pink lemonade skies on Soyers Lake, Canada

Soyers Lake was scooped out of the earth by a meteor. You won't find any crocs gliding through the water, but the yellow lilies near the shore reminded me of the Everglades. The lake is in "cottage country," just a few hours drive from Toronto. It was the perfect spot for a writing retreat (organized by our fabulous host, Megan Crewe). Our family of YA writer-sisters included: Lena Coakley, Deva Fagan, Jo Karaplis, Adrienne Kress, Maureen McGowan, and Jessica Spotswood.

a house in the trees

Over the weekend, I finished the first round of copyedits for MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH. I think Trent and Pippa would approve of my favorite editing spot: a treehouse near the lake.

my writing "room" on the porch

I slept on the porch of our cottage and woke up to tea-colored light and a chorus of birds. Everybody worked on their own writing projects during the day. We took little breaks in the afternoon to swim and sit on the docks. I especially loved our dinners and conversations on the sun-soaked deck.

dinner by the lake, surrounded by laughter and dragonflies

Writing is such a solitary existence. The retreat gave me a chance to crawl out of my hobbit hole and chat about books, the publishing world, and the imaginary people in our heads. Everybody has their own style (writing scenes out of order, starting with or without an outline, etc.) It's so much fun to learn about the many ways that novelists create stories.

On the last day, we took a boat ride near the islands. I never expected to see a Canadian swamp, so familiar to a South Florida girl. I watched a heron swoop over the water and thought about new pages that keep tugging at my imagination. It's hard to let go of a story...almost like taking a trip and saying goodbye to friends.

Copyedits are turned in! You know what that means... ARCs are next!

Win a signed copy of MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH with my notes and doodles. Check out the international giveaway at YA Books Central