Happy November, also known as National Novel Writing Month! I’ve signed up, but haven’t had the chance to start on the new project yet. This will be my third NaNo, so as an old hat I’m going to offer some stellar advice for all you solders in the trenches this month.
First off, some inspiration: HEARTS OF DARKNESS, which garnered me an agent and a three book publishing contract, and Publishers Weekly named one of the best books of summer 2012, can trace its humble beginnings to NaNo 2008. I started the book November 1 and finished the month with… Read more »

For all the writers reading this blog, here’s my cheat sheet for the Plotting Board Method of plotting, which I learned from Cherry Adair. The Cherry Plotters formed in April 2009 as a group of 10 women writers who gather every couple months to help plot each other’s books. Hearts of Darkness was almost complete when I joined, but Hearts of Shadow started off on a blank plotting board just like the one pictured below at Cherry’s lakefront cabin. For Hearts of Chaos, my critique partner and I used a simpler method with fewer post it note colors. It’s worked… Read more »

I am pleased to announce my very first official interview! And it’s in Publishers Weekly, no less. In it I expound upon the Deadglass Trilogy and the inspiration behind my haunted, alternate Seattle. I also chat about my favorite books growing up–all Young Adult Fantasy–and why I chose Norse/Babylonian/Native American mythology for the trilogy.

From Urban Planning to Urban Fantasy: PW Talks with Kira Brady
By Julie Naughton
May 11, 2012
Kira Brady’s studies in urban planning and historic preservation helped her create a fantastical alternate Seattle in Hearts of Darkness, the first in a paranormal romance trilogy.… Read more »

I did it. I finished my second novel, book 2 of the Deadglass Trilogy. I love these characters and this world, but can I say that 11 months is too long to spend working on a single book? These last two months have been great in forcing me to make dedicated time to write; there is nothing like a deadline to get the creative juices flowing. For my next book, the 3rd and final novel of the Deadglass Trilogy, I plan to spend the first month PLOTTING, the next three months writing, and an easy two final months editing. I’ve… Read more »

Book 2 of the Deadglass Trilogy, Hearts of Shadow, is due to my editor at Kensington on December 1st. I have not been blogging. Now you know why. But as Thanksgiving approaches and I’ve been digging deeper and deeper into my WIP, I’ve been thinking about how much I love my job and how lucky I am to do what I do. I’m not saying every day is roses and kittens; many writing days are like digging my wisdom teeth out with a piece of sea glass. But that’s why Write or Die exists. It allows me to get over… Read more »

You may have seen your friends kvetching about this mysterious “NaNo” or “NaNoWriMo” this month. You may have already signed up for the challenge. Either way, I have some Brilliant advice to guide you on your journey to understand this cultish self-flaggelation that is writing a novel in 30 days.
National Novel Writing Month is an international endevor to write 50,000 words (which is typically only half of a novel) during the month of November.
Rules:
1) HAVE FUN.
2) Write 50,000 words…or 1,666 words per day.
3) HAVE FUN.
Technically NaNo is supposed to be the start of a new project,… Read more »

Picture this: A secluded cabin on a spit of land jutting out into Puget Sound with nothing but wind swept seas and the Olympic Mountains to view. Two good friends who also happen to be writing friends. Tea. Cookies. Post-it notes. Sounds like heaven.

I just returned from a writing retreat near beautiful Port Townsend. Two days of brainstorming, plotting and collaging with my critique partner and friends. I wish it could have lasted longer! We ironed out some of the plot arc of my trilogy and drew a general map of book 3. I’m a bit plotting phobic. I… Read more »

The news lately has been blacker than soot. Makes me what to curl up under a rock and shut out the outside world. That’s generally what makes an author an author, right? A person who is most at home in the made-up worlds inside her own head? But that won’t put out the fires that are burning our very real world. I’ve been trying to limit my internet time so I don’t get too overstimulated, which is one reason I haven’t been blogging. If this keeps up, the Mayan 2012 apocalpyse will be right on time.
In our little publishing… Read more »

The 2011 Emerald City Writers’ Conference registration is open now. This year we will welcome blockbuster paranormal romance author Sherrilyn Kenyon, her writing partner Diana Love, and superstar romance blogger Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches Trashy Books. Can I say how excited I am for this year’s conference??? If you are in the Pacific Northwest, or have always wanted to visit our rainy garden of eden, this is a great opportunity to meet fellow writers, pitch to editors and agents, and soak up the wisdom and encouragement of our guest speakers.
Did I mention that I sold after pitching at… Read more »

I’ve fallen off the blogging wagon, again, pretty quickly. I could say it’s because I’ve been sick, again, or because Mr. Kira went out of town, again, or because the baby has been sick, again. All would be right. Let’s reevaluate our blogging reality, shall we? New achievable goal: I promise to blog once a week on Mondays. I need to spend more time writing anyway. You don’t care, do you? I didn’t think so. Blogging is so 2004.
I have news: my revisions from my editor arrived! He had lovely things to say about book 1 and only a… Read more »