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Jocelyn Carbonara 10/8/26 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/8/26

Historical Fiction Author Keith Smith: “Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help.”

Please enjoy this Q&A about the writing process with Keith Smith, author of An American Patriot: A Revolutionary War Soldier’s Fight for Liberty and Love.

SPIRITUS BOOKS: Tell us a little about your book and why you wrote it.

KEITH SMITH: My journey started out with a completely different goal: to join Sons of the American Revolution. While researching to prove direct descent from my fifth great-grandfather, I uncovered an incredible story. It’s the story of an ordinary man who answered an extraordinary call—one of service and sacrifice that helped bring forth a new nation. With this year being the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there was no better time to tell Thomas’ story.

Jocelyn Carbonara 10/1/26 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/1/26

How to Win Your Fight with Writer’s Block (and Other Obstacles)

“How can I motivate myself to actually write?”

“When will my book actually be done?”

“I’ve been busy lately and haven’t made progress. Should I just give up?”

These are common questions in my author coaching and developmental editing. I’ve noticed they usually appear around the same time: when an author is somewhere in the middle of their first draft, and they feel like they’re sailing alone in the open sea at 2 a.m. (which I’ve actually done, except for the alone part).

So how do you actually keep your sail inflated when the wind feels weak?

I can’t wrestle the breeze to fix this, but several methods will get you there. I’ll share a few.

Scott Carbonara 9/25/26 Scott Carbonara 9/25/26

When You Hire An Expert Ghostwriter or Editor, Don’t Tie Their Hands

Imagine you wake up and find your car won’t start. It’s got gasoline in it. You can still see the battery under the hood and tires where tires belong. Since you’re not mechanical, you need some help, so you have it towed to a local shop.

We seek automobile mechanics if we’re not a subject-matter expert on our car. If you don’t trust your mechanic, find another one. But for heaven’s sake, if you know enough to know you need a mechanic, don’t tie their hands. Let them do their job.

And when you need an editor, writing coach, or ghostwriter, don’t tie their hands. Let them do their jobs.

Scott Carbonara 11/6/25 Scott Carbonara 11/6/25

What Details Should You Include in a Memoir?

As a ghostwriter, I often help authors determine what belongs in their autobiography (covering someone's life) or memoir (covering specific events in their life). Without professional guidance on what to include, they often suffer from the opposite problem: They want to include the kitchen sink.

Here are some questions I ask clients to help them decide what to include or leave out of their manuscript.

Jocelyn Carbonara 10/30/25 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/30/25

Can AI Write My Book?

Recently, I listened to a podcast with other editors chiming in about book-related topics. A conversation struck my interest around the use of AI in publishing. One question went something like, “Should an author use AI to write their book?”

The answers were a bit mixed, with one editor saying, “definitely,” and others offering softer versions of “maybe.” Even the “definitely” editor (definitely) presented some strict caveats. So I’d like to chime in with my experience—and opinions—on the topic.

Jocelyn Carbonara 10/16/25 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/16/25

Entrepreneurial-Memoir Author PJ Ohashi: If I Could Change My Life, So Could Anyone

We periodically feature guest input from impactful authors we’ve worked with. Please enjoy this Q&A about the writing process with entrepreneurial-memoir author PJ Ohashi.