November 2020

BOOKISH NEWS

Recently I bit the bullet and sent out my unedited manuscript to my beta readers.

It’s a scary thing, putting yourself out there for the world to see. I imagine it feels like walking around the grocery store without any clothes on. Everyone staring, everyone thinking thoughts about you.

However, as tough as it is to do this, I would much rather hear the good, bad and the ugly from trusted readers now. I’d rather hear it now before I pay to have the manuscript edited, a cover produced, and all the other little details that go into publishing a novel. I’d rather have the opportunity to correct the parts that aren’t great before a reviewer gets ahold of it and leaves negative remarks for the whole world to see…forever.

So, yes, while it hurts to hear criticism of a creative endeavor, it’s also making me a better writer, and that is what I have to keep chanting to myself.

So the book is out for beta read. Meanwhile I am already planning my next novel.

I took a bit of a detour with Definitely, Maybe. It was a bit of a lighthearted, shorter, easy romance without much suspense. Compared to Lost in the Right Direction, I’d say it was easy, fun, and sexy.  A needed break from the seriousness of LITRD.

However, as it turns out, I really like the more serious stories and I’m pretty sure I’ll be returning to that line of storytelling with my next novel. But who knows. These things tend to have a mind of their own.

What I am pretty sure about is the fact that one of the main characters in the new novel will have a personality disorder. I’ve been doing some research on this particular type of disorder, and wow, it is fascinating. I’m actually very intrigued to bring this character to life because I think a lot of us are living with partners who have this type of disorder and we 1) don’t know it, and 2) don’t know what to do about it.

Anyway…LOTS to think about over here. Stay tuned.

PRODUCTS I WOULD GIVE UP COFFEE FOR

(sometimes this section contains affiliate links)

This is the MOST crazy useful, amazing, lifesaving trick for getting rid of those god-awful fruit flies in the house this time of year.

I mean it.

I know, that was a sharp right turn, but stay with me.

These little plastic glue-y flowers are the best thing I’ve ever used to get rid of fruit flies. Better than all the Pinterest tricks, better than the wine and paper towel funnel, better than the vinegar in a wine glass, better than the dish soap in a glass.

Just put a little bit of red wine or apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a wine glass and pop one of these “flowers” in the glass.

This is what happened after only ten minutes on my counter:

Really poor quality photo, (also I am painting, therefore the rollers) but those little black dots are deceased fruit flies! Gross huh? But gross in the most satisfying way ever.

This is the perfect thing to have on hand for Thanksgiving and wine drinking season (which is Jan – Dec, you know).

Later this month I will be publishing my holiday gift guide, which is basically a giant “Products I Would Give up Coffee For” so be sure to check back mid-month.

NEW MUSIC I AM LOVING

Cry to Me – The Very Best of Solomon Burke (best for dancing alone in the kitchen)

Real Gone – Sheryl Crow (best for cleaning/painting the house)

Cold – Chris Stapleton (best for brokenhearted character inspiration)

A RECIPE YOU PROBABLY DON’T NEED