Recapping May
Anyone else blink and miss May? I sure did. When I started brainstorming what I’d write about for the blog, I was initially going with what I read in May, because May was a very good reading month. But it occurred to me that May was packed full of good things – and that it went by so very fast.
Let’s recap May, shall we?
I started the month off at the Knoxville Book Festival. I sold some books, signed some books, met a lot of people, and got to be on my first panel with E.L. Canney and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Y’all, I fear I love being on panels. Other than meeting readers, it was my favorite part of the festival. I’m looking forward to doing it all again at the Summer Book Fest in June.
Work was exceptionally busy, as it always is at the end of the academic year. Many of you know that my full-time job is in higher education. I work for a newly created college, and this year, we graduated our first group of students. I’ve been with the college since the very beginning, and it was so special to watch those kids cross the stage and receive their degrees. I cried more than once.
A few days later, I hopped on a plane bound for Los Angeles to spend some time with my brother and brother-in-law. I got In-N-Out (a must every time I’m in town!), visited Angel City Stitchery, where my brother informed me I looked at every single canvas in the store before purchasing one (he might be right), and stopped by The Ripped Bodice. We also did some shopping at The Grove (had to stop by Barnes and Noble!), and I introduced them to Levain Bakery cookies.
Besides In-N-Out, I requested dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Cecconi’s, and “really good sushi,” which we found at Ajisai, a small hole-in-the-wall that was utterly delicious. They also took me to the Chateau Marmont (!!!) for a belated 40th birthday celebration. There is a strict no-photos policy, but I assure you, a great time was had.
The flight home was easily one of the worst I’ve had. It included everything from a diversion to Amarillo while the Dallas airport was closed to arriving in Knoxville at two in the morning, hours behind schedule, only to sit on the tarmac for almost an hour. As annoying as the delays were, I got quite a bit of stitching done, and I read a ton.
I was in a bit of a reading slump, but it suffices to say that May broke me out of it. I started the month strong by reading an ARC of Annabel Monaghan’s Dolly All The Time. Friends, this is the perfect summer romance. It has fake dating, a single mom, a wealthy MMC… All the makings of a great romance book. However, as an eldest daughter, I felt seen in this story and by the time it was over, I vowed to be “Sarah All The Time.”
From there, the slump was over. I finished The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 6, on the plane to Los Angeles and had a bit of a meltdown over that February 28th entry. As badly as I wanted to start Volume 7 right then and there, I was on a plane and didn’t have it downloaded, so I started an ARC of Brighter Than Before by Courtney Walsh. I fell in love with this closed-door romance, and although Claire is a few years older than me and I’m not going through a divorce, I identified with her journey of starting over and self-discovery. Plus, the found family element is beautiful.
Then there was Metal Slinger. I’ve had a copy on my shelf for more than a year, and a copy downloaded on my Kindle at least as long, but I hadn’t gotten around to it. I started it during our diversion to Amarillo, and by the time we landed in Knoxville, I’d read 60%. I couldn’t put it down, and THAT TWIST! I can usually guess the twist, but I did not see this one coming. I’m so glad I put off reading it until right before Light Wielder is released! I will be dropping everything to read that one.
In the middle of all of these events, travel, and reading, I also finished a round of self-edits on Political Damage, the third book in the Political Gain series, and am nearly finished with copy edits for Political Capital. Speaking of Political Capital… It’s June… 👀 There may just be some news coming very soon, but in the meantime, check out chapter one for free!
And now it’s June. I’ll be selling and signing books at the Knoxville Summer Book Festival June 12-13, as well as hosting the romance panel(!!!), and there are a couple of fun needlepoint nights planned, too. I’m planning to read a lot, re-watch Off Campus, and do a LOT of writing once edits are turned in and final files are uploaded. Our guy Luke has a story to tell…
What was your May like? Was it as hectic as mine? What’s the last great book you read? Tell me all the things!
