When Facebook Ads Broke Me (And Other Authorly Misadventures)

You know what’s harder than plotting a cozy mystery where the Papillon always sniffs out the clues before the humans do?
Harder than writing a romantic subplot that doesn’t sound like it belongs in a greeting card from 1992?
Harder than naming five suspects who all have plausible motives, mysterious pasts, and an odd relationship with baked goods?

Facebook ads.

Yes. Facebook ads. I’m not kidding – at all. I have just survived the most excruciating, ridiculous, time-warping four hours of my life trying to program in a few simple ads for my books. I went in optimistic. Hopeful, even. Maybe a little smug. I thought, how hard could it be? (Spoiler alert: that was my first mistake.)

First, Facebook (Meta? ZuckLand? Whatever they’re calling it now) required me to set up not one, but approximately 437 separate accounts, business pages, ad managers, pixel integrations, and possibly a small sacrificial offering to the algorithm gods. I clicked through pages. I filled in boxes. I uploaded cheerful cover images and politely written blurbs. I was trying to give them money. Real money! Actual, spendable, crispy currency!

But Facebook Ads Manager doesn’t want your money. No. It wants your patience, your mental stability, and the last shred of your self-esteem.

At one point, after I had input everything three times, I got the dreaded red exclamation mark. The message?
“There is an error. Please fix it.”
What error? Oh, just this one specific error with your ad name, audience, placement, objective, creative, budget, bidding strategy, or... something.
And where do you fix it? Not telling. Could be anywhere. One of the 15 pages you clicked through. Maybe back on the page you visited before lunch. Maybe a dropdown you didn’t know was a dropdown. Enjoy the scavenger hunt, Sabine.

I asked not one, not two, but THREE search engines for help. I consulted the oracles. Each one gave me a different answer, and each one was entirely wrong. One even told me to “try again later.” I did. It failed again. But with new errors!

By the end, I wasn’t a woman anymore. I was a feral creature, wild-haired, muttering to myself, waving screenshots at the dog like they were evidence in a court case. (“See? SEE?! It says the ad is approved, but it also says the image is ‘not viewable.’ MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!”)

When I finally wrangled the dragon – through sheer persistence, dumb luck, and possibly witchcraft – I staggered away from the computer and immediately poured a stiff drink. I don’t remember what I drank, but I do remember toasting my laptop like it was a worthy opponent. “To you, Facebook. You won this round. But I ran the ad. I WIN.”

So if you see one of my books pop up in your Facebook feed sometime soon – say a little prayer for the blood, sweat, and tear-soaked pixels that made it happen. Maybe even click it. Just to make it feel worth it.

And to Facebook: if you’re listening – I’m trying to spend money here! Could you maybe meet me halfway? Explain what you want, give me a hand, and perhaps not hide the errors behind a labyrinth of sadness? Just a thought.

In the meantime, I’ll be over here, writing the next cozy mystery – because compared to Facebook Ads, solving a fictional murder is a walk in the park.

With a Papillon.

The Absolute Madness of Naming Characters

Let’s talk about one of the most ridiculous struggles of writing a book. No, I’m not talking about the part where you stare at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your ancestors. I’m talking about naming characters. It should be easy, right? Just slap a name on them and move on? Oh, my sweet summer child. If only. See, naming a character is like naming your kid—except worse, because nobody is going to complain if your kid and their cousin both end up being named Liam. But if your main villain is named Liam and you accidentally give the quirky coffee shop owner in book three the same name? Cue the existential crisis. Let’s walk through the madness. The Overthinking Spiral of Doom You start writing, and there’s that moment: your brand-new character walks onto the page, full of potential. All they need is a name. A simple name. Something strong, something fitting, something— Oh no. Nothing sounds right. This one is too complicated. That one is too simple. ...

Stories Are Everywhere: The Writer’s Endless Inspiration

As a writer, one of the most common questions I’m asked is, “How do you come up with your stories?” It’s a question that often makes me smile because the answer is as simple as it is profound: stories are everywhere. Inspiration doesn’t always strike in grand, dramatic moments. More often than not, it emerges quietly, weaving its way into the fabric of everyday life. Conversations with friends, the sights and sounds of a bustling city, or even the stillness of a room can spark the seed of an idea. Writers aren’t just storytellers; we’re observers, collecting fragments of life and spinning them into tales. Let me share a recent example of how a simple evening turned into the genesis of a new story idea. Over two perfectly crafted negronis, I was discussing the schedule for an upcoming event with a friend. Their house, a treasure trove of artwork, surrounded us. Every piece of art seemed to hum with a story of its own. Midway through the second drink, I remarked, “One day, someb...

Negronis, art, and the Next Mystery

You know you have the best readers in the world when they politely demand the next book—with extra exclamation marks and not a hint of shame. So many of you have been asking (some quite insistently, and with the kind of enthusiasm that makes my day) about the next Magical Papillon Mystery . Those of you who asked on social media — thank you!!! To all of you, I say — bless your sweet, book-loving hearts, and fear not. Pixie will return! Here’s what happened… Last Christmas, after one (or more) festive Negronis with my very talented artist friend, I made the kind of pronouncement that can only come after equal parts gin, vermouth, and orange. I looked around her house — absolutely overflowing with paintings, colors, and canvases stacked like leaning towers of artistic chaos — and said something like, “Wouldn’t it make a great story if someone inherited a house full of original art, and every painting had a secret behind it, and they had to solve the mysteries one by one…?” Well. One...

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