The next morning, she tells him that she wants to join their group. She wants to learn how to hunt and slay zombies. And so, finally, Alice’s true training begins.
Your assignment: Finish writing your synopsis.
Day 364
Reflect and Catch Up
Be Kind About Your First Effort
GENA: When I sat down to write my first book, I’d never had so much fun. Finally, I was doing what I loved. I poured myself into every scene and lovingly considered every word...and it turned out to be a pile of garbage. I jumped around with tenses and scenes. I also put everything I thought was funny or moving in it, even if it didn’t fit. This became Heaven’s Fury, named after my heroine–Heaven.
JILL: My senior year of college, part of my internship was to attend and record the governor’s weekly press conference. Now, I’m not saying that the governor’s junior press secretary was hot or anything, but my first ever book centered on a governor’s press secretary. The icing on the top was the title - A Political Affair - because if there’s one thing romance readers are (not) clamoring for, it’s politically themed books with affairs. Actually, the real icing was the 4 different points of view in the first scene, including one by a random guy opening a door who we never see again.
While the world will never read these brilliant works, they taught us something about the art of writing and gave us the confidence we needed to keep going. Does this mean your first book is/will be a steaming pile? No, absolutely not. Many authors have sold their first manuscript. Just don't beat yourself up if the book doesn’t turn out the way you picture in your head. You can get there. Keep going!
Day 365
Your Final Read Through
Let’s be honest. By this point, you’ve read your book so many times, the idea of reading it ONE MORE TIME is exhausting. Or, maybe you’re raring to go and can’t wait to gaze upon your words again. Maybe you’re somewhere in between. However you feel, don’t skip this step. This is that one last look before you upload the manuscript for publishing or zip it off for submission to an agent, editor, or after the proofer so make it count.
You can print the book and read it on paper. You can listen as your computer dictates it. You can read it backward. Yes, some people do, in fact, read their book backward—starting with the last chapter and working their way back one chapter at a time—to trick their mind and help them more easily see any mistakes. Find what works best for you and tweak as you go.
Our main suggestion is to approach this final reading with a different process from how you wrote and edited the book. You’re defeating muscle memory before it attempts to kick in.
GENA: I tend to edit heavily at every stage—which I do not recommend, because domino effect–so I switch up formatting for my final read through. For the first time, I read it formatted like a published novel. Do you know how many times I’ve kick myself for missing so many errors? Enough to bruise!
JILL: I prefer to send the manuscript to my tablet and read as if I’m pleasure-reading. I stop and correct mistakes as I find them. Sometimes I don’t always understand my hastily jotted down notes to myself, so I fix the mistake and get back to reading.
Your assignment: Block off several hours to read through your book one last time—all the way from beginning to end –looking for any typos or confusing sentences you might have missed.
Day 366
Congrats, baby!
You did it. You really did it. You had an idea, you put in the work, and now you have a finished product ready for the next step.
You’ve accomplished something incredible, and this is a day of celebration. Focus. Magnify. Accomplish. Triumph!
Thank you so much for taking this journey with us. We hope you enjoyed the process, and we wish you all the best in your future literary endeavors. We’d love to keep in touch!
You can join our exclusive group here, secret word: Triumph
Your assignment: Celebrate!
Author Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the authors who so generously participated by giving up their advice. Please visit their websites and show them some love!
Jennifer L. Armentrout
AC Arthur
Kait Ballenger
Breezie Bennett
Sawyer Bennett
Jaci Burton
PC Cast
Deborah Chester
HelenKay Dimon
Leigh Duncan
Stephanie Feagan
Lori Foster
Donna Grant
Wendy Higgins
Alexandra Ivy
Molly Jarrett
Beverly Jenkins
Julie Kagawa
Alison Kent
Kate Kessler
Merline Lovelace
Janice Lynn
Priscilla Oliveras
Michelle M. Pillow
Christopher Rice
Mandy M. Roth
Carrie Ann Ryan
Nalini Singh
Roxanne St. Claire
Susan Stoker
Teri Wilson
Book Resources
Books Mentioned
Click here for digital list.
1984 by George Orwell
A Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham Maslow
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
At the Heart of Christmas by Jill Monroe
Barefoot Bay by Roxanne St. Claire
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
The Best Worst Man by Mia Sosa
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Captain’s Baby Bargain by Merline Lovelace
Can’t Let Go by Gena Showalter
Catch a Mate by Gena Showalter
Dark Swan by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Assassin by Gena Showalter
The Darkest King by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter
Dating the Undead by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe
Deathmaker by Lindsay A. Buroker
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Divine by Mistake by P.C. Cast
The Dogfather series Sit…Stay…Beg by Roxanne St. Claire
Down the Rabbit Hole by Gena Showalter
Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James
Firstlife by Gena Showalter
Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner
Fun & Games by Jill Monroe
Game of Thrones–A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Glass Queen by Gena Showalter
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Sworn Enemies (originally published as Hitting the Mark) by Jill Monroe
House of Night series by PC and Kristin Cast
How to Get Happily Published by Judith Appelbaum
How to Polish Your Manuscript in 10 Days by Anne Victory
Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole
Intimate Behavior: A Zoologist’s Classic Study of Human Intimacy by Desmond Morris
It by Stephen King
Kat in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe
Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh
The Master by Kresley Cole
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
The Merchant of Venice
by William Shakespeare
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Moon Chosen by PC Cast
My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma
Naked Thrill by Jill Monroe
Never Naughty Enough by Jill Monroe
New Tax Guide for Writers, Artists, Performers, and Other Creative People by Peter Jason Riley
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
The Nymph King by Gena Showalter
Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter
The Playbook series – Intercepted, Fumbled, Blitzed – by Alexa Martin
Playing With Fire by Gena Showalter
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
Pride, Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Sworn by Instinct (originally published as Primal Instincts) by Jill Monroe
Prince of Stone by Gena Showalter
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes
The Romanov Prophesy by Steve Berry
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Sworn to Duty (originally published as SEALed and Delivered) by Jill Monroe
Sworn by a Kiss (originally published as SEALed With a Kiss by Jill Monroe
Sworn to Protect (originally published as Share the Darkness) by Jill Monroe
Story by Robert McKee
The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
Tall, Dark and Filthy Rich by Jill Monroe
Temptation in Shadows by Gena Showalter
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
The Wonderful World of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow
The Writer’s Market Edited by Robert Lee Brewer
Television Shows and Movies Mentioned
Breaking Bad (2008) TV series created by Vince Gilligan
Dirty Dancing (1987) Movie directed by Emile Ardolino
The Good Place (2016) TV series created by Michael Schur
Law and Order (1990) TV series created by Dick Wolf
LOST (2004) TV series created by J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, Damon Lindelof
A Quiet Place (2018) Movie directed by John Krasinski
Seed of Chucky (2004) Movie directed by Don Mancini
The Shape of Water (2017) Movie directed by Guillermo del Toro
Sixth Sense (1999) Movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) Movie directed by George Lucas
Supernatural (2005) TV series created by Eric Kripke
The Usual Suspects (1995) Movie directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie
Wedding Crashers (2005) Movie directed by David Dobkin
The Wizard of Oz (1939) directed by Victor Fleming based on the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Wrong Bed: Naked Pursuit (2017) Movie directed by Monika Mitchell; written by Angela
Russel and Roma Roth based on a book by Jill Monroe
You’ve Got Mail (1998) Movie directed by Nora Ephron
Final Resources
Want to self-publish? There are many great podcasts including:
The Creative Penn by Joanna Penn.
The Spa Girls hosted by Cheryl Phipps, Shar Barratt, Trudi Jaye and Wendy Vella.
Mark Dawson’s The Self-Publishing Show.
Mignon Fogerty aka Grammar Girl – Quick and Dirty Tips
Scrivner
Grammarly
ProWiritngAid
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
About Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of paranormal and contemporary romance novels, as well as young adult, fantasy and non-fiction. She has been mentioned on Orange is the New Black and chosen as Cosmopolitan’s Red Hot Read. When she isn’t hard at work on her next novel, she’s playing with her menagerie of rescue animals—adopt don’t shop!—telling her husband and kids about every cute thing done by the rescue animals, or binging favorite TV shows.
About Jill Monroe
Jill Monroe is the international best selling author of over fifteen novels and novellas. Her books are available across the globe and The Wrong Bed: Naked Pursuit has been adapted for the small screen for Lifetime Movie Network.
When not writing, Jill makes her home in Oklahoma with her husband, enjoys daily walks with her dog Zoey, texting with her two daughters who are away at college and collecting fabric for items she'll sew poorly.
Also by Gena Showalter
Click here for a digital reading list.
Gods of War:
Shadow and Ice
Frost and Flame
Lords of the Underworld:
The Darkest Night
The Darkest Kiss
The Darkest Pleasure
The Darkest Whisper
The Darkest Passion
The Darkest Lie
The Darkest Secret
The Darkest Surrender
The Darkest Seduction
The Darkest Craving
The Darkest Touch
The Darkest Torment
The Darkest Warrior
The Darkest King
Forest of Good and Evil:
The Evil Queen
The Glass Queen
Tales of an Extraordinary Girl:
Playing with Fire
Twice as Hot
Angels of the Dark:
Wicked Nights
Beauty Awakened
Burning Dawn
The White Rabbit Chronicles:
Alice in Zombieland
Through the Zombie Glass
Queen of Zombie Hearts
A Mad Zombie Party
Kat in Zombieland
Everlife:
Firstlife
Lifeblood
Everlife
Alien Huntress:
Awaken Me Darkly
Enslave Me Sweetly
Savor Me Slowly
Tempt Me Eternally
Seduce the Darkness
Ecstasy in Darkness
Dark Taste of Rapture
Otherworld Assassins:
Last Kiss a Goodnight
Black and Blue
Dark Swan
Imperia:
Prince of Prince
Prince of Forever
Also by Jill Monroe
Click here for a digital reading list.
At the Heart of Christmas
Fun & Games
Naked Pursuit
Naked Thrill
Lord of Rage
Tall, Dark and Filthy Rich
Never Naughty Enough
Novellas
Treasure in the Sand
Wet & Wild
Dating the Undead
Coming Soon - Sworn Series:
Sworn to Duty - (formerly SEALed and Delivered)
Sworn By a Kiss - (formerly SEALed With a Kiss )
Sworn to Protect - (formerly Share the Darkness)
Sworn Enemies - (formerly Hitting The Mark)
Sworn by Instinct - (formerly Primal Instinct)
Sworn by Heart - (formerly Date on the Run)