Why “Clueless” is the Best Jane Austen Adaptation “…read all of Northanger Abbey…as a commentary on fangirl culture” YES.
Originally posted 2015-07-15 11:41:25.
Author: admin
Write of Passage: Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes
categories: Podcast - Write of Passage, Politics, Recommended Reading, Syndication, Technology, TV and Film
We’ve all been worrying—rightfully—about AI stealing the work of artists and authors. That’s a valid and growing concern. In March of this year, I found out that Meta’s engine, according to The Atlantic, scraped 27 of my 28 published books.
The only reason it didn’t get March’s release A Wager at Midnight was because it hadn’t hit the shelves yet. Theft in broad daylight.
But this goes deeper than just copyright violations. We’re seeing something more insidious: the rise of AI-generated scams, fakery, and lies. And I’m not talking about science fiction. I’m talking about now.
On platforms like TikTok and X, faked videos are being created and/or shared with shocking ease—videos that can ruin reputations, twist narratives, and even make the UK tabloid press bite and republish the lies for a wider international audience. I’ve seen articles run in The Daily Mail that pose lies as questions, which gives dodgy accountability while still spreading misinformation. It’s manipulation masquerading as curiosity. Yet many look at lying headlines and accept them as true.
A report by Upwind published in December says that 87% of Americans are worried about being scammed by AI. That is a lot of people. It’s a huge concern, especially when truth tellers are losing their jobs or seemingly capitulating because of fears of being sued, losing access, or targeted and harassed. The “other side” is not just lying but they are weaponizing the instruments that we are supposed to trust and inflicting consequences on anyone saying or writing something they disagree with.
The Big Beautiful Lies
I must say, the lies can be compelling. Let’s look at an easy topic, travel. I mean, who doesn’t want a travel guide? I buy them quite often for research on big cities or exotic locations.
According to Axios, AI-generated travel guides, self-help books, and even mathematics are popular to scam. Now I have to say—math is hard enough. Why are you going to use a robot to put up something that can hurt a kid’s education. And please don’t have my characters walking down the wrong streets.
Yet the boldness of the lying is getting worse. People are using AI to write books and then publish them under real authors’ names. Savannah Guthrie in 2024 was done so dirty. She wrote the book Mostly What God Does. Scammers using AI wrote workbooks, studies, and companion guides for her book and published them on Amazon under her name.
Kara Swisher, the tech maven faced it too: fake “biographies” about her own life showed up ahead of her memoir’s release, Burn Book, in 2024. Jane Friedman details on her blog her own horror story, where a scammer used AI to write Friedman-like books, and then published those books under Friedman’s name. And the proceeds went to the bots.
These AI scams confuse real readers. They have the potential to damage reputations and dilute the credibility of authors—an author’s brand can take decades to build.
Imagine what happens to a debut author whose idea has become popular on TikTok, getting beat to her book launch by an AI scam. And because debuts aren’t yet industry names, they lose the credibility game.
I used to think that AI scams were going to catch my grandma or folks not paying attention. Nope. AI is giving thieves the ability to put together more convincing emails and websites to ensnare everyone. It’s not just grandma and Social Security, or the foreign soldiers needing help to get a fortune out of a war zone—we’re talking sophisticated scams that use AI to reconstruct your habits. They may be scanning emails or even listening to conversations through AI upgrades on things that shouldn’t have AI at all.
This is phishing on a whole new level. And we’re all set up to be scammed. It’s no longer going to be easy to tell a scam by bad grammar, doxing, or fraudulent websites. AI is making everything harder to detect. AI should be used to make things better, but in the hands of bots and scammers it is a nightmare.
No Free Rides or Shades
I recently did a small brand deal for gummy vitamins. I choked on a cornflake as a kid—swallowing is hard. And please don’t even think of me taking anything that’s a horse pill. Anyway, now I’m getting little offers. Most of the offers that don’t come from a collaborator’s platform are probably scams. So there are no free sunglasses.
How do we protect ourselves?
You can’t trust your eyes anymore. Nor your ears—AI can clone a voice. It can fake a face. It can forge a whole book.
But you can protect yourself:
* Verify Every Fact – Before you repeat or share get several sources. I want to say reputable, but that’s hard to define right now.
* Check Sources That Don’t Agree With You – Find several and verify dates, times, etc. If they match, you have a fact. If they don’t, you have a lie, a manipulation, or someone’s opinion.
* Search Smart – Check authors’ websites, join their newsletter, and follow creatives on their official accounts before buying.
* Report Scams – Don’t stay silent. Amazon, TikTok, and the FTC need to hear from us.
* Don’t Be Ashamed – If you got scammed, tell someone. Put it on blast. Be someone else’s keeper.
* Check the FTC’s Resources – The Federal Trade Commission is watching this space. The rules are there and often include ways of reporting issues.
We are in an era where you can no longer believe your lying eyes. The truth takes longer to verify, and the fakers are only getting smarter.
Artists, writers, creators: your work is valuable. But we must fight smarter and speak louder to help our readers and audiences find the truth. This is going to be a long battle, but we must not be silent. We can never let up the fight. Be vigilant while being creative.
Books to bring awareness of the problem are:
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil
A sharp critique of how algorithms can be biased, dangerous, and largely invisible. It explains how AI systems make life-and-death decisions, often with no accountability.
The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future
This book explores how fast-moving technologies—especially AI—can outpace regulation and become tools for manipulation, chaos, and control. It’s a smart, accessible read on the dangers ahead.
And of course lets aid:
Burn Book by Kara Swisher
A sharp, insider memoir exposing the rise of Silicon Valley’s power players and how tech’s promises turned into threats to truth, privacy, and democracy.
Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie
A heartfelt collection of reflections on faith, love, and grace, offering spiritual encouragement grounded in everyday life.
Check out Jane Friedman’s Website for her latest books.
This week, I’m highlighting Park Books through their website and Bookshop.org
Help me build momentum for Fire Sword and Sea—spread the word and preorder this disruptive narrative about female pirates in the 1600s. This sweeping saga releases January 13, 2026. The link on my website shows retailers large and small who have set up preorders for this title.
Show notes include a list of the books mentioned in this broadcast. Paid Subscribers Your Next Lesson on Build-A-Better-Character is coming this week.
You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com under the podcast link in the About tab.
Let’s keep growing and building together—like, subscribe, and share. Please stay connected to Write of Passage.
Thank you for listening. Hopefully, you’ll come again. This is Vanessa Riley
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vanessariley.substack.com/subscribe
Dark, Lovely, and Loved: The Diverse Regency
Vanessa here,
I’ve been away for a bit as I immersed myself in my latest writing projects. As you all know, I love the Regency, the mannerism, the wit, and the fashions. I am intrigued by the challenges the people of the times faced: the complexity and aftermath of war, the stark differences in the rights of women versus men, and the growing social consciousness.
But there is more, much more.
Did you know London was very diverse with large Jewish and African populations? Yet, it is very rare to see these aspects in Regency fiction. Except for my dear friend Ruth Axtell’s book, The Winter is Past, you do not typically see a racially diverse cast of characters.
I, an African American writer, am guilty of this, too. In my debut book, Madeline’s Protector, Justain’s conscience figure, Mason, was originally a free black, but I edited it out, thinking that such a close relationship between an earl and his black man-of-all-work wouldn’t pass the sniff test or even would upset some because he’s killed early in the book. I didn’t trust my audience as much as I should’ve, nor did I trust my ability to tell the tale. And if I had such worries, I can imagine how others feel when they lift pen to paper trying to write a historically accurate, compelling, and marketable tale. Those three components differ based on the eye or pocketbook of the beholder: Traditional Presses versus Indie Pubs, niche marketing versus mainstream pitches, Christian Bookseller Association versus American Bookseller Association, etc.
I applaud everyone brave enough to write their story in the way that they feel is right. I just know that for me and my pen, my laptop and smart phone, we shall tell the story and the whole story from now on, so help me God.
But London was diverse. And doesn’t love always win?
Let me show you some images. At first glance they may offend, but that is not my intent. With the sweetness of the Regency, one must also accept the bitter dregs, the things that have been swept away, because it is ugly.
This is William Austin’s 1773 caricature: ‘The Duchess of (Queensbury) playing at Foils with her favorite lap dog Mungo’. This cartoon was meant to shame the duchess for spending 10,000 pounds (1 Million pounds in 2015 dollars) to teach one of her loyal servants, Soubise, how to fence. Soubise was treated like a son to the duchess. Think of the trust the duchess must’ve had in this black man to invest that sum in his education and to trust him to wield a sword. But was he so unusual in the Duchess’s world?
By Regency times, historians, Kirstin Olsen and Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, estimate that Black London (the black neighborhood of London) had over 10,000 residents. While England led the world in granting rights to the enslaved and ending legal slavery thirty years before the American Civil War, it still had many citizens who were against change. Here is another image from an anti-abolitionist.
This image is from 1819, a cartoon by George Cruikshank. It is supposed to depict an abolitionist’s dinner party, but it just shows fear of the races intermingling. It serves as a reminder of how many thought of blacks and how it was ingrained in the times. Notice the half-black half-white baby, the promiscuous woman sitting on the gentleman’s lap, the black-face additions to the artwork, the violence and chaos, even the blood shed amongst the party goers.
How many laughs did it draw in the parlors and drawings rooms of polite society? Moreover, how did the enslaved and free servants or the black men who owned shops feel fetching this paper to their masters, their employers, or watching it enfolded in the hands of their patrons?
Cruikshank drew fear, and he wouldn’t have, if Regency society didn’t possess it. For Cruikshank, a rising black middle class, intermingling in society, gaining in social power and wealth, was something to dread. Is this ugliness, this truth, the reason the fictional landscape of Regency exhibits stories abscent diversity and color? Does showing black or brown or yellow historical faces mean that the ugliness must also show?
Perhaps, or perhaps not. But to pretend it did not exist is to dishonor every person who received a racial slur and turned the other cheek, the unknown man lynched for the fault of his birth, or every fallen soldier felled on the road to equality.
My goal is to show through the stories pressing upon my spirit that truth and love can coexist on a diverse canvas. When love arrives, the picture changes and even the bad can be borne and overcome.
Here’s a picture showing love winning.
Look at these two cousins, Dido and Elizabeth. Their great uncle, Lord Mansfield, loved them both and had them arrayed in fashionable apparel and pearls for this portrait. Both ladies are trapped by their circumstances, Dido by her race and Elizabeth by her lack of an inheritance. Johan Zoffany paints them, particularly Dido with no grotesques features, no overt subservient positioning, no hint of promiscuity or evil, just two lovely women.
It would be great if the date of these images showed progress, the growing changes in London society. They don’t. No, they just show truth. The landscape of Regency London was diverse and enlightened hearts embraced the diversity with love.
My second full length novel, Unmasked Heart releases on June 15, 2015. Gaia Telfair is a different kind of heroine. She’s a mulatto, with both black and white blood coursing within her veins, only she didn’t know it until she reached for love.
Originally posted 2015-06-08 09:00:00.
Stephen King has never read Jane Austen
categories: Jane in the News, Just read the darn books Steve, SMH, Stephen King, They're not sequels
Horror author Stephen King admits he’s never read Jane Austen. I don’t have much interest in “relationship” novels or romance. I’ve never read Jane Austen. I do not say this with either pride or shame (or prejudice, for that matter). It’s just a fact. We are moved to quote the film Miss Austen Regrets: If…
Originally posted 2015-06-04 18:31:00.
Life below stairs – the duties of a Georgian housemaid
categories: Uncategorized
Originally posted on All Things Georgian:
‘Maid of all work’ – courtesy of Lewis Walpole Library ? Many of our posts take a look at the upper echelons of Georgian society, so this time we thought it might be interesting to look at what it would have been like to have worked ‘below stairs’ as…
Originally posted 2015-05-21 17:38:19.
Sharks
categories: Housekeeping, why can't we quit you blogging
It is a truth universally acknowledged that websites are like sharks: they must continually move forward or die.* So it’s time for AustenBlog to make with the fin and big teeth. Those who have read Deborah Yaffe’s delightful book Among the Janeites already know that I have been planning to shut down AustenBlog for a…
Originally posted 2015-05-15 08:00:00.
Write of Passage: Lessons from Indoctrination
categories: Podcast - Write of Passage, Politics, Recommended Reading, Syndication, Technology, TV and Film
Flying home from the Historical Novel Society conference, I learned a lesson in indoctrination. I’m on a fast-moving deadline for a special project, but I had to go. HNS holds a special place for me. My very first HNS conference changed the trajectory of my life.
Before attending in 2019, I published lovely Regency romances. Sweet, comforting, polite novels—educating the world through fun, nonthreatening, history-filled reads.
But HNS cracked something open. Meeting a tribe of fellow history nerds and selling the book I never thought I’d sell—Island Queen, the biographical fiction about Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, one of the richest Black women in the Georgian world, a woman who bought her freedom and defies every rule and obstacle to live freely—that gave me the courage to keep telling stories that tug at my heart and mind.
Being free to create is a gift. One that’s hard to achieve. Black and brown creators, and women creators, have been indoctrinated, fed rules in the simplest of terms that challenge our freedom. Rules such as:
* That more ethnic the cover, the more it can impact book sales—or determine where a book gets shelved.
* That a pen name that sounds like a man’s carries more heft.
* That “historical accuracy” will be weaponized to silence you if you make one mistake.
* That if you fail, your failure will become the reason the next person who looks like you gets turned away.
You’ll never know how much that last one haunted me. How it still probably drives me to go the extra mile.
And I share all this to say: we’ve all been indoctrinated by our circumstances.
Writers learn quickly by how we’ve been treated—and how we’ve seen others treated—in publishing. It’s hard to break the pattern. And it’s about logic. It’s 1 + 1 = 2 when one sees patterns repeating.
And you, the listener—you’ve been indoctrinated.
Certain patterns, behaviors, even thoughts have been ingrained through images and repetition. This was made clear to me on my flight home.
Flying back from Vegas, Atlanta’s weather did not cooperate. Several delays and cancellations later, I was finally on my way but rerouted through Minneapolis. I’d arrived in Atlanta with just a four-hour delay and a bump up to first class. All was good.
But I wasn’t prepared for the real lesson I’d take from that flight.
An older gentleman sat beside me. The moment we took off, he flicked on his monitor and tuned into the news. He looked like a typical executive—loafers, golf watch, faint aftershave. He popped in his headphones, stared at the screen, and then drifted off to sleep.
I was writing but I couldn’t help watching. Something about flickering images in my periphery always pulls me in. For ten minutes, I stared at his monitor. No sound—just headlines and smiling faces discussing stories that disturbed me.
Ice raids with masked men capturing women on the street. The host smiled.Florida detention camps pop onto the screen. The smiling host makes it appear to be a pitch for a Disney vacation.
And my neighbor slept. Peacefully. Whatever was being whispered in his ear lulled him into calm.
I sat there gobsmacked.
This is indoctrination.
Indoctrination is subtle, yet powerful.It’s not about shouting.It’s about repeating.It’s about phrasing.It’s about making you feel safe while you’re being lulled into believing counterintuitive things.
The TV’s formula was simple:
* Repeat the same emotionally charged themes again and again.
* Print aggressive words: sue, threaten, destroy, take back, fight for your children.
* Paint the other side as monsters trying to take away your rights—your autonomy, your voice, your values.
* Frame reasonable actions as extreme.
* Show flags. Cue nostalgia. Stir something primal.
* Smile while doing it.
And the man next to me? He slept. Fully content. The world whispering in his ear made sense. That’s when I understood the terrifying genius of it.
People aren’t being brainwashed. They’re being comforted—soothed by simple stories, a few buzzwords, and a familiar rhythm.
In this whispering world, empathy is suspect.Fairness? A threat.Truth? Conditional.
How else do you explain people cheering for a roofer—someone who rebuilt their home after a hurricane—being rounded up and sent to a detention camp being pictured as a theme park?
What happened to questioning things?When did we decide that cruelty is an acceptable solution?Why is it okay to sleep through someone else’s pain?
Be awake.
Don’t let anyone tell you you’re overreacting.You’re not a sucker for caring. You’re human.
And to my fellow protestors and change-makers: we can’t just fight with facts and five-point plans. Shame doesn’t move people. Complexity doesn’t sway them.
If your message makes them feel stupid, they’ll dig in and side with the whisperers.
So what can we do?
We make the stakes as clear as possible.
We must give up the five-dollar words.Because those words only land with the most liberal among us. And as Nicole Hannah-Jones wrote in her recent New York Times essay, How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights in Two Months, citing scholar Ian Haney López—the rapid decline in support for DEI came from liberals. Particularly white liberals. Those skeptical of diversity. Those sympathetic to complaints about “wokeness.”
It hurts. On so many levels. Who is actually an ally?We had the George Floyd awakening, the feel-good changes… and then people voted against their better angels—for cheap eggs all while rolling back the good changes.
It’s going to take me a while to believe in allyship again.
And the lack of big words hurts because I love big words. I love nuance. But I’d rather be heard than admired for my vocabulary. I’d rather reach the “gettable” than preach to the choir, a choir who might be full of whisperers.
So:Use simple language.Simple signs.Drop the jargon.Focus on why it matters to them.
And alas, poor Yorick—and Vanessa—we must keep it simple.
Maybe then we can re-indoctrinate the world to be good.For once.For all.
Books to help with framing the problem are:
Nice Racism by Robin DiAngelo
A follow-up to White Fragility, this dives deeper into how progressive people often unknowingly uphold systemic racism.
White Rage by Carol Anderson
A piercing explanation of how systemic racism reacts violently to Black advancement in America—through policy, education, and media.
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Essential essays on the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and the power of being awake to oppression.
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
This anthology reframes American history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the national narrative and reveals how deeply racial ideology—and indoctrination—are woven into the fabric in the U.S.
This week, I’m highlighting Malik Books through their website and Bookshop.org
Help me build momentum for Fire Sword and Sea—spread the word and preorder this disruptive narrative about female pirates in the 1600s. This sweeping saga releases January 13, 2026. The link on my website shows retailers large and small who have set up preorders for this title.
Show notes include a list of the books mentioned in this broadcast.
You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com under the podcast link in the About tab.
Let’s keep rising and creating together—like, subscribe, and share. Please stay connected to Write of Passage.”
Thank you for listening. Hopefully, you’ll come again. This is Vanessa Riley
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vanessariley.substack.com/subscribe
Why would I move from London or all of England?
categories: History
Vanessa here,
Migrations have happened through the ages. So peoples in even during the Regency had wanderlust, a strong desire to see the world. And dare I say it, they even moved beyond the ballrooms of Almack’s. They traveled, they went on holiday, and upon occasion they conquered.
After the Seven-Year War, George Macartney in 1773, talked of the vastness of England’s reach, “the British Empire on which the sun never sets.”
The common attitude of having at least 184 colonies (accumulated from the 1700’s to 1950’s) around the globe supports the concept, making adaptations of the phase very popular:
- “The sun never set on the British Flag” (Rev. R. P. Buddicom, 1827)
- “The sun never set on British Empire” (Christopher North 1839)
When I study the list of colonies, I believe they are quite right:
| Antigua and Barbuda | Dog Island, Gambia | Mombasa | Sabah |
| Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina | East Jersey | Colony of Natal | Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla |
| Province of Avalon | Essequibo (colony) | New Brunswick | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Bangladesh | Falkland Islands Dependencies | New England Colonies | Sarawak |
| Barbados | Fiji | New Hampshire | Crown Colony of Sarawak |
| Basutoland | Florida | Province of New Hampshire | Sheikhdom of Kuwait |
| Belize | British Gambia | New Hebrides | Singapore |
| History of Belize | Gambia Colony and Protectorate | New Jersey | Singapore in the Straits Settlements |
| Bengkulu | The Gambia | Province of New Jersey | Post-war Singapore |
| Berbice | Georgia (U.S. state) | New South Wales | South Africa |
| Bermuda | Province of Georgia | New York | South Australia |
| Black River (settlement) | Gibraltar | New Zealand | South Carolina |
| British Honduras | Gilbert and Ellice Islands | Colony of New Zealand | Province of South Carolina |
| British Bencoolen | Gold Coast (British colony) | Newfoundland and Labrador | South Sudan |
| Colony of British Columbia (1858–66) | Grenada | Newfoundland Colony | Southern Colonies |
| Colony of British Columbia (1866–71) | Guadeloupe | Nicobar Islands | Stoddart Island |
| British Kaffraria | British Guiana | Nigeria | Straits Settlements |
| British West Indies | Heligoland | Nikumaroro | Sudan |
| British Western Pacific Territories | Hilton Young Commission | North Australia | Swan River Colony |
| Brunei | History of West Africa | Crown Colony of North Borneo | Tasmania |
| Burma | Hong Kong | North Carolina | Colony of Tasmania |
| British rule in Burma | British Hong Kong | Nova Scotia | Thirteen Colonies |
| Canada | India | Nyasaland | Tobago |
| Province of Quebec (1763–91) | Jamaica | Ohio | Tokelau |
| Province of Canada | Colony of Jamaica | History of Ohio | Transvaal Colony |
| The Canadas | Jordan | Ohio Country | Trinidad |
| Cape Breton Island | Kunta Kinteh Island | Operation Sunrise (Nyasaland) | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Cape Colony | Crown Colony of Labuan | Orange River Colony | United States |
| Province of Carolina | Lagos | Orange River Sovereignty | Historic regions of the United States |
| Carriacou and Petite Martinique | Lagos Colony | Pakistan | Upper Canada |
| British Ceylon | Lakshadweep | Territory of Papua | Van Diemen’s Land |
| Chesapeake Colonies | British Leeward Islands | Pennsylvania | Colony of Vancouver Island |
| Chopawamsic | Lower Canada | Province of Pennsylvania | Victoria (Australia) |
| Colonial Nigeria | Maine | Plymouth Company | Colony of Virginia |
| Colonial Fiji | Malabo | Prince Edward Island | Walvis Bay |
| Côn Đảo | British Malaya | History of Pulicat | Weihai (British Colony) |
| Connecticut | Malayan Union | Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands | Wessagusset Colony |
| Connecticut Colony | Malaysia | Queensland | British West Africa |
| Cook Islands | Malta | Restoration (Colonies) | West Indies Federation |
| Cook Islands Federation | Crown Colony of Malta | Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | West Jersey |
| Cyprus | Massachusetts | Northern Rhodesia | Western Australia |
| British Cyprus (1914–1960) | Province of Massachusetts Bay | Colonial history of Southern Rhodesia | Western Samoa Trust Territory |
| Delaware | Mauritius | Southern Rhodesia | British Windward Islands |
| Delaware Colony | Middle Colonies | Rivers State | Wituland |
| Demerara | Minorca | Rodrigues | Zimbabwe |
| Demerara-Essequibo | Mississippi | Rupert’s Land | Zulu Kingdom |
Lately, I have been thinking about the hopes and dreams that sent people on a journey to an unknown world. Was it religious freedom like the Quakers? Could it be the quest of gold or the hope for eternal gold by proselytize a different people? What attitudes did they bring? Did social station withstand the hard work of building a colony timber by timber?
For my birthday (March 13 – shameless plug), my lovely husband bought me two copper engraved maps, one of England (1810) and one of South African (1835). I see stories brewing. Stay tuned.
References:
- Bartlett, John (1865). Familiar quotations (4th ed.). Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p. 388.
- Bacon, Francis (1841). “An Advertisement Touching a Holy War”.
- Maritime Enterprise and the Genesis of the British Empire, 1480-1630.
- Wikipedia: English Possessions Overseas.
- Wikipedia: British Colonization of the Americas.
- Wikipedia: British Empire.
Originally posted 2015-03-09 08:00:00.
Get to Know Michelle Griep, Strawberry Hater but Regency Enthusiast
categories: History
Vanessa here,
For me, the month of February is a time to reflect on history and progress, as well as love. So, it is my pleasure to spend a little time with Michelle Griep on my southern porch. She’s a woman that writes both historical fiction and nonfiction. I thought you would like to get to know another side of one our Regency authors.
As I gussied up things, I decided to offer ripe strawberries dipped in a healthy dose of chocolate. I hadn’t had quite enough on Valentine’s Day, (thank you, Dear Hubby).
But my friend Michelle won’t have any. Not one bite.
“I hate fruit,” she said, “No, really. Not even strawberries.”
Ok, as I put the tray away for munching later, I begged Michelle to tell me more about herself, something far from London and the 1800’s.
“I am a Trekkie at heart, though I am not fluent in Klingon. Yet. I love to garden, specifically flowers and herbs. Reading is a huge passion of mine, as is eating chocolate, rollerblading, or walking my dog, Ada Clare, Princess of the Universe.”
Seriously, Michelle is a writer’s writer and has carefully studied the craft of writing for years, and as we celebrate her latest release, Brentwood’s Ward, she has also released a book on craft. How did you find the time between rollerblading and the Princess?
“I needed to get this book out. Writers of Regencies and other genres need to know, how do you go about composing and selling the next Great American Novel? WRITER OFF THE LEASH answers these questions and more–all in an easy to understand, tongue-in-cheek style. This is more than a how-to book. It’s my attempt to blow the lid off stodgy old-school rulebooks and make it clear that writing can–and should–be fun.”
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. 
Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Originally posted 2015-02-19 08:00:00.
Write of Passage: When the Plan Falls Apart
categories: Podcast - Write of Passage, Politics, Recommended Reading, Syndication, Technology, TV and Film
It probably won’t surprise you—at least not once you’ve met me—that I’m a planner. My name is Vanessa Riley, and I’m a serial planner. There isn’t an outline I don’t love, nor a spreadsheet that doesn’t call my name.
If I could design a map of a map of a map of systems accompanied by a flowchart—I’d consider it bliss. Come to one of my book events and ask what kind of person or writer I am, and I’ll often tell you: I’m a nerd’s nerd, a meticulous nerd. That’s right—pocket protector-level nerd. I love formulas and systems. I love figuring things out and then optimizing them.
Why? Because we only get so much energy, so much time, and so many resources in this life. I want every ounce I give to have maximum effect. If you can show me how to reach more people, make more impact, or spark more meaningful change, I’m listening. I’m all in.
But what happens when the plan doesn’t work?
Devastation. Armageddon. World War 3. In other words, I don’t take it well.
Yet I listened to Meghan Sussex, yes Meghan Markle on the Emma Grede’s podcast, Aspire, talking about failing as winning.
It sounds crazy at first.
I mean carefully charted course falls apart. How is it winning, when something completely unexpected hijacks your progress and leaves you scrambling? For those who “pants” their way through books—that is, write without plotting—this kind of disruption might just feel like a quirky detour. But for a planner? It’s devastating.
Life is unpredictable and messy. You pour energy into structure and logic and find out the world has other ideas.
And if the detour is because of people— you know the ones who don’t behave the way you think they should. Those people who’ve bought into that notion called free will, it can be devastating.
You don’t know who to trust. Or if you should trust it all. If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that people often act in ways that defy their own interests. They cling to ideals or narratives that make sense only to them. And we have to let them. As a famous poet, Bobby Brown used to insist, that’s their prerogative.
For those of you who know the chaos of watching a plan implode, I see you. I’ve lived that upheaval, and I want to offer a few steps I’ve found helpful:
1. You did your best.
Even if the outcome wasn’t what you expected, you gave it your all. The plan didn’t play out perfectly, but you showed up. You tried. And it’s OK to take a moment to lick your wounds.
2. Mourn what was built and what was lost.
It’s perfectly valid to grieve the work, the dream, or the strategy that didn’t survive. Tend to your mental health. Sometimes, starting over means burning what didn’t work to the ground. This can feel extreme, but it’s also freeing. When ego is stripped away, what’s left is humility, hunger, and a wide-open future.
3. Learn the lessons.
Every failure teaches us something. Maybe you trusted someone you shouldn’t have. Or maybe you missed an opportunity to include a partner who would have made all the difference. The lesson might be to trust more wisely. One of the best lessons is to pay attention not just to the bottom line, but to everyone on all sides.
4. Stopping is not quit.
Unless you’re physically in the grave, the game is not over. You might feel tired. You might feel lost. But you are not done. Separate the strategy from the strategist. It’s not a failure if you’ve learned to do better.
5. It’s okay to begin again.
Being brand new is not failure—it’s freedom. There’s a joy in learning, in discovering new spaces, in making new connections. Walking away and choosing the right season to begin again is a win.
6. Accept that all spaces aren’t meant for you.
When I look at that portrait of Ruby Bridges (The problem we all live with), as she’s being escorted by guards to integrate a classroom—people are screaming, writing nastiness on walls. But she and her parents decided that was the place for Ruby to be.
Honestly, I don’t know if I’d make the same call. Ruby’s treatment was horrific. Adults who should be protecting children were monsters in plain sight.
That’s hard. I’d question if that sacrifice is worth my peace?
Sometimes, the brutal truth is that the path you planned wasn’t yours. Stopping doesn’t mean you lost. It might mean you’re closer to the path that you’re meant to take. And in this day and age, that place needs to be loving, edifying, and safe. You have to feel you can bring all of you, not just fragments. Not just 50% of your gifts. All or nothing.
Writers know this well. Sometimes, we have to throw out what doesn’t work. I deleted 50,000 words from a manuscript that wasn’t working. That kind of heartbreak required ice cream and chocolate, and maybe a few deep sighs—but it made the book stronger. With my upcoming novel Fire Sword and Sea, the original plan didn’t hold. It took me two years, and several rewrites, to get it right.
Because I’m writing about real people—Pirates Jacquotte Delahaye, Michel Le Basque, Anne Dieu-Le-Veut, Laurens De Graaf and others from the 1600s—I owe it to them, and to my readers, to go the extra mile. You have to be will to pay the price to create value, something of lasting meaning.
If it’s worthwhile, it’s worth the effort. A good book is worth the effort. And you? You’re worth everything it takes to reach your dreams.
You know those dreams—the ones that keep you up at night, the ones you see in vivid color when your eyes finally close. These dreams call to you for a reason. And I believe you can do it. I’m counting on you. I know you can win.
Books to help you on your journey:
Meghan Sussex recommends Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s is a practical guide to transforming your life by making small, consistent changes that compound into remarkable results.
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön
– Wisdom for moments when your plan shatters and you need spiritual grounding
.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoski
– For the serial planner who’s burnt out and doesn’t know why. It’s a guide to recovering your energy and agency.
This week, I’m highlighting Parnassus Books through their website and Bookshop.org
Help me build momentum for Fire Sword and Sea—spread the word and preorder this disruptive narrative about female pirates in the 1600s. This sweeping saga releases January 13, 2026. The link on my website shows retailers large and small who have set up preorders.
Show notes include a list of the books mentioned in this broadcast.
You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com under the podcast link in the About tab.
Let’s keep rising and creating together—like, subscribe, and share. Stay connected to Write of Passage.”
Thank you for listening. Hopefully, you’ll come again. This is Vanessa Riley
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vanessariley.substack.com/subscribe