This post is gonna be quick and dirty…kind of like my rec. Heh. This week, I’m reading Tessa Bailey’s Thrown Down, which is part of the Made in Jersey. I’m about 60% into this one and loving every minute of it.

The heroine is a single mom, which I absolutely love (as Tessa Ever After will attest). And while sometimes books that feature kids, especially in the romance genre, utilize those kids only for very specific plot devices, that’s not the case with this one. Marcy is a great, three-dimensional character, and totally true to form. And then we have the hero—Vaughn. Also known as jdkfjakdshfkjdsahkljclks. He’s a dad who didn’t know he was a dad, and man is he trying to repent for time away. Oh, yeah, did I mention he’s a dirty talker? Ahem.

If you’re in the mood for a hot, dirty, quick read, check this one out!

Hey everyone! This week for the Spring #ListifyLife challenge it’s all about the weird skills or talents you have. It took me a while to think of things for this—and one is kind of a cheat since I could only do it for a grand total of 18 months out of my whole life—but I got a few down.

First, and probably most notable, is my boob talent. I can accurately guess a woman’s correct bra size 90% of the time. And, if I’m being honest, that’s probably more like 99% of the time. Sit down and let me tell you a story. Last year at the RT convention, I was at a publisher’s party, sitting around and chatting with some lovely women, when my talent came up. I don’t remember how or why, but it did. I then proceeded to correctly guess everyone who wanted me to. They were all very impressed. *sunglasses emoji* You think that’s where the story would end, right? NOT SO, FRIEND. Nope. The following day at the signing, my editor from an entirely different publisher walked up to my table and said, “I heard about your talent. Guess mine.” Me: *mouth opens and closes* *eyes pop out* “How…how did you know about that?!” Apparently word of my talent got around. Moral of the story: next time I see you, ask me to guess your size. I’ll guess what you’re wearing or the size you should actually be in. I’m that good. *buffs nails*

Second, I am a rockstar with my toes. Now, I don’t know if everyone can do this or if my family is exceptionally gifted (snort) in this aspect. All I know is if my toes can fit around it, I can pick it up. I also know that I just lost probably a solid 40% of you by talking about feet. My apologies.

Lastly, and the one that is a sorry excuse for a talent, but I was grasping at straws here, is my pregnant magic trick. I’m not kidding when I say wherever I went my husband or mother-in-law would drag me around like a circus side show and make me show everyone who would stop long enough to watch. Picture it: Me, 8.5 months pregnant with a basketball in my stomach. *mimes actions* 1. tie string around belly button. 2. pull string above belly. 3. lift string and move belly to coincide with it. 4. do this four or five times to really get the crowd rolling. 5. hold string (and belly) up, then use other hand to “cut” the string, and drop belly. 6. receive pats on the back and general merriment tossed in my direction.

I have a video of that last one somewhere, and if I could find it, I would’ve totally posted it for your amusement. Alas…

Anyone have any weird skills or talents? Who knows, I might put it in a book…

Welcome to the Friday (plus one day) Round-up! I was so busy going, going, going yesterday that I just couldn’t fit this in. (that’s what she said) But, hey, this is my blog, and I do what I want, so Friday (plus one day) Round-up it is!

I didn’t save a ton on Pocket this week, and most of it was work related. But I know I have at least three writers following the blog (hi, friends!), so maybe it’ll be helpful to someone.

First up, a book series bible using Scrivener. I’ve been planning to start a series bible for a while now and am trying to figure out the best/easiest/most conducive to my brain way to do it. The reason this one popped up was because Aeon Timeline is on sale now through 4/25. Even if you don’t want or need a series bible, I’ve heard nothing but good things about this particular program.

Another thing I’ve wanted to try for keeping my book/series plans organized is One Note. I mean…some of the stuff I’ve seen people do with this is so awesome. And it totally speaks to how my brain works. I just need to sit down and dive in. That’s going on my to-do list for Monday. Also, did I mention One Note is freeeeeeee?

Finally, I’ve been contemplating a FitBit (or something similar) a lot lately. Mostly because my orthopedic surgeon wants me walking a certain number of steps every day and my piece of shit free phone tracker doesn’t work. But, listen, it doesn’t excite me to wear a plain black/red/pink/purple band all day every day. Even if you throw that color on there, it’s still just a band to me. Enter Funktional Wearables. I haven’t had time to really dig in and see everything they’ve got, but from what I have seen, they’re super cute.

Whoops! I said finally, but one last thing… Found out this week that Season of Second Chances, a second chance romance with a hot single dad (there may be nail painting in here, but you’ll have to read to verify), is on sale for only 99 pennies. I have no idea how long it will stay this price on Amazon, so if this sounds like something you’d like, snag it now! As I was sleuthing the pricing, I also noticed Plus One, a friends to lovers, best friend’s brother story, is also on sale for $1.24! That’s both of them for about half the price of one. Not a bad deal!

That’s it for this week! Have a great weekend. My oldest is having a sleepover tonight, so it’ll be hours of screaming/giggling/obnoxiousness in my house. Here’s hoping your night is quieter and filled with lots of books. See you Monday!

Earlier in the week, I wasn’t sure what I was going to talk about for the Whatcha ____ Wednesday blog. And actually, as I opened up a new post to start writing, I intended to chat about what book I’m reading and loving right now (side note: Tessa Bailey’s Boiling Point). But then I remembered what I did last weekend and thought it might be better to touch on something else that I’m loving right now: writer friendships.

I’ve said before a thousand times that this career is lonely at the best of times, isolating at the worst. This, of course, may be different depending on your personality type, but for me? As an ENFJ(-A), I gain energy from being around people and find this job to be extremely taxing in that aspect. I like to joke with my CP that all that energy she’s drained of at conferences, I suck it all up. Because of that, it’s important for me to find outlets and ways to connect with others, whether that be through dinners out, meetings, workshops, social media, or just plain old texting.

Last weekend, a group of seven of us headed to beautiful Galena, IL for a writer’s retreat. The plan was tentative and loose—show up on Friday, leave on Sunday, and do whatever we wanted in the time between.  And we managed to cram a lot in. Between workshops, plotting chats, discussing our processes, working, and, of course, drinking, our weekend filled up before we even knew it. We had a nice mix of people who attended, writing in different genres and categories, and at different stages in their writing careers. Because of that, conversation never waned, and each of us had something different to offer the others in the group. We had such a great time, we’re planning to make it a yearly event.

As I’m sitting here this week, on the downhill slide from my high of the retreat and also #NotAtRT and feeling pretty bummed about it, I’ve been chatting with my CP and good friend Jeanette Grey about other ways I can get that fuel when it’s just not possible to attend a retreat or conference. Because let’s face it—that shit gets expensive. The thing she keeps telling me (and, to be fair, the thing she’s told me at least seventeen times a year for the past four years) is to go to my local chapter already, god. (So she didn’t say it like that because she’s much nicer to me than I am, but still the gist was the same.)

I’ve been a member of my local-ish chapter for a while, but timing hasn’t ever worked in my favor. I say local-ish, because I actually have three chapters close to me, but by close, I mean they’re all about an hour away. That’s made it challenging to find the time in the schedule to go, but I think it’s about time I figure out a way to make it work. Because in this isolating career where my brain and my spirit run on connections, it’s time I made some more.

Hey everyone! I am back in the land of the living, though just barely. I had a fabulous time at the first annual, to-be-named writing retreat in Galena, IL. There were seven writers there, and it was a great mix of girls. We had a blast (and definitely too much food). All that said, I’m exhausted. I slept for ten hours last night, and it still wasn’t enough. But I don’t go to retreats or conferences to sleep. LOL

Now that I’m back in the groove (or getting there), I have some #ListifyLife posts to catch up on! I missed last week’s which was Little Things That Make You Happy.

This was a fun one to do. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day monotony and forget all the little things that make us smile. And, thankfully, my list is long. I could’ve gone onto the next page with ease, and that’s a great feeling (and one I need to remind myself of some days). Everything from new office pens to a clean kitchen to my kids’ laughter to fresh sheets can make me smile. Was there anything I didn’t mention that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your face?

This week’s list was words you always misspell. And I misspell a lot. But, really, do you blame me for hors d’oeverues? <——I’mma just leave that there for your amusement. Also there for your amusement is that cute as hell birdie I doodled. With prompts from The Revision Guide on Instagram, because I’m not that good.

That’s it for this week’s post! I’ll see you Wednesday for another Whatcha _______ Wednesday. What’ll it be this week? I honestly have no idea… 🙂