A couple months back, I had my first (and so far only) viral tweet: Last year, on the eve of my 33rd birthday, I filled 3 pages of my journal despairing over whether I should just give up on this whole writing thing This year, on the eve of my 34th, I’m headed to the bank to deposit the first advance check from my book deal Keep going. — Layne…

My writing ideas tend to start with characters, and that’s especially true for Temper. The main character of Temper came into my life years before I wrote the book. In fact, she started out in a different book entirely. Back in 2012, I wrote my first-ever novel during National Novel Writing Month. It was a silly, trashy story set in a dystopian version of Chicago, about a Shakespearean actress recruited to seduce…

Hi everyone! I’m so thrilled to be blogging about my debut year along with my fabulous fellow Debs Kai, Devi, Stephanie, and Martine. Here’s a little bit about me: I’m a Midwesterner through and through – originally from central Ohio, but I’ve lived in Chicago for the past 9 years. Chicago is my favorite city in the world, and I find it endlessly inspiring (yes, even during the brutal winters)….