Author: annieatkin

When Annie isn't losing herself in someone else's words, she's daydreaming her own stories. She lives at her desk, sometimes venturing into the rest of her home to spend time with her husband. By day she works in an office, but nights and weekends belong to her craft. She loves good tequila, homemade spaghettios, and she will never say no to ice cream.

2021 – Books Read

In 2021, I ended up reading about 80 books. I expanded beyond my usual preference for YA, checking out different fiction genres as well as a ton of nonfiction. My biggest secret? Reading two books at once–generally fiction on my kindle for about an hour before I fell asleep each night, and nonfiction throughout the… Continue reading 2021 – Books Read

DITD – Soundtrack

If you know me, you know music is integral to my writing process. A song can inspire an entire scene, layout the motivations for a character, or perfectly encapsulate the mood. If there’s one song that kick-started my drafting Devil in the Daylight, it’s “Gun In My Hand” by Dorothy. The title was inspired by… Continue reading DITD – Soundtrack

Devil in the Daylight

Quick update on Blood and Water: I’ve been sent back to the drawing board with some suggestions from agents to revise and resubmit. I also read through it again recently, after having shelved it for almost a year, and I flippin loved it. So the good news is I have a spark of hope reignited… Continue reading Devil in the Daylight

Reflections on a Decade

I’ve been writing for over a decade now. I started in high school, though the stories I wrote then are so cringe-worthy I’d rather burn them than count them toward any sort of writing tally. In college, though, I took several creative writing courses, which helped me hone my craft and gave me a bit… Continue reading Reflections on a Decade

Status Update – January 2020

Well, it happened. One of the three agents considering representing my manuscript passed on it this week. I got the email at work, which I think contributed to the initial numbness I felt. Driving home, sure, I cried—it’s devastating news, after all. Except, I didn’t ever feel devastated. Deeply disappointed? Absolutely. A little heart broken?… Continue reading Status Update – January 2020

They Said it’s All Been Done, But They Haven’t Seen the Best of Me

If my life is a song, right now it’s “High Hopes” by Panic! at the Disco on repeat. I alluded to the epic high I’ve been riding this week in an Instagram post the other day, but let me just tell you all about it. As you already know, last week an agent reached out… Continue reading They Said it’s All Been Done, But They Haven’t Seen the Best of Me

Query Update – January 2020

As of now, my full manuscript is still with an agent, and TWO other agents have my partial story. That’s right, my first response of the new year was a request rather than rejection, which is a lovely way to start 2020! I don’t have a timeframe for when I’ll hear back—if I’ve learned anything,… Continue reading Query Update – January 2020

Magic

I felt it when my block broke this week. Normally, I don’t realize I’ve made it through a bout of writer’s block until I’m well on the other side, elbow-deep in fresh words. This time, though, I can pinpoint the moment it happened. My husband and I were eating dinner at what is fast becoming… Continue reading Magic

A Walk

Life is hard, and by that I mean busy, and I’ve been particularly homesick this week. The good news is: I’ve been writing a little! The bad news: it has nothing to do with anything except Forest Park. I already shared it on my personal blog, but I’ll share it here as well. Wanna take… Continue reading A Walk