A Few Summery Updates: Professional (Part A)

Time for A Few Summery Updates: Professional (Part A).

Part B is Personal Updates...coming tomorrow.

Part A: Professional 

1. My first announcement has been a long time coming. 

I have decided to temporarily retire "Penny Watson."

What does this mean?

It means that I have a boat-load of stories floating around in my head, but they are not romance-driven. They still include love and friendship and romance, but they are not fitting into the "romance genre" box anymore.

My interests have changed over time, and my writing has changed over time. 

I finally realized that the reason I was struggling so much with my current WIP was that I was trying to squeeze it into a box where it did not belong.

So, I stopped squeezing. And I just let the story unfold organically in my convoluted brain.

And I realized it wasn't romance.

Furthermore, all the other stories I was working on were also struggling to break free. The whole idea of the main storyline following a central romance was no longer the driving force for my creative ideas.

And that's okay!

My voice is still the same. Quirky, whimsical, optimistic. But I have other ideas to explore, and other types of formats to try.

My current WIP will be published under my real name, Nina Roth Borromeo. It includes twelve-year-old characters and their extended families, a bit of a paranormal twist, and a funky format. There is plenty of humor and whimsy and quirkiness (think Wes Anderson movies), as well as a serious reflection about the relationship between humanity and nature.

I will keep you updated here about my progress and eventual publication date.

If you would like to check out a sneak peek of BLUE, here's a snippet.

Thank you for your support and patience and all that good jazz!

P.S. I'm not totally closing the door on PW. It's possible she might crank out some more stories in the future. Never say never. xoxo

2. Speaking Updates...

I had a busy spring and early summer. I gave a talk to the Southwest Florida Romance Writers group about creating a unique writing plan. What a great group of writers! I love it when there is a lot of discussion, and this group was so engaged and thoughtful.

I also chatted with some high school students about writing novellas. They were highly interested in the romance world and asked many questions about publishing. 

Finally, I visited Pittsburgh and enjoyed a low-key chat with the Three Rivers Romance Writers group. They are lucky enough to meet in the charming Sewickley Library. We talked about self-care for authors and simple living. They were right on board with mindfulness and meditation and being kind to ourselves. Really enjoyed this day!

Now for some disappointing news. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my last two workshops of the year...one in Toronto and one in Atlanta. Some family issues have come up, and I will not be able to attend those conferences. I'm really disappointed. Maybe next year? *fingers crossed*

Coming tomorrow...Personal Updates. Includes photos from Maine, Newport, Pittsburgh, my office, my garden, and more tales about the Home Apocalypse. 

Hope all of you are having a good summer!

Love, Nina