How I Write

Summertime and the living is…unscheduled

~ rachellepaigecampbell ~ Leave a comment

Every year, the month of May is a blur.

With end of school year special events, sports, and birthdays, I think time speeds up on me. 2022 was no exception.

But, I made it to the other side. At my house, I have officially entered the second week with kids at home. AKA my days are constantly evolving and a set schedule doesn’t exist.

While I didn’t hit all of my writing goals for the spring, I did make forward progress on two very special projects. In January, I settled on joy as the word I hoped would define the months to follow.In the midst of edits and submissions, the joy of writing gets lost. A lot. So I started writing something just for me.

The book is a second chance romance best described as a romantic episode of Scooby-Doo. It’s silly, over the top, and fun.

I’m also co-writing with a dear friend. It’s a new process for both of us so we are feeling our way through it. Writing together has sparked a lot of great ideas, and I’m reinvigorated. I have no expectations of the project and that helps a lot too. I’ve joined a 10-week writing challenge and am working on 50,000 words in this project (and world) over the next couple months.

I hope you are enjoying your summer. I hope to check-in with you again soon!
PS: Did you know? You can request books to be added to the collection at your library.

Spotting my books in library collections (around the world!) is a complete and total thrill. Last month, I sold a book to a library in Australia. Sadly, I don’t think my husband will let me fly out just to see one book on a shelf (but you never know).

Library Lovers Month

~ rachellepaigecampbell ~ Leave a comment

Did you know you can find a holiday (either a celebratory day or month) for nearly every thing?

Check out this fun link.

I love my local library. They have events for kids (of all ages) and adults. This past summer, my oldest son had a blast completing the reading challenge. Not only did he read a ton of books (although, come on, with an author for a Mom, we read a lot always), but he also explored the library’s different offerings: puppet theater, story times, hands-on museum day, movies, ipads, and on and on.

We had a great time and I love that the two of us can spend an afternoon happily hanging out at our library. Now we just have to convince the youngest… My library also has outreach for authors and aspiring writers. Crossing my fingers (well, doing a bit more than that) that this year I can get one of my books on their shelves.

So…get out and discover a new book at your local library this month!

On the playlist

~ rachellepaigecampbell ~ Leave a comment

I wrote the first drafts for both Anchored in the Bay and Tiny Island Summer over a nine week period in late summer 2014. It’s funny to think back and remember how–after years of circling the ideas and plots–everything came together. I listened to Cary Brothers’ album Under Control non-stop for two and a half months. While writing Tidal Patterns this past July, Fitz & the Tantrums were heavy in the rotation.

I returned to the True North series in October, ready to finish out the stories that I’ve been dreaming up. And the instant I started writing, I had to return to Cary Brothers. I kind of figured I’d switch to something else, but couldn’t. To me, his voice and sound perfectly captures the tone of the novels.

If you’re looking for the perfect soundtrack for my books, now you know.