Last week I had some exciting things to report, just coming off a Charm City Romanticon high. This week? Not as much. I scrolled through my pics of the last week and the most exciting one was from Applebee's when I took a picture of both my teens on devices and texted it to them as we waited for our food with a “Hello!?” So this is me today, peeking at last week's newsletter, missing my author friends and staring at the pile of books I'm yet to unpack/organize from the event. I'm reminded of a picture on my mother's wall at her house. It says:

 

“Life is amazing. And then its awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living, heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful.” ~ LR Knost

My office view this morning…

Question for you… as I design the box set cover for the recently completed Knight School Chronicles, since I have two designs for this series-- guy ones for the digital and object covers for the paperbacks-- which should I use for the box set? Also, for those who love box sets, I do have one for every series: Border Series, Order of the Broken Blade, Brotherhood of the Border, and even the Highland Lovers duet.

OMG you guys! I am twelve chapters into the Bachelor Pact book #3 and the words are flying from my fingertips. I wake up in the morning so excited to get to the story. I was telling my husband that maybe it was because I just wrote two romantasy books which are so much more difficult since you have to stop often to world build. But then the other day I was writing a “he's thinking of her in the shower” scene (wink, wink) and it hit me… the last time a book flowed through my fingertips like this was Lay It Down in the Grado Valley Vineyards series. I usually consider myself more of an enemies to lovers girlie, but these two books have the friends to lovers trope in common. Writing the simmering mutual pining is what I think I enjoy about both. Who knew I was such a friends to lovers fan!? How about you? Enemies or friends to lovers, which is better?

In keeping with the theme of showing my writing space this morning, (my cat Tiki has her own chair next to me, as you can see… my constant writing companion) I'm excited to share the gorgeous paperback of my upcoming release, Tide of Waves and Secrets. Coming May 11th, this book slayed me to write! The climax is epic, and I wanted to crawl into the book and… ugh, I can't finish my thought without spoiling. Continuing the series arc as we inch closer to, hopefully, re-opening the portal to reunite Mev's parents, the romance in Tides is a true second chance where the hero really has to earn back her love. You can pop this on your Goodreads TBR and preorder here. 

 

Each week, I’ll reveal a part of a powerful quote about strength, resilience, and courage, the same qualities my heroines embody. At the end of the month, when you’ve collected all four pieces, email me the full phrase for a chance to win a signed paperback featuring a strong/resilient heroine.

Week three: “…to act…"