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Five more bookish hills. One major disagreement. And The Tech Guy is confident he's going to win this one.

In this reader-focused follow-up to our fan-favorite Bookish Hills episode, I'm sharing five more hot takes that readers feel very strongly about, and this time, The Tech Guy actually knew what was coming.

We cover whether you should ever read a review before finishing a book, the case for always starting a series at book one, why taking a genre break might be exactly what your reading life needs, and why rereading a book you love is never time wasted. Then we get to Hill Five...

Drop your take in the comments.

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Every book I've ever written started the same way: one word at a time.

In this episode of Reality Writes, I walk you through my complete writing process. From the very beginning, when I was working another job with a kindergartner at home and 250 words a day felt like a genuine stretch, all the way to where I am now, writing 3,000 words a day across multiple series and genres.

Here's how the word count progression actually went:

• Year one: 250 words a day, five days a week: pre-agent, pre-book deal, figuring it all out
• Years two to three: 500 words a day: the first signs of muscle memory kicking in
• Year four: 1,000 words a day: first book contracts signed, two series, two publishing houses
• Years five to twelve: 2,000 words a day: publishing four to five books a year
• Year thirteen to now: 3,000 words a day: multiple genres, multiple series, one very necessary cup of coffee

We also talk about what happens after the first draft. Everything from the editing passes, the developmental work, the page proofs, I will never love, and where research fits into the schedule, including why a research trip is always work even when it involves a beautiful coastline and a very good grocery store.

And at the end, I make the case for reading as the single most important professional habit a writer can have, even when it feels like leisure.

Whether you're a reader who's always wondered what goes into the books you love, or a writer building your own process from scratch, this episode is for you.

Mystery Series Masterclass — https://courses.elliealexander.co

Ellie Alexander's website — https://www.elliealexander.co

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave us a comment. What part of the writing process surprised you most?

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It's June, darlings, but we are diving headfirst into fall because that's just how publishing works, and also because fall is my favorite season and I refuse to apologize for it.

In this episode, The Tech Guy and I talk about why fall has become such a dominant season in books (genre mashups! cozy everything! readers simply demanding it!), and then I get to do my favorite thing: tell you about what's coming.

First up is A Fall to Remember, releasing September 1st, a sweet, low-spice cozy rom-com set during Half Moon Bay's real (and genuinely massive) pumpkin festival. I'll tell you the whole story behind it, including the viral "accidental influencer" video that helped inspire the premise, and the heroine, Miranda, who never asked to become internet-famous but did anyway. This one will also be my very first book with sprayed edges!

Then there's The Pumpkin Vice Café, book 23 of the Bakeshop Mystery series, releasing September 29th in trade paperback for the first time. Lance is hosting a big event, the event planner doesn't make it to the end of the chapter, and Jules is once again pulled into solving a murder alongside all your favorite Torte regulars. I'm also kicking off a bake-along starting in July, working through a recipe from every single book in the series, leading up to the release.

And I saved one surprise for the end: a third fall book is coming in the Novel Detectives world. A Murder at Midnight releases October 13th and follows Annie and Fletcher as a group of ghost hunters takes over the bookstore for an overnight investigation with, of course, a body to solve along the way.

All three books are available for pre-order now!

Links:

• A Fall to Remember — https://amzn.to/4fTeX4E
• The Pumpkin Vice Café — https://amzn.to/448kldK
• A Murder at Midnight — https://amzn.to/4uNmPsj

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Got writing questions? We've got answers. In this episode, The Tech Guy and I dig into the questions that land most in our inbox, starting with a great one from a writer, Matt, in Cleveland, about how to structure and set scenes in a cozy mystery. From there, we cover coaching availability, what makes the Mystery Series Masterclass work, plotting vs pantsing, traditional vs. indie publishing, querying agents, writing genre mashups, and whether authors really have to be on social media. The Tech Guy has some thoughts on that last one. Tune in, darlings, and keep those questions coming!

Mentioned in this episode:

Mystery Series Masterclass – https://courses.elliealexander.co/

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We're coming to you live from Leavenworth, Washington—the real-life Bavarian village from the Sloan Krause Mystery series! While I was busy signing books at A Book for All Seasons, The Tech Guy was hard at work "researching" the local breweries. In this special on-location episode, we talk about what it's like to write about a real place, why I return in different seasons for inspiration, and I answer your most-asked Sloan questions: Is she coming back? What about audiobooks? Do you need to like beer to love the series? Grab a pint (if that's your thing) and a warm pretzel and listen now! 🍺🥨

Links to places mentioned in this episode:

Leavenworth, Washington: https://leavenworth.org/
A Book for All Seasons: https://abookforallseasons.com/
Icicle Brewing: https://iciclebrewing.com/
Blewett Brewing: https://www.blewettbrew.com/

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In this episode of Reality Writes, I'm sitting down with The Tech Guy to talk about the book trends shaping what readers are buying, collecting, and obsessing over right now. We cover cover art cycles, the love-hate relationship with movie tie-in covers and glossy finishes, the return of box sets, the stunning (and sometimes messy) world of sprayed edges, hidden Easter eggs under hardcover dust jackets, chapter illustrations making a beautiful comeback in adult fiction, and the growing world of special editions, cookbooks, graphic novels, and escape rooms expanding beloved series.

Loved this episode? Subscribe so you never miss one, drop your thoughts in the comments, and if you have book trends we didn't cover — we want to hear them!

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You asked, and I'm answering! This week on Reality Writes, The Tech Guy and I are pulling straight from my overflowing inbox to tackle the baking questions I get most often from you. Am I a professional baker? Do I test every recipe? Can you swap almond milk for whole milk? We're also talking about foodie fiction beyond cozy mysteries, the dream of a Bakeshop Mystery cookbook, and why Jules probably needs to add more salads to the menu. Tune in, grab your favorite sweet treat, and let's get into it!

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Have you ever wondered what really happens between the book an author planned to write and the one that ends up in your hands? In this episode of Reality Writes, I'm pulling back the curtain on one of the most surprising — and honestly, sometimes terrifying — parts of the writing process.

The truth is, even the most thorough outline is really just a starting point. Once you're deep in a draft, characters start feeling more real, threads reveal themselves, and sometimes the story you thought you were writing turns into something completely different. And that's not a failure. That's actually a sign it's working.

In this episode, we dig into:

• Why mid-draft plot changes are a feature, not a bug — and why I tell my writing students to expect them
• How to track structural changes so nothing falls through the cracks
• The real meaning of "kill your darlings" (Tech Guy finally learned what it means)
• Why sample chapters at the back of a book are never quite final
• What happens when the killer changes — and you have to rebuild every thread
• The biggest manuscript overhaul I've ever faced (hint: it involved a 2027 book, and I basically gutted the whole thing)

Whether you're a writer navigating your first draft or a reader curious about what goes on before a book reaches you, this one's for you.

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