It’s been a hot minute, friends. Sorry I dropped off the (blog) map for a bit; I needed a little pause and reset. The last few weeks have not been quite the reset I hoped, but I felt like it was time to pop back in here and say hi. We’ll see how it goes. I’m in my “give yourself grace and do what feels joyful” era. This year’s had a bit of a rough start – safe to say, collectively as well as personally – so I think this is the right attitude for the times. I’ll say no more, because I don’t want to turn this into a therapy sesh. I’ve had a few good ones lately (with a new therapist, who is amazing!), so you guys are off the hook 😉
In exciting news, my second book, Murder Takes a Holiday, is coming out in ebook and paperback on Tuesday, March 24! I’m testing out a new approach and making the ebook available on Kindle Unlimited. It does mean, sadly, that it will remain an Amazon-exclusive for the next 3 months. I am hoping for a “wide” release after June.
I won’t say more about my writing journey for the time being; it’s been a rollercoaster ride since the publication of A Party to Murder, but I will save the details for another time.
I will leave it here: if you read A Party to Murder and enjoyed it, I think you will love Murder Takes a Holiday and I would love for you to read it. Your support (and reviews!) mean the world.
Remember my goal to reduce phone screen time? Yeah, I really dropped the ball on that. Seeing a recent weekly screen time summary was a wake-up call … again. So I am bringing fresh energy to tackling this! I’m pairing this goal with one to slow things down. I’ve been in “go, go, go” mode since January 2025 and I’m perilously close to serious burnout. I want and need to (re)learn how to do, well, nothing. Nothing “productive”, that is.
I still have things I want to accomplish this year, but I am going to let up on the gas pedal for a bit, and give myself a bit of breathing room. I should have been doing that over the winter, to be honest – winter is the perfect time to hibernate and rest – but I didn’t because … I like to make my own life more difficult, hah. So, instead, I am going to focus on bringing balance back into my life this spring. Balance between doing and being.
I also want to make more time for hobbies like reading and thrifting, because both have kinda fallen by the wayside lately. I know what you’re thinking: ‘even thrifting??’ Yes, even thrifting. I have a lot of thoughts about the current state of thrifting, but I’ll save those for another time. I do want to reignite my enthusiasm for the treasure hunt. Thrifting helped to reframe how I looked at the world; in particular, helped to fix the idea that there is beauty everywhere, including in overlooked places.
And I need to get back into reading for fun! After the holidays, I fell into a slump. Then, recently, I finally got around to reading E.F. Benson’s Mapp & Lucia series, and that reminded me of how delightful and fun reading can be. I cannot recommend it enough if you need a cozy, humorous escape. Imagine if Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse had a baby, and that is the delight that is the incomparable Lucia (social queen bee of her picturesque small English village) and her rival Miss Mapp.
It’s hard to believe we are nearing the end of March because the weather has been so atrocious, but there are signs that we might be turning the corner. And, of course, with the Equinox, spring is officially here! I cannot tell you how excited I am to embrace my warm weather wardrobe again. I need a change … and a break from my sweaters. Yeah, I said it. Sorry, sweaters – I still love ya, but we need some time apart. Like, say, 6 months or so?
Have a great weekend!