Hello there, bookworms! It’s official. There’s no rhyme or reason to my posts anymore. So many years and almost 500 posts into my blogging life and of course I’m updating you at some crazy hour in the night. I just wanted to stop in with a few updates as it’s been awhile and there’s also been some news of sorts in the bookish community that I wanted to address it if I can.

First and foremost, it’s finally September and already feels like fall! Hopefully if the weather stays this way, we’ll actually have a winter and some snow here in the northeast when the time comes (I’m a girl who likes her seasons). That being said, I’ve made it just a bit more spooky here on the blog, so I hope you enjoy the new layout.

Next, not to apologize all the time. I know we have enough of that in 2020, but I do feel bad that I haven’t been very active here or on any of my social platforms lately. Not only have I been super busy with work and my usual schedule (family, friends, my cats, taking care of my house, etc), but I’m finally on a roll with editing my book. I’ve spent time back among my pages that I started writing so long ago so it feels nice to update and polish the story. I also decided to change the title of the story from Madam President to A More Perfect Union. The first title was my gut choice back in 2017 when I first came up with the idea for this story, but now that I’m spending more time with my characters and realizing that they have 50/50 narration opportunities and perspectives, I felt the new title reflected each of them equally. I’m still working on edits, but the rough, first draft version can be found here if you’re interested in a new romance! I’ve also started posting some other stories I’ve been slowly working on that I found in an old file on my computer so stay tuned for those down the line as well. This brings me to another point…

Unfortunately, there aren’t enough hours in the day, so I haven’t been reading a ton as of late. Yes, I still have many books I’ve read in past months that are sitting in a folder waiting for review, but it’s just finding time and balance in my schedule. I do, however, plan to get back to more of a routine soon and that includes being more active in the book club group on Facebook as well. Your patience is forever appreciated.

More recently, on a sadder note – and maybe this is just how I feel personally, but if you feel the same, feel free to reach out! I can’t help but feel that there’s been a massive shift in the book community and the world feels heavy on so many levels. Part of this is my fault because my life, my job, my schedule, and more aren’t what it was years ago so my dedication and focus to so many responsibilities has changed as well. However, this isn’t the interactive and supportive book community of 2014-2015 when I first made my Instagram account and started building an audience, a blog, and a brand, but I’m hopeful that we can remain our tight-knit, global family and enjoy just a sliver of escapism with our books. Hell, maybe one day we’ll get back to the way things used to be on here?

Don’t get me wrong. I am by no means saying to ignore reality. Now is certainly not the time. Reality deserves to be our priority and have our attention and our voices as it feels like we’re in a very precarious position right now.

I also don’t normally speak out when it comes to gossip or drama in the book community. That’s not why I came online or created this teeny community among the immense book world we all live in. My book universe is the one place I feel we have where there’s no outside issues or negativity. However, there’s been a development that I feel does deserve some acknowledgement. Our world is bad enough as it is and we as people HAVE to do better.

The book community, and more so, the romance community, is a place for love and acceptance. Yes, we get our steamy scenes, a hot book boyfriend, a strong heroine, all sorts of love stories, angst, drama, and usually a happily ever after. It’s a community that seems to overall, support each other in our reading, writing, emotions, careers, and even our personal life’s. Turns out, not all readers and authors have gotten this memo. It’s come to light that some out there are promoting hatred, bigotry, and sheer ignorance, and don’t reflect the love stories for which they participate in sharing with us in their successful careers. This is unacceptable.

I’m not going to get on my soapbox about this and start naming names or giving this issue more life than necessary. What I am going to do is ask that you re-evaluate who you choose to associate yourself with, which authors you’re supporting (and in turn, giving free promotion) and do NOT fan the flames to give such awful people more of a platform to promote their hateful propaganda and false agendas. Sadly, the person in question is an author I read way back in the day when I first jumped into the deep end of the romance genre back in 2013. I did not know the community or the personal views of the author and in retrospect, I feel sorry that I supported such a person and gave them money with the purchase and download of their series. I’m glad I’ve come to learn more about this community and the authors I like and choose to promote. I promise to try to remain vigilant in that journey. I’m not one to follow “cancel culture”. I believe things need to be handled on a case-by-case basis and not everyone deserves to be persecuted, but in this particular case, I will not ever support such a hateful author. I ask you as a community, to do the same. We only have this one life (that we know of) and we shouldn’t spend it on promoting bigotry, racism, and ignorance.

Despite the change in the atmosphere the past few months, if you’re still around and plan on sticking around in this community, I’m grateful to you and know that I’m here for you as well!

Until next time, stay safe, stay sane, and happy reading!