10 books to get to know me

The Coterie {July 2025}

Hello Dear Reader!

I’m so excited to welcome so many new faces to my newsletter, so I thought I’d introduce myself through books…

1. “Ella Enchanted” by Gail Carson Levine — sparked my love of fairytales at a young age and is still one of my favorite comfort reads.

2. “Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austen — made me fall in love with the Regency era and classic literature. “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” Excuse me, Mr. Darcy? Swoon! Amazing!

3. “Anne of Green Gables” by L. M. Montgomery — came into my life as an adult and I have never related to a character more when Anne said “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” Anne and I would be dear kindred spirits if we ever had the joy to meet.

4. “A River Enchanted” by Rebecca Ross — has both beautiful prose and lush storytelling. Many stories have great prose but forget the story, or vice versa. Rebecca Ross does both and is one of my top auto-buy authors.

5. “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier — witg all the melodrama and a mansion full of secrets, made me fall in love with reading as a teenager and helped expand my horizons beyond fantasy.

6. “Redwall” by Brian Jacques — gave me a nostalgic soft spot for talking animals. I will also forever include mouth-watering descriptions of food in my own novels.

7. “The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion” by Beth Brower - has a growing and dedicated following, of whom I’m glad to be a fervent member. This is the book I force on all my friends. IYKYK.

8. “Edenbrooke” by Julianne Donaldson — is my favorite regency romance of all time and proves that you don’t need spice to bring the swoon!

9. “Illuminare” by BR Shutt — made me stay up too late reading. This series is one of my all-time favorite indie books and made me realize that indie authors are awesome and I wanted to try indie publishing for myself.

10. “I Wish I May” by Me! — if you really want to get to know my reading and writing tastes, this book is it (for obvious reasons!) and it’s now available in hardcover! Buy directly from me and save (US & UK Only.) The book is available through all IngramSpark retailers worldwide) The hardcover also includes three bonus scenes AND artwork under the dustjacket! Pics coming soon!! (If my copies ever arrive.)

Woman Sitting Reading (1905) Georges Lemmen, Cleveland Museum of Art

Writing and Not Writing

The Writing… I have been churning out words over the past month as I’ve dived into drafting “Star Light Star Bright.” Between finishing up the hardcover formatting of “I Wish I May” and writing bonus scenes, I have passed 20K words in Star Light Star Bright! Huzzah!

For now, I’m putting the bulk of my free time towards getting draft one done. I have a tentative release date of November 11, but that might be cutting it close. If I can get draft one edited and sent to beta readers by September, I just might be able to make it work. I love writing and publishing, but it will always come second to my family.

The Not Writing… I finally finished the girls’ bathroom! What was supposed to be a weekend refresh turning into a months-long refresh as it so goes when you have a preschooler and an infant. If you haven’t guess, I’m ever the eternal optimist when it comes to the length of home projects.

My husband had the week off last week and we went to our local blueberry patch and picked 7 lbs of blueberries for fun. Yes, it was actually really fun. We froze half, and have been eating the rest by the handful out of a bowl in the fridge. I’ve come to the conclusion that:

1. Blueberries, ripe and unripe, are the most beautiful colors. See my photo above.

2. There’s nothing that compares to fresh blueberries. Nothing except blueberry pancakes, of course. I used to buy those boxes of protein pancakes which made sad, flat, yet “healthier” pancakes. We rarely make pancakes so I eventually threw out the sad protein pancake mix and started making pancake mix from scratch. (That’s not actually a brag. The recipe for pancakes in “The Joy of Cooking” is super easy and my go-to for delicious pancakes.) My friends, pancakes from scratch with fresh blueberries will always trump “healthy” pancakes.

“July” by George Meredith (1828-1909)

Sweet July, warm July!
Month when mosses near the stream,
Soft green mosses thick and shy,
Are a rapture and a dream.
Summer Queen! whose foot the fern
Fades beneath while chestnuts burn;
I welcome thee with thy fierce love,
Gloom below and gleam above.
Though all the forest trees hang dumb,
With dense leafiness o’ercome;
Though the nightingale and thrush,
Pipe not from the bough or bush;
Come to me with thy lustrous eye,
Azure-melting westerly,
The raptures of thy face unfold,
And welcome in thy robes of gold!

The Next Adventure

I’m so excited for my next two weekends. I’ll be at The Columbus Book Festival (July 12 &13) where I will be signing and selling in the Indie Author Alley. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous. This is my first live author event and it’s a huge festival. Please pray for nice weather and for me to meet lots of lovely readers and authors.

The following weekend, I’m off to the Realm Makers Writer’s Conference and Expo to hone my writing craft, fill up on encouragement and motivation, and most importantly, make some new writing friends! If you see me, please come say “hi!” I’ll hopefully have some swag to share leftover from Columbus.

An opposites-attract lab partner romance without spice? Yes, please!

Lab Partners, Chemistry, and Visions of the Future

Strailer’s a young elf who loves friends and fun. When the lab instructor pairs him off with “The Ice Queen” Lilliana, he hopes his charms can melt her icy exterior.

Lilliana likes things done right and keeping Strailer on-task is just going to slow her down. While the chemistry between them is undeniable, he also brings a beaker full of chaos. She’s seen visions of her future–including her love life–and she knows Strailer’s not in it.

But when the elf of Lilliana’s dreams arrives in Valley Glen, it’s not as perfect as she had hoped. He brings trouble that could upend all of their futures. Will Lilliana follow her visions blindly into the future, or let her heart lead her down the right path?

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