Holy crap, it has been a whirlwind month, my friends. As most of you know my first book, Someone to Kiss, was officially launched on October 4th. It was an amazing day spent with amazing friends, filled with overwhelming and unexpected support. I had a mini-launch party that night but saved the big launch party until October 29th so one of my good friends could be there. And, if it was even possible, that day was actually more amazing.
My brother and his girlfriend came from Halifax, my parents and two close friends came from Saskatoon, and a close friend came from Calgary. There were many surprise guests including my wonderful aunt and cousin, another friend from Saskatoon and yet another good friend from Calgary.
So many friends who lived here came, some of whom I hadn’t seen in over a decade. It was incredible. I felt extremely lucky to have so many people come out to both buy the book and get it signed. I will truely never forget it. Here are a couple of pictures from the day. Yes, I matched my dress on purpose.
This is a CAKE.
So, now what?
Well, if you can believe it, as I was promoting Someone to Kiss and planning parties and choosing outfits, and, you know, working my full-time job, I was also writing my second book, Love, Julie. And, I’m not going to lie, it has been a bit of a struggle. You would think that the second book would be easier than the first, but you would be wrong.
Many people know that my first book was based on a blog I used to write, so a lot of it had already been created. I had figured out the characters pretty early on, and I knew how I wanted it to go. To exploit an overly-used metaphor: I had a solid foundation on which to build my book house.
Love, Julie, on the other hand, was just a hole in the ground; a gaping abyss. I had an idea of where I wanted to pour the foundation, but I hadn’t yet figured out how to mix the cement. Everything I needed to write had to come directly from my brain, and my brain has been a bit sluggish as of late.
To add to the challenge, despite the launch of Someone to Kiss being everything I could have hoped for and more, the last few months have been a bit rough for entirely unrelated reasons, and my anxiety has gotten just slightly out of control.
However…
One of the things I love about being a writer is that I can use writing to work through my issues; to figure things out. And, while writing Love, Julie has really helped me do that, the result is that parts of it are a little darker than intended; a little too heavy. Too dark for a light-hearted rom-com. Too heavy for even a “touches on serious topics” romance.
But!
The good news is, over the past couple of weeks or so, after a lot of writing and thinking and not sleeping, I ultimately worked out all my shit. I made some decisions for my characters and for myself that will make all of our lives much brighter moving forward. And, because of that, during this last week of writing, I’ve finally found my groove again. And because of THAT I’ve only got about 20,000 words to go until I’ve completed the first draft! It’s a very crappy first draft, but it is a first draft nonetheless.
After that’s done, all I have to do is go through the dark parts and make them brighter. And I’m okay with that, because I’ve figured it out. Now I know what’s going to happen. I’ve taken control. And I’ve determined that there will be light.
Sneak peek
I don’t love winter. I’m always cold and I don’t play any winter sports. The only thing I look forward to is Christmas but, after that’s over, I’m pretty much done.
However, here in Saskatchewan, if you can’t handle winter, you might as well move, because we have a lot of it. So, this year, I’ve decided to embrace the things that winter brings with it, if not the season itself. And, as such, so has one of my characters.
Here is a sneak peek into Love, Julie where one of the characters (Luke) shares his thoughts — which are also my thoughts because, you know, I wrote it — on the frigid weather.
“This is why I love winter. This silence. Summer is hot and fun and filled with activity. The joyful buzz of the frenetic pace as we try to fit it all in. As we try to squeeze out every last drop. And, don’t get me wrong, I love that too, but winter? Winter is peace. Winter is heavy and soundless and restorative; the snow a weighted blanket, covering up the plants and grass and trees while they rest. Covering up the noise. Letting us breath while we heal.
“Look at this.” He gestured out into the field, the glow from the street lights making the newly falling snow sparkle like Christmas. “If you switch your perspective a bit, if you stop looking at the snow as a burden, as something cold and unyielding, and start looking at it as something beautiful and necessary — something that covers up the noise; something that gives us permission to slow down and stay inside and wear comfy clothes and curl up under cozy blankets and watch TV or read all day and not feel guilty about it — you might actually start to give winter a chance.”
What I’m reading
This is my first Sue Moorcroft and will definitely not be my last. I’m about halfway through and, so far, it’s really great. It’s got a lot more heft than your average Christmas romance. There’s a lot more going on than just the romance parts, and it deals with serious topics as well. She’s also a great writer. I’ll be looking for her most recent one after I’m done.
I like to have a romance palate cleanser on hand just in case I’m not in the mood, and this one is doing quite nicely. I’m about halfway through it as well and it’s pretty good. I’ve learned a lot about Korean culture and it also makes me very hungry for Korean food even though I don’t know what most of it is. I feel like that’s a sign of good descriptive writing. Or that maybe I’m just always hungry.
What I’ve read
Things I love about winter:
❄️Fuzzy pants
❄️Cozy socks
❄️Christmas romances
I am a sucker for a good HEA and The Holiday Swap did not disappoint. It was a cute, fun read and gave me all the warm, Christmas feels.
Since devouring Sweet Valley High books in the olden days, I'd always thought it would be fun to be a twin. Cassie and Charlie gave me Elizabeth and Jessica vibes but with a holiday twist.
I would recommend this if you want something fun and quick and are ready to get into the Christmas spirit in mid-November!
Shameless promo
If you haven’t bought Someone to Kiss yet, here’s your chance! I’ve even gone as far as to provide links for different parts of the world for you. You’re welcome.
Also, if you haven’t downloaded my Christmas romance novella, Running from Christmas, now’s probably the time. You can find it here.
And, finally, if you made it this far, follow me on my socials! I may be old, but I can TikTok like nobody’s business. Just kidding, I can’t, TikTok is hard.