Notes from Deanna's Desk #5 | Sunshine after the rain... Sort of...

Greetings from a somewhat refreshed Deanna. We’ve just got back from a little mini break and right this moment, as I’m typing this, I’m at team writing sprints. If you follow any of my What Deanna Read series posts, you’ll see I do this a lot—write during sprints. The reality is team writing sprints are the only times I get me time when it comes to my writing. Otherwise, it’s mostly author client work and writing.

The mini break was wonderful and much needed. I do plan a wrap-up at some point for Substack, but I had a little fun with these two small updates here and here.

Notes from Deanna’s Desk #4 | Blame It on the Genes

Hello hello. Welcome to another “Notes from Deanna’s Desk.” Let’s just stick with the notes, okay? My actual desk is very messy since it’s a working desk which includes my computer (obviously), two jars of lollies, an oil diffuser, pens, hairbrush, nail polish remover, lip balm, a protein bar (I don’t know how that got there)… but you get the picture. Not tidy.

An update for the ARC team | August 2026

Hello, team!

I haven’t had a chance to post ARCs recently as life has been rather consuming and challenging. I wanted to give you a quick update so you know what’s happening and know that I’m not leaving you in the lurch.

Notes from Deanna’s Desk #3 | When It Rains, It Pours

For anyone who follows me on Substack, you’ll see that I’ve been making an effort to be more diligent about posting there. I’m leaning into it being my professional journal where sometimes I vent, sometimes I talk about pertinent industry issues, and oftentimes I talk about work-related matters including struggles with work-life balance which I never seem to accomplish.

1997 Project Romance #1: Deconstructing the Anatomy of a Trope | A Publishing Partner Unzips Her Own Origin Story

I am embarking on a new project that feels a bit like becoming my own client. Over the years, I’ve told many people that their lives are a manuscript, and now, thanks to a literal ghost in my machine, I’m forced to take my own advice. This essay is the first in "1997 Project Romance," a series where we'll deconstruct a real-life romance by reverse-engineering the emails that started it all. It is the unvarnished "source code" of my own history, showing you how the power of storytelling can be built from the mundane moments of our daily lives.

The Doha Diaries #1: One-Way Tickets and Indemnity Forms, Confiscated and Stripped

I’ve spent the last decade helping authors find the heart of their stories, acting as that voice on their shoulder between a messy first draft and a polished, ready-to-publish book. But lately, I’ve realized I’ve been ignoring a story of my own—one that’s been sitting on a dusty hard drive for nearly two decades. Okay, not dusty, it was in a drawer. I’m digging into my archives and treating my old journals with the same clinical yet caring eye I give my clients—this is terrifying. This will be a series of essays I’m calling "The Doha Diaries," where I’ll be sharing the raw, unvarnished, and very messy lessons of a year that broke me down and built me back up, all while showing you exactly how a publishing partner turns life’s chaos into a narrative that matters.

Settle in and buckle up, you’ll want your beverage of choice for this ride…

Notes from Deanna's Desk #2: Better Late Than Never

A long, long time ago (no, this is not the beginning of a Star Wars movie. Hah!)… when I first started my Substack, I thought it would be fun to do a recap of what I shared each week or month called “Notes from Deanna’s desk” of which I did exactly one post. Life, work, etc. I have no excuse really, but despite good intentions, that fell by the wayside very quickly. The reality is that if I have deadlines and life intrudes the first thing to go is social media, and the next thing to go is trying to maintain any semblance of a schedule on my website. And then I decided to hop off the social media hamster wheel, and that was that.

The Great Proofing Wars | Love, Honor, and a Red Pen

I’ve always believed that for every professional project, there are two games being played at once. There’s the official game—the one with deadlines, edits, and clients—and then there’s the real game. The one that happens behind the scenes, fueled by inside jokes, questionable negotiations, and the loving, chaotic support of a spouse who knows exactly which buttons to push. In my house, that spouse is Hubby.

Notes from Deanna's Desk #1: Juggling Deadlines and Daydreams

There are two women living inside my head.

One is a productivity machine. She’s an editor and publishing partner who thrives on deadlines, project plans, and the satisfaction of moving a book from a manuscript to a published reality. She loves her work, and she’s good at it. The other woman? She just wants to curl up with a good book, a warm cup of tea, and shut the world out for a little while. She craves slowness, quiet, and the comfort of a familiar story.