✍️ A Writerly Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Writers

Plus: the cover reveal of my new book! And: did ghostwriters botch Cher's newest memoir?

Since it gets dark at 3pm basically every day here in NYC, I’ve taken to re-reading the books that have emotionally destroyed me, left me for dead, and changed my DNA forever. (Fiction: A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass series. Nonfiction: Women Who Run With the Wolves.)

Great for writing inspiration, bad for trying to function like a normal human when I’m attempting to stay productive with normal things like emails and client meetings. Catch me trying not to shed a tear on the stairmaster when I’m listening to the last 100 pages of any Sarah J. Maas book.

In this newsletter I’m sharing with you a gift guide for writers, a breakdown of why people think ghostwriters botched Cher’s recent memoir release, and the cover reveal of my upcoming novel, The Ash Trials!

✍️ New Writing Job Board Comes Out Tomorrow!

If you missed the last issue of my writing job board, check it out at the link below:

🫖 Sunday Tea: A Writerly Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Writers

As a minimalist, I wanted to put together this gift guide not of various, random knickknacks—but instead pack it with the things I use every day as a professional writer that writers in your life (or you!) will really dig.

Here we go:

Gifts for Writers Under $600

• I have a Remarkable 2 and absolutely love this paper-like tablet. I’ve had it for the past 5 years and use it for meeting notes, journaling, and sketching out plots for my books. It’s on sale now at $379, and Remarkable has just released its new color tablet for $579. I don’t have this new tablet so I can’t vouch for it, but I think the Remarkable 2 is really great for writers looking to replace the 43-odd legal pads they have lying around. So if you’re a writer this might be a good thing to ask for—or to give to a notetaker in your life.

• Amazon has just released a ton of new Kindles — including a Remarkable competitor (which I’ve heard isn’t as good as the Remarkable!)

  • I’ve heard mixed things about the new ones, but I can still recommend the Kindle Paperwhite. I’ve had mine for years and it’s my most-used and most-loved gadget. Give this to a reader in your life with a nice cover and a subscription to Kindle Unlimited, a reading subscription that contains tons of amazing books for something like $12/month (including both of my published books, The Nomad Detective: Volume I and Six-Figure Freelance Writer!)

  • If the readers in your life like graphic novels or comics, they’ll probably really dig the Kindle Colorsoft, which is in full color. I’ve read some graphic novels on my Kindle app on my iPad before, and it’s a pretty fun experience. I imagine the Colorsoft will really bring this to the next level.

Gifts for Writers Under $50

• Book: The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne is one of my favorite books about story structure that is criminally underrated. This book has helped me the most when it comes to thinking more critically about how to build a great plot.

• Book: 400 Things Cops Know by Adam Plantinga really shocked me. I was given this as a gift two years ago when I was working on a crime thriller, and this book is a surprisingly candid and heartfelt look into what it’s like to be a cop. It will not only make you a better writer the next time you’re including cops in your story, but it will also make you a better human as some of the stories in this book changed my perspective on this profession.

• Gifting an Audible subscription or individual books or credits to the writers and readers in your life is a great gift—especially with the rise of dramatized audiobooks! If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, drop everything and go listen to the dramatized version of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. These books are produced by the company Graphic Audio and are insanely well done and performed by a full cast. These books have a complete score, sound effects, and top-notch voice actors. If you have a romantasy/fantasy book fan in your life, look up and see if there are dramatized versions of the books they love on Audible or Graphic Audio. People have been losing their minds over the Fourth Wing dramatized audiobook, and I can confirm these are great for a re-listen, even if you’ve already read the book. I used to run a scripted podcast production company (and wrote/produced the show The Last Station and produced the show The Horror at Martin’s Beach) so I know how hard it is to pull off these sweeping audio dramas! (Very hard!!! Sound design is an art!!! Finding great voiceover talent is a journey!!!)

If you’re still looking for gifts for the writers in your life, you can always go to the tried-and-true gifts of dropping them off at a local bookstore with a pile of cash or making them a nice hot beverage and surprising them with a new cozy blanket for their reading chair.

We’re simple creatures, really.

🗞️ Writing News: Memoir Ghostwriters Botch Cher’s Memoir

The Guardian ran this piece about how a team of ghostwriters and an editor totally botched Cher’s new memoir (part one of a two-part memoir release!)

As a professional memoir ghostwriter myself I can’t stress enough how important it is to not let too many cooks in the kitchen. If you let three ghostwriters and an editor write your book, you’re not going to get a singular tone and cohesive voice.

You have to hunt down the one talented writer who can emulate your voice. Funny enough, fiction writers actually make some of the best ghostwriters as we have to write in different character voices all the time. I’ve beaten out much more experienced ghostwriters for projects because clients liked my fiction writing background. I also landed my first memoir assignment when I was 22—with just a short story I had written as my only sample!

So if you’re a freelance memoir ghostwriter, consider writing different pieces that showcase your ability to write in different tones and voices.

📚 Author Corner: Cover Reveal & Pre-Order Launch for My New Romantasy Novel, The Ash Trials

It’s here!!! You can now pre-order my debut romantasy novel, The Ash Trials, in e-book format on Amazon. (Paperback and hardcover editions will come out on the release date!)

Ashley Munson of Libra Collective illustrated my cover, and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on this book.

In terms of the writing process of this book, I just passed the 51,000 word mark, officially winning National Novel Writing Month with a week to spare.

I’m about halfway through the story, so I’ve probably got another 50,000 words left. At the pace I’m going, I should wrap up the first draft in about a week (around December 1st!) which will give me a full month for rewrites. It’s a fast pace, but I’ve been building the outline for the past 5 months, so it’s a good schedule as I’m a full-time writer who has set aside a lot of time for this project.

When it comes to my writing process, I do a lot of rewriting while I go. I’m looping in early critique partners, beta readers, and trusted editors to give me feedback while I’m writing and continuing to expand on lore and backstories.

This is my first fantasy/romantic fantasy book—and it will be my first published novel as my last book The Nomad Detective: Volume I was a short story collection!—so I’m pulling out all the stops and have become a minimalist with my schedule lately so I can really dive into the deep work of writing, planning, outlining, and rewriting each day.

I’m also giving away free advanced reader copies of The Ash Trials, so if the below description of the book sounds up your alley, you can sign up to be one of the first to read the book for free here!

The Ash Trials by Amy Suto

The deadliest game is remembering who you are.

In the isolated prison of Ashguard where the kingdom’s most dangerous criminals await judgment, one yearly event offers both salvation and destruction: The Ash Trials.

Saffron Vale awakens in an Ashguard cell wearing a ruined wedding dress with no memory of who she is. As the only human competing against murderous shifters, fae, and spellcasters, she must survive the six otherworldly trials that transform villains into legends—or die trying.

Her only allies? A childhood friend turned royal commander who risks treason to save her and a mysterious assassin who claims she’s the real monster in the prison. As competitors fall and ancient magic stirs, Saffron must uncover the truth: was she truly an innocent bride, or something far more dangerous?

✨ Wellness for Writers: My Favorite Green Smoothie

Whenever I have access to a blender, I make this green smoothie for breakfast every morning:

• 1 banana

• 2-3 big handfuls of kale

• 1 handful of frozen mango

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• coconut water or just water

• optional: vegan protein powder or a scoop of peanut butter or greek yogurt

The frozen mango is good for gut health and adds such a nice fruity twist to the smoothie. Coconut water has electrolytes, so it makes for a good post-workout smoothie as well!

📸 Photo of the Week: A Great Stocking Stuffer for Mystery Lovers 📚

Looking for a stocking stuffer for mystery lovers? Get my short story collection The Nomad Detective: Volume I in hardcover or paperback for the mystery reader in your life :)

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Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,

-Amy