Hello !

Well ... I thought that having the container of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue would make coming up with interesting emails easier than a blank page. Hahaha! Dumb Bunny, as my Nonnie would have called me.

I did succeed and am excited to be sharing a resource I made last December then forgot about, a brand new workshop by fan fave Megan Fuentes, a fantastic book for anyone who wants to write romance scripts in a new market, and a 2-minute film to make you holiday weepy!

Something Old

As I was doing some much-needed year-end, file tidying up, I found a document I created for a workshop I delivered in December last year for Indie Author Training. It's a darned good resource and even more valuable today than when I made it. Why?

Well, on August 7th—just over 4 months ago—I created a new email box to filter all of the messages I get that are author scams. You might be surprised at the number (which does not include the emails that Gmail catches and filters to spam or junk). Take a guess at how many I got at the bottom of the email! ⬇️

But for now, grab my workshop resource, Don't Get Burned. It's your self-publishing protection pack. And it's only for you, my email subscribers! 🥰

Something New

I am so excited that Megan Fuentes is coming back to deliver a new workshop for us on Thursday THIS WEEK!

This one is called Do It for the Vibes: Translating Aesthetic Into Plot.

This is a fast-paced, idea-sparking workshop that shows writers how to turn moodboards, playlists, Pinterest chaos, and half-formed “vibes” into a premise for a novel you can't wait to write.

Instead of treating aesthetics as pretty-but-useless inspiration, you’ll learn how to interrogate your imagery and instincts—plot, character, conflict, theme, setting, all of it—until the embedded story finally reveals itself. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a repeatable process for extracting a structurally sound story potential from any aesthetic source, plus the confidence to do it over and over again.

Something Borrowed

This may seem like an odd thing to share, but if you've got any interest in writing scripts, then How to Write a Vertical Series in 10 Days is the guide to get. It was released this week and has been sitting in the #1 spot on all three scriptwriting categories for six days.

If you're not familiar with micro-dramas (aka vertical series) this is a field you might want to investigate. At this point, 90% of these feature length films you watch in 2-minute scenes on your phone are romances. 😍

I took the course that Isabel Dréan delivered in the fall and it was exceptional. And I actually did write a rom-com vertical series in 10 days (about a divorce lawyer and a matchmaker who get set-up on live TV!). I bought the ebook and it's so good I just ordered the paperback, too!

Something Blue

I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find something blue that also connects to this holiday season that wasn't "I'll have a blue Christmas without you." And all I have to show for my troubles is an epically country twangy earworm. 😣

So I thought, "Fine. But I'll share a funky version sung by a woman" expecting to find 3 or 4 to choose from. I am so naïve! Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, Loretta Lynn (Dad loved her!), Brenda Lee, Lady A, Norah Jones, Caylee Hammack, Sara Evans ... they all have their own version. And they're all ... meh to me.

So here's a blue song I first heard at the movie theatre. It was with the pre-film ads and it made me cry. Still does. Feels like a good Christmas song to me. Enjoy Lily and the Snowman!

I think I'll write one more time before going deep into my year-end analysis of all the things I thought I'd get done in 2025 that I'll have to either admit defeat on or move to 2026!

xo,

Danika Bloom

Author Ever After 💖

Swoonworthy Services 😍

Where romance writers become romance authors. Write it, finish it, publish it—together.



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I'm using a new email service and my sender reputation is 0! You'd help me a great deal by letting the server know I'm a safe sender! 😘