Ginger Li

During the pandemic, I picked up several new hobbies. I learned how to raise houseplants. I also finally learned how to use a sewing machine.  The Knitting Club Gals is a sweet romance series that sprung up from my newfound love of sewing and my longtime appreciation of romances that include a strong group of loyal girlfriends. I've always relied on my female friendships for good advice, a sympathetic ear, and countless moments of humor. In The Dating Pact, the first book of the series, you'll meet Everly Knight, the lone sewing enthusiast in a group of knitters. Her friends rope her into joining a dating pact where each woman agrees to go on dates selected by her friends.  In Everly's case, her dates turn hilariously disastrous... until Wyatt Alexander, Everly's best friend from college, comes back into town...  Curious to see how they get together? You can pre-order a copy today! This is my first foray into writing sweet adult romances and I'm so excited to invite...

Hi friends, It's no secret that these past two years have been difficult for everyone. As an author, I've found solace in writing hope-filled stories that celebrate friendship, healthy relationships, and community. And as a mom and a teacher, I've been particularly encouraged by the strength and resilience I see every day in my kids.  That's why this year I've decided to donate a portion of my book profits to  Unicef , an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of children all over the world.  While I don't know what the next year holds, I will continue to stay the course and write love stories that have a sprinkle of magic, a touch of humor, and a whole lot of heart. Thank you so much for joining me on this creative adventure. Every page read, comment, review, email, and book purchased encourage me to keep on dreaming and telling stories. Without you, none of this would be possible.  Happy New Year! And now, back to writing! ~Ginger

  XOXO, Piper , the first book in my East Beach High Series, comes out in a couple of weeks. I'm so nervous and excited to share this sweet romance with all of you because it feels like quite a departure from my previous YA fantasy novels .  2020 did a real number on me.  Several family members got sick with Covid and a few people passed away. I've always been an avid reader of fantasy, but this past year I found myself reaching for romances instead. I needed stories about "normal" life and I craved a happy ending. And that's why I wrote this new high school romance series. Each book shares the story of imperfect characters overcoming obstacles from their past to find swoon-worthy first love (with a lot of help from their friends.)   I really hope you enjoy this series!  (And if you love book soundtracks, I created this East Beach High Playlist on Youtube. It will give you all the best angsty-first-love feels.) Read on, friends! Ginger

Hi friends! I published   my first book   on Amazon almost a year ago. It’s been a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, but this past week I was excited to donate a portion of the money I made from book sales to   this organization   that helps victims of sex trafficking.  If you’ve read my   YA fantasy series , you’ll know that while it’s clean (very few swear words + a clean romance), several of the characters have to overcome difficult pasts.  I’m a firm believer that life is both messy and beautiful. That's why I write my characters to reflect that truth and why I’m glad to support an organization that helps exploited children and young adults transition to a healthy and hope-filled life.  Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Now... I'm back to editing!  And if you'd like to hear from me on a weekly basis, subscribe to my NL for snippets of my life, fun internet finds, a funny meme (or two), and free reads!

 Hello there, observant reader!  Yes! My author logo changed last night. Before, it looked like this: And now it looks like this! I loved my old logo. It was moody, dark, and hinted at a touch of romance. Plus, the moon and triangle elements (which very celestial and magical) also reminded me of ice-cream... which is one of my favorite things in the world.   The old logo felt perfect for an author writing her first YA fantasy series.  Unicorns, dragons, magic, epic worlds, prophecies, and a once-in-a-lifetime love... that's what I tried to represent in my logo. (And if those sound right up your alley, check out my fantasy  books.  You'll love the series.) But the old logo didn't feel right for a YA rom-com author. Yes! While I put together a boxset for my Light and Fire Series , I'm currently also drafting a fun YA romance. I'm dipping my toes into the romance realm! Will I now only write romance novels? Probably not... but honestly, I'm not sure. We'l...

I'm currently in the midst of fixing up book 4 before sending it off to my editor in a couple of weeks. Let it be known that editing isn't my forte. The process is tedious and I hate the minutiae of it all, which is why I'm so thankful for my editor (and I highly recommend that all writers hire a professional editor  if they intend to self-publish.) Today I'm escaping from my editing prison and sharing my 5 favorite books on writing and creativity . This selection won't help you with all the technical aspects of writing a good novel. Instead, this list will nurture your creative soul with inspiration and wisdom.  (Personally, while I struggle with the act of writing, I struggle even more with getting into the mindset of being creative. If you're like me, hopefully, these books will give you a loving mental hug and push you in the right direction too!) 5 Best Books on Writing and Creativity

It's confession time. This week I did a tiny bit of editing... and a LOT of map-making. Check out this map I drew of Solair. Fantasy Map of Solair Pretty neat, huh? I really enjoyed the process of creating this map. It helped to make the places in my Light and Fire novels  come to life. And can you believe this was my first time drawing a digital map? Yup! There's this super-nifty webpage called Inkarnate  that allows you to design and create maps for free. It's super intuitive and easy-to-use. You can also pay a small fee for fancier designs and more features. I'm debating about trying out the paid option to create beautiful parchment-style maps for the boxset. Well, alrighty then. I just wanted to pop in and share this lovely image. Now, back to writing!

Hi friends! It's been a while since I've posted here. But I'm stopping in now to share 5 reasons why every writer needs to get their manuscript professionally edited before they self-publish. 5 Reasons You Need an Editor!

My debut novel,  Half-Blood Mage  is finally out!  To celebrate, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek into some of the decisions I made along the way... especially the decisions regarding Lia's race and my cover design.  Should Lia be Asian? Honestly, I debated whether to make Lia Asian at all. Her "Asian-ess" (in this case, I imagined her to be half-Taiwanese, half-Caucasian) doesn't really have anything to do with her story. She doesn't speak another language. I don't really bring up her multiracial upbringing that often. And her mixed-background isn't super important to her story arc. Lia could honestly look like anyone. Or have any background. The only key feature she needed to have was heterochromia.  But here's the reason why I made Lia Asian: I'm Asian. My parents are originally from Taiwan. And I married an Asian man. So I've experienced life through a very Asian American perspective.  Su...

Enjoy reading?  Want to get your hands on a FREE, advanced copy of Half-Blood Mage ? Image from Chase Clark I'm looking for readers to join my ARC team. I'll send you a copy of Half-Blood Mage sometime next week and if you love the book, I ask that you leave an honest review on Amazon. That's it! You read it. You like it? You review it.  Your reviews are helpful in making the novel more visible and attractive to other potential readers. If you're interested, email me: ginger.li.writes at gmail.com! Thank you for all your support!

It's here! It's here!   Here's the cover for Half-Blood Mage , the first book in my debut Light and Fire series!  It's coming out 1/15/20. Pre-order on Amazon now! *********** A cursed dragon hunter A half-blood mage An attraction that threatens to light the world on fire Seventeen-year-old Lia keeps having the same terrifying nightmare: A handsome, silver-eyed boy visits her, transforms into a dragon, and then begs for her to kill him. Lia chalks up the nightmare to an overactive imagination. Until the day Kieren, the silver-eyed boy from her dreams, arrives on her doorstep and shatters everything she’s ever believed.   Turns out that other parallel worlds do exist. And Lia’s not your typical high school student. Her parents hail from Solair and Earth—two very different worlds—making Lia a half-blood and one of the last remaining magic-wielding mages. As one of Solair’s dragon hunters, Kieren’s battled his fair share of monsters. But...

Hello, friends! It's been a long time since I last posted. And there's a good reason, I promise.   I haven't forgotten about this blog. I've just been busy with... writing! Right now I'm in the middle of writing the first draft for book 4 in my Light and Fire Series. Now, you may be wondering why I'm writing book 4 when I haven't even published book 1 yet. There is a method to my madness, I promise. Honestly,  I'm still trying to figure out where I want the story to go. I knew going into everything that I wanted to write a series. But up until this point, I've only attempted to write short stories or incomplete novels. I've never finished a novel, let alone even considered writing a multiple book series before. How do other authors do it? How do they write book by book, publishing each one as they go? Do they have an overarching plan? Or are they just flying by the seat of their pants? Because right now in the midst of boo...

My friend gave me two succulents from her garden. I transplanted them into a pot and then just sort of forgot about them.  It's now been about a year and I was pleasantly surprised to see several additional smaller succulents growing in the pot.  It's amazing, really.  As I was living my life, these plants were quietly surviving and growing.  Step-by-step, day-by-day the magic of nature was happening on my front porch. The succulents remind me of my writing journey.  Every day is filled to the brim with meetings, appointments, deadlines, play dates, dishes, laundry... you know, life.  And while all this is happening, I fill my nights with writing and editing.  Sometimes it feels like I'm burning the candle at both ends and I fear that I'll soon just burn completely out. Currently, I'm working on novel 2 of my still nameless trilogy.  (Ack. I'm so bad at names... but eventually something will sound right... I hope.)  Ho...

Well, do I? Surprise!  If you came to this blog post looking for an answer to this particular question.... then you came to the wrong place.  Sorry!  This is just a question that's been plaguing me for awhile and I thought it would be a fun way to title the blog post. Currently, I'm in the middle of writing the first draft for my second novel.  It's uber tedious and wonderfully fulfilling all at the same time.  I'm getting better at riding the twists and turns of the creative process, but questions like this always creep in... Am I good enough? Do I know enough about the English language to convey what I truly want to convey?

Hello friends! What are you  up to this summer?   Currently, I'm in the midst of writing.  To keep myself motivated, I signed up for  CampNanoWriMo   (Camp National Novel Writing Month .) It's basically an online "camp" brought to you by the same organization that does National Novel Writing Month .  If you're a writer definitely check out both sites.  For this online writing camp, a ton of writers signed up to write 50,000 words by the end of July. 50,000 freaking words. I know. I KNOW! It's a HUGE undertaking, that's for sure.  And I'm 99.9% sure that I won't reach the goal. But I figure it's better to try and fail then not sign up and not write anything, right? It's just like one of my favorite quotes: 50,000 = My moon 10,000 = Pretty Sparkly Stars Plus, while I'd love to say that I'm wholeheartedly dedicated to the craft of writing and ... yada yada yada. *Insert lots of flowery prose about ...

Today I was sharing the Pledge of Allegiance with my son.  (I just learned that it's no longer recited in the classroom.)  While I spoke the words to him, I felt myself growing teary-eyed towards the end.  "One Nation under God, with liberty and justice for all ." Regardless of whatever faith you profess to follow (or not follow), I hope that we all believe in the powerful promise behind those last 5 words:  liberty and justice for all. Liberty relates to a sense of freedom. It touches on the idea that each person has the ability to think, say, or act in a way he or she thinks is right.  Justice relates to each person receiving fair treatment under the law. The Pledge reminds us that in America, both of these rights belong to everyone. Not to a select educated, geographically located, beautiful, wealthy, or certain-skin colored few.  Everyone.  Me.  You.  My worst enemy.  And your worst enemy too. With the cur...

I've always dreamed of writing a novel. And this past year I decided, "what the heck," let's put everything into it and see if we can make this dream a reality. So today I started my official "author website" (ooh la la!)  And I'm currently in the middle of writing my first YA fantasy novel.   Let's see where this journey takes us!