can’t wait to buy and read your Who Saved the Holidays picture books with my kiddo! We LOVE it when hijinks ensue 👻🦃😍 #picturebooks #kidlit #author #debut #illustrator #writingcommunity #publishersweekly

Congrats to Jennifer Anyong on signing with her agent, Morgan Hughes at FinePrint! Why does Jen love being a member of #12x12PB? Read our blog post to learn more about how her membership has helped her: https://buff.ly/3Q5hHO9 #amwriting #amquerying

Hot take: The worst revisions are Tedious Revisions. These are pesky little things like ensuring consistent/logical timelines, fact-checking, adding details to support later statements, filling minor plot holes, and mixing up repetitive pet phrases.

Do travel romances get a higher wordcount than the romance genre in general? I know historical romance warrants a higher wordcount given all the historical context needed, but what about descriptions/worldbuilding of foreign locations and cultural context needed for travel romance?

Here it is, folks—my Revision Notebook! 📓🌺 After 3 weeks away from the 1st draft of my travel romance, I’ve returned to it with fresh eyes, taking notes as I read. I’m pleasantly surprised to find that despite its issues, I still love my story. Once I clean this baby up, I hope you will, too! 🥰📖✨

First draft of my Sri Lanka travel romance WIP is finally complete! 🎉🎉🎉 After a break to let things simmer, I’m excited to dive into revisions!

I’m listening to Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (which to me is a Christmas song), and my holiday hope for all writers everywhere is that all of us will get to someday write the books of our hearts, our ten-minute-songs that we had to whittle down to fit the industry standard

Where’s the happy literary content in my feed today? 😕

I’m finally nearing the end of my travel romance WIP! 😊 But I’ve historically had a tricky time nailing the conclusion, rewriting the ending several times for my previous novels. What’s your approach to writing a satisfying ending?

“Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.” -Rumi ✨

We've gotten some amazing applications for #HiveMentor so far!! If you're waiting for a sign to apply, this is it!!! But hurry, the application window closes this Sunday, November 24! @writehive.bsky.social #writingcommunity #amquerying

Is there a way to search existing skypacks for specific communities using keywords?

PSA Everyone who uses Canva: they have opted you in to training AI, you will need to get into your privacy settings to stop these assholes scraping your stuff. #WritingCommunity

My 4yo finally stuffed so many library books in the tote bag that the strap broke from the sheer weight. I’ve never been so proud.

My funny, MG crush-com is finally ready for ✨sub✨ come January! #kidlit #writingcommunity

#WritingCommunity, mark your calendars!!! Just found out #BluePit will be coming Jan 13th, 2025! Get those pitches ready! Information for you below… Do you think you’ll join? What will you be pitching? #AnWriting #AmQuerying #Books #Authors

I am ECSTATIC to announce that I signed with the wonderful @mohughes22.bsky.social with Fine Print Literary Management last month. Morgan loved my voice and writing, and she really understood the spookiness of my middle grade horror. I'm grateful to partner with her on my books!! #writingcommunity

Hello writing community and publishing community! I’m Natasha De Silva, a YA/NA contemporary author. I write love stories that also explore friendship, family, and cultural identity with humor, heart, and hope. My YA contemporary romance, THE LEAVES THAT BIND, is now out on submission.