Hello, Month of Lurv
The end of a series, TV & book recs, and a sale!
Hi, hello!
I’m so glad you’re stopping by for this fun and, also, fast newsletter. In case you haven’t subscribed, here’s a link right at the top so you get this chatty little missive sent straight to your inbox 1 to 2 times a month.
There, excellent, all done!
Onto what matters!
End of an Era
Yep, take a breath. Book 3, the last in my Kissing Series, is done.
Welp, OK, not done. But the rough draft is wrapped up, not quite so rough, and in the hands of an editor, undergoing festive and light-hearted improvements.
We hope, we hope. Honestly, however the manuscript comes back, I’m thrilled it’s in someone else’s hands. There’s something about fresh eyes, while intimidating, that’s also a breath of relief. Like sending your kid to a babysitter and knowing, no matter what suggestions for improvement you might get back, you weren’t in charge for a hot a minute.
There will be more words on Book 3 but for now I’ll say, I love these characters, they were a swoony delight to write and of all of my love stories I think this is the love-iest so far.
Books
Are you reading anything great right now?
Kate Bowler’s Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day arrived at my house the week after our snowmaggedon and I was so grateful. She has the lightest, cheeriest, most truth-telling touch and I can’t read a single entry in this devotional without laughing and crying. If you appreciate an honest take on the hardship and glory that is life, mixed with tremendous humor and a touch of irreverence, I couldn’t recommend this book more.
Shows
The joy of February! Abbott Elementary is back and that is only good news. Are you watching this show? It’s a pure delight, 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 4 Emmy wins in their first two seasons. It reminds me of popular shows from when I was growing up that families could watch together without anyone squirming too much from curse words or sexual innuendo.
Only Abbott’s smarter. And funnier. The characters feel like people you’ve worked with, gone to school with, and know in real life. The conflict is real but never intense. And the guest starts (hello, Leslie Odom Jr!) are a freaking. thrill.
It’s still relatively new (going into Season 3) and I’m hopeful we’ll get enough seasons to make this something I can binge watch over a long cold weekend, five Februarys from now.
Sales
It’s been a minute since Black Friday and Cyber Monday and Everyone’s Got a Cold Thursday, whatever the multitude of holiday sales are named, happened.
We hit January and the good deals scurried back into hiding. But not here, friend!
First Comes Love ebook is on sale at .99 for a few days, and it’s a great grab, particularly for this cold, mucky time. Cozy up with a romcom that readers say, “fans of character-driven sweet romance will love” and “quirky and relatable…and has an amazing cast of characters!”
If you need a swoony, hopeful read or someone you know could use it—click that gorgeous cover and get a copy for less than a dollar!
Here Comes February
And, while a certain cherub-inspired holiday holds pressure for all of us, let’s celebrate this new month, Not January! It’s warmed up a teeny-tiny bit where I live in beautiful, rainier than you expect East Tennessee, and it feels like a new time arrived. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
While we move through winter season, I’ll be pursuing good skin care deals and finding an ideal red lipstick—blue-red, doesn’t smudge, and avoids that weird, tacky feeling some lipsticks have. I didn’t expect to take on these new obsessions but I’m embracing and enjoying them as distractions from the discomfort of winter.
What about you? How’re you coping with this odd time of year where there’s not enough sun and so much layering of clothes? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Talk soon, and take care,
Emily