Last Saturday, Jade and Wilnona - the And I Thought Ladies, honored me with an Inspirational Woman in Literature Award for my work in supporting authors and promoting literacy! It was an unexpected honor and much appreciated coming from two people who work so diligently to create successful opportunities for other authors and creatives. A browse of their socials reveals how much time, effort and travel they expend transforming their own and others' publishing aspirations into reality.   [a framed 8in x 11in "Certificate of achievement, Inspirational Woman of Literature, Cardyn Brooks, You have shown excellence and innovation as an inspirational woman of Literature 2025, Jade Dee, Wilnona Marie, And I thought Ladies"]  We enjoyed a cozy lunch at the Reynolds Tavern in Annapolis, which provided a charming atmosphere and scrumptious food.  [three women standing in front of the corner of a brick building with a "Reynolds Tavern..." plaque above their heads; a "...

Rereads, new reads, reissues and more evidence of my BAC (Book Acquisition Compulsion) problems  [a vertical row of trade paperback books from left to right: Played, Pucked Up, The Garden of Small Beginnings, Get Lost with You, My Big Fat Fake Marriage - on top of a vertical stack of TBR books from top to bottom: Flirting Lessons, Say You'll Remember Me, Scot and Bothered, Savor It, Kills Well with Others]  Comfort reread contemporary romance, Played by Naima Simone and (not shown) historical romance, Devil In Disguise by Lisa Kleypas. Indulged in another angsty YA hockey romance, Pucked Up by Helena Hunting. Emotional upheaval and struggling through the stages of grief in contemporary women's fiction with romantic elements, The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman. More struggles and triumphs of moving forward after returning to one's childhood home in contemporary romance, Get Lost With You by Sophie Sullivan, and an amusing break from the glorification of a-hole bil...

A woman creates the man of her dreams and sets off a problematic chain of cascading consequences.    [a hardcover book arranged face up: "BLOB, A Love Story by Maggie Su" with a "NEW" sticker in the upper right corner]  BLOB, A Love Story by Maggie Su  contemporary speculative fiction  Harper, January 2025  Comparisons to a more lighthearted Frankenstein are appropriate for this poignant tale about excavating the fundamentals of identity. Vi Liu is experiencing a very rough entry into adulthood. She's lonely. When a chance to create her perfect mate presents itself, she goes for it. Unexpected revelations and mayhem ensue.  Similar to The Blob movie of the 1950s starring Steve McQueen, once it starts absorbing things it's hard to stop.  BLOB is ultimately a provocative self-love* story that explores the ways in  which people reconcile the various elements of themselves - or don't.    *For romance fans: This is a love story, not a ro...

Reading my feelings in addition to eating them.    [3 trade paperback romance books arranged face up from left to right: Story of My Life, Stuck in the Country with You, Unromance]  [2 books arranged face up, from left to right: Black Woods Blue Sky; Once Smitten, Twice Shy]  Stuck in the Country with You by Zuri Day  contemporary romance  Harlequin/Afterglow Book, December 2024  When life rains down challenges into Genesis Washington's life, it pours in mayhem that leads to unexpected opportunities. Jaxon King offers support and so many temptations. Their charming second-chance love story is irresistible.  Unromance by Erin Connor  contemporary romance  Forever, January 2025  A trope-a-licious, emotionally fraught, super funny, clever and sexy homage to all things distinct to the romance genre. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author.  Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese  contemporary romance  Be...

My social media engagement is minimal because at the end of my life I won't think, "I should have spent more time on social media." Earlier this week some comments from accounts that I don't follow and don't follow me commented on my "We Are a Book Sanctuary" photo showing books wrapped in solid-colored paper; no titles/authors/genres, no text at all beyond the letters spelling out the phrase from a display at a local library branch 5 months ago. Rather than responding to or blocking them, I'm sharing my thoughts here.    [screen shot from the Unite Against Book Bans website homepage with their open book logo in the upper left corner and "Unite in Your Community" links to resources to defend books from censorship]  Engaging with social media every day isn't my usual pattern so it took a day or two for me to see these. [a chain of comments from 3 different formerly-twitter accounts in response to an October 2024 post with a photo of a ...

Last week ended with a lively virtual book launch of a writing craft how-to delivered as a new memoir from the living literary icon and educator Marita Golden. Similar to the way in which August Wilson composed "The Pittsburgh Cycle" to examine the complexity of the African-American experience throughout the 20th century, each Marita Golden memoir offers insights into different aspects of her life as a Black person, a woman, a creative, an academic, a wife, a mother with compelling discourse that urges readers to excavate their own lives, motives, and lessons learned in easy and hard ways.     How to Become a Black Writer: Creating & Honoring Black Stories That Matter  by Marita Golden  non-fiction memoir  Mango, February 2025   "All writing is autobiographical."  Marita Golden   https://maritagolden.com/   This memoir offers an examination of self as a way into engaging public conversation with a variety of subjects: the e...