Between the Lines - Newsletter
The Quiet Part Out Loud
Issue No. 1
Hi, and welcome.
If you're here, it means something I wrote lingered—on a page, in a character, maybe in a sentence you reread twice. That means more to me than I can say.
This is the first letter in a series that won't shout. It’ll arrive quietly, like a thought you didn’t know you needed to hear. I’ll share updates on my novels, behind-the-scenes notes, reader questions, and the kinds of things that don’t always make it into the books—like what a character didn’t say, or the song I played on repeat while writing that one scene I still haven’t recovered from.
Right now, I’m deep in the aftermath of The Suggestion—a book about marriage, silence, and the strange things we agree to when we’re afraid to say what we really want. And I’m also revisiting The Marriage Audit, where a single question—“Would you do it all again?”—forces two people to decide if love is something they can still choose, not just remember.
Next up? A story I’ve been carrying for years: One Last Verse. It follows Harper—a food stylist and single mother—who returns to the Southern music scene after the death of a man she once loved and feared. There’s a will. A song. A notebook. And a past she never planned to open again. It’s raw and rooted and a little dangerous. And I can’t wait to share it with you.
Whether you’re here for the Southern settings, the complicated characters, or the honesty between the lines—thank you for reading. Truly.
Until next time,
Ashley
P.S.
If you’ve finished any of my books, I’d love to hear what stayed with you. And if you haven’t left a review yet—even just a sentence—it helps more than you know. Reviews don’t just support authors; they help other readers find the stories meant for them.
The Quiet Part Out Loud
Issue No. 2 – August 2025
Hi again.
Some stories arrive as whispers. Others come crashing back like a song you haven’t heard in years—except now, it means something different.
That’s where I’ve been this month: inside One Last Verse. It’s a novel I’ve written and rewritten, lived with and left, and finally—finally—finished. Not because I found closure, exactly, but because Harper did. Or maybe she made her peace with the kind of closure that doesn’t come with clean edges.
This is her story—a food stylist and single mother who re-enters the orbit of Mason Rudd, a Southern musician she once loved, feared, and barely escaped. It’s about memory, myth, addiction, and the kind of intimacy that confuses being seen with being consumed.
There’s a will. A letter. A red vinyl barstool.
And a girl at the edge of the stage who decides this time, she gets the last verse.
Behind the Scenes
I’ve been leaning into nonlinear timelines, found documents, and the strange power of recovered footage. There’s a chapter told through old voicemail messages. Another through a musician’s final live set. One Last Verse is built like a record you flip over—Side A and Side B both matter, even when they contradict each other.
You’ll also see quiet cameos from other books—if you’ve read The Marriage Audit or The Suggestion, you might catch a familiar name in a background detail, a voice on a playlist, a single offhand reference that says more than it should.
What I’m Working On Now
– Putting together ideas for a new project that gives Theodora her own story—her voice, her choices, her reckoning
Let’s Keep Talking
If a line lingered. If a character felt familiar in a way you didn’t expect. If you’ve ever wanted to ask, “Was that really about me?”—there’s a space for that now.
I’ve created a Facebook Group just for readers like you: a quiet room for afterthoughts, discussions, and the stories behind the stories. You’re welcome anytime.
If you’re new here:
Every month, I send this letter to share the quiet part—the process, the mess, the meaning behind the scenes. It’s for the readers who underline sentences, who wonder what a character didn’t say, who listen for the pause in someone’s voice and know it means something.
If that’s you, I’m glad you’re here.
Until next time,
Ashley
P.S.
If One Last Verse or any of my books stayed with you, I’d love to hear about it. And if you’ve left a review (even just a line), thank you. They help more than you know.