In this conversation, I interview Isabelle Engel, author of the upcoming romance novel Most Eligible, about her journey into writing, the challenges of balancing a day job with her passion, and her experiences with querying and mentorship. Isabelle shares insights into her writing process, the importance of community in the romance genre, and the evolution of her stories. We discuss the intricacies of editing, the role of sensitivity readers, and the creative mindset needed to navigate the publishing world.
If you’d like to reach out to Isabelle you can find her on Instagram or her website.
We discussed Smooch Pit. If you're a romance author you should look into it.
If you want all the bonus content you can subscribe to my
NC Barton | Patreon or my Substack
If you’d like to contact me please feel free to
Website. Instagram. Threads.
Chapters
00:00 The Journey to Writing a Book
04:16 Exploring the Romance Genre
07:02 Writing Routine and Challenges
09:33 Querying and Feedback Experiences
12:35 Mentorship and Finding an Agent
15:15 Editing and Collaboration with Publishers
18:01 Creating a New Project
20:54 The Writing Process and Overcoming Blocks
23:33 Balancing Drafting and Editing Mindsets
27:56 Exploring Authorial Identity and Genre Flexibility
29:26 The Journey of Writing and Publishing Romance
31:11 The Evolution of Book Titles and Their Significance
33:11 The Anticipation of Book Covers and Their Impact
34:54 Balancing Humor and Emotion in Writing
37:58 Crafting Characters and Managing Ensemble Casts
41:03 Recycling Ideas and Self-Referencing in Writing
44:55 Writing Resources and Craft Techniques
Share this post