Hey there, trope-loving bookworm,
Is it normal to have stress dreams about dropping an entire box of books on a fan's foot at a signing? Asking for a friend. (The friend is me. I'm the friend having stress dreams.)
THIS WEEKEND IS THE BOOK SIGNING and I'm oscillating between "OMG I CAN'T WAIT" and "what if nobody shows up except my bestie, who is also my assistant, who will be forced to buy seventeen copies out of pity?"
There's a non-zero chance I'll be stress-eating at 3 AM the night before while practicing my signature so it doesn't look like it was written by a drunk badger.
On the bright side, I've been stress-testing my book-signing muscles by signing a bunch of paperback bookplates for those of you who can't make it to the event! My wrist is currently giving me side-eye and questioning my choice of career, but eh... who needs functional joints anyway? 🙃
Speaking of questionable choices... can we talk about the glorious suffering that is enemies-to-lovers? That delicious, angsty slow-burn where two people who supposedly can't stand each other are actually fighting the gravitational pull of their mutual attraction?
I mean, the TENSION. The GLARES. The "I hate you but also want to kiss your face" energy! It's what I live for, both as a reader and writer.
It's what makes Callie and Hunter's story in ART OF WAR & LOVE so fun to write. There's something about watching two stubborn people realize they've been fighting their feelings that just hits different.
One minute they're trading barbs, the next they're trading... other things. (I'll just leave that to your imagination, m'kay?)
And since I just finished writing a particularly spicy scene between Jade and Sean for CHORD OF WAR & LOVE, I can confirm the wait will be worth it.
Their story is the third standalone in the series, and if you thought the previous books had tension, just wait until you see what happens when these two are forced together while pretending that night never happened...
Anyhoo, I digress.
For those who CAN make it to the signing this weekend: Squeeeeee!!! I can't wait to meet you!
Fair warning though - Yes, I will probably be awkward. No, it doesn't get better with time.
In fact, I'll most likely be hiding behind my book display, summoning courage through (spiked? I'll never tell) caffeinated beverages, and internally rehearsing basic human greetings.
You might need to approach slowly so you don't startle me in my natural habitat. Maybe bring snacks.
For my homies/homebodies who prefer to avoid pants and public places (I see you, I am you on most days): fear not!
I've just added signed paperbacks to the
Bees & Blooms Bookstore!
And yes, the BEESBLOOMS15 code still works!
The only thing it doesn't work on is bundles. But otherwise, easy peasy. You order from the store, the books ship from Bookvault, and I personally mail you the pretty signed bookplate to place inside.
My hand cramped no less than three times signing them all, so please appreciate my suffering. 🎶 🎻
In the meantime, if you haven't yet checked out my Substack, where the tone and topics are a bit more serious, here's a tiny teaser. I'd love for you to join me there.
This morning, Anxiety showed up to my writing session dressed like a particularly harsh English teacher from the 1950s, complete with red pen and disapproving scowl. "We need to talk," it announced, settling in for what I can only describe as the world's most unproductive feedback session. "That chapter you wrote yesterday? Let's discuss all the ways it reveals your fundamental inadequacy as a human being." Read on Substack
Yours in pre-signing panic mode,
