An extra hour gives 60 more minutes of reading! (Not working on my 2 different WIPs. Not housekeeping. Not the last mow of the season. Not anything practical. Sometimes making the practical choice is over-rated.:-)  [front cover of trade paperback book "Nikki Payne, The Princess and the P.I." showing a curvaceous Black woman leaning against the front of a desk with a Black man standing behind the desk]  The Princess and the P.I. (Bennetts #3) by Nikki Payne  contemporary fiction w/suspense & romance  Berkeley, September 2025  Fiona and Maurice are determined to right some grievous wrongs and their plans go sideways when she's accused of murder. They make what each hopes will turn out to be a mutually beneficial deal. Grief, religious zealotry used to justify misogyny and oppression, complicated family dynamics and more make their quest to hold the guilty accountable a treacherous endeavor. Snappy dialogue, DMV-area Easter eggs, and lots of drama add humor an...

The countdown to Halloween adds incentive to reading scary tales, even for me as a scaredy cat.  [a bookstack of 6 books, from top to bottom: The Covenant of Blood, Blood Ties, Uncharmed, Never Been Witched, Love's a Witch, Joy Goddess]  The Covenant of Blood by J.S. Living, author & publisher  supernatural fantasy with romantic elements   2022  Liz, daughter of Vlad the Impaler and The Blood Countess, has questions. About her mother, her origins, her purpose. More than one faction wants to stop her from finding those answers. Secrets, betrayals, adventures, bloody mayhem, and more ensue across a saga offered in three intricately woven parts.  Blood Ties: A Collection of Three Covenant of Blood Stories by J.S. Living, author & publisher  supernatural fantasy with romantic elements  2024  Readers have some questions. This concise collection offers answers and deeper context for characters' motivations along with gorgeous artwork. Plus,...

Reading, writing, and eating my feelings are my default coping strategies and so far this month I've been averaging 1k+ words per day on a WIP fun idea that's been percolating in my thoughts for almost a year!  My first drafts are always handwritten, which helps me sketch out my thoughts without getting distracted by the allure of a tech device screen.      [a zippered fabric notebook case with a plastic clipboard inside showing above the top with the edge of one sheet of paper clamped under its clip; a mechanical pencil and a large rubber eraser atop a package of 150 sheets of college ruled notebook paper all slanted across the right edge of the notebook case; and all those items sitting atop a lap desk]  An inspiring read + BAC (Book Acquisition Compulsion) Issues [hardcover copy of Uncommon Favor... by Dawn Staley propped in front of a stack of 13 books with a trade paperback copy of To Kill a Badger spine-out to the right of it]  Uncommon Favor: Basketb...

Recording insightful virtual panel chats with a variety of successful authors and publishing services professionals as a continuation of the 6th and final The Write Women Book Fest along with mini-sodes of author interviews for The B!tchy Quill podcast inspired me to start writing every day again, which resulted in thousands of mostly usable output on two different WIPs!  https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2025-program.html#/   It also reminded me to read J.S. Living's work.  [The Covenant of Blood and Blood Ties arranged face up next to Realm of Thieves and The Younger Man stacked]  My BAC (Book Acquisition Compulsion) Issues continue as seen below, where my goal was to dash into the library to pick up the one book that was on hold for me, and ended up being lured toward the "new books" shelves and found irresistible titles, as usual. That was at one branch, then the same mission at the neighboring county's branch yielded a similar outcome.   [photo collage:...

Still reading my feelings with two mysteries that include romance (of course), a romance set in the world of auto racing, and a non-fiction workout book to revamp my fitness routine since I'm also eating my feelings, and not with kale.  [4 books arranged front covers up, from left to right: How to Have a Killer Time in D.C., A Waltz on the Wild Side, Not So Fast, 7-Minute Body Plan]  A Waltz on the Wild Side (Wild Wynchesters #6) by Erica Ridley  historical romance  Forever, August 2025  Abuse of power, voting rights, artistic gatekeeping, and more themes that apply to today's real-life struggles are woven into this entertaining historical romp of a rescue turned mutual courtship. Riffs on how families and communities are chosen and created add poignant notes throughout Viv and Jacob's adventure. Absurdist mayhem involving assorted animals and dangerous, often rebellious activities add fun along with substantial social commentary.  How to Have a Killer Time...

These days it's not an issue of IF a secret gets revealed, but when, how and by whom.   [a bookstack of 9 books from top to bottom: It All Falls Down, Summer's Echo, Only Lovers in the Building, Alice Chen's Reality Check, Ready to Score, Eliza and the Duke, Broken Harbor, The Story That Wouldn't Die, Framed in Death]  It All Falls Down (Trust #3) by Daines L. Reed  contemporary fiction  Juliene Dune is at a crossroads. Every aspect of her life and nearly all of her relationships are forcing her to make hard choices. How will she decide who to keep and who to cut loose? Compelling narrative momentum and complicated characters in messy entanglements make her journey an irresistible read.  Summer's Echo by Robbi Renee  contemporary romance  What happens when unspoken truths fester for years? Summer and Echo discover difficult answers while working to heal and thrive. First love, heartache, and lessons learned the hard way on the path to reconciliati...