Seeing colored pencil sketches of hot drinks with steam drifting from the top, often with a snoozing dog nearby and autumnal leaves outside—it hurts my soul.

My sweaty, sweaty soul.

Where I live in the southeast portion of the U.S., the heat comes in waves of 100% humidity as the temperature hits 99° (but feels like 108°!).

Dogs pant next to air vents and tabletop fans.

There are no hot drinks.

So, while so much of the world prepares for a light jacket and meandering walks in the park, I know that jeans are not our friend right now and the only thing to do with long hair is get it off your sweaty neck.

However, because rom-com leads don’t give up, neither can I.

There’s the challenge: a search for cozy in even these (re: hot & humid & blazing sun) circumstances.

Light blankets around the house, even a big cotton sheet, allow for curling up with a book without risking heat stroke.

Long loose cotton dresses, think the Millennial muumuu, are cute and cooling and offer a good breeze if you stand in front of/over a vent.

The music stays light, whimsical, and on the Bluetooth speaker.

To me, a rom-com life means a light-hearted, cozy, welcoming life that I’m making with care.

Essentially Kathleen Kelly as much as you can, as often as you can.

And letting this death-rattle of high temperatures pass without entirely losing my cool (or my mind) means looking for sneaky ways to keep the mood up.

Because, as I say to myself on repeat, I’m not a mean person, it’s just really hot.

Please borrow that mantra if it helps.

Some of the best feedback I’ve received about my book First Comes Love is that it feels like “a warm hug.”

And while I want little to do with “warm” in any other capacity that’s exactly the mood I wanted it to evoke.

Maybe because the sparks fly in the dialogue and not a bedroom. Maybe because the book is set in a small but open and progressive fictional Appalachian town.

But I absolutely loved what she said. First Comes Love doesn’t take you out of your life; it gives you a peek into how delightful and charming your life and your love story already are, if you’re paying attention.

It’s a love story with its head in the sky and its feet on the ground.

If you could use a romance like that, grab it on Amazon in paperback or add it to your Kindle or KU library. Read it while wrapped up in a cotton sheet, in your comfiest muumuu with your favorite Louis Armstrong or Sam Cooke playing.

And if you have tips for staying cool and light-hearted in a hot, oppressive season, don’t hold back! Drop ‘em below. I’ve got my pen, I’m taking notes!

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

want to support? buy me a coffee :-)

When I was little, before smart phones even existed, I decided a waiting room with no good reading materials was hell. Seriously, eight years old and I knew where the boundary lines lay.

Flashforward to having grown up constantly shoving a paperback and more recently a kindle in my backpack then purse then diaper bag.

I don’t go without.

Until yesterday, when my adorable, ridiculous Bernese Mountain dog, Romeo, needed a re-check with his neurologist.

At the bougie vet, for my bougie boy, I anticipated a quick visit. Leaving my house, my hand hovered over my stack of books (an India Holton, a Dolly Parton bio, or a try-not-to-screw-up-your-kids parenting option).

And then I said these tragic words to myself: I have my phone. I’ll be fine.

Two and a half hours later and, friend, I was not fine.

I was bored. SO FRIGGING BORED.

I was other things, too, worried and sad about Romeo being the top two.

You know what helps worried and sad? A book.

You know when I’m not bored? When I’m reading.

All these years of building these reader muscles just to watch it fall apart in a cold waiting room at the university vet school.

I debated if I should turn in my reader’s badge.

(sidenote: I would lovelovelove it if someone made and sold reader badges for adults)

My lesson is learned and I won’t try that again. My big dog and I got home, and I managed to unknot my brain. But it was a clear reminder, I’m too much of a reader to spend hours scrolling.

Unless I’m sick in the bed (as we say in East Tennessee), I don’t have extended scrolling in me.

Reading (and now writing) books has saved me from so much dullness. When I wrote First Comes Love, I wrote Andie as a reader. There’s even an exchange where she brags to her beau, the kind, handsome Joe McIntyre, about her cozy night in reading.

He admits he’s jealous, as he’s dealing with hijinks of his funny (and realistically portrayed, though I say it myself ;-) children.

And therein lies the rub. Andie always said no children. Joe happily has three of them and a co-parenting custody agreement to boot.

I will never change my mind about needing a book when entering public spaces. But will Andie change her mind about including some really delightful kids in her life… particularly when there’s a dreamy, funny man attached?

That’s for me to know and you to read all about (at home or in some hellish waiting room) in my modern rom-com First Comes Love.

It’s a romance book for adults about adults (Andie & Joe are late 30s and early 40s!) who love the energy of late 90s and early 00s rom-coms and any Sara Bareilles song ever written.

What’s your favorite way to pass a waiting room experience? I’d love some tips below!

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

Last night I finished a manuscript around 12:30 am. Almost nothing keeps me up that late anymore except emergencies and ridiculous deadlines.

Sadly, this ridiculous deadline I imposed on myself.

With that in mind, here are some options for how to celebrate finishing the original manuscript.

1. A day off. You, your coziest clothes, cereal for meals, and a long-awaited book/television binge/doom scroll—whatever suits your fancy. A prone position highly recommended.

2. For animal lovers, a trip to your local shelter to play with your favorite fur-baby. (Warning: this does carry the possibility of bringing home a new fur-baby. Be vigilant. Save that energy for when you publish the book!)

3. If your weather is pleasant (re: not the awful armpit of hot that is currently Southeast U.S.) give yourself a few good walks during your normal writing time. I know exercise is the first habit I lose when I’m on a deadline and it’s going to feel good picking it back up.

4. Possibly most important, tell people what you’ve done and allow those who’re so inclined to praise you. Don’t be afraid of possible side-effects. More people will want to praise you than not. It’s a character-building experience, as an adult, to accept cheers and encouragement. Here on Substack is a great place to share!

And for that .5 idea drumroll, please… sit in your car, turn on a favorite song and let it rip. Today I blasted Dolly Parton’s “Baby, I’m Burning” and The Highwomen’s cover of “The Chain” andI felt so alive.

Whenever I write a list like this, I think of my main character, Andie Werking in First Comes Love and her own passionate stance of self-care and enjoying oneself, simultaneously if possible.

A thirty-eight-year-old woman who’s managed to build her own successful local goods boutique, along with an amazing friend group, and who’s sworn off ever having children, Andie’s motto would be, we’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time.

Of course, in an arc of personal growth and hilarious hijinks, she’s hit with intense feelings for delightful, divorced dad Joe McIntyre, who brings with his three quirky kids and fifty-fifty custody split.

That’s a tough one, Andie! :-)

If you think you’d enjoy a swoony rom-com with strong women’s fic vibes, First Comes Love is your perfect read. Grab it in paperback or add it to your Kindle or KU library.

And tell me, do you think you’d try any of these to celebrate? What’s a low-pressure celebration for you? Reply here or let’s chat in the comments!

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

I said it was and explained, I know only the periphery of the case. To which Dorothy said, “I don’t know much about this but….”

And then proceeded to give me the names of major persons involved in the case, a blow-by-blow of what she understands happened with the crime, including screenshots on her phone of photos she’s pulled off the internet, and the questions she thinks haven’t been properly answered.

She doesn’t know much about this…?

The kid basically gave me a 10-page essay on the case, including an opening paragraph and a solid closing argument. How much would she need to know about the case to feel she knew something about the case??

But I recognize how often we do this, and by “we” I mean us women. I often refrain from saying “This is the situation…” and instead say “I think this is the situation…”

Another favorite of mine? “My understanding is…”

Now, some of this is a softening because so much of my conversation is with little kids and teens. I have no interest in coming in as big boss on every topic.

Except in some cases? I know a lot. Big boss-level a lot.

One of the joys is writing women-centered romance is the fact, these characters get to claim personality traits I don’t have. While several of my FMCs (female main characters) might hesitate in being considered an authority, Indy Bird Sullivan is not one of them.

This woman knows what she knows, knows what her gut tells her, and believes in the decisions she’s made.

Sometimes she believes too strongly. Sometimes she needs to closer examine her final determinations.

As a reader and a writer, I enjoy reading about romance FMCs who go against stereotype. I enjoy reading women who don’t need to learn to speak up for themselves; they do that just fine.

Women in their mid-30s, with strong views and fully formed brains, are the delight of my rom-com writer life. Seeing love stories play out a second time around for characters of this age gives me a sense of being seen and represented.

And I want to read as much of that as I can find.

If you feel the same, grab The One You Fall For on paperback or on kindle. I’m no expert but I believe it’s a pretty swoony book.

Hang on. I am the expert on this one. And actually, it’s a damn swoony book! :-)

In the meantime, I’ll be here taking notes as Dorothy’s debriefs the long-term risks of AI, the possibilities of war with China, or what detectives missed in the case of Jack the Ripper… and any other topic she doesn’t know much about.

Is there a place you need to claim more authority? Whether it’s serious to your own life or a fun fascination, I’d love to know more! Share here and let’s connect.

Take care and talk soon,
Emily

It wasn’t the search for the perfect color or working out if there was an ideal red that also fit my budget.

Nope! The discomfort came from the fact that wearing red lipstick was going to draw attention. And it might be negative.

I’d put this bold lipstick on and there was a good chance people would notice.

You might be asking, well, why else would you wear red lipstick?

Honestly? I liked how it made my face look. It brightened my skin, it made my eyes pop, and, as someone who can’t contour or shade to save her life, it gave me a lil’ something-something I wanted.

But that didn’t mean I wanted to stand out or draw attention.

Luckily, I was in a place in my life where doing the small thing that delighted me was more worthwhile than worrying about the disapproval of others.

Still, I had to practice. I’d wear it at home or to places where I didn’t think I’d know anyone.

I was absurdly conscious of it, regularly finding moments to check my phone camera to see if it smudged, wore off or looked silly.

Most of the time, it made me really happy when I saw my face and my bright lippy staring back at me.

Sometimes it needed a touch-up. And it was no big deal. :-)

But it was worth it. Adding that burst of color to my day gave me the romantic vibe, the brightness I wanted.

A surprise bonus was the way it boosted my confidence. Becoming comfortable with my lipstick made it easier to be comfortable with statement pieces, like scarves tied in my hair, like my chunky rainbow pride necklace, like red shoes.

(I now love a red shoe. But that’s another newsletter.)

It gave me confidence to post more on social media. To talk to strangers at farmers markets about my books and encourage them to buy.

While red lipstick didn’t start out as “my thing” by adding it I found more of myself.

Which is my version of when Dolly Parton said, “Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”

I love writing women who’re actively seeking to be more themselves. In The One You Fall For, Indy Bird Sullivan is a woman who’s been certain of herself and her decisions, walking through life with a headstrong determination and, often times, a lack of nuance.

Until the return of Indy’s estranged husband Sully forces her to reexamine her choices and her plans for her life.

Coincidentally, Indy loves a bold red lipstick. ;-)

If you need a smart, grown-up rom-com and a cozy, swoony escape for the weekend, grab a copy of The One You Fall For in paperback or on Kindle.

I’m donating 20% of my sales for the rest of August to Dolly’s Imagination Library so you’ll be treating yourself AND bringing books to more kids.

Then tell me below, do you struggle to stand out? Or are you comfortable with attention? I’m always curious to hear! Let’s chat.

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

It took a few tries to even write the sentence because it still seems inconceivable to me that she’s gone.

Growing up in Knoxville as I did, Dolly was part of the background, knit into the fabric of our everyday life.

She stayed present in East Tennessee long after she moved to Nashville. She never seemed to leave her roots, but only to stretch and carry them with her.

We’d say things like, “They’ve got Dolly coming to sing ‘Rocky Top’ at the game this weekend.”

“Dollywood opens tomorrow, did y’all get tickets?”

“Did you see what Dolly’s doing for kids in Sevierville?” (Created a buddy system that paid kids to partner up and encourage one another to graduate high school, lowering the drop-out rate in Sevier County from 35% to 6%, if you’re curious.)

Of course, my family loved her.

My dad and I would drive to school in his little Mazda truck, listening to Dolly, Linda Ronstandt, and Emmylou Harris on their album Trio, and he’d shake his head and whistle quietly in admiration for these three unbelievably talented women.

My mom loved her movies, and we still quote Dolly’s lines from Steel Magnolias at one another. (On the subject of shoes: “Well, in a good shoe I wear a size six but a seven feels so good I buy a size eight.”)

However, in the last decade or so, Dolly became my own patron saint.

Maybe because she was having a resurgence in pop culture.

Maybe because I worked with some fantastic folks who adored her (I’m looking at you, Erin and Brad).

And maybe because I was finally at an age to recognize what an extraordinary woman she is.

Was.

I loved when she told people, regardless of the song, she knew wasn’t a dumb blonde because she wasn’t dumb and she wasn’t blonde.

When she made the point “if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain” I felt heartened.

When she said, “A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink” I felt inspired.

Her father couldn’t read or write and as a tribute to him, she put books in children’s homes, donating hundreds of millions of books around the world.

And I don’t know that I can type much more because, well, my heart feels a little broken.

This is all personal to me. But that’s the point.

She’s my personal patron saint.

I hope you have a patron saint, too.

Without needing a religious connotation.

Without needing that person to make sense to anyone else.

I hope you have someone who you look to for inspiration and encouragement, someone you’ll very likely never meet but who lives in your head nonetheless reminding you, keep going, you’re on the right path, you’re doing exactly what you’re meant to do.

Or, as Dolly said, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

I talk about Dolly here regularly, including my last email, because she’s threaded throughout my work.

She inspired me to dig in and write what I know, which is East Tennessee, relationships, kids, family, starting again after failure, and following your passion. She inspired me to stretch and write what I didn’t know like big family dynamics and sibling connections.

And all of that made my newest rom-com one that Dolly is woven throughout.

If that appeals to you grab The One You Fall For here.

I’m donating 20% of my sales for the rest of the month (on all my books) to Imagination Library. So, it’s a great time to pick one up.

And if you’re feeling Dolly’s loss, too, I’d love to hear below because:

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

Except.

Because my son and I have birthdays very close together (I mean, very close), we pretend it’s not my birthday.

Ben is such a good little guy and he’s still a kid. Once he was old enough to “get” the idea of parties and presents, watching me have a celebration right before he has a celebration was asking a bit much.

Therefore, my official birthday is today but all celebrations are held until the following weekend. And Ben enjoys his birthday without competition. :-)

Is this healthy? Who knows?

But the end of summer is already a wild season, with Dorothy’s birthday closing out July and all of the back to school starting first thing in August. So, this is the plan for now.

That makes this my quiet birthday. (quiet cheers! quiet confetti!)

And I wanted to take today to say how much I appreciate your presence and time.

Every birthday that passes I realize time is the biggest gift and you spending yours with me is not something I take lightly.

Thank you for that.

I also wanted to shamelessly say, IF you’ve considered purchasing one of my books, today would be, you know, a fantastic day to do so.

And if the lady could recommend the book to grab?

Why The One You Fall For would be my pick.

It’s my latest, and therefore dearest to my heart right now. Fickle, yes, but I can’t hurt my books’ feelings, so I think it’s OK.

If you love a rom-com with real & delightful, complicated characters, witty banter, and a second chance romance emitting sparks from the first “hello,” you’ll love The One You Fall For.

It’s my “Dolly book” with vibes I think the patron Saint of East Tennessee, Ms. Dolly Parton, would approve. So much heart, a dash of sparkle, and a lot of humor.

Grab The One You Fall For on paperback or add it to your Kindle right now!

And let me know below, what’s your odd birthday tradition? Hopefully I’m not alone on this!

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

also, about that bday coffee ;-)

My husband and I share a booth at our local farmers market and work together selling a lot of his produce and a pretty good number of my books.

And at this market an enormous number of folks come through. It’s a loud, busy, bright, fabulous place to be, full of adults, teens, children, babies, and animals.

When it comes to animals, the variety is unsurpassed.

A guy with a trained squirrel riding on his shoulder. Cats coddled in baby slings. Even a pair of bunnies in a stroller (these are our customers!).

More mundanely there are so many beautiful dogs. Doodle dogs, golden retrievers, terriers, mixed breeds. A veritable dog parade of “who’s who” in the canine world.

Last Saturday, on a brief break between customers, while checking my phone for (waves hand), I heard a little girl shout,

“That doggy’s got shoes on!”

If anything gets my attention it’s a dog in clothes. I looked.

There was a dark, sleek, Shepherd-looking dog padding along in small black booties. He seemed perfectly at ease with the shoes, trotting next to his owner without complaint.

My thoughts went as follows: Why? Was it because of the hot pavement? I bet it’s the hot pavement.

Does he only get the booties when he goes out in public? I bet the booties are now his signal of something exciting (a ride! a walk!) and he’s happy to put on booties.

He probably gets excited when the little shoes come out!

It was a brief flight of fancy and something to tuck away later, a tidbit to share with people I love.

It was a delight.

To think I could have missed it all because when I had a minute of downtime I went straight to my phone.

As so many of us continue to claim, I want less of this (shakes hand with phone) and more of that (waves both hand towards the world at large, accidentally dropping phone, which is probably for the best).

I want real life, in person, paperback, dog pets, and kid laughs, and visiting my library more than I want “like and follow!”

It’s why I write the romance books I write. Here Comes Baby isn’t meant to be a speedread, one more rom-com you blow through, mentally noting tropes and immediately forgetting the main characters’ names.

It’s a funny, heartfelt story, reminding you of how good and sweet real life can be when you bother to notice what’s right in front of you.

Liz Ainsley struggles to see what’s right in front of her, even though Michael Hartley has been working in her coffee shop for five years.

Even though he’s her favorite person to be around.

Even though he looks at her like she might be the best person he’s ever seen.

If you love a hearty romance, one full of humor and heat, grab Here Comes Baby and hunker down with it. You can add it to your Kindle or get it in paperback.

And I hope this is a weekend where you keep your eyes open and notice all the interesting things running wild in the world. If you see some small oddity, like a doggy in shoes, come back here and let me know! I bet it would make my day, too.

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

As in, I dreaded and ignored and avoided it as long as possible.

Now, I did recently take a course that helped me gird my loins and just. start. writing. (Reply to me if you want the name. No sponsorship, but knows her stuff, and I attribute my continued newsletter success, from zero to much, much better, to her course.)

Having given my cash-money to a professional to learn how to newsletter better, I wasn’t about to fly in the face of the advice and NOT WRITE.

However. Each newsletter took time. And I was writing a lot more emails.

I bet you, like me, aren’t a math major so I’ll work up the numbers real quick.

More newsletters + takes longer = a lot of freaking time writing emails.

As someone who should have been adding to her daily word count on her book, the math wasn’t mathing in my favor.

I was determined to keep writing the newsletters because, after I overthought it a bit, I loved doing it.

But something had to change.

So, I moved my newsletter to the evening, devoting any daylight hours to my book.

Anddd guess what happened??

I wrote faster! I had more fun! I wrote better!

And do you know why???

more suspense! support my work here :-)

Because I was sleepy!!!

And being sleepy meant I essentially felt… tipsy.

Did you know that??

Much like having a glass or two of wine, being sleepy lessens your ability to evaluate risk.

And writing my newsletter (where I struggled to feel confident and capable, i.e. felt under attack, very risky) became easier when my busy brain was tired.

The words, in fact, flowed out of me. I found a rhythm. I had a sense of what I wanted to say, and I wrote it without self-editing and over-thinking as I went.

Then I saved it and re-read it the next morning.

Ninety-five percent of the time? I loved what I wrote.

I felt excited to send it out in the Substackosphere, and I was glad I’d found the nerve to say what I meant.

Full transparency, I did have more grammatical errors. :-) But those were easy to correct before I hit “send.”

Writing FMCs who overthink their decisions comes pretty easily to me. Mostly because, I relate and identify so deeply with them.

In Here Comes Baby, when Liz Ainsley can’t see the friendship she and her coffee shop manager, Michael, have is something special, it’s not because she’s a dummy. She’s overthinking.

(I get it.)

When their friendship slides into the world of “situationship” after a dreamy one night stand and she finds herself pregnant, Liz can’t imagine a young, hunky, sweet guy like Michael wanting to settle down with her. Not because she’s devalues herself. She’s insecure after her divorce.

(Gulp. Totally understand that.)

Liz is strong, smart, and has built her small business into a thriving bakehouse and coffeeshop. But being good at some parts of life doesn’t mean she’s nailing them all.

And I think we all get that.

Grab a copy of Here Comes Baby on paperback or add it to your Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited) library right now and start reading.

Then let me below, would you try this tip out? Do you have your own tip to share with the rest of us for making Substack newsletters easier to write? Let’s chat!

And scroll up to all that earlier tension-building to subscribe or support my work. I’d appreciate either (or both!) more than I can say!

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

Not for any failure of Bridgerton!

I have so little television time and, with a five-year-old running around for most my waking hours, I have zero time for spicy tv. ;-)

But man, do I get down with the Bridgerton soundtrack. When I want something with some meat on its bones, but with a cozy, whimsical vibe, the Bridgerton instrumental covers are my favorite.

I remind myself, as I play it throughout the house, orchestral music is good for brain development!

But… does it count if it’s Coldplay?

Subscribe now

Because these are the hits. Beyonce, Taylor, Miley, all covered by a gorgeous variety of stringed instruments.

These modern pieces sound beautiful, but I’m not sure an instrumental “abcdefu” hits my kid’s brainwaves the same as Yo-Yo Ma performing Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major.

But what if it does?

It’s called classical arrangement or classical rendition, and I love the way it makes me feel, offering the juicy goodness of a pop song with the beauty of classical instruments (and no problematic words my kid could take to school ;-).

This is a lot like the work I’m doing as a closed-door rom-com novelist.

Writing stories that evoke the witty, quick easy banter and low-spice heat of romance movies from the fifties (or even the nineties!) with a progressive cast of characters.

But nudging the door closed on graphic sex or strong language.

Walking that line in Here Comes Baby was my toughest writing challenge. As someone who keeps sex off-page I needed Liz and Michael to get carried away.

However! They could only get so carried away before the chapter ends and the next opens with Liz waking up the morning after.

It feels like the lightest touch, showing the chemistry between these two characters that would lead them to throw all reservations aside, but also pulling back before the characters show us too much.

I loved the challenge of it.

I knew it would rub some readers wrong, the characters going to bed together before they’re married.

But those aren’t my readers.

My rom-coms are for women who love smart dialogue and nuanced love scenes, who want more heart and enjoy the promise of real heat.

If you’re looking for multiple peppers, don’t grab my books!

But if you love yearning and passion through sexy banter, soft touches, and some dreamy, yummy kissing, Here Comes Baby is a great book to escape into.

You can add it to your Kindle (or Kindle Unlimited) library right now or grab it in paperback!

And out of curiosity, do you love a Bridgerton soundtrack? Or some version of that? Surely, I’m not the only one bopping along to a wordless “Wildest Dreams!” :-)

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

can you relate? support my work here!

Three 5-year-olds, one of them mine, have built a fort in my living room and they’re rolling monster trucks on the wall, something I’ve told them not to do.

Unfortunately, I’ve lost the will to correct them again.

It’s been a particularly long summer here, with pre-school ending mid-May and our “waterfall start” to kindergarten pushing school two weeks later than the rest of the grades.

There’s a stack of work listed in my planner that needs doing. This playdate was meant to be an opportunity to tackle that list.

But between the mess, and little boys shouting, “Yoshi is the second dumbest, and Donkey Kong is the first dumbest,” I can’t get a thing done. Not an email sent, a Note written, nothing.

So, I choose a different path.

Scenes from right now: Back at my table, a little less messy now.

After our kid friends went home, Ben and I went to the library.

As soon as we pushed open the heavy door and the cool air hit my face, I settled down. With a bag full of picture books and a Dolly Parton autobiography tucked in the crook of my arm, we left and I felt lighter.

We had lunch and read a book. We put fresh sheets on the bed and played “the bubble game” which includes making big sheet bubbles for Ben to “pop.”

And now Ben is playing in the living room, listening to an audiobook, and I’m back at this newsletter with a little renewal.

I’m not exactly filled with zest and zeal. But I’m bubbling in some contentment and calm.

All it took was a break.

I’m bad at breaks. I’m more of a push-through-against-all-reasons-to-stop. But the summer has worn me down to the point my reserves are empty. There’s nothing left to push through.

So, it was a break.

I think this might be the work trick I’ve needed.

And I don’t imagine I’m alone in these tendencies.

It’s why I write the women I write. Women who struggle to give up control and take breaks, women who need to learn how to care a little more for themselves and a little less for their surroundings.

In Here Comes Baby, Liz Ainsley, my FMC, is the epitome of I-brake-(break?)-only-for-hospitalization.

In her case it’s not full-fledged hospitalization but an unexpected pregnancy and an unnecessarily handsome and smitten best friend that leads to her considering pumping the brakes.

But only after she exhausts all other options and herself, of course.

If you love seeing women who remind you of yourself, Here Comes Baby is a delicious rom-com escape into what happens when you stop fighting what should be and get swept up with what is.

Grab it on paperback here or add it to your Kindle or Kindle Unlimited library right now!

And tell me below, could breaks be the key to better success? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

This is how my Sunday morning starts almost every week, my husband and I meeting at the coffee pot once I wake up and him asking me, “So… are we going?”

The place, you might have deduced, is church and the conversation has nothing to do with the church itself.

We’re lucky to have a fantastic community-minded, progressive, all-are-welcome-and-beloved kind of church.

I mean, they call the Sunday services “gatherings.”

This place is brilliant.

Wanting to go is never the struggle. No, the struggle is, are you able to leave the house early for the seventh day in a row? Between school and work we’re up early Monday through Saturday.

(insert crying emojis here as representation for how I feel)

I want to go but I also want a break from people, cars, and general life out in the world.

And every Sunday morning, I spend the early hours of the day wrapped up in my dilemma, to go or not to go. While drinking my coffee, while working on my planner for the week, reading, making breakfast, I’m in my head debating going or staying home.

Last Saturday night, in an effort to try something new, I told my husband, “We’re going to church in the morning.”

Done. Decision made and made early. And because I’d decided and because I’d even voiced it out loud to another person I moved forward with that expectation.

When I woke up, I knew I had about two and a half hours to enjoy being home before we needed to leave. So, I enjoyed it. And at 9:45am, pushing it a little, we left for church.

It wasn’t hard. In fact, the entire morning, both the being home and the being out, was great.

I decided then I did it. And that made the experience so much better.

Why did something that seems simple feel hard to do?

Watching Liz struggle with what could be a simple decision in Here Comes Baby felt so relatable. Single since her divorce, she knows her strengths (running her own business, being there for her staff and her sister) and her weaknesses (romantic relationships).

At least she thinks she knows her struggles. But when her younger, handsome, and doting shop manager, Michael, sweeps her off her feet one night and an accidental pregnancy is the result, the easy dilemma feels impossibly complicated to her.

She desperately wants a baby. She’s crazy about Michael. And she’s certain a relationship isn’t possible between them. It could be simple, but for Liz it feels insurmountable.

That’s real life, isn’t it? What could be simple gets muddied up with our past hurts, our insecurity, and our fear. While sometimes I wanted to shake Liz (even as I wrote her!) I could sooo understand her.

If that feels relatable to you as well, Here Come Baby needs to be your next read. Click here to grab it today.

And tell me below, do you find it helpful to “decide once,” as I think Gretchen Rubin calls it, and then move on? I’d love to hear below if this is ever an issue for you, too!

Take care and talk soon,

Emily

Not overwhelming. Just a lot.

But this afternoon, while my five-year-old opted to play on his own for almost an hour (thank the Lord for small miracles), I worked on an Instagram reel celebrating my most recent farmers market shoppers.

It was light, so many smiling faces, a slew of folks holding my books, it involved a series of texts, and the most darling music. It was an hour+ of my time. I wish I worked faster, but that’s facts.

And the crux of the reel? Encouraging folks there are still analog, slow living, in real life experiences to be had in this weird, tech-slobbering world.

It was a reminder, the AI monster doesn’t have to gobble us up.

Those simple pleasures, like shopping a farmers market, supporting local vendors, drinking an iced coffee made by a local coffee cart is often the highest form of satisfaction.

It was as close to a breath of fresh air on IG that I’ve gotten in a hot minute.

And it was the big, fat reminder I needed to drop the tech and get into the rich, alive, bumping elbows and exchanging stories with real life people in real conversations.

It really doesn’t get more satisfying than that.

So, here’s your encouragement—find the whimsy this weekend. Whimsy isn’t on a screen. It’s in a colorful outfit worn out in the world. It’s in taking your dog out and letting people ooo and ahh over the furry cuteness.

It’s wet kids at the fountains and forgetting to bring a towel. Its little chubby hands covered in sticky fruit leaving imprints on the creative outfit you opted for just for the fun of it.

BE WHIMSICAL, darling.

It’s the joy Andie Werking discovers in my rom-com First Comes Love. Making life complicated, getting messy, surrounding yourself with good people, that’s the magic.

I love her for her shifts, the way she opens her eyes and lets falling in love change her for the better. Pick up the paperback or kindle, find a hammock or squashy chair and let her story sweep you away to a life that becomes, over time, magical.

And tell me below, what’s your real life, offbeat treat for the weekend? Let’s share and inspire one another.

Take care & talk soon,

Emily

My new book has been with my development editor since early summer, and she sent her edits back last week.

I opened them today. And only because we had a Zoom call this afternoon so I kind of had to read what she wrote. Or else show up for a meeting I booked, with an editor I paid, and have no idea what’s going on.

Honestly? It was tempting.

It was stupid. But tempting.

Because I don’t see how you envision the characters, plot the story, create the conflict and then invest yourself in the rough draft without being emotionally attached.

I was emotionally attached.

To be fair, when it comes to a developmental edit, there will be positive notes. Glowing notes, the kind you debate screenshotting and sending to your parents as if you’re still in second grade and getting praise like “always raises her hand" or “has the vocabulary of a sixth grader.”

And I’m sure there are novels in the world receiving editorial feedback like “Pitch perfect, no notes.” Possibly followed by clapping emojis?

But for those of us mere mortal writers, those brimming with ideas and images and vibes and words, we’re going. to. get. edits.

Feedback.

Thoughts.

And some of those thoughts are going to hurt our feelings.

Not deliberately (at least, I hope not). But simply for the sake of taking this beloved baby, the manuscript, and pointing out where some of its knuckles are chubby and some are skinny and sometimes its laugh is cute but sometimes it’s weird and, frankly, the kid needs more hair.

EHHHH.

It’s all for the sake of producing the best book you have to write. It’s all with a good purpose.

But, friend, it’s gonna sting, maybe for a few hours. Maybe days. Maybe weeks.

And this being my fifth book, I murmur this quietly to myself as I both hope for and dread seeing my editor’s email pop up in my inbox.

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting.

It does get easier (a little) after walking through it a few times.

When I wrote Andie Werking, her bold “that sounds like a you-problem” mentality made me a little giddy. Of course, Andie’s take wouldn’t make her any better at taking helpful criticism.

In fact, much of First Comes Love involves Andie refusing to receive any of the wise feedback her friends offer.

Though in Andie’s case, thank God she doesn’t listen. Where would the fun be if she did? ;-)

First Comes Love is on kindle and on kindle unlimited. And you can grab the gorgeous paperback at 15% off right now though I couldn’t tell you why!

And tell me above, do you struggle with hard feedback? Even when you’ve asked or—God help you—paid for it? Reply here or comment below and let’s chat!

Take care & talk soon!

Emily

If you’re checking yes on any (or all!) of these boxes, we need to get my books in your hands.

Start with First Comes Love. Set in a cozy, adorable, diverse small downtown, with a neighborhood full of cool renovated older homes and highly opinionated friends, it’s a romcom full of swoon with a heavy dash of feminine saltiness.

For anyone who’s ever navigated dating in your 30s, enjoyed a single lady life, or met a new love interest’s three, um, precocious kids, Andie Werking will give voice to thoughts you’ve always kept on the inside. And to the understandable experience of dating the best and absolute last person you could ever imagine yourself choosing.

If only there wasn’t that electric chemistry. :-)

You can get it on Kindle (or Kindle Unlimited) right now or grab the gorgeous paperback, still inexplicably 15% off! And let me know below, which of these caught your attention?

Take care & talk soon,

Emily

Reset days are ugly.

But a reset was upon us.

Are you a reset person? A time to notice the bric-a-brac that’s accidentally taken root in places it doesn’t belong, sort the mail piles, actually take the donations to the donation center instead of piling brown shopping bags of clothes in dining room corners—a real overhaul of the general state of messiness that accumulates.

I know some people mark them in calendars. Seasonal clean-outs, or a spring and fall clean.

Not surprisingly, it’s vibes for me.

I hit a point or a point hits me, it’s hard to say for sure, and suddenly, I look around my home and know, it is time.

Sunday was that day.

And I love it. I put on a podcast series or an audiobook, and I am off on a dusty adventure, a trash bag in each hand.

To be clear, having a reset doesn’t mean it’s all clean and good when I’m done. Sometimes, like now, it stays a mess for several days or even a week waiting for a friend/Facebook marketplace buyer/goodwill run to remove it from the house.

With every reset comes the knowledge it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

But once it’s done, once the reset is complete, the pretty, tidy space brings new life to the space I already love.

Not unlike the big finish of a rom-com.

There’s a sense of excitement and possibility at the start.

There’s a messy middle, when the characters are in the thick of falling in love while busily ignoring every red flag and flashing light until inevitable destruction occurs.

And then the reset, the finale, comes along. Often not pretty, often not easy, and often doesn’t lead to immediate results. But the big finale, complete with big swoon, is the moment all romance readers anticipate.

It’s why we come back to romance over and over…and over again.

First Comes Love is big swoon meets messy reality when thirty-eight-year-old Andie Werking meets divorced dad Joe McIntyre.

But one of my absolute favorite aspects of this book? The big reset. When the relationship comes apart and Andie and Joe must decide if they can find their way back to each other—it still makes me grip the book, with a stupid, worried grin on my face.

Let’s say I love a chase scene, I cheer for some overly involved friends, and I’m always a sucker for a fake-out.

Pick up a copy of First Comes Love and let me know what you think of that ending. (For reasons only Amazon understands, the paperback is almost 15% off right now!) I had a reader at the market this week tell me she had three chapters to go and didn’t want to leave to come shop. It was high praise. :-)

And let me know, are you a reset type? Do you love getting into the mess to get the big clean on the other side? And if you have any tips, drop them for all of us to enjoy!

Take care & talk soon,

Emily

“I just do it for fun.”

“What, this? It’s really no big deal.”

It’s what we say. What we fall back on. Here I am, lil’ ol’ me just messing about with my writing/art/baking/beautiful hair styles/personalized nail sets.

And if it didn’t eat away at our souls when we said it, it would be fine.

Except. It does.

These phrases, the vague hand waves, eyes to the ground as we blush and pretend that what we want, the passion driving us, is nothing—it doesn’t just keep us small.

It’s how we hold ourselves back. It’s how we take our rich, meaty hunger and turn it into scraps at the table.

It’s how we break out own hearts.

Why is it easier to take our drive and ambition and joy and turn it into a punchline?

After years of diminishing the vigor of my soul, I’m left wondering, why is proclaiming my hopes such a dark and twisty struggle?

I expect the answers are personal to each of us. How we were raised. Past failures that turn our strong voices into whispers. If this is a space where you’re comfortable, small and quiet at the back of the room, I’m sure you’ve got good reasons.

But I doubt the reasons are bigger than the desires of your heart.

Here is the truth: I want to be a successful writer.

I love making stories. I loves weaving lives together, bringing them close, pulling them apart, and then threading them back together because I truly believe love can conquer impossible situations.

And humor makes the discomfort palatable along the way.

I want to write books that connect with readers. I want to offer the world pleasure, connection, and that something special we struggle to say in the English language.

I want to make money, a solid income, on the books I put into the world. I want to enjoy book launches. I want to lift up other writers. I want to be a force for good in the book world.

Hell, maybe I want to teach and encourage fresh writers (time permitting).

I want to go ALL IN. I want big and deep and BOLD.

And it’s so stupid-hard to say the words for public consumption.

Today I made my biggest investment in my writing career so far. Because, after four years of publishing and a lifetime of crafting stories, I am so effing tired of pretending.

This is it. This is the calling. This is the part of me that’s only for me, not for my family, not for my church, not for my friends. This is the part that brings me to life for me and me alone.

And I am not pretending anymore.

Consider it claimed. Consider it the drive flowing through my veins that won’t be made small or silly. It’s mine. I own it.

And it’s yours, too. If this is the place that sinks you, the conversation that you walk away from feeling small and foolish, let these be the doors thrown open to say it.

I do this because I love it.

I do this because it brings me to life.

I do this because I want to thrive and make money and this is the path forward for me.

I write characters who behave this way.

My first FMC, Andie Werking, has a big, bold personality. She sees Joe McIntyre in the first few pages of First Comes Love and that woman becomes a dog with a bone.

She wants to be in love and in a relationship and she’s comfortable saying it. She wants to know about this man and she’s not afraid to own it.

I love her for this. Andie’s willingness to be frank about her desires leads her down the richest, messiest, most satisfying path of her life.

It’s a romcom full of big heart and honest fears and vulnerable, out loud hopes.

I wrote her for all of us who are still learning how to live this life. And the fact she’s 38 and only now figuring it out makes it all the better.

If this resonates, get a copy of First Comes Love and let Andie and her swoony, complicated love story encourage and embolden you to go big.

And I’d love to hear your thoughts. Does this scare you? Excite you? Empower you? All of the above? Reply here and we’ll chat between us or drop a comment and let’s talk.

What do you have to lose? :-)

Take care & talk soon,

Emily

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I was a college student at the time and that Pixar magic had me in its grasp. I watched it on repeat, my comfort watch before it was cool to coin phrases like “comfort watch.”

And one of my favorite lines is when Crush, the turtle, shouts, “Do you have your exit buddy?”

At that moment Dory and Marlin simultaneously grab one another, fins wrapped tight, fish cheek to fish cheek.

There’s something so fun about the idea of an exit buddy. Who’re you hanging onto as you pass through the wild ride that is the EAC (East Australian Current) on your way to finding your lost fish-son?

We all need an exit buddy.

Someone who stays with us during our best and worst decisions. Someone with the right spirit to hang on for the ride, someone who prefers to encourage but will happily check you so fast when you go off course.

One of my favorite book podcasters suggests a lack of female friends for the female lead is a telltale sign of a problematic FMC.

I couldn’t agree more. From the first page, my characters have at least one best friend, often a few, to turn to in troubled times.

And what is a romcom but a rich tapestry of swoony kisses and troubled times?

When Iris Shepherd is at a loss in her new marriage and struggling to find even a glimmer of hope, it’s Angie she calls.

Because, and I say this with my whole chest, romcoms are rarely compelling if the only characters are the lovebirds.

Why? Because they’re in love but they’re lost—otherwise, why would it be interesting? And the people in their lives who care about them, they are the coaches, they are the wise humans dropping good advice into the kettle of hormones, hearts, and past trauma that makes up early romance.

The love story between Iris and Ray, as these two navigate their intense chemistry, and new partnership, is stomach-swooping, feet-kicking fun.

But it’s the exit buddies popping up with their tough love and smart ass-ery that grounds the story in real life.

If you love full-bodied main characters, AND some well-rounded side characters, you want Then Comes Marriage. Let the exit-buddy relationship Iris and Angie share, along with a few other bright women and one particularly frank dad, guide the besotted and therefore somewhat delirious lovers to their happily ever after.

Pick it up on paperback or get a copy today on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

Then feel free to tell me of your own favorite Pixar film below. We’re equal opportunity Pixar fans here though obviously Finding Nemo is the best. ;-)

Take care & talk soon,

Emily

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In aisle 32, somewhere between the bed slates and the twin cushion pads, my daughter stared at me and said, “Mom, you have to. You’ve been wanting it for years.”

She was right. This was our third trip to Ikea in so many years, and I wanted a bedframe the entire time.

But there was always something else more pressing to buy. A bed frame for that same teen, for instance, plus a desk for school. Big rugs for our dining room and living room. A desk for me because—ahem—of this work right here.

And as a woman on a decor budget, I had to spend wisely.

So, I’ve put the bedframe on hold and handled the more pressing items. Namely decorating rooms where visitors spent time. (We’ll tackle that kind of thinking in a later email….)

This time, I bought the bedframe.

A (small) dream long held (three-ish years) finally realized.

We drove the three hours home from the Atlanta Ikea and for a few days the bed stayed tightly packed into its box.

Until almost a week after purchasing, I came home to find the bed assembled, my husband beaming and my son standing limbs spread wide like a starfish, smack dab in the middle of my bed in its new bedframe.

You know when you’ve wanted something for so long it’s built up to an outrageous crescendo in your head? It’s a level of expectation that can’t really be met?

That was not this.

Because this bedframe was glorious.

It took the whole bedroom and did something the big rug and the multi-layered blankets and fluffy duvet and variety of pillows couldn’t do alone—it made them work.

It’s possible this bed looked even better for the few years of waiting and wanting. Without waxing eloquent, this bedframe made my main bedroom the warm, cozy spot I’d always dreamed it could be.

And it was only a brief three-ish years to make it so.

Not everyone needs years to consider and think and debate. In Then Comes Marriage, Iris Shepherd needs only a six-month courtship to accept the proposal of her sweet, steady farmer-boyfriend to jump into what she’s sure will be her rural, romantic fantasy of a life.

Which plays out exactly as she imagines.

Just kidding! What kind of romcom would that be? ;-)

Thrust into the world of Rya’s domineering mother-in-law, a host of siblings-in-law keeping their own secrets, and an unsettlingly pretty farmhand who seems to shadow Ray, Iris must discern if what she wants and what she has might be more aligned than she realizes.

If you like your modern romance with pie-in-the-sky hopes but pie-in-the-face complications, you’ll love Then Comes Marriage. Grab it now on Kindle or add it to your Kindle Unlimited library. Or pick up the gorgeous paperback here!

Then tell me below, what was something worth the wait for you? Tangible or otherwise, I’d love to hear!

Take care & talk soon,

Emily

Except. There’s one statement that comes up regularly.

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It wears different disguises.

Sometimes it looks like “I always loved writing!”

Sometimes it shows up as “I used to think I’d be a writer.”

Most often it sounds like “I always wanted to/wished I had/hoped to write a book.”

That’s when I have to take a teeny-tiny deep breath.

Because—wait—hang on—am I talking to a ghost??

If you’ve shuffled off this mortal coil and lost the chance to write a book, peace be with you.

Otherwise.

What is this nonsense? You can still write a book! Until the breath or most mental function has left your body, you’re still in the running.

Get. Rid. Of. This. Statement. Forever.

There is time. Of course you can be a writer.

And leave the rest of it out. The publishing the book. The hitting a list. The making a career.

Do you have a story to tell? Do you have the flavor of a story? Put it down.

Nothing, no one can stop you.

Start your book. Don’t wait. A few sentences. A paragraph. It’s yours to do.

And unless you are a ghost (hearing Meghan Trainor sing, “Is you a ghost?” as I type this), you have the time. Get going.

As someone who got serious at the lovely age of 40, I know of what I speak.

It’s why I write the romances I do. Women, 35 and over, doing work they love, even as its hard, vulnerable, and often not profitable.

When I wrote Iris Shepherd, in Then Comes Marriage, there was never a question of her career choice. Iris is an artist at heart, and while she’s always dabbling in different forms of artwork (and business ideas—this can be tough) she knows She. Is. An. Artist.

My female characters don’t mess around about their passion. Their love stories, though, that’s a different beast. And while Iris might know exactly who she is, it’s the fresh marriage to strong, silent Ray Fox that’s throwing her for a loop. If you love a sweet and swoony contemporary romcom, with heavy women’s fic vibes, grab Then Comes Marriage on Kindle or Kindle Unlimited right now or add the gorgeous paperback to your library.

Then get writing! Does this kind of encouragement work for you? I’d love to hear how you get motivated to write.

Take care & talk soon,

Emily

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