No man to deliver flowers this week... today I want to know what ideas are blooming in your head.

Dear ,

Unlike loads of my author pals, I didn't always know that one day I'd write books. In fact, I resisted writing for years, even though I was pretty good at it. I chose hobbies that were writing-adjacent—I was the editor of my high school yearbook and of my college newspaper and literary journal.

I loved words and wanted to be part of bringing stories into the world, but didn't have the confidence to share my own.

When I graduated with a degree in Communications, I got jobs that required lots of writing—but that never gave me credit publicly for my work. And that was just fine with me. I was a happy, invisible ghostwriter.

And then something happened when I was 40 that made me want to scream—which I did in a blog. After a year of blogging, I wrote my first novel, based on the true stories in my blog. And it was... well, it was eye-opening and educational. The most important lesson I learned, first in writing and then sharing those 120,000 words of sort-of fiction was this:

Write from the scar, not the wound

It took me another few years before I tried to tell my story again. This time I was able to write without the blistering, angry open wound energy. It was a fully fictional story that won literary awards for women's fiction. But I still struggled to share it beyond the closed award communities. It literally took a milestone birthday to push me past that fear of putting my voice into the world for people to hear—and potentially criticize.

Why am I telling you this? Because maybe you have a story inside you that you've been thinking about for years but are a little scared to start writing. Maybe you're not scared but you don't have the foggiest idea of how to start. If that sounds like you, I encourage you to take a look at the Writer's Craft 2.0 Super Stack. It will give you dozens of books and tools to take that first step (or second or tenth) to writing your own book and sharing the story that only you can tell.

Words of encouragement

I can't thank you enough for all of the encouraging quotes you sent—over 40 of them! I expected a few... maybe ten... something I could make into a simple collage. Not so much with 40. But I still wanted to save and share them with you.

If you can't zoom in to read them all, but would like to, just let me know and I'll email you the image on its own—it will be twice as big and much easier to read. There are some gems in here—some funny, some touching, some are famous, some from the person who shared it, and all are worth a minute to reflect on.

Another contest because prizes are fun!

Thirty-one authors are giving away free copies of one of their romance books. I've got one in the group. Enter the contest by following a couple of us on social media platforms.

I'd love to have you follow me on Goodreads and BookBub. And follow my good friend Jeanine Lauren if you enjoy sweet, seasoned romance (that means romance between older couples and no sex on the page).

Contest ends March 20. Enter today!

Some books you might be interested in this week

I scanned the books being promoted this week and found some new ones that look like a nice way to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon. I'll let the covers do the talking today since I've said enough! (Some are free, some are not.)

And one last thing

My friend Ivy Hunt shared this image in her email to readers this morning. New York City's Fearless Girl broke through the glass ceiling Monday as part of the celebration for International Women's Day. I just love this image and all it stands for.

I look forward to hearing a little bit about the book you have brewing inside—if you have one. My Sunday morning coffee is always better when I share it with news from you.

love & courageous stuff,

Danika

xo