Our brains evolved to simulate the experiences of others through storytelling by rehearsing emotion. Fiction allows us to empathize with love, courage, and grief. This emotional rehearsal is one reason why stories leave us transformed after we've finished reading. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

Foxglove is such a pretty garden flower. The leaves and roots, in low doses, are medicine that will help a weak heart beat strong. In a healthy person, a strong dose will induce a sudden heart attack that no cardiologist can fix. It causes the heart to seize up like a rock and never beat again.

I really want more #women to go read #Lysistrata this week. Written more than 2,000 years ago, it's funny, bold, and proof that women have been asking hard questions about power, war, and sexuality for a long time. #Books #Classics #Reading #BookTok #BookSky #ReadingCommunity #Feminism #4B

Well, damn...do I need a different library card for those libraries, or will the one I have work? Where exactly are these libraries located? Asking for book research. 😂 That's one way to get people to go to the library. #PublicLibrary #Librarians #ReadingCommunity #WritingCommunity #Romancelandia

The "word vomit" is edited to be pretty and crafted with more eloquence now, but yeah. I was the word nerd who loved to write long papers, often longer than required, late into the night. #TheStoryAlchemist #Neurodivergent #NeuroSpicy #NightWriter #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

Which fictional house would you move into immediately? For me, it's the house from #PracticalMagic. #ReadingCommunity #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #DreamHouse

The "evil" women of mythology weren't monsters at all. History shows us men hate women who refuse to perform femininity as softness and stay silent about abuse. Women who fought back and survived are remembered. 🧵(1) #TheStoryAlchemist #Mythology #Folklore #Goddess #PowerfulWomen #DivineFeminine

A teacher saw me reading The Mammoth Hunters in school and freaked out. I was genuinely confused by the objection. I was 14 then, and in high school. I told her I'd read the books dozens of times, and my copies had fallen apart. Twice. I was on my third set of the books. (3)

I loved that book so much, I immediately went to get The Valley of the Horses. By the time I was 10, I read the first three books at least a dozen times, and I wanted to be an anthropologist. I was 12 before I realized Dad's objection was about the subject matter, not my reading comprehension. (2)

When dad read Clan of the Cave Bear and told me about it, I wanted to read it. I was 8. He said I was too young to read it. I took that as an insult to my intelligence and read it anyway, with a dictionary next to me, so I could look up any words I didn't know. I used it exactly once. (1)

I want to work on setting up my Patreon and editing and revising all the content I've spent months drafting, but it's too damn hot to sit by the window and think. 96 in the shade. No breeze. Wet Humid. I'm in Washington State, where it's 45-65 degrees 9 months out of the year. Proof of #BlueSky

Dear #Thriller #Authors, Gaslight me. Twist that trope. Make me suspect the husband, the neighbor, the dog, and the mailman. But if I need a flowchart to understand your #BookBlurb, we've got a problem. Confused readers don't click "Buy Now." #TheStoryAlchemist #WritingTips #BookSky #IndieAuthor

At #TheStoryAlchemist, I combine storytelling psychology, compelling ad copy and reader curiosity into "Buy Now" clicks. If writing your book blurb feels impossible, you need an experienced copywriter to help you. Message me for details. #BookMarketing #IndieAuthors #WriteSky

#ThStoryAlchemist Rewrite: Notice what changed: ✔️Stronger hook ✔️Reader curiosity ✔️Specific details ✔️Genre expectation ✔️Emotional tension ✔️Clear real life stakes Great blurbs don't explain stories They create irresistible questions readers need answered. 🧵(7) #BookBlurb #BookMarketing #WriteSky

Here is the #BookBlurb using non-descriptive phrases I see a lot. Why This Doesn't Convert: 🚫Generic heroine, hero, town etc. 🚫Vague "troubled past" 🚫No wow factor 🚫Could describe 10,000 novels It tells readers what happens (barely) but doesn't convey emotional intrigue.🧵(2)

Most #BookBlurbs don't work because they summarize the plot, instead of using specific phrasing and storytelling psychology. I'm analyzing a #ModernRomance description to show how I create curiosity that leaves the reader craving more. 🧵(1) #TheStoryAlchemist #BookBlurbBreakdown #WriteSky

A great story is overlooked if the description doesn't spark curiosity and the psychological urge to keep reading. Ready to give your book the marketing it deserves? Let's talk and make your book irresistible to readers. #TheStoryAlchemist #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingCommunity #Writesky

A book's description job is not to tell the story. It's to make readers psychologically unable to resist discovering the story for themselves. #TheStoryAlchemist #BookMarketing #BookBlurb #WritingTips #IndieAuthor #WriteSky

6 Reasons Your #BookBlurb Doesn't Convert to Sales🧵 6. They End With a Weak Question "Will love conquer all?" Readers know the answer. Instead, elicit a compelling emotional desire that demands to be filled. (6) #TheStoryAlchemist #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

I combine storytelling psychology, and marketing strategy to create sales copy that sparks curiosity. Because readers don't buy books. They buy intrigue. Need a book blurb or social media content that sells? Let's talk. #TheStoryAlchemist #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

I can write you a fresh book description that evokes reader curiosity. Sample: "The Journal became a time capsule, preserving the events and spirit of the 80's, capturing a world before social media. Get a nostalgic view of a time that feels both distant and surprisingly familiar."

A nice French Peach Amaretto Tart, paired with Vanilla Bean ice cream. www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=...

The advantage of #outlining is that it's an assay of ideas before you invest months of hard work digging in the caverns of creativity to mine a #book. Is there enough gold there to keep excavating? Or should you focus energy on the veins that run deeper? #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #Plotter

I reference this one a lot. www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-writer...

Not enough women in America have read #Lysistrata. Written over 2,400 years ago, this short Greek play by #Aristophanes tells of women who use their sexual agency to organize political power. The themes are still relevant to today's geopolitical and social climate. www.amazon.com/dp/0393870839

Big Cat Cuddler and Cat Ninja Photographer were NOT career options I was told about in school, and they absolutely should be a career day topic of discussion. #Cats #HouseLions

A weary werewolf came to Crimson Moon to escape a war. A human witch with no idea what she’s walking into. A dangerous attraction neither of them can lie to themselves about. Now the beast wants only one thing: her. 🐺🔥 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B... #ReadingCommunity #Booksky #ParanormalRomance

Here you go. Happy Baking!

A woman is raped every minute in this country. Men have absolutely no clue how much rage, self-control, emotional regulation, and patience women really have. There will come a day, when women will stop performing feminity as softness. Y'all better start acting right and respectfully. #FAFO

Rereading The Great Cosmic Mother. One of the best books I've ever read.