Writings, Wanderings

 2020 has been a year. My creativity took a major hit, but I do have one writing accomplishment that I am very excited about from this year. I wrote a short story titled Second Chance Run and it was accepted into an anthology with twenty-five other authors! It has been an amazing experience, and I have loved getting to know the other authors a little bit. I am also loving reading the stories in the anthology :) I want to get back into blogging in the new year, so I've decided to introduce each of the stories but not in a traditional "this is the synopsis" book review. More of me just pointing out a few pieces that stuck with me. So get ready to see some quick reviews from the love stories in Sweet Romance: An Anthology over the next few weeks!

What did you read in April? I will be honest, I have not read as much during this quarantine/stay-at-home period as I originally anticipated. Still working full-time is part of that, I suppose. However, I did get several books read in April, and here are three of the ones I enjoyed more. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens was my book club's choice for April. Although that meeting has been pushed back to June now, I'm really glad I had the chance to read this novel. The author did a great job of sliding between the two timelines. Sometimes it was frustrating to get pulled away from one timeline just as new information was revealed or deeper connections were beginning to build, but that's one way of knowing you're becoming invested in the story. I will say that I did not connect personally to the main character Kya, but for this book that worked. Normally if I can't relate to the main character in some way, I don't care as much what happens to them. Kya...

My top two non-children book reads for January were For Everyone by Jason Reynolds and The Girls by Abigail Pesta. For Everyone is a poetry book that takes an honest look at life. I gave it 5 stars and its own blog entry . The Girls by Abigail Pesta. Wow, this was a tough one, but I do not regret one bit picking it up from the local library. I have loved watching gymnastics my whole life, even did a two-month stint back in elementary school at the local Y on the four apparatus that female gymnasts conquer. The unfolding of the abuse scandal over the last few years has been gut-wrenching. I hate what these young woman have been through but applaud their courage in standing up and testifying. This book documents many of their stories. The focus in on the girls not their abuser nor the system that protected him. Yes, he is a character but the protagonists are the women and the events they chose to share, some of them for the first time with the public. I believe the author h...

My newsletter takes a look at books where August plays a role either as Part of the title Name of author or character Time of the story actions After researching traditionally-published books that fit one of these criteria, I thought it would be fun to reach out to the indie writing community and see what books they had to offer. Take a look below and maybe you'll discover a new read for the month! Dog Days of August (Twelve Months of Romance-August) by Margaret Lake is 8th book in a women contemporary's fiction novella series (this length book is perfect for a lazy afternoon!). All Jan wants to do is get her mother a puppy to help her get over her grief at the loss of her husband, Jan’s father. But when she gets to the shelter to pick up the girl puppy she had her heart set on, Kevin, a freak with a Mohawk and earring, is getting ready to walk away with her dog. Jan is still fuming when she gets to work the next morning, and it doesn’t help that she’s expe...

Going on summer break from school has been good to me. Although I had a good school year, I had a lot going on and as my last month's blog entry stated, my reading suffered. For June I took the time to rejuvenate by focusing on reading what I felt like when I felt like it as well as writing in my next novella (maybe short novel?? it's turning out longer than I anticipated but I think editing will keep it under 40K). I finally read the Grisha trilogy ( Shadow & Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin & Rising ) by Leigh Bardugo. I have seen others gushing about on Instagram for months now! This fantasy series is definitely more young adult than adult, but I wanted to keep reading and plan on reading the other stories in the Grishaverse. I found her system of magic interesting and was invested in the characters. Loved Nikolai! Yes, there was the over-used love triangle (or was it a pyramid at one point?), but it did not overwhelm the other elements. Recommended read for tee...

The final cover is here! And good thing too, since this novella releases in two days! I am now off to celebrate Father's Day with my family; my niece is getting baptized! How are you spending this Sunday?

Like the title says, the first book in my romance novella trilogy is free in Kindle format for two days. This is in honor of the third book releasing on June 18th! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NK8TL6D A guided trip to Paris with friends was supposed to be relaxing for long-term couple Quinn and Connor. Her upcoming job relocation though forces the two to face a difficult decision about their future as a couple.

May was a rather abysmal reading month for me. If you're looking at this list of five books and thinking that is about the norm for me so this being a low book-count month sounds off, full disclosure: most of these books were started in April or earlier (one was picked up for the first time back in 2018...) May marks the end of my school year and while my extracurricular responsibilities tapered off in the first half of the month, I was mentally burnt out. I am proud of this school year but I was too busy between work and my own life. Unfortunately, I drifted into reading fanfiction instead of novels which while fun doesn't add to my book totals. What I did read is a pretty random mix but here goes. The Lost Duke of Wyndham  by Julia Quinn. I really liked her Bridgerton series so I am always looking for another enjoyable read. I got this book at a library book sale along with another one of hers. While this one does not measure up to my favorite series, it certainly had i...

Published in 1955 by Elizabeth Cadell, The Lark Shall Sing  is a delightful novel that intertwines the story of a family with a romance. After their parents' deaths, the Wayne siblings moved away from home for a year, the older ones into the workforce and military, the youngest with an aunt and uncle. One year to postpone making any big decisions and then they were to come back again as a family. However, situations change in a year, and engaged Lucille, the oldest, now plans to sell the family home. What she expects to be a straight-foward move--put the house on the market and move on--quickly grows complicated as each of her siblings finds their way home, bringing with them acquaintances met along the journey. Soon Lucille finds herself facing emotions and realizations that make her question her once-solid plans for her future. I adored this book the first time I read it and am now proud to be the owner of a secondhand version that once graced the shelves of a high school lib...

Small snowflakes are blustering past my sunroom windows as I write, winter's last touch before we truly move into gentler temperatures later this week. I am ready for a gentler time. March pushed me mentally with following the release of Decision in Paris while trying to finish revisions for the second book in the series Discord in Provence which releases this Thursday. This was on top of assistant directing the school musical (which involved daily practices and me working through my lunch period the final week--those shrunken heads had to get painted by someone!) and then starting to coach junior high track. Needless to say, my reading fell down abysmally. I did listen to the audiobook of The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. Love the creativity in the con but warning--this book ends on a cliffhanger! I also read Dating the Prince by Lindzee Armstrong. The characters were realistic enough, the storyline enjoyable if somewhat predictable. I saw some typos but nothing to...

The Chase was my first book of the new year, and it was a great way to start the reading list. The characters may not be the most-fully developed ones you've encountered, but they have their own personalities. They are fun, and I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen to them next. The action also kept pulling me along! I found the crimes creative (and could push aside that other voice that muttered about the plausibility of the schemes working out). I would definitely pick up the next book in the Fox and Hare series. The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson was another favorite of the month. (I think I needed something fun.) When I was reading this book, I said to my mom that I was enjoying it but that I couldn't see how it could have a realistically satisfying ending. I'm not going to go into detail to avoid spoilers, but the ending left me with a positive feeling towards the book. I also adored the puppy. I recommend this book for a light read, would ...