Hello !
Last month, when I asked what would help you most with your romance author dream, your answers covered almost the whole journey.
Some of you want to finish or revise your book. (39%)
Some are preparing to self-publish for the first time. (19%)
Others want to build an author platform and find readers who’ll love their stories. (42%)
If you’re at the pre-publication stage, this email is for you!
First, a bit about why I do what I do
Before I became a romance author, I spent almost thirty years working in the not-for-profit sector. I worked with dozens and dozens of organizations in a variety of roles all related to community-building. Over the years, my expertise honed in on serving and supporting populations-at-risk.
In 2020, when the world stopped, so did the work for a curriculum developer who created workshops that helped
seniors recognize elder abuse, and
women understand why they needed to have their own bank account (even in a good marriage),
and entrepreneurs with disabilities start micro businesses so they could work when their energy and health allowed.
That was some of the work I was doing.
So I took all my free time and poured my heart into a different kind of social justice work: writing and indie publishing my first romance novel.
I knew nothing about self-publishing, but I had a couple of friends who answered the questions I knew to ask. And the launch was fine. I celebrated and I learned with each new title I released, how I could be smarter and more efficient.
Another impact of the world in 2020 was the loss of my community of romance author friends since our romance group could no longer meet in the church basement where we’d been spending Saturdays taking workshops and having pot luck lunches together. I missed those women so much.
So in 2022, I decided to recreate my romance writer community and in August I launched Author Ever After. And for over four years I’ve had the great honour and privilege of not just supporting but becoming friends with dozens of first time romance authors.
Most join while they’re still working on their first romance novel (or the first one they hope to publish) and many have stayed well into their careers, having published six or more books since joining our kick-ass community of early career romance authors.
If you’re tired of jokes about the romance genre
Lots of people have given me the side-eye over the years when they learn I used to work toward social justice with populations-at-risk. They think there's a huge disconnect between that work and writing romance novels.
And they’re what I like to call wrong! 🤣
Helping women recognize that their stories are worth telling, that their pleasure matters, and that they’re allowed to want something for themselves? That feels very connected to the work I’ve always done. Those are the same values, just in a different package.
I’m still interested in what happens when a woman has support, information, and people around her who take her seriously. When she says, “I want to write a romance novel,” and nobody laughs, or asks when she’s going to write a real book.
Nobody calls her writing formulaic and easy. Or mommy porn in a negative way (since there is nothing wrong with mommy porn, if that’s what you’re writing).
Instead, someone says, “Oooh… give me the draft when you have one ready! I am so down for those characters!”
Yes, yes, it is possible Jamie Fraser!
Your dream deserves room in your life
In the thirty years of community-building work I did, and in the years focused on populations-at-risk, the vast majority of people I shared space with were women. Even women who have societal advantages face many challenges an average middle class white man doesn't. Lower wages. Not enough time off when we have babies. Being responsible for working both inside the home and earning income… the list goes on.
We hold shit together for everyone else to the detriment of our own desires and dreams.
But you’re allowed to have an ambition that belongs to you and to spend time on something that gets you excited and makes you curious and gives you a tingle of power in a world you’re creating.
You’re allowed to learn how to launch a micro business of your own as a self-publishing romance author.
What a community can make possible
I can't promise that joining Author Ever After will make your book a bestseller or that your author income will replace your salary.
But I can tell you what I want this community to make possible for you.
I want you to have somewhere to bring questions you’ve been afraid to ask.
Somewhere to say, “I have no idea what to do here,” without feeling like you’re letting anyone down. Including yourself. (Nobody is born understanding ISBNs or ASINs!)
I want you to have a place to celebrate finishing a chapter with people who understand why that milestone is worth celebrating.
And, I want you to have somewhere to learn what comes after “and they lived happily ever after,” with support to make decisions about your cover, editing, publishing, and finding your one-click readers.
Because being surrounded by people who believe in your dream, and who are already living it, can help you take it seriously too.
You start making room for your writing in your calendar. You ask your family for time to work on your story. You learn something that intimidated you and discover you can do it! And that you’re quite capable of learning the next thing and the next, thank you very much!
And eventually, you find yourself holding a book with your name on the cover.
Imagine that for a minute.
Not an imaginary book you’ll write someday. Your romance novel. The story you kept coming back to, even when you weren’t sure you’d ever finish it.
I write romance because I want to spend time in a world where women’s desires are taken seriously
Where pleasure, respect, consent, and the possibility of a happy future are the reason people read the stories.
Where love is love. Where all body shapes and sizes and abilities are adored. Period.
And I want more women to have the opportunity to write their own versions of that world.
Will your first romance change the whole world?
Unlikely. But might it be important to a reader? Give her comfort, delight, or a few hours to escape the world outside your story? Yes. I can 100% guarantee that.
If you’re working toward your first published romance
Whether you’re still writing, revising, or wondering how to turn your finished manuscript into a published book, you’re welcome here.
Bring your story, your questions, and the dream you’d like to give a little more room.
Join Author Ever After at $249/quarter
Alongside all the practical help, the thing I especially love about this community…
You get to spend time with women who love and respect the romance genre as much as you do.
Join us before Friday, October 16th and not only will you get support to make big progress of your romance novel before the end of the year, I’m throwing in an extra three weeks (worth $60) and a 60- to 90-minute, one-to-one coaching call with me (worth $150) to figure out exactly what makes the most sense to focus on as we wrap up 2026.
The end of the year is a special time for romance authors. There is so much energy around finishing strong and being set-up for success in 2027.
If you’ve been thinking about joining us, now is the time. I’ll be closing the membership to new members after October 16. We won’t open again until January and I don’t think I’ll be offering the quarterly membership anymore so now is a great time to join.
I can’t wait to meet you and hear all about your romance-in-progress!
xo
Danika
PS-If you’re wondering whether we’re the right community for you, for where you are now and what you’re writing, hit reply. Tell me about your story and what you’d like the most help with. I’d love to hear.
If you’re wondering the days and times we meet, you can find all the details here.
xo,
Danika Bloom
Where romance writers become romance authors. Write it, finish it, publish it—together.
With respect and gratitude, I operate on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation.