Jessica McCarty, Author

Posts

Editing Breakthroughs & A Comfort Read

Today, I finished editing chapter eleven. I'm so excited, because I was finally able to insert a detail I've been having a hard time finding a place for. I also included a flashback at the beginning of the chapter. It's a great feeling, because adding to a draft is so counterintuitive for me. Plus, I'm just really happy to add any length to this novella. My current goal is to complete three chapters a week, which means I could wrap up this first round of edits by mid- to late April. I'm planning on two more rounds of edits after that (one content edit and one line edit), but it depends on how the manuscript shapes up as I work on it. I always struggle with how much information to give readers at this stage of the process. For now, I'll just say that this little book contains the following: *romance💙 *librarians📖 *nerdy references😎 *an aspiring author💻 *a secret cosplayer🦸 *found family👪 *a sci-fi tv show🚀 Reading . . . I continued with last month'...

Edits & Dancing💃

Happy February, friends! It's absolutely frigid here in Indiana, which means it's a great time for me focus on my WIP. I started applying the notes I took for my first round of content edits and have made it through two chapters, tweaking and fleshing out my little book. Editing is always the most difficult part for me, but I do enjoy the depth and clarity that comes from it as I begin to more clearly see who the characters are and work on bringing out the heart of the story. I can't wait for you to meet Jasper and Larkin, and I hope you're all warm and cozied up with a great book, wherever you are! Reading . . . My sweet husband preordered the last book in the When in Rome series, In Your Dreams , as a Christmas present. As with her last few books, Sarah includes a content warning at the beginning so you can avoid certain chapters if you prefer closed-door romance. While I always appreciate this, I must admit that her books are getting more graphic, and I don't...

My Favorite Reads of 2025! 🕮

It's a new year, and you know what that means! Time to share my favorite reads from 2025. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've already likely heard me rave about these books, so I'll get right to it. In no particular order, I'm starting with a series. How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother by the amazing Jenny Proctor. A Christmas-themed Hawthorne book came out in November, and I need it right now . Next, Some Like it Scot by Pepper Basham. Don't let the title fool you. This book is a nice, clean romcom with plenty of heart. (My reading journal has two whole pages dedicated to it.😉) Lastly, Double or Nothing by Cindy Steel. This is book two in the Pride and Pranks series, and I would recommend them all! Writing update . . . My first draft is complete! I'm taking notes and plotting where to insert certain elements. This is working a bit backward for me. Considering this will be a shorter book, this will add some length. It'll also allow me to be mo...

Winter Projects

Happy December, friends! I hope it's warm in your neck of the woods. Here in Indiana, we're already experiencing snow and frigid temperatures. I've been doing what all book worms do and reading whilst drinking cocoa or hot tea. I'm working on a few projects as well. I strained out my first batch of fire cider, which I hope to try later today. And I'm hand sewing stockings for the littles from a blanket I bought at the dollar store and leftover bias tape from my corset project. On the topic of drafting, I'm sitting at just over 25,000 words despite being near the end of the draft. This book is going to be short . I'm thinking a hundred pages or so, a novella rather than a novel. I shouldn't be surprised. This book is all kinds of different. Yesterday, I had a lot of fun drawing on personal experience from when my sister & I went to a Once Upon a Time convention. If you're into fantasy and romcoms, this is the book for you! Reading . . . * Christm...

Rom-Coms & Fire Cider

For those of you wanting a writing update, I'm currently at 18,038 words in my draft and will be adding to it rather than my normal method, which is to write a lot and then chop away what it doesn't need. This book is also different because it's a romance written in first person. They say to write what you know. So, get ready. I'm about to get real nerdy on y'all.😆 Reading . . . Being that it was spooky month, in October I re-read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. It's surprisingly true to the original while adding fun elements like the undead, ninjas, and a warrior Lady Catherine. It's cheesy and delightful, and I whole-heartedly recommend it. I also enjoyed SpongeBob Comics: Treasure Chest . Lastly, I read That Fine Line and Double or Nothing by Cindy Steel. Double or Nothing is my favorite of the Pride & Pranks series so far! *If you're looking for a giggle, I would suggest any of the aforementioned books. Making . . . Fi...

Fall is Finally Here!🍂

Fall is here, friends!🍂🧣🥾 It's my favorite time of year. And between the hot summer and the opening of my next book (it's giving Gilmore Girls ), there's extra reason to be grateful. Yes, you heard that right, I'm working on a new book!😍I'm slow-rolling into this one for multiple reasons, one being that I can't seem to settle on a genre and therefore am existing in a I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing!?! bubble. Reason two is time. Three, I'm working with an outline, which requires more effort for me than simply pantsing the project. I've heard it said that your process changes and every book requires something different. Let me tell you, it's true! Reading . . . This month I read Are We There Yet? by Savannah Scott and Kiss Me Now by Melanie Jacobson. I love a good romcom, but sometimes I feel like I need a little more . . . heft(🤔). Kiss Me Now definitely brought that in a sweet, funny, enemies-to-lovers story with characters that are also...