Anyone else feel like the line is pretty blurry? open.substack.com/pub/spencerb...

So…is it women’s fiction or romance?

The chat is having a genre identity crisis.

open.substack.com

Some places leave fingerprints on our hearts. Wrote about Barbados, family, and eating mangoes in the sea. 🌊🥭 spencerbarnardo.substack.com/p/mangoes-in...

“Tell them both of your siblings died. In separate shooting incidents. Then they’ll have to listen to what you have to say.” This is the #authoradvice David Sedaris gave me when I was supposed to be finishing my novel. I wrote about it (and being very, very tired): bit.ly/substack-i-w...

Last Night I Went To See David Sedaris Instead of Finishing My Book

My agent is lucky to have me.

open.substack.com

Sad news: I had to withdraw my RevPit submission. Happy news: I had to withdraw because I signed with an agent!! Can't wait to take this next step in my journey to publish DEAR MARGOT. Next stop: submission land. #agented #author #booksky #goodbyequerytrenches

The gift of ARC sign-ups on April Fool’s Day? Come back on Christmas for a prank 😌💖😭 Anyway, if you like plus size MMCs who wear slutty little sewing glasses, stressed girlies who have to fake date their enemy for a week in Italy, or pigeons in general, link in bio to apply! 👀🧵🪡 #arcs #fakedating

Two agents described my draft as “really clean” — with one specifically noting there was very little errant comma usage. Think I can petition my university to retroactively change my D in grammar to something less embarrassing?

Finally seeing all the typos in my submission #RevPitWaiting

A concert. Developed a whole character sheet and story idea. Listened to the singer's music so much after that while outlining and getting everything on paper that his music took over my entire Spotify Wrapped. #RevPit #WriterSky

✨ Joy Shaw | Author ✨@joyshaw.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Morning, #RevPit hopefuls! 😄 What’s the weirdest place you’ve gotten a story idea? The shower? A dream? The grocery store? Writers always have the best stories about this.

A chaos gremlin inherits a London flat. Her reserved downstairs neighbor did NOT sign up for this madness - or listening to her very loud playlist on repeat. Family secrets. Forced proximity. Plenty of banter. Sex positive plus-size FMC. A British MMC who absolutely eats it up.

What a delightful combination of "I'm going to be sick" and "Thank god it's out of my hands now." #RevPit

Margot’s life was FINE. Stable job. Sensible choices. A plan. Not part of the plan? Her sister dying. Also not part of it? The letters. A secret itinerary. A one-night stand with Sam. Him showing up again. And again. Feelings. Maybe it's time to forget the plan - and start living. #Cupit #CR #A

Hennie: Takes up space. Too loud. Pretending her grief isn’t a big deal. Everett: Rigid rule-follower. Desperate to meet expectations. Convinced tea cures everything. Opposites attract, walls come down. Then ambition ruins everything. Open-door. Emotional fallout. Earned forgiveness. #Cupit #CR #A

FLEABAG x ROMANTIC COMEDY A chaos gremlin inherits a London flat. Her reserved downstairs neighbor did NOT sign up for this emotional spiral. Family secrets. Forced proximity. Reckless decisions. Plus-size FMC with unapologetic confidence. A British MMC who absolutely eats it up. #Cupit #CR #A

FLEABAG x ROMANTIC COMEDY WRITING HENNIE is also perfect for readers who love vivid settings (hello, London) and anyone looking for a romance featuring a plus-size woman where being fat is NOT something she needs to change. #Questpit #A #R #Q

Enter Everett: rigid, rule-bound, and convinced tea cures all - except his disastrous last novel. After the shock of Hurricane Hennie, he sees an opportunity: the perfect muse for his next book. But when feral energy become exactly what he needs, the rule book is out the window. #Questpit #A #R #Q

Meet Hennie: a plus-size American chaos-goblin who hid her hurt behind being “the fun friend.” Grieving her father, losing her mother to dementia, she’s overwhelmed by her family's lies - and desperate for roots. She takes up space. Laughs too loudly. And she’s not apologizing. #Questpit #A #R #Q

FLEABAG x ROMANTIC COMEDY Hennie's in freefall when she inherits a London flat from the father she never knew - and gains a downstairs neighbor, Everett, who’s about to be caught in her chaos. Too bad they make questionable choices. Sex tends to complicate things. #Questpit #A #R #Q