I Won a Watty Award!

I'm excited to announce that Siren’s Fall has won a Watty in their first ever Sequels category! It's a huge honor to have my work chosen from all the awesome books entered by so many talented writers.

Siren's Fall is the sequel to Siren's Mark and the conclusion to Ava and Zane's story. I was excited to see that sequels would be considered this year, because I loved writing Siren's Fall and sequels never get as much love as the originals.

When I wrote Siren's Mark, it was mostly just me posting to the void and hoping someone might eventually find and read it. I started the sequel shortly after, and around that time, I was beginning to get some serious readers. It was the first time I had reader feedback while I was writing and posting. Suddenly people were counting on me to post and waiting for my updates!

To me, this is the ultimate reminder to keep going. Siren's Mark didn't have any readers when I started. I entered it in the Wattys in 2020 and it didn't win. It's easy to get discouraged when you don't have that feedback or enthusiasm, but if you're making something you love—keep going! If you keep making your art and putting yourself out there, your community to find you. ❤️

What to Do in LA During Your Wattcon Trip

Are you going to this year’s Wattcon in Los Angeles? Great, me too!

Since I’m a local, I figured I’d share a few of my top favorite spots and things to do in the area for those of you traveling to LA.

Diagon Alley at Universal Studios' Wizarding World (Left), The Last Bookstore (Middle), and the rotunda ceiling at Los Angeles Central Library (Right)

For Bookworms

The Ripped Bodice

3806 Main St - Culver City

This amazing independent bookstore is devoted entirely to romance novels! It's packed floor-to-ceiling with books, bookish swag, and awesome photo ops.

The Last Bookstore

453 S Spring St - Los Angeles

If you've ever seen a gorgeous bookstore on Pinterest, it was probably this one. The Last Bookstore has two huge floors of books and a side room for music too! But the coolest part is the reading-inspired art installations like its porthole window and tunnel made entirely of books.

Los Angeles Central Library

630 W 5th St - Los Angeles

While several LA libraries are quite stunning, my favorite is the LA Central Library. It is massive—with 8 floors, 538-thousand square feet of space, and nearly 89 miles of shelves. (In metric, that's about 50,000 square meters and 143km of shelves.) The building is an architectural marvel and the elaborate rotunda with blow you away. It also houses rotating art and museum exhibits, if you need another reason to go.

For Fans & Nerds

The Netflix Experience

189 The Grove Drive - Los Angeles

Fans of Bridgerton and Stranger Things will love this part-photo op, part-experience, part-gift shop at the Grove shopping center. The pop-up carries all kinds of fan merch for Netflix shows, but you don't have to buy anything or pay to visit. (Plus, The Grove has an hourly fountain show and, some evenings, they even turn on the snow machine.)

Nerdy Themed Bars

If you're a Beetlejuice fan, you'll get a kick out of the themed bar Beetle House. For Star Wars fans, there's the Scum & Villainy Cantina. Both bars are just down the street from Wattcon.

Universal Studios

100 Universal City Plaza - Universal City

This one goes without saying, really, but if you're into Harry Potter, the whole Wizarding World area of the park id a must. While you're there, make sure not to miss the Studios Tour and the special effects show.

WB Studio Tour

3400 Warner Blvd - Burbank

This studio tour is by far the best in town. Tour guides cater the tour to your fandoms, so tell them if there's something specific you want to see. On a typical tour, you can see everything from the Batmobile to the café from Friends. While not guaranteed, it's common to spot Hollywood sets in action.

Close to Wattcon

Good Food in Walking Distance

There are a ton of great spots within walking distance of Wattcon in Hollywood. Bollywood Grill on the other side of Hollywood Blvd has excellent Indian Food. Jinya Ramen Express inside the Hollywood and Highland shopping center has delicious custom ramen bowls right next door to the Loews Hotel where the convention will be. Mel's Drive-In is also a good option with classic American food in a traditional fifties diner.

Stuff to Do

A lot of the stuff to do in Hollywood is obvious—Madam Tussaud's wax museum, the TCL Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame—so I'll skip that stuff. Instead, I'll recommend some of the lesser known options. Less than a 10-minute drive east from the hotel is Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where legends like Johnny Ramone of The Ramones and actress Marilyn Monroe are buried. It has beautiful park-like grounds and monuments for many Hollywood greats. For music-lovers, I recommend checking out Amoeba music on Hollywood Boulevard. This record store is a music-lover's dream, with new and used CDs, vinyl records, and music-themed books for very good prices. They also have a pretty extensive collection of T-shirts, posters, and music merch if that's your jam.

Where to Get a Hollywood Sign Photo

3160 Canyon Lake Drive - Los Angeles

You can actually see the Hollywood Sign from multiple spots near the Loews hotel. If you just want a quick snap, head to the Ovation shopping center and follow the back steps up to the back courtyard, then look to the mountains.

For a better photo and viewing experience, check out Lake Hollywood Park. Street parking is plentiful and it's the best spot in the city to take in the Hollywood sign.

A Few More Favorites

Tacos: Trejo's Tacos & Trejo's Cantina

Actor Danny Trejo has a chain of taco restaurants in LA serving up really excellent tacos and burritos, including pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan options that are a lot more creative than tofu. (Psst... try the cauliflower!)

Donuts: Donut Friend

These are not your mother's donuts. Donut Friend makes wild flavors named after punk bands and fully custom donut sandwiches where you pick the toppings and fillings. In a crazy twist, all their donuts are vegan! I'm not vegan, but these donuts are genuinely the best in town. (Bonus: my lactose-intolerant self can eat all the cream and custard-filled ones without getting sick.)

Shopping: Magnolia Blvd Burbank

If you like pinup style, vintage clothing, goth stuff, or antiques, you will adore this area of Burbank. The street is lined with cool and quirky shops, including a gothic horror gift shop and a place that sells clothing used in TV shows and movies.

Free TV Taping Tickets

If you have time and the taping schedules align with your trip, you can see the live taping of a tv show for free. Sites like 1iota and On Camera Audiences offer free tickets to whatever's filming this month. (And the theater where they film Jimmy Kimmel Live is actually within quick walking distance from the Loews.)

My Favorite Wattpad Romance Authors

I love to read a good romance (go figure). Here are a few authors I love that are always churning out great quality stories...

---

Tamara Ellison

Tamara is an incredible contemporary romance author whose characters have so much warmth and depth. Start with The Best Man, then burn through every other book she has written!

On Wattpad as @TamaraEllison5

---

Shannon French

Shannon has quite a talent for the written word and builds an unforgettable world in every book. She's currently working on the celebrity romance It's Only Forever.

On Wattpad as @gublercullen

---

H. Nuijs

Hillie's My Pet Mate is one of the most fun and original takes on the werewolf genre that I've read in a long time, and her characters are a delight to read.

On Wattpad as @HillieX

---

Melissa White

I love Melissa's Knight Security series, following the former special-ops boys of Knight Security as they find love. It's addictive and hard not to burn through the whole thing!

On Wattpad as @MelyssaWhyte

---

Andrea Torres

Torres's Immortal Gods series is a sassy, unique, and sharp take on Greek mythology starring a no-nonsense teen cheerleader protagonist. Definitely check her out!

On Wattpad as @BitchisMyReligion

---

If you want more, check out my curated reading lists on my Wattpad profile!