As a writer, the greatest gift I can offer a reader is the ability to feel. Love, anger, or the powerful sense of being seen—my books come with an implicit promise. I intend to transport you, enlighten you, and to invite you to inhabit someone else’s shoes. You will tread in their footsteps, see through their eyes, and be consumed by their emotions. This is my gift, my bond with my readers.

I truly believe all writers are empaths at heart. That’s why last week was especially hard—a whirlwind of emotions and memories, crashing upon me at the same time.

In Atlanta, a rare snowstorm—an event last seen a decade ago—brought the city to a standstill. At the same time, the world paused to honor President Jimmy Carter, a man synonymous with empathy and kindness. He was my first president, well the first I can actually remember. The plain spoken, proud son of Georgia, gave the world a lifetime of service. His passing like his presidency, brought together people across political divides, reminding us of the compassion that once defined leadership.

On the other coast, in California, a cruel trifecta of fire, wind, and drought ignited devastating wildfires. Over 20,000 acres have burned in the Palisades Fire. You know the names—Malibu, Mandeville Canyon, Brentwood, and the hills of Encino and Tarzana. The Fires in Eaton which includes devasted generational communities of Pasadena and Altadena–have been hit with significant property damage. The Hurst, Kenneth, Archer and Lidia Fires still rage at the time of this recording.

We’ve Seen This All Before

Throughout history, natural disasters have tested human resilience:

* 1556: The Shaanxi Earthquake in China claimed 830,000 lives, the deadliest recorded.

* 1692: The Port Royal Earthquake and tsunami destroyed two-thirds of the “Wickedest City on Earth,” killing over 2,000. Neighboring islands sent organized looters.

* 1815: Mount Tambora erupted in modern-day Indonesia, leading to the “Year Without a Summer” and a global death toll of 80,000–100,000.

* 1900: The Great Galveston Hurricane killed as many as 12,000.

* 1931: The China Flood led to approximately 4 million deaths from drowning, starvation, and disease.

* 1970: Cyclone Bhola in Bangladesh caused over 300,000 deaths.

* 2004: The Indian Ocean Tsunami killed over 230,000 people across 14 countries.

* 2005: Hurricane Katrina left 1,800 dead and caused $161 billion in damages, with long-term displacement of residents.

* 2010: The Haiti Earthquake caused over 222,000 deaths and displaced over 1.3 million people.

* 2011: The Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan triggers the Fukushima nuclear disaster and kills over 19,000 people.

* 2017: Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico caused 2975 deaths and massive infrastructure failures. Puerto Rico was left without power, water, or basic services for months.

* 2017: Hurricane Harvey in Texas wreaked havoc, leaving thousands dead and causing $125 billions in damages.

2024 Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene devastated six Southern states from September 24–29, 2024, claiming at least 236 lives. Entire towns in the far inland mountains of North Carolina—Chimney Rock Village, Marshall, and Hot Springs—were essentially washed away by floods.

Helene’s damage was personal. It struck my hometown of Aiken, South Carolina—a small town known for horse racing and Refrigerator Perry of the Chicago Bears. My aunt and cousins were without power for almost a week. The massive oak outside the 5-and-dime store where I had my first job was ripped from the concrete sidewalk by the storm’s ferocious winds. When I visited Aiken in December, two months after the hurricane, the town still bore the scars. Fallen trees littered the landscape, and many roads and houses remained in disrepair.

Miss me with the idea that this is what we deserved. Miss me with the craven spirit that left people frightened and hopeless, thinking no help was coming because this disaster unfolded during a contentious political season.

No place or community is immune to catastrophe. Each disaster brings grief, rebuilding, and, most importantly, a need for solidarity. But are we up to the task? Increasingly, a spirit of division and disdain seems to overshadow the empathy we once showed in times of tragedy. Have we lost our humanity?

Going Back to Cally

Over 180,000 people have been evacuated, and at least 10 lives have been lost in the fires ravaging California. Sadly, that number will likely rise once the flames are contained. But how do we contain the blaze consuming our humanity? Instead of unity, many are quick to condemn, point fingers, or dismiss the devastation as a plight of wealthy Malibu residents or Hollywood elites.

When disaster strikes the rich and famous, cynics are eager to believe they deserved it. But what about places like Chimney Rock or Aiken or other less affluent communities devastated by storms? Did they deserve it? Are you saying the God you believe in has condemned them as well? Tragedy doesn’t discriminate based on wealth, geography, or political allegiance.

Empathy isn’t about whether someone “deserves” to suffer. It’s about recognizing our shared humanity in the face of catastrophe.

Consider this: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is funded by taxes from both blue and red states. Blue states, often with liberal politics, contribute the most to federal aid, including FEMA dollars. Meanwhile, red states, more prone to natural disasters, tend to receive more federal funding relative to what they contribute. Could it be that we need each other?

If we let division overshadow compassion, we risk eroding the foundation that binds us as a nation. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. But here’s the question: when was the last time you chose to love someone as much as you love yourself?

Subscribe for free. Get Vanessa’s take on publishing, challenges, and opportunities, drawing from her journey as an indie author turned traditionally published powerhouse: 25 novels and counting.

Atlanta’s and Texas’s Snowmageddon

Ten years ago, on January 28, 2014, Atlanta experienced a rare snowstorm—just two-and-a-half inches of snow turned interstates into parking lots. People were stranded for hours, some overnight. Weather advisories had warned of impending danger, but when the morning came with no snow on the ground and no sleet in the air, most assumed the storm had passed.

I remember leaving my house around 9 a.m. for a dental appointment. By 10 a.m., I had clean teeth but could barely drive home. Tragically, 13 people lost their lives. Life can change quickly, as that day reminded us. Eventually, we thawed out and survived being the butt of jokes for months.

Fast forward to 2022, during Winter Storm Uri in Texas. Extreme cold, snow, and power outages swept across the state, taking over 210 lives. While government officials argued and finger-pointed, neighbors stepped up. Families opened their homes, sharing warmth and shelter. I used Instacart to send water to friends who had no running supply.

In both of these “snowmageddons,” a profound truth emerged: empathy surged. People helped people. Compassion triumphed over adversity. These moments remind us of our capacity to care, even in the harshest conditions.

Back to Finger Pointing

The news has already shifted its focus in Los Angeles to looters, sidestepping the stories of everyday people who lost their homes or whose retirement facilities were reduced to ashes. Instead, we see blame placed on budget cuts and political decisions. Meanwhile, the unregulated cesspools of Facebook groups are busy mocking “Hollyweird” and spinning the tragedy into another divisive narrative.

I hope in my heart that for every negative story circulated, there are countless acts of kindness—neighbors helping neighbors, communities checking on the most vulnerable, and strangers opening their homes to those in need.

We still have power in these moments. We can step away from toxic conversations. We can amplify stories of love and solidarity instead of hatred and blame.

The goal isn’t to deepen division but to remind ourselves of what’s at stake. We need to care for one another, not because of where we live but because we all share this human experience.

It is possible—to mourn together, to heal together, and to rebuild together. If we can’t, can we at least choose silence—do the quiet “thoughts and prayers” thing we do when there’s a mass shooting?

What Should We Do?

If we choose to mourn and heal together, we must:

* Speak with empathy.

* Listen actively.

* Offer comfort to those in need.

As Proverbs 16:24 reminds us, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Listening is helping. Platitudes are cheap. Empathy heals.

What Books Can We Read

As a book girly, I’ll make some recommendations:

* A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis: A deeply personal account of loss and healing.

* God Will Carry You Through by Max Lucado: Reflections on God’s sustaining grace.

* Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward: A haunting exploration of grief and resilience.

* Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by IMANI PERRY: A lyrical exploration of life, love, resilience and grief and systematic loss.

* See You on the Other Side by Rachel Montez Minor: A children’s book that provides comfort to the little ones grieving or coming to terms with loss.

Places We Can Donate

Money is action. Every little bit helps.

For LA, choose:

* World Central Kitchen

* United Way of Greater Los Angeles: Wildfire Response

* American Red Cross-Wildfire Relief

For Hurricane Helene, choose:

* United Way

* The Salvation Army

* All Hands and Hearts

Back To The Man from Plains

On January 9, 2025, President Carter’s casket was welcomed at the snow-capped National Cathedral, a grand limestone church with arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and over 200 stained-glass windows, including one containing a moon rock from Apollo 11.

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde presided as Carter’s casket was ushered into the cathedral, observed by dignitaries and all living presidents. Her words echoed: “Let us also pray for all who mourn, that they may cast their care on God and know the consolation of his love.”

Later that day, the same casket would find its way into the humble pine wood church, Maranatha Baptist, in Plains, Georgia. There, a simpler service with familiar faces—friends and neighbors Carter had known all his life—would gather to say goodbye.

In both services, one grand and the other modest, there will likely be a shared refrain: Jimmy Carter’s faith mirrored American ideals, particularly the belief that “we are all created equal in the image of God.”

We are all created equally. We face suffering equally. Whether the wind howls, the rain menaces, the earth quakes, or fires rage, destruction and loneliness do not discriminate. To move closer to a more perfect union, we must embrace empathy. It is my hope that in places as different as rich limestone cathedrals and honest pinewood chapels, empathy and humanity can coexist.

I challenge all writers to help restore empathy in the world.

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

Originally posted 2025-01-14 14:10:00.

The Five-Minute High. Writers, you know that glorious feeling when you finally hit Send? Enjoy it. Because in about five minutes, you’re going to remember everything you should’ve changed.

Euphoria: The Joy of Hitting Send

There’s a particular state of euphoria that happens when a writer finally hits Send.

If you follow authors on social media—and hopefully you’re following me—you’ve seen us post about this magical, mythical thing called THE END.

We celebrate it. We take pictures of it. We announce it to the world.

And it is absolutely worth celebrating.

But here’s the secret: the end isn’t really the end.

It’s not the end until that book is published and out into the world.

Still, one of the greatest moments in this entire process is when you attach that finished version of the document to your Trad editor’s email or if your Indie to your developmental or line editor’s email, and hit Send.

There is nothing quite like it.

Before the Euphoria

Let me back up for those who don’t know my process.

I write the book, but I also work with a personal editor—someone who knows my gifts, knows my weaknesses, and, most importantly, knows how to push me.

That editor is actually the first person who really sees the book.

They see it as pages in the rawest, ugliest version. The version where someone has to say, “Girl, what were you thinking? I cannot get from A to Z with this.”

Sometimes it’s not that bad.

Sometimes it absolutely is.

But that relationship matters. One of my editors has been with me for twenty-nine of my books. Think about that. They know my writing. They know what I’m capable of.

That’s part of my process.

Your process may look completely different.

And that is exactly how it should be. Whatever it is, you work that process and finish.

You Have to Get to the End

For me, I have to hit the end.

I need to write the book from beginning to end before I can step back and ask the most important question:

What is this book really about?

Now, if you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know I am a serial outliner, serial timeline maker, serial spreadsheet girly.

I do in-depth character analysis. I chart tension arcs. I study character journeys. I build character profiles. I work through scenes. And we haven’t even started talking about the historical research. That is an entirely different bucket.

I do all of that work.

And yet something organic still happens during the writing.

Some arcs I imagined at the beginning become sharper and more important. Others disappear. A theme that seemed small suddenly becomes the heartbeat of the entire book. A character reveals something I didn’t fully understand when I started.

That’s why I need to reach the end.

Only then can I look backward and ask: What journey did I actually put these characters through? What changed? What survived? What is this story saying?

Sometimes the answer is a deeper version of what I thought the book was about.

Sometimes it is something completely different.

But I cannot fully know until I get to the end.

Stop Polishing Those First Three Chapters

When I was a young writer, I would polish and polish and polish those first three chapters.

Then I would polish them some more.

Now?

Let’s just call me a pro.

I know better.

There is more than a fifty-percent chance that the synopsis I write before I start a book is not going to be the synopsis of the book I actually finish.

That original synopsis is an educated guess. It is based on facts, research, character work, structure, and everything else I know at that moment.

But it is still a guess.

By the time I hit the end, I finally know what book I wrote.

And then one of my favorite parts of the process begins.

Editing.

That is when we spit-shine the prose.

That is when I deepen the dialogue so the words say what I need them to say while the subtext whispers everything the characters aren’t willing to admit.

That is when I paint the house.

That is when I put clothes on the characters—and those clothes need to do more than look pretty.

Jane Austen understood that. Clothing can tell us about accomplishment, aspiration, money, status, personality, and how someone wants the world to see them. Is this a person of high style? Or did they just roll out of bed?

Every detail should carry meaning.

But I don’t necessarily know what the meaning should be until I know the whole story.

Sprint to the End

So, to every writer out there struggling to finish the book, my advice is simple:

Finish the book.

Work in sprints.

Write out of order.

Write the scenes in your head that are so vivid you can practically see the characters standing in front of you.

Get words onto the page.

You can stitch them together later.

Don’t spend months polishing something when you don’t even know whether it belongs in the final book.

Sprint toward the end.

Dirty write.

Put down the thoughts. Put down the dialogue. Put down enough description to remind yourself what is happening.

Literally, anything can be fixed when you have reached the end.

Why I Work With a Personal Editor

People sometimes ask why I work with a personal editor.

Some writers use critique groups, and critique groups can be wonderful. But they can also be hit or miss, and sometimes the problem is simply timing. You need feedback now.

I’d rather have an established relationship with someone I trust—someone who knows my abilities and understands the kinds of stories I’m trying to tell.

Unfortunately, once you submit the manuscript to your publishing editor, you don’t necessarily know what you’re going to get.

I’ve had great editors.

I’ve had…editors.

I’ve had manuscripts go straight to copyedits.

I’ve also rewritten whole books in copyedits.

Don’t try that at home. It makes people mad. (Even when the rewrite gets a starred review.)

But at the end of the day, your name is on that book.

The story needs to say what you intended it to say. The message needs to be the message you meant to deliver.

So sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

And Then I Hit Send

Last week, I had one of those euphoric weeks. I’m dancing. Enjoying life. I’d hit send.

And it was glorious for approximately five minutes.

Because five minutes later, I thought of something else I could add.

Not quite so glorious.

But that’s publishing.

Luckily, there’s a long journey between the book you turn in and the book that is finalized and ready for print. You’ll have opportunities to tweak things. You’ll have opportunities to sharpen things.

And I love that process.

In fact, after all of this work, I cannot wait to start the next book.

That’s the joy of writing.

That’s my joy in telling stories.

know what a privilege it is to be able to do this—to write these books and to come here every week and tell you what’s going on inside my head, and hopefully I am giving you a little encouragement along the way.

Keep Finding the Hope

Because the world can feel pretty dark.

I’m sending prayers and blessings to Gary, Indiana, and to everyone who is suffering.

I’m sending hope to those who are sick and those caring for sick relatives.

I’m sending inspiration to everyone who feels desperate, exhausted, or is simply tired of carrying what they’re carrying.

And I’m going to repeat something I said last week: if you are feeling like you’re on the edge, please get help. Reach out to someone who can help you. You are worthy of that help.

There is hope.

Keep looking for it.

And Now, Book Number 31

By this time next week, book number thirty-one will be out in the world.

That’s right.

Another Lady Worthing Mystery.

And this one is Murder in St. James’s Park.

We started with Murder in Westminster, where you first met Lady Worthing.

Then came Murder in Drury Lane, where you watched her work a murder case in one of her favorite haunts.

Book three was Murder in Berkeley Square, where she found herself stuck in a blizzard with a collection of very rich people, all didn’t deserve to make it out alive.

But Lady Worthing survived.

Her gang of friends—her found family—survived.

And now we have Murder in St. James’s Park.

Lady Worthing has been experiencing a few marital difficulties.

Let’s just say…

That might not be the case by the end of this book.

And for those of you who know St. James’s Park, remember: it’s right behind her house.

I’m giving you clues.

So if you haven’t already, go purchase your copy of Murder in St. James’s Park. Tell your library about it. Request it. Read it. Talk about it.

And then come back and tell me what you think.

In the meantime,

Be blessed.

Keep writing.

Keep reading.

And most of all, keep finding the hope.

Get these books from Bookmiser. They will have a few signed copies of Fire Sword and Sea and Murder in St. James’s Park, because I am doing an event with them, and the FRIENDS OF THE SANDY SPRINGS LIBRARY

Saturday, August 29, 2026

2:00-3:30 p.m.

Sandy Springs Library – Call (770) 509-5611 for more info or to reserve a signed copy.

You can also try one of my partners in the fight, bookstores large and small, who are in the trenches with me.

You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com, under the podcast link in the About tab.

Hey. Let’s keep rising and creating together. I need you. That is the truth. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to Write of Passage.

Thank you for being here.

I want you to 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

It started innocently enough. I’d been away for a weekend of trips. Monday morning, I thought, Let me check my email. That’s when the onslaught began.

A note — a perfectly polite one — popped to the top:

“Hi Vanessa,Thank you for writing such a wonderful story. I’d love to share my thoughts on Goodreads and help more people discover it.Warm regards,Rachel.”

Thank you, Rachel. I don’t know what book you read that moved you to writeright me (yes, she wrote right), but thanks.

I kept going through my emails, and Rachel wrote again.

“Hi there,Are you around? If you’re interested in getting the review, just reply with the word ‘Review.’ I’ll take it from there!”

Now, I already suspected Rachel was a bot. But Miss Rachel wasn’t done. She sent another message — and this time, she rudely implied that I’d missed a deadline.

In the entirety of my writing career, I’ve missed exactly one deadline. One. There have been times when I’ve needed more time, but I’ve always negotiated that weeks, sometimes months, in advance. The only time I ever truly missed a deadline — by two weeks — was during COVID, when everyone in my household (and extended family) caught it. It was stressful. I’m a Type A engineer by training, and believe me, that editor reminds me of it to this day.

But I digress.

As writers, we already have enough pressure. The market is shifting. Publishing lines are tightening. The expectation that social media alone can move huge swaths of books is both ridiculous and still the fairy dust traditional publishing counts on. And beyond all that pressure — the bots are coming for us.

So instead of holding a séance for spam or blocking every Gmail address with numbers in it, I decided to sic one robot on another. Thus began the latest episode in my ongoing saga: Robot vs. Robot: The War of the AI Cousins.

Now I’ve had my run in with Chat – please listen to Season 1: Episode 42 – AI Can’t Fake the Funk or the Fire. And you’ll see AI it’s everywhere.

So, I started by feeding these bot emails into ChatGPT. I wanted to see what it would say about its more mischievous relatives.

Take “Lilia C. Oram,” for example — a self-proclaimed Book Marketing Specialist who wrote me an essay-length love letter about my novel Queen of Exiles.

Her message read like a Ph.D. dissertation in flattery:

“Your novel Queen of Exiles is an exquisite and triumphant reimagining of Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Covidavid Christophe…”

Can’t you just hear the B.S. in that framing? She continued with alliteration worthy of a thesaurus marathon:

“With the right strategy, this extraordinary story can reach readers and institutions that celebrate narratives of resistance, identity, and freedom…”

Then, naturally, came the sales pitch — A+ Content Optimization, Goodreads Listopia placement, Amazon keyword targeting. In short, every SEO buzzword known to humankind.

ChatGPT barked and said:

Red Flags:

* Overly formal “praise-bomb” introduction.

* Immediate pivot to services.

* Fake “strategy” jargon — terms like “visual storytelling campaigns,” “Goodreads Listopia placement,” and “Amazon A+ content optimization” are standard scam-bait phrases. None of those services require outside contractors, and many are impossible or against Goodreads/Amazon policy.

* Generic Gmail addresses — a real agency would email from a company domain.

* Unrealistic promises — “global recognition,” “reach institutions,” “connect with readers of The House of Eve.” All empty marketing fluff.

My goodness, ChatGPT. I like your style. You’re kind of blatant.

The Booker Prize Blunder

Then came Imran. According to his email, he ran “The Booker Prize Longlist Book Club.”

Now, the real Booker Prize is one of literature’s jewels. So when “Imran” wrote to say his club was “captivated by The Bone Thief” and wanted to feature me in an upcoming author session, I nearly spat out my tea.

There were several problems. First, I didn’t write The Bone Thief. That’s Vanessa Lillie. And second, The Bone Thief did not win the Booker Prize — that was The Bone People by Keri Hulme in 1985. Well, I’ll be. I guess the bot thought all the Vanessas and people with bone books were the same.

ChatGPT wasn’t having it:

* You didn’t write The Bone Thief.A real literary book club — especially one invoking the Booker Prize — would never confuse your work with another author’s. This was a mass email sent to hundreds of writers using scraped names and random book titles.

* “The Booker Prize Longlist Book Club” doesn’t exist.The real Booker organization has an official site and verified socials. They don’t cold-email authors, and they never host “open author sessions” via random Gmail accounts.

* No institutional email address.If it’s not from @thebookerprizes.com or @bookerprizefoundation.org, it’s not real.

* The tone is suspiciously perfect.Words like captivated, haunting, moral complexity, and honored to host you — pure AI-generated flattery.

* The setup leads to a hook.If you reply, you’ll probably get a follow-up asking for a “booking fee,” “Zoom production support donation,” or “press kit submission cost.” That’s the classic second-step scam.

ChatGPT’s advice was simple:

* Don’t reply. Any engagement confirms your email is active.

* Mark as spam or phishing — it helps your provider learn.

* Report impersonations to the real organizations being mimicked.

When the Bots Come Marching In

If you’re an author, chances are you’ve met a bot like Imran, Lilia, or Rachel. They’re part of a growing spam ecosystem aimed squarely at creatives — the AI-powered, copy-paste, faux-professional outreach bot.

They know how to flatter. They know how to mimic sincerity. They even sprinkle in the occasional Oxford comma to seem literate.

So I asked Chat, what are we going to do about your cousins?”

And to its credit, ChatGPT turned into a snitch:

Chat said the following are tells:

* Vague praise.

* Immediate offer. They pivot fast to “services,” “placements,” or “features.”

* Gmail or Outlook addresses. No legitimate organization uses liliacoram64@gmail.com.

* Unrealistic promises. “Global recognition” is not a measurable Key Peformance Indicator.

* Keyword spells. “Just reply with the word REVIEW.” (Only bots or IG marketers talk like this.)

This is the new reality. I used to fear that robots would take my jobs.Now, I see they are being employed to spam my inboxes. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

But in a strange way, these exchanges remind me that technology, for all its intelligence, still lacks instinct. The bots can simulate empathy, but they can’t feel the exhaustion of 3 a.m. revisions, the fear of missing deadlines, or the desperation of wanting sincere recognition for our hard work.

They don’t know what it means to live a life of creative — only how to market badly to a creator.

Final Advice to Fellow Authors from a thug’s cousin, ChatGpt:

* Never click.

* Never reply.

* Always verify before you believe.

* And if the flattery is too good, assume it’s fake. No one writes that flowery for free.

And this is from Vanessa – remember your work is worthy of praise and real emails. Don’t give up or give space to the bots.

Books to help on our writing journey are:

5‑Minute Book Marketing for Authors: Great for if you’re short on time but still want consistent effort.

Book Marketing for Authors: Get Ready, Get Set, Succeed!: A solid all-round guide for authors transitioning from writing to marketing.

And of course the books mentioned by the bots:

The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town—a place with dark ties to an elite historical society—archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate…from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie.

The Bone People, A Booker Prize Winner by Keri Hulme is a novel about the complicated relationships between three outcasts of mixed European and Maori heritage

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson explores what it means to be a woman and a mother in the 1950s, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.

This week, I’m highlighting The Book Worm Bookstore through their website and Bookshop.org

We are three months away from Fire Sword and Sea—Help me build the momentum for this historical fiction. Please spread the word and preorder this disruptive narrative about lady pirates in the 1600s. They are women, many our Black and Indigenous. All want a better way of life. Piracy is legal. It’s their answer. It’s their prayer. This saga releases January 13, 2026. The link on my website shows retailers large and small who have set up preorders for this title. Get the collector cards. Who is on your crew?

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.

If you’re ready to move with purpose and power, hit that like button and subscribe and share Write of Passage. Never miss a moment. We have work to do. And I need You on my team.

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

Originally posted 2025-10-21 13:10:00.

For the past five years, I’ve embraced the practice of choosing a word to frame my year. The selection serves as a calling card, a guiding principle to reflect upon and shape my actions and mindset.

My husband suggested tuna. Yes, you heard me—tuna. Lord bless him. He’s cute and a keeper, but tuna? Wanting to be gutted and stuffed in a metal tin is not what I want on 2025’s bingo card.

My previous words have included:

* Bold: A year of stepping out of my comfort zone.

* Happiness: A focus on joy and gratitude.

* Peace: Seeking tranquility and balance.

* Yes: Inspired by Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person, I committed to saying yes to new opportunities and challenges.

Shonda says, “The most important thing you can do is to keep saying yes. Saying yes opened up my life in ways I could never have predicted. It was a powerful force.”

The “yes” opportunities, even those that feel outside our comfort zones, can lead to transformation and success beyond our wildest dreams. I’m a writer. I love wild, unimaginable dreams.

My Year of Yes was 2019. Despite my skepticism and hesitation, I said yes to some things that ended up changing the trajectory of my career. I began dabbling in and studying mystery and suspense, saying yes to writing new genres and new POVs.

I wrote the big book, Island Queen, that I never thought would be contracted or published. The power of yes and being open is unmatched. Could 2025 be a repeat Year of Yes?

Well, yes and no. I’m in a different place—mentally, physically, even spiritually. My faith is strong, but I feel loss so deeply. I can’t put my finger on it, nor is it just one thing—but it’s gone.

Part of that feeling comes from what I witnessed. Last year unveiled sides of humanity I didn’t want to see. People who should be natural allies were torn apart by self-interest or self-hate. The reality of progress, which I once believed to be within reach, now feels like an illusion. We are not our brothers’ or sisters’ keepers—not when eggs are $9.00. Or when I wrongfully believe that helping another living, breathing soul somehow takes from me.

2025, you had me screaming into the void, only for it to suck away the sound. My tears can’t be heard. I need a word that will pull me away from the void—the endless hole called cynicism. I need it to help me rebuild.

I know I’m not alone in this. My closest friends and I still gather to discuss, pray, and believe for something better. Yet, the weariness persists, and I can see myself calling out, “Prayers, prayers, sorrows,” for everything outside my circle.

I need a new word. I take comfort in knowing that finding a word for inspiration is an exercise as old as time.

Historical Timeline of Setting Yearly Intentions

* Babylonian Origins (~2000 BCE): The Babylonians made promises to their gods to do good deeds, seeking favor for the coming year.

* Roman Influence (46 BCE): With the Julian calendar, Romans made resolutions on January 1, with promises of improvement and good moral conduct.

* Peacock Vows (6th–15th Century): In the medieval period, knights participated in the “peacock vow,” an annual pledge to maintain their chivalric code.

* Religious Resolutions (~15th Century): Early Christians were encouraged to reflect on past mistakes and resolve to improve in the new year.

* Modern Secularization (18th Century): Under Protestant influence, resolutions began emphasizing personal accountability and self-improvement.

* The Akan People and Adinkra Symbols (~19th Century–1818): The Akan people of West Africa chose Adinkra symbols to guide them for the year, such as:

* Nkyinkyim (initiative/dynamism)

* Eban (protection/security)

* Victorian Era (19th Century): Making New Year’s resolutions became a widespread practice in Western culture.

* Germany’s Word of the Year (1971): The Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (Society for the German Language) selects a “Word of the Year” to reflect social and cultural trends. For 2024, they chose “Ampel-Aus” or “traffic light shutdown,” referencing Germany’s coalition collapse.

* Self-Help Movement (1980s–1990s): Choosing a word at the beginning of the year gained popularity, encouraging focus on a single concept to guide actions.

* Modern Popularity (2000s+): Mindfulness and productivity proponents like Gretchen Rubin (author of The Happiness Project) spread the idea of guiding words over traditional resolutions.

* One Word Movement (2010): The book, One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page, brought global attention to the concept.

So, from a historical perspective—whether inspired by faith, adventure, the need to organize, or focus—we’ve all been searching for a word to help us get our acts together.

It’s still hard. Disappointment and fear make us want to stand still and watch the world burn. In Isaiah 40:31, the text speaks to a desire for the Lord to renew our hope. I want hope. I want to feel it and again soar on wings like eagles. I want to run and not grow weary. I want to laugh and not fear what comes next.

Thanks for reading Vanessa Riley’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, says, “The most important thing we can all do for ourselves is leave room for magic.” Like Shonda, Meghan encourages us to remain open to the unexpected, the unknown, and make space for magic. Magic leads to hope, and hope leads to the greatest possibilities.

But hope isn’t my word, 2024 took care of that. Hope is a state of being. To me, it’s not an action. It feels passive and implies waiting. Nobody has time for that.

My Word for 2025

This year, my word is Dare. According to Webster’s dictionary, “dare” means to have the courage to do something or to challenge oneself. I chose this word because it encapsulates my desire to:

* Double-dare myself to face fears and doubts.

* Stretch beyond the boundaries I’ve grown comfortable within.

* Embrace risks that could lead to transformative growth.

Daring Myself to DoAs I step into 2025, I dare myself to flee apathy. I dare myself to let my deeds shine brighter, to be bigger and bolder than ever before. This year, I will embrace more risks, more words, more watching, more praying—all while holding onto hope. At times, I will rest, so I can rise with renewed strength. The fire within me hasn’t been extinguished. It still smolders. It burns for you and for me—for what we could become.

In these uncertain times, with bombings, terrorism, and tariffs on the horizon, I’ve chosen to take control of my personal narrative. Writing about strong women who overcome extraordinary challenges reminds me that I, too, can dare to be bold, dare to be resilient, and dare to be fully myself.

I encourage you to choose your word. Let it be a balm for your soul. Make it your battle cry to achieve something greater—even in moments of disillusionment. I dare you. I double dog dare you to win—for yourself and those you hold dear.

Books Mentioned in this Podcast:

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page

Island Queen by 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

Originally posted 2025-01-07 15:07:16.

I’ve done it.

Last week, I told you I was on deadline, and now I am free. That is right—I have finished my 32nd book.

I turned it in to my publisher. It will be my next historical fiction, coming in at 105,000 words, and I am so excited.

I did something I’ve never done before. Multiple POVs. Caribbean history blended with American history. I have cars and horse-drawn carriages. Letters written and sealed under wax. Candlelight and electric lights.

I can’t give you much more detail yet, but it is my brand—a powerful saga, women-centric, with women doing things we need to know about, finding rooms they weren’t supposed to be in and pushing forward questions we all should be asking and answering.

So I should be coming out of deadline talking about nothing but joy.

But at the same time, one of the most disconcerting things has been happening.

There is always nonsense going on in the book sphere, the academic sphere, and the tech sphere—the three worlds I pay a lot of attention to.

And this past week, it was academia.

There was a young Black professor at Cambridge named Jason Arday. He was not a perfect person. None of us are. But he suddenly became the center of accusations of plagiarism and an enormous public storm.

In a matter of days, it became a nightmare in the press.

An investigation by NewsCord, which I will link her, counted every substantive and distinct article about Jason Arday from July 24 through August 14, 2026. Their count was:

* 249 articles in 22 days

* 188 articles in the final nine days—from his August 5 resignation through August 14

* That’s an average of 20.9 articles per day

Article after article. Imagine the tons of social-media impressions fueled by this much press. People attacked him, defending him, picked him apart. 9 days, his final 9 day, 188 articles.

That looks like a digital lynching.

It must feel like that.

And it proves something I’ve talked about: when somebody has a grievance, when somebody needs a scapegoat, why so often a Black neck, a POC neck, or a woman’s neck becomes a doormat to step on.

Today, I don’t want to use my words to talk about what happened to Jason Arday.

I want you to hear his family’s words.

While the rest of the world was debating a professor’s humanity, they watched someone they loved go through this storm.

Now they are grieving him.

This has been an incredibly painful time for our family, and we are still coming to terms with the tragic loss of our beloved Jason. What has become clear over the past 72 hours is the profound impact he had on people.

We are grateful to all who have created light in this dark time through kindness, generosity and solidarity. Your presence here to remember him this evening means a lot to us, and while we cannot be there in person, please know that we stand with you in spirit.

The public cruelty Jason was subjected to was too much for any man to bear. The outpouring of love, support and grief since his death means so much to us, although it is bittersweet. Kindness is needed in life, not just in death. We’ll never know what might have been different had he experienced more of it while he was still here.

What we do know is how deeply he was loved, and we wish to especially thank those who knew Jason in life and tried to get through to him, who supported him in his darkest hour, and who saw the person in the middle of this awful storm.

If you would like to share a message of condolence, memory, or support with Jason Arday’s family, please do so using this contact:

TheArdayFamily@gmail.com

No book recs today. I want to publicize a legitimate Go Fund Me for his family.

https://gofund.me/ce60c7ec0

And if you are struggling with your mental health:

In the United States:

Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24 hours a day.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland:

Call Samaritans at 116 123, free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In England:

For urgent mental-health help, call NHS 111 and select the mental-health option.

If someone’s life is in immediate danger, call emergency services—911 in the United States or 999 in the United Kingdom.

If you are worried about somebody, ask about them. Help them connect with professional support.

Kindness is needed in life, not just in death.

Let’s be better and have a better week.

* Support your local bookstores, especially your indies.

You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com, under the podcast link in the About tab.

Hey. Let’s keep building together. I need you. That is the truth. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to Write of Passage.

Thank you for being here.

I want you to 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

This marks the third week I’ve been at a conference or retreat—three weeks of sharing my craft and my conviction that writing can, and does, change the world.

This past week, I had the distinct privilege of speaking at the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Baltimore, Maryland. Picture it: nearly 800 devoted Janeites, many dressed in exquisite Regency attire, their hearts united by a love of Austen’s words and worlds. Together, we gathered to celebrate her 250th birthday, to attend lectures by leading Austen scholars, to browse through stalls of clever trinkets and custom editions—and, to my amazement, to hear my thoughts on Austen’s influence on modern storytelling.

I was invited to share my perspective on writing, on adaptations, and the enduring relevance of Jane Austen. As a historical consultant for Hallmark’s 2024 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, I’ve had the rare opportunity to help bring Austen’s timeless wit and social commentary into our dialogue with today’s audiences. Standing before hundreds of Austen lovers, I found myself reflecting not only on her genius but on how far the literary community—and I—have come.

If you had asked me five, even three, years ago whether I could imagine speaking at JASNA, I would have said no. Those years were turbulent for many organizations grappling with questions of diversity and inclusion—questions about who gets to sit at the table, whose stories are valued, and whose aren’t.

The Romance Writers of America (RWA) suffered a painful implosion and has struggled to regain its footing. The Regency Fiction Writers (formerly The Beau Monde chapter) took a different path, embracing diversity—of membership, of stories, of the Regency itself—and has grown to over 400 members. And now, seeing JASNA’s visible efforts toward inclusion, I feel very hopeful. From what I witnessed this weekend, it seems as though the Society is choosing the right side of history, the one where everyone who loves Jane is welcomed.

When I took the stage in front of more than 700 people, I spoke about my Jane. Not the quaint figure of teacups and curtsies, but a woman aware of her world—a writer who knew not only of tea and indigo, but of war and enslavement. I spoke of the broader Regency landscape, of women like Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, who funded Kensington House a school for mixed-race girls on Marylebone Street in London, and of the Queen of Haiti, whose reign overlapped precisely with the English Regency. Austen’s world, I reminded, was never as small or as whitewashed as it’s often portrayed.

When I spoke of film adaptation, I shared how every detail—from hair and costume to script and set design—was chosen with intention on the Hallmark project. The goal was not to modernize Austen, but to honor her and plausibly expand the visible world, that Jane knew as evidenced by her own inclusion of marginalized characters.

We wanted to tell stories that reflect pride and power without bowing to prejudice. I think Hallmarks succeeded. Yet, when I showed Facebook responses to the announcement of the film and how vile or witless some can be, I told the audience that the power of adaptation is in their hands. How you respond, what you welcome, makes a difference.

On Thursday night, I sat with longtime JASNA members—women who have been part of the Society for ten, twenty, even thirty years. They insisted that the organization wasn’t just a bunch readers in costume; they were true believers in Austen’s ideals: of intelligence, integrity, and independence of thought.

If an organization is to thrive, its reach must be more than cosplay. It must open real seats at the table, and its members must open their hearts and minds, actively creating spaces for everyone to feel welcome.

I am deeply grateful—to the Jane Austen Society of North America for their warmth, their curiosity, and their courage to expand the conversation. This was so much more than an AGM; it was a celebration of Austen’s 250th birthday, and the exhibition of the living, breathing legacy she continues to inspire.

This week’s book list includes:

Jane Austen’s Emma: A Sourcebook edited by Paula Byrne – Read this to see how Austen’s most socially astute novel emerges from the same complex world of class, gender, and perception that still challenges us to write—and adapt—with awareness.

The Making of Jane Austen by Devoney Looser – This lively history reveals how Austen herself has been continually adapted and reimagined, proving that every era.

3. A Guide to Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslins by Hilary Davidson – Essential for understanding the textures and details that bring authenticity to any adaptation.

4. Jane Austen: Visual Encyclopedia by Claire Saim and Gwen Giret – A feast for the eyes and mind, this illustrated compendium shows how Austen’s world continues to inspire art, film, and storytelling.

This week, I’m highlighting Brave and Kind Bookshop through their website and Bookshop.org

The preorder campaign has begun, get your collector cards for Fire Sword and Sea—Help me build momentum for this historical fiction. Please ask your local library to carry this novel. Come on. It’s lady pirates in the 1600s. This saga releases January 13, 2026. The link on my website shows retailers that are in on the campaign. Get the collector cards while supplies last.

You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com under the podcast link in the About tab.

Our stories matter—tap like, hit subscribe, share, and let’s keep this movement alive with 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

Originally posted 2025-10-14 13:10:00.

As a writer, I believe in using words to tell stories. As a reader, I get very excited when a book transports me to the time and place of the novel. I want to feel like I’m there, all while enjoying the safety and comfort of my home, in my favorite chair.

A visual performer does the same thing. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is not just a singer—she’s a master of the arts of sound and motion, of textures and hues and imagery.

On Christmas Day, she showcased her unparalleled talent during the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans’ playoff game. Writers can draw valuable lessons from Queen B’s performance:

* Craft a Story That Resonates: Create a narrative that connects with your audience on a deep level.

* Layer Your Message: Evoke a range of emotions and sensory delights to keep your audience engaged.

* Use Your Platform: Elevate causes and ideas you care about, using your voice to make a difference.

* Show Up (Period): Deliver with all guns blazing—give your absolute best effort.

Those are the easy takeaways. But this is Beyoncé, after all. She deserves an in-depth analysis.

Subscribe for free. Get Vanessa’s take on publishing, challenges, and opportunities, drawing from her journey as an indie author turned traditionally published powerhouse: 25 novels and counting.

Owning Your 13 Minutes

Fifteen minutes of fame? That’s outdated. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s all about maximizing the 13 minutes you’re given and making them unforgettable. Beyoncé didn’t just perform during the NFL halftime show—she transformed those 13 minutes into a cultural and historical statement that will resonate for decades.

When Beyoncé, riding a Lipizzaner and dressed in white, appeared on Netflix for the World Wide Stage, she wasn’t just performing—she was storytelling. Every writer, including myself, needs to take note. On Christmas Day in the year of our Lord 2025, Beyoncé, one of the most famous people in the world, a cultural icon, and a legendary artist, arrived at NRG Stadium.

Riding in-hand amid an American Requiem—solemn graveyard of stilled Cadillacs, veiled singers bathed in white light, and cowboys standing shoulder to shoulder with rodeo men and women before a plastic-wrapped flag—Beyoncé delivered an iconic, thematic performance. It was the pinnacle of symbolism and storytelling that will forever be remembered as one of the greatest halftime shows in history.

13 Minutes

Thirteen minutes is 780 seconds, countless steps, innumerable costumes, and cameras capturing every angle. Beyoncé took command of Netflix and reminded everyone that she is country—that country music was built on the backs of Black entertainers. She showcased Black cowboys and the rich traditions of Black rodeo culture. If anyone needed a lesson about belonging, she gave one in a defiant celebration of Black identity and pride. The presentation was audacious and bold—a finger in the eye of a genre and spaces that tried to exclude her… exclude us.

The Origins

In 2016, Beyoncé and The Chicks performed “Daddy Lessons” at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, only to face backlash questioning her “country credentials.” Despite, or perhaps in spite of, that rejection, Beyoncé began writing, dreaming, and crafting an album—Act II: Cowboy Carter. Her eighth studio album, released on March 29, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, has topped charts in the US and abroad. It’s genius.

Then, the CMA decided to be petty. They didn’t invite her or nominate Beyoncé for any awards at their 58th Annual awards show. The event, hosted in November, drew 6 million live viewers who tuned in to see pretty much the same old guard circle their wagons.

When this was announced, Beyoncé didn’t cry for a performative boycott. I call it a “performative boycott” because some of these actions are feel-good movements that don’t address the real issues, instead offering excuses for reckless voting, buying, or other problematic behaviors. Instead, she built her own stage, crafted her own story, and invited others to celebrate with her at the Beyoncé Bowl—the Christmas Day halftime show. Beyoncé secured 27 million viewers, even more than the football game’s audience. Her unapologetic artistry eclipsed the CMA’s viewership and shortsighted attitudes.

But let’s take a moment to discover the roots of the matter—or why “petty” feels prejudiced.

Black Contributions to Country Music

Black people are not just coming to country music in 2024—we began it.

* Banjo Music, 17th Century: The akonting, the forerunner of the banjo, is a traditional instrument of the Jola people in Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Enslaved Africans reconstructed similar instruments for their entertainment and that of their masters.

* Fisk Jubilee Singers, 1871: Introduced spirituals and gospel music that influenced the emotional storytelling we find in country music.

* DeFord Bailey, 1927: The first African American to perform on Nashville radio station WSM’s Grand Ole Opry, known for his harmonica skills and often referred to as a “harmonica wizard.”

* Ray Charles, 1960: His album Modern Sounds became his first to top the Billboard 200, and also made him the first Black musician to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record label.

* Charley Pride, 1966: Outsold Elvis and John Denver for RCA Records. He had 30 No. 1 hits and 52 Top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming one of the most successful country artists of all time.

* Linda Martell, 1969: The first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.

* Kane Brown, 2018: The first artist to top five US country charts simultaneously.

* Lil Nas X, 2019: Released “Old Town Road,” which sparked debates about the definition of country music. It spent 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, breaking records.

* Mickey Guyton, 2021: Became the first Black female solo artist nominated for a Grammy in a country category.

* Shaboozey, 2024: His hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tied with “Old Town Road” for the longest-running No. 1 on the Hot 100.

* Beyoncé, February 2024: Her single “Texas Hold ’Em” reached No. 1 on the country airplay chart, making her the first Black woman to achieve this milestone.

* Beyoncé, March 2024: Her album Act II: Cowboy Carter became the first by a Black woman to top the Billboard country albums chart since its inception in 1964.

In 2024, with country music’s Black origins, why are we still seeing “firsts”? Upon being given the Innovator Award by iHeart Radio, Beyoncé said, “My hope is that we’re more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art without preconceived notions.”

13 Minutes of Defiance

Obviously, the roots and Beyoncé’s achievements weren’t enough. Some still say she doesn’t belong in country music. The CMA snub gave all the haters—those less innovative—a moment to gloat. Beyoncé, with 13 minutes, proved you don’t need to be accepted by aged, fearful, or wrong-thinking gatekeepers. She didn’t ask their permission—she reached out and owned the moment. Her performance was an unapologetic declaration of belonging.

Beyoncé’s defiance can be defined in layers:

* Historical nods: Her floral carriage evoked early Juneteenth parades and all white, representing Juneteenth parties of celebration.

* Black excellence: The choreography showcased line dancing, cultural dances, and the inclusion of HBCU bands like Texas Southern’s Ocean of Soul.

* Symbolism: Riding a Lipizzaner horse—a breed born black and turning white with age—served as commentary on the whitewashing of country music’s Black roots. She featured Ja’Dayia Kursh, Arkansas’s first Black rodeo queen, alongside veiled singers referencing the Yoruba Eyo Festival.

* Nods to Houston: Still Tippin’ (2004) played by a violin while showcasing Black cowboys and Black rodeo is a nod to Houston via the song, where “tippin’” refers to being on 4s, wrapped in four Vogues. These are rims on 1994 Cadillacs (slabbin’). It’s also a reference to the Acres Homes area of Houston, Texas—the “fo-fo” comes from the 44 Metro bus that services the community.

Elevating Others

Watching Beyoncé sing with Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Brittney Spencer—all beautiful women in white—was mesmerizing.

Blackbird singing in the dead of nightTake these sunken eyes and learn to seeAll your lifeYou were only waiting for this moment to be freeYou were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Beyoncé didn’t just own 13 minutes—she shared it. She gave everyone who rocks with her a moment to arise and be free:

* The Blackbirds Ensemble: Beyoncé’s group of powerful women performed a reimagining of the Beatles’ Blackbird, a song written by Paul McCartney and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The harmony and sisterhood were palpable as they sang. I could feel their support as they stood behind her, holding her up as she walked on, head held high, ready to finish the show.

* Small businesses: Latina entrepreneurs behind ASN Hats created her iconic white hat, a piece now featured on billboards and in advertisements worldwide.

* Young artists: Rising country singers shared the stage, including Shaboozey, whose chart-topping country song—snubbed by the CMAs—finally received its moment to shine. Post Malone also joined Beyoncé on stage, grinning and reveling in the energy of the moment.

* Legacy: Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy, performed beside her, continuing the tradition of Black cultural storytelling for a new generation.

We’re Not in Competition With Ourselves

Island Queen, my first historical fiction novel, recounts the extraordinary true story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas—a Black woman who purchased her own freedom and that of her family before building a business empire across the West Indies. Released in 2021, it was my 17th or 18th book, yet some hailed it as my first “serious” work. Ah… but that’s a topic for another podcast.

Translated—or soon to be translated—into Italian, Russian, and Hungarian, Island Queen is one of my most widely circulated titles. I still remember the goosebumps coursing through my arms when it was picked as a GMA Buzz Pick. The magical moment of seeing my book on air and T.J. Holmes, George Stephanopoulos, and Robin Roberts discussing Island Queen was thrilling. And when they declared they were “all in” with my characterization of Dorothy as Dolly Parton, Gloria Steinem, and Oprah wrapped in Regency lace; bang, I shot to the moon.

But then came a troubling question. An acquaintance, let’s call her, Devilena, asked, How do you top this, Vanessa? She followed up with—oh the pressure. She could never dream of writing something better.

I must admit, the notion of topping anything left me a little paralyzed. How does one top that? After all, where does one find another powerhouse combination of Dolly, Gloria, Oprah—and lace?

But this is the wrong mindset.

Follow Beyoncé’s lead. For Beyoncé Bowl, she could have sung Crazy in Love, the 2003 hit that launched her solo career. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Or she could have drawn from her rich catalog of award-winning, global hits:

* Irreplaceable (2006)

* Single Ladies (2008)

* Halo (2009)

* Love on Top (2011)

* Run the World (2011)

* Partition (2013)

* Drunk in Love (2013)

* Formation (2016)

* Cuff It (2022)

Beyoncé could reach back to her Destiny’s Child days and give us hits like:

* Bills, Bills, Bills (1999)

* Say My Name (1999)

* Survivor (2001)

* Bootylicious (2001)

But she didn’t. She didn’t Coachella us. Instead, she performed songs from her current country album, Act II: Cowboy Carter.

It’s not about topping the past—it’s about sharpening your craft. Beyoncé isn’t resting on her laurels; she’s working every aspect of her artistry. Bang. Here it is. Bang. Here I am.

When I write, I must remember I’m not competing with others—or even myself. My goal is to create the most compelling work I can. At its core, every artist—whether working with audio, written words, or visual media—is in competition against time. Everyone has a finite number of hours to create, share, and leave a legacy.

With Your 13 Minutes

Be like Beyoncé. Focus on the story you want to tell. Make it intentional. Make it bold. Make it better. Make it characteristically yours. Execute. Build your table, invite those who celebrate with you to rock with you. And remember to use your gifts to lift others as you rise. You’re Blackbirds, after all.

All your lifeYou were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbirds—writers, singers, artists—fly.Blackbird, take flight. Be free.

Special thanks to the Thread Beehive Scholars: @thelovelyp @candiceobeauty @latinaspoderosas @jadayiakursh @hellofelicia_murell @underthedesknews @hereswhykevin

And historians: Jon Marc Smith and Katie Kapruch, Texas State University

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

Originally posted 2024-12-31 14:15:00.

That deadline you confidently agreed to because you were absolutely certain Future You would be organized, disciplined, and completely undistracted?

Yeah. Future You lied.

I’m exposing deadline hell. How writers get here—and how we get out.

Deadline Hell Exposed: How Writers Get In—and How We Get Out

No, I haven’t disappeared.

I’ve been in deadline hell.

And since I’m currently working my way through it, I thought I’d take a moment to explain exactly what deadline hell is.

Deadline hell does not necessarily mean you waited until the last minute to finish your book. Though, yes, sometimes that happens.

Deadline hell is what happens when you have an unforgiving deadline—either one you set for yourself or one you agreed to—and suddenly the calendar and the manuscript are having two very different conversations.

The problem begins when we agree to deadlines while imagining ourselves as completely different people.

We imagine Future Writer Us.

Future Writer Us is studious. Diligent. Disciplined. Future Writer Us wakes up every morning refreshed and inspired. Life is going perfectly. Nobody needs anything. Nothing breaks. There are no emergencies, unexpected trips, illnesses, distractions, family obligations, or days when our brains simply refuse to cooperate.

Future Writer Us just writes.

And because we know approximately how many words we can produce in a day, a week, or a month, we look at the deadline and think:

Absolutely. I can deliver that.

Welcome to the dreamworld.

Here is something I’ve learned: until you really understand how you write and have developed the discipline to consistently produce, give yourself 1.5 times longer than you think you need.

Trust me. You’ll be grateful for the padding.

Of course, some of us know this and still let that beautifully padded time slip away.

Hello. It’s me.

Know How You Work

I’m an everyday writer.

That means I’m going to write or research every single day until I get that bad boy done.

Sometimes I have an actual word-count goal. I use Scrivener, which has a wonderful—and occasionally terrifying—feature that lets you enter your target word count and deadline. It calculates how many words you need to write each day to get there.

In the beginning, maybe that number is five hundred words a day.

Notice I didn’t say five hundred good words.

I said five hundred words.

Then life happens.

Suddenly that daily target is 2,500 words.

When you’ve been in the game for a while, that number doesn’t necessarily frighten you.

It probably should.

But fear isn’t going to finish the book.

Right now, my deadline for my next book is August 15. This will be book number 32.

With the exception of one book during COVID—and perhaps one or two deadlines that had to move by a couple of weeks—I’ve hit my deadlines.

I don’t say that to brag.

I say it because deadlines are about knowing yourself.

As a writer, you get better by writing. There is no substitute for putting yourself in the chair and doing the work. There will always be something more interesting happening somewhere else.

The book does not care.

You still have to finish it.

So, from someone currently residing somewhere around Dante’s fifth circle of Deadline Hell, here are the things that keep me moving.

1. Limit Social Media

You can scroll forever.

What looks like a huge block of writing time can become a very small one frighteningly fast.

But as an author, I also can’t simply tell you to abandon social media. Social media is one of the ways we get our stories into the world. Publishers expect authors to participate in promotion. As you develop readers, they’re going to want to know what you’re writing, what you’re thinking about, and what’s coming next.

Connection matters.

I’ve taken long social-media breaks before, and I’ve found that rebuilding that connection afterward can be difficult. Algorithms aren’t necessarily kind when you’ve been gone for a long time—particularly if you don’t already have an enormous following.

So don’t disappear.

Set boundaries.

Do what you need to do, then get back to the book.

2. Accept That You Don’t Have All the Answers

I have a decent outline.

I have a plan.

That’s it.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a plantser. I plan my books, but I deliberately leave room for inspiration and for the story to change based on how the characters begin speaking, behaving, and moving through scenes.

An outline is a map, not a prison.

Characters reveal things. Scenes develop differently than expected. Something you thought would be important becomes unnecessary.

And something you barely noticed becomes the heart of the book.

Leave yourself enough room to discover the story you’re actually writing.

3. I Don’t Truly Know the Ending Until I Type “Done”

I know.

That sounds scary.

I usually know where I’m heading. But because I allow the manuscript to change, I don’t know exactly how the book will end until I get there.

I don’t completely know what will stay.

I don’t completely know what will leave.

And that’s okay.

The first draft isn’t the final declaration of what the book must be.

It’s how I discover what the book is.

4. Save the Additional Deep Research for When You Know You Need It

By the second or third revision, I’ve already typed DONE on that first draft.

Now I’m adding facts.

That means additional research.

And research takes time.

But there’s something incredibly thrilling about researching during later revisions. I know what I need. I’m looking for the details that will convince the reader they are genuinely inhabiting characters’s world.

That’s very different from researching everything that might be useful before the book is written.

There is nothing worse than spending hours researching fascinating details only to discover that none of them belong in the manuscript.

Research what you need to understand the story and the characters.

Then, once the story exists, research what you need to make the reader believe in them.

5. Be Realistic When the Deadline Is No Longer Possible

At some point, optimism becomes denial.

If you’re within seven days of turning in a manuscript and there is simply no earthly way you’re going to finish, communicate.

If you’re traditionally published, reach out to your editor.

If you’re independently publishing, take a serious look at the entire production process—editing, formatting, covers, distribution, marketing—and especially at what you’ve already communicated to readers.

I hate moving a deadline.

Point blank.

But truth and expectations matter.

Ignoring an impossible deadline doesn’t make it possible. It just makes the eventual conversation harder.

6. Revisions Get Faster as You Approach the End

This is one of the benefits of having written and revised a lot of books: the closer I get to the end, the faster my revisions tend to move.

Why?

Because by then, I finally understand what the book is saying.

When I’m drafting early chapters, I’m moving toward a conclusion I haven’t completely discovered. I’m following the through line of the book. There is a message underneath the plot, there’s a theme the story is trying to express. There are question i want the reader to wrestle with. The last quarter is where all that lives.

Finishing the last quarter of the manuscript, I understand it.

I finally know the direction we are heading. It may not have been what the maps said.

Then revision becomes sculpting.

I’m refining. Tightening. Cleaning. Making sure the earlier chapters are leading toward what I now know is waiting at the end.

By the time I reach those later chapters in the revision process, there’s often much less work to do because the manuscript is already traveling down the right path.

And that’s a beautiful feeling.

The Part About Deadline Hell Nobody Likes to Mention

Your beautifully balanced lifestyle?

It may get a little…less balanced.

Your meals may become questionable.

Your workout routine becomes negotiable.

I am literally dictating this while I’m on the treadmill because I firmly believe I need some way to burn off the stress and keep my energy moving.

You still have to eat.

You still have to sleep.

You still need nourishment.

Maybe every meal isn’t going to be a perfectly balanced culinary wonder. Maybe you’re manifesting your way through the pantry while trying to squeeze the last thousand words onto the page.

Do what you have to do.

Within reason.

The goal is to finish the book, not emerge from the deadline needing six weeks to recover.

Forty Thousand Words to Go

So here I am.

August 15 is approaching.

I’ve got about 40K to sculpt.

Scary but beautiful.

But I’m proud of this story.

I cannot wait until I can tell you exactly what I’ve been writing.

For the writers reading this, I hope this encourages you to keep going.

Keep writing.

Keep learning how you write—not how somebody on the internet says it’s supposed to be done.

Build the discipline to sit in the chair when the words aren’t perfect. Give yourself enough time to discover the book. Learn. Revise. Learn some more.

And be honest enough to know when that schedule needs to change.

And for the readers, consider this your little peek behind the curtain.

This is what my Deadline Hell looks like.

If you’re not following me on social media, come find me there. I share more about this process, the books, and the strange behind-the-scenes reality of building stories for a living. And, of course, follow me here at Write of Passage. I love having this space to talk with you about writing, reading, and everything that happens between the first word and DONE.

Now I have to get back to work.

But I’m climbing my way out of Dante’s Deadline Hell. I’m ready to enjoy free time and sunshine again, but I must finish this book.

Be strong this week, my friends. Write your stories.

This week’s book list is filled with writer friends with books coming out or just released.

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams — Casting agent Sasha Cruz becomes determined to find the mysterious man she connected with on a Paris flight.

Ghalen: A Romance in Black by Walter Mosley — Mosley moves into romance with a story centered on Ghalen’s journey through love, identity, family, manhood, and coming of age.

Find My Way Down to You by Julian Winters — In this YA reimagining of the Underworld, grieving August searches for his dead boyfriend but finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Cary, forcing him to choose between holding onto the love he lost and embracing the possibility of living and loving again.

A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray — In 1930s New York, trailblazing Black prosecutor Eunice Carter joins forces with famed madam Polly Adler to pursue a seemingly untouchable target: mob boss Lucky Luciano.

Check out my latest “done” release: A Deal at Dawn – Katherine’s lies have been exposed, but the duke has a plan.

And it’s still Pirate Season. Check out the women pirates in Fire Sword and Sea.

And time for your next murder fix. Murder in St. James’s Park releases Sept 1. Bonus for you: It’s on ebook preorder sale right now, $.99 (Amazon Sale).

Get these books from Eagle Eye Book Shop. They have a few signed copies of Fire Sword and Sea and A Deal at Dawn.

You can also try one of my partners in the fight, bookstores large and small, who are in the trenches with me.

You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com, under the podcast link in the About tab.

Hey. Let’s keep rising and creating together. I need you. That is the truth. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to Write of Passage.

Thank you for being here.

I want you to 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

I was at the James River Writers Conference this weekend in Richmond, Virginia—one of those places that fills your creative tank. I got to do what I love: hang out with writers. Hungry writers. People on fire to get their words into the world.

And of course, on one of my panels, the inevitable question came up: “What about AI? Are writers going to lose their jobs?”

Now, let me tell you something. If you opened my email inbox right now, you’d find about eight—maybe ten—AI-written marketing emails. Every single one is bad. Cringeworthy bad. Pseudo-personal, stuffed with buzzwords, maybe even a random line pulled from the blurb of Island Queen to make it sound like they actually know me. But give it a few more sentences, and it’s obvious—they don’t. They just tossed my name into a prompt, hit “generate,” and sent it flying into the void.

So I tell authors this: AI might be everywhere. It might be fast. But being everywhere and fast with crap doesn’t win you prizes, and it certainly doesn’t feed the hunger of readers looking for their next great adventure.

AI is supposed to save time—or so the marketing folks keep telling us. But when I spend half my morning clearing these AI-spam messages, I don’t see time saved. I see time stolen.

The emails all sound the same: “I’ve been following your amazing career!” or “I just loved your latest book!” or “I truly believe your book has the potential.” Or “You deserve more reviews.” That all might be true. Then, two lines later, they’re congratulating me on a novel I didn’t even write. One even mixed me up with another author completely.

That’s not artificial intelligence. That’s artificial nonsense.

And here’s what gets me. These marketers aren’t even good at using AI. They feed it bad prompts, copy-paste whatever it spits out, and send it to hundreds of people like me. It’s the new form of spam—shiny, overconfident, and hollow.

At the conference, one of my fellow panelists said something that stuck with me. He said he couldn’t think of a single real-world problem AI has solved. Investors are pouring billions into it, hoping it’ll fix something. But from where I sit, the only thing it’s “solved”—and I’m using air quotes here—is how to steal everyone’s work faster and give marketers another toy to misuse.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-AI. It’s a tool, and tools can be useful when used wisely. But we’ve made it ubiquitous too fast, without guardrails or reflection. And those without our best interests in mind are using it to fleece people.

So, if you get one of those AI-assisted marketing emails in your inbox—mark it as spam. Don’t be fooled by fake flattery. If they’re offering some “exclusive service,” go straight to ChatGPT or Claude or one of the others and ask the same question. You’ll probably get the same result for free—or at least for a much lower monthly payment.

But let’s shift gears—because there’s more hope than fear. At that same conference, I saw what I love most: people learning. People hungry for craft, open to feedback, and ready to chase their dream of writing a book. When writers invest in themselves—show up to workshops, ask hard questions, lean into the fight to say something of value—it gives me hope.

When I hear someone say AI will put authors out of business, I just smile. What we do is too special for that. The dreams we carry, the stories only we can tell—AI can’t imagine them. It can remix what’s already stolen, sure. But it can’t reach into the unseen, the unspoken, the wilder parts of the human heart.

One of my fellow panelists, R. R. Virdi, put it perfectly: AI can only feed on itself. It can only regurgitate what it already knows. That spark of divine imagination—the moment a story idea hits like lightning—that’s still ours. And as long as we keep creating, we’ll always be ahead.

So to the marketers: maybe write your own emails. Try a little authenticity. Readers and customers can tell the difference.

And to my wonderful listeners—the dreamers, the students of the writing craft—I’ve got something exciting coming your way. I’m launching a Kickstarter for The Storycraft Writer’s Journal. It’s a tool I’ve built from years of speaking and teaching on writing—packed with my forms, formulas, and geeky plotting tricks to help you organize research, track writing beats, and create the kind of stories no algorithm could ever predict.

The best way to make sure AI doesn’t take your job is for you to keep writing and keep growing your talent, creating something only you can make.

Oh—and before I continue, reviews are rolling in for Fire Sword and Sea—and people are loving it. If you’re on NetGalley, grab an ARC and take that journey with Jacquotte Delahaye. There’s also a Goodreads giveaway running for twenty copies, but fair warning: I’m missing about thirty-two ARCs that got lost in the mail, so if you find a copy—digital or print hold on to it—that’s pure gold.

As I wrap up, my mandate to you is to not fear AI. Let’s outwrite it. Let’s outdream it. Let’s put our best ideas forward. No matter how many lines a tool can generate, it can’t fake the fire burning in a writer’s soul.

Books to match this week’s theme are:

The Storycraft Journal by Vanessa Riley. It’s more than a notebook or journal—it’s your yearlong writing companion. Designed for busy writers, procrastinators, and dreamers, it’s ready to turn ideas into finished novels. This guided journal blends structure with creativity.

Inside you’ll find:

· Step-by-step guidance through popular story models, including Romancing the Beat and genre-specific beats for RomComs and Romantasy novels.

· Character-building prompts that uncover lies that shape unforgettable protagonists.

· Weekly writing planner: 52 weeks of practical schedules to keep you accountable and consistent—so you can finally finish that book. It up on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vanessariley/

On Writing by Stephen King – A memoir-meets-manual about truth and discipline in storytelling.

Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature by Angus Fletcher – A fascinating argument that literature is technology for the human brain.

And 3 very different fiction works:

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi is an epic fantasy where Ari, a storyteller with a mysterious past, recounts how he gained—and lost—everything, blending myth, magic, and legend into a sweeping tale of power and consequence.

Watercolored Pearls by Stacy Hawkins Adams is an inspiring story of three women whose intertwined journeys of faith, forgiveness, and self-worth reveal the beauty that can emerge from life’s deepest struggles.

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope is a spellbinding historical fantasy set in 1920s Washington, D.C., where a daring Black woman with the gift of seeing spirits must outwit both humans and the supernatural to win her freedom.

Take

This week, I’m highlighting Loyalty Bookstore through their website and Bookshop.org

The preorder campaign has begun, get the collector cards for Fire Sword and Sea—Help me build momentum for this historical fiction. Please ask your library to carry this novel and spread the word and preorder this disruptive narrative about lady pirates in the 1600s. This saga releases January 13, 2026. The link on my website shows retailers that are in on the campaign. Get the collector cards while supplies last.

You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com under the podcast link in the About tab.

If you’re ready to move with purpose and power, hit that like button and subscribe to Write of Passage—be a part of my crew. Your journey deserves community.

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

Originally posted 2025-10-07 13:10:00.

You wrote the book. You poured months, maybe years, into every page. But in today’s publishing landscape, that’s no longer enough. Can you prove you wrote it?

Every author—and everyone who loves one—needs to know how to protect themselves.

Receipts Please

The AI Witch Hunt And You’re Already Guilty

The headlines are rough right now.

Books are still being banned. Independent bookstores are struggling. Publishers are grappling with higher paper, printing, and shipping costs.

We’re living in a political climate where books that tell fuller histories—or simply allow readers to imagine beyond rigid stereotypes—are increasingly treated as the problem.

Now we’re all a part of the new witch hunt. We are watching as everyone from TikTok to the New York Times digs deeply into authorship and asks questions. The cross we now bear: “The author must have used AI.”

As a writer who loves words and her job, I don’t fall into crab-in-a-barrel cynicism. I celebrate every book deal. I don’t care whether it’s a debut novelist who lands a six-figure contract or a veteran writer signing another multi-book deal. I want everyone’s story out there in the venue of their choosing, be it Indie or traditional, podcast, TV, film, or stage.

The creative industry is hard enough without anyone rooting against another.

Every contract or act of publishing represents years of sacrifice, rejection, revisions, and hope.

And what I refuse to accept is the growing assumption that when certain authors succeed, they must have cheated.

The New AI Witch Hunt

Over the past year, we’ve seen a troubling pattern emerge.

Debut authors have found themselves publicly accused of using AI. Publishers have withdrawn books. Agents have pulled manuscripts and representation. Yet on what basis are these devastating actions being taken? AI detectors. Isn’t that sort of like the fox watching the hen house?

Some of the most widely used AI detectors are:

There are many more, each with opaque rules and algorithms and methodologies that are used to determine what is human and what is AI. Their judgement is being held up as a holy Grail. But it’s still just the fox guarding the henhouse.

Influencers and bloggers have accused works of being AI-generated for having tropes, similar fantasy settings, etc. Newsflash: genre fiction like romance, thrillers, romantasy, is supposed to use tropes to meet reader expectations.

The evidence- some screenshots and attitude is being treated as definitive.

The result?

Authors are increasingly expected to prove they wrote their own books. That should concern everyone.

The Latest Targeted Authors: Is there a pattern?

Following online accusations that BiPOC author Mia Ballard’s novel Shy Girl contained AI-generated text, Hachette investigated, didn’t stand by the author or the series of editors involved in acquisition, and canceled publication.

BiPOC author Ballard has maintained that she did not use AI to write the novel, though she has acknowledged that an early edited version may have included AI-assisted edits introduced by someone else. But the buzz isn’t about editing; it’s about cheating to write the book.

Black debut author Jerry Falade, whose thriller reportedly sparked a 14-publisher auction and a proposed $2 million deal, had his manuscript withdrawn after questions arose about its creation. Black author Falade has denied using AI to write the novel, while his agent, Marc Gerald of Europa Content, stated they could no longer authenticate the manuscript’s development.

Meanwhile, Nobel Prize-winning Polish Woman author Olga Tokarczuk openly discussed using AI as part of her creative process—not to write her prose, but to explore character development, ask questions about fictional people, even what music they might listen to. The backlash was swift. She had to issue an apology and clarification, stating that her use was strictly for research.

The latest banshee torches were raised to celebrated Black novelist H. M. Wolfe for her dark dystopian romance, Daggermouth. An Atlantic investigation questioned whether portions of the novel appeared AI-generated. Black author Wolfe denies using AI, and her publisher, Scarlett Press (an imprint of Simon & Schuster), stood behind the book.

As an engineer with plenty of data training and modeling, there’s not enough here to say there is a trend, but if you are a Black author, a BiPOC author, or a woman author, be aware. We seem to be entering an environment where, if accused of AI Generation, we will be presumed guilty until proven innocent.

Who Gets the Benefit of the Doubt?

According to The Independent, Male Caucasian author Anthony Horowitz, a New York Times bestselling author, says ChatGPT has become part of his research process. He says, “I have absolutely no shame about using it at all. It would be crazy to give up an incredible resource.”

He has also made clear that he does not use AI-generated prose in his novels and the Atlantic has not accused him of AI Generated text in any novel.

Prominent white male nonfiction author and former TED curator, Chris Anderson has discussed experimenting with AI as part of his writing process. The Atlantic has not run an accusatory article about his books.

White male author, Stephen Marche is not shy about his use of AI. He claims to The Guardian that , he published “the first AI-generated novel reviewed in the New York Times.” He continues to write articles for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Esquire.

His latest novel, The Last Election (2023), a political thriller co-written with Andrew Yang, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The Atlantic has written no major articles complaining about Marche’s use of AI.

None of these authors are being scrutinized despite their admission and attitudes concerning AI. None have lost publishing contracts. And none were publicly required to produce years of drafts, notebooks, and revision histories to prove they wrote their books.

I do have an example of what I call “White Male” controversy with consequences.

James Frey starts out as a screenplay writer who then moves to memoirs. By 2003, A Million Little Pieces (Doubleday) is a bestseller followed up in 2005 by My Friend Leonard (Riverhead Books) another bestseller. Million Little Pieces becomes an Oprah’s Book Club selection in September 2005. This memoir became the fastest-selling Oprah Book Club selection up to that point, millions of copies moved.

By 2006, Frey’s embroiled in controversy that many parts of both memoirs are made up. He apologized to Oprah on live TV, got dropped by his literary agent, and his publisher agreed to refund readers who felt cheated. Several high profile media veterans weighed reported on it including David Carr and Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, Larry King on Larry King Live and Richard Cohen of the Washington Post.

Yet, Frey’s career wasn’t over. In 2007, (the very next year) he signs with HarperCollins to a new seven-figure, three-book deal. His next book, Bright Shiny Morning (2008) is a best seller. Today’s he’s still publishing and getting movie option deals.

Recently, James Frey has spoken openly about using AI creatively. For the Centre Pompidou, he says, he uses “AI for help in creating a work of art and I have no problem with it. Who cares whether I (James Frey) found this information in a book, on Google or using AI!”

He’s actively listing AI usage in all forth coming books. I guess when a lack of disclosure or making up stuff, has been a problem, you make sure to disclose everything. There’s no slowing James Frey down, as I don’t think there should be. But I must point out that there are no articles by the Atlantic accusing Frey of cheating by using AI.

As I said before, I’m clapping for everyone who gets the publishing deals that they want. But I cannot ignore that several of the most visible public controversies involve writers who have the least institutional power to defend themselves. That pattern should make all of us uncomfortable.

Moreover, I hope the Black, BiPOC, and women who’ve taken a beating because of AI allegations become as brazen about their publishing careers as James Frey. Come back stronger. Come back fighting.

Back to Business – The Wrong Question

The publishing gatekeepers, zealous fans who saw that em dash usage, and unfortunately jealous writers will keep asking:

“Did you use AI?”

As a writer who has had 28 of her 31 books stolen for AI training, I’m telling you that you’re asking the wrong question.

I’m dictating portions of this essay on my iPhone. Apple uses AI to convert my speech into text.

When I open Microsoft Word, many of its writing tools now live inside the Copilot ecosystem. I can’t use dictation without letting Copilot stalk me in the background.

Google Search increasingly serves AI-generated summaries before I even reach traditional search results.

Grammarly sits on my browsers. It uses AI to recommend grammar and spelling corrections to make sure I don’t sound illiterate.

All of this is AI usage. AI isn’t outside. Someone let the vampire in, and he’s not going away until his fangs are in each one of our necks. AI touches every workflow. On my latest contract, I had to agree to allow my publisher to use AI:

The Author acknowledges and agrees that Publisher may use the Works in connection with AI-powered tools and technologies utilized in the normal course of Publisher’s operations, provided that Publisher will not use any Work in AI-powered tools to generate new published works in the style of that Work.

That’s a lot of words, but I have essentially given this publisher the ability to do their work that involves AI.

So instead of asking whether AI was used, we should ask what role AI actually played in the creation of your work, whether fiction or nonfiction.

Thinking Like a Robot, Act Like a Human

While researching this episode, I bit the bullet and spent time questioning ChatGPT. I must say, He’s quite social.

ChatGPT, when asked what he thinks about AI in writing, said to compare it with human job replacements. I said—that’s cold. He clarified by identifying the two ends of the spectrum: the proofreader vs. the ghostwriter.

If AI is acting like a proofreader, that’s a level 0 involvement. If it’s acting like a ghostwriter, that’s at the top of the scale; basically, AI wrote the content.

Here’s the framework that my research and interviews have developed.

This framework is far more meaningful than simply asking, “Did you use AI?”

In our daily lives, we’re all living somewhere between Levels 0 and 1, whether we realize it or not. Difficult ethical questions arise around Levels 3, 4, and 5, between Editing, Collaboration, and Generation. That’s where publishers, authors, and readers need to have much more honest conversations.

Authors Protect Yourself

We are in a situation where you are presumed guilty rather than innocent. We can’t all have James Frey’s luck either. Whether you use AI at Level 0 or refuse to use it entirely, authors should begin documenting their creative process now.

* Keep physical and digital research folders.

* Save multiple drafts throughout the writing process.

I am very conscious of saving my Scrivener project files before I make major structural changes, or even before I delete my trash folder or my Not Using for the Manuscript folder.

* Scrivener users: Preserve snapshots and project backups.

* Maintain version histories in Word, Google Docs, or Pages.

I used to do this for technical reports, particularly in software development. Welcome to the wild side.

* Keep notebooks, outlines, timelines, and character sketches.

* Save editorial letters, and you must use Track Changes in your files.

If your editor doesn’t, insist that they do. It will protect you when recollections may vary.

* Archive emails with beta readers, editors, and agents.

* Retain metadata showing when files were created and revised.

* Don’t automatically empty deleted scenes or writing “trash” folders.

* Keep a simple writing journal documenting research, discoveries, and milestones.

None of this guarantees you’ll never face questions, but it creates proof of your blood, sweat, and tears. This is additional uncompensated labor, but it may help in quelling doubts about your success. They never come for average and ordinary work. Remember that.

Final Thoughts

I refuse to stop using dictation as much as I refuse to give up em dashes. If I had to handwrite every novel, I’d never finish half the stories living in my head.

Technology has always changed how writers work, but it doesn’t dim your light or creativity. And if we are brutally honest, that is the central question: how dare you be outstanding and creative beyond measure? How dare you make something better than the norm? How dare publishing and readers throw money at you? The critics dare to ask because they dare you to be great.

So build your proof and don’t stop writing your next novel.

And may we all be gifted to fail upward and perform better than mediocrity.

This week’s book list is filled with writer friends with books coming out or just released:

The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller — Inspired by the real lives of Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida Gibbs Hunt, this novel follows the three at Oberlin College as they forge an enduring sisterhood while confronting racism, sexism, and the fight for equality.

Writer in Residence by Rhonda McKnight — A burned-out novelist escapes to a Lowcountry writers’ retreat, where family secrets, Gullah Geechee history, and unexpected romance, help her reclaim her voice and her writing life.

Murder at First Slice (A Baker Street Mystery #5) by Valerie Burns — As bakery owner Maddy Montgomery prepares for her wedding, a murder at her rehearsal dinner turns celebration into sleuthing as she races to clear an innocent family member before saying “I do.”

Check out my latest “done” release: A Deal at Dawn – Katherine’s lies have been exposed, but the duke has a plan.

And it’s still Pirate Season. Check out the women pirates in Fire Sword and Sea.

Get these books from Eagle Eye Book Shop. They have a few signed copies of Fire Sword and Sea and A Deal at Dawn.

You can also try one of my partners in the fight, bookstores large and small, who are in the trenches with me.

You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com, under the podcast link in the About tab.

Hey. Let’s keep rising and creating together. I need you. That is the truth. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to Write of Passage.

Thank you for being here.

I want you to 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