Hi Friend!

I'm back with this brief update after skipping the month of May. I'm sure, in just a minute, that will all make sense to you.

Some Life Updates:

Just a couple days after my last newsletter, my Daddy passed into the arms of Jesus after a long battle with various cancers.

Two days after returning home from his Celebration of Life, I left for Texas to celebrate my oldest's graduation from Baylor University and then, a week later, his wedding to sweet Emily.

And then I came home. And life has been a bit squee-hawed ever since (and still remarkably full with the things of life: jobs, more travels back to Utah, other parents, kids with really cool things in their lives, you know, the norm.)

I'm just going to say, my Dad was my biggest cheerleader. He believed in my ability to write and tell a story and that one day I could do it as a career. He always asked how my various writing projects were going. He read the book and stories that I wrote. Missing his encouragement has really thrown my belief in my own skills into question.

I find myself often without words. Writing feels on hold, but also not. It's a strange tension to live in. This month (June), I've been part of a couple book-ish events that have been fun and successful. Earlier this week, I was part of a Historical Fiction Panel for the GRLit Fest--and it was fun to think about story in the context and setting of History. Also, I learned, I definitely do not have the same approach to research as my co-panelists. In just a couple days, I'm participating in an Adult Book Fair with 39 other authors. If you're a West Michigan local, you should come say hi!

A Book Worth Talking About

I have lots of great books to talk about. One of the ways that I cope with hard things is by escaping into fiction. (I know I'm not the only one.)

If you want to see all the books I've read so far in 2026, you can find my profile on StoryGraph. I've been pretty good at keeping it up-to-date. But I will talk about these four books for a while.

They are all different from each other:

Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza is a fast paced suspense/psychological thriller set in the world of Tradwife influencers. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen is a a lightly magical story of a young woman who comes into her self with the help of a brash woman who one day, shows up in her closet. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is a role-playing adventure book about Carl and Princess Donut the cat fighting to survive a Dungeons and Dragons-like game show. My neighbor called it "dangerously entertaining." I agree. Finally, Lady Tremain by Rachel Hochhauser is a retelling of the Cinderella story from the perspective of the "evil" step-mother. I thought this book was brilliant. The threads that were pulled through the whole of the text still amaze me. It is a well-crafted story.

My TBR is pretty long right now too! It seems that every time I travel home to Utah, I have to buy a new book (or two). I'm excited for the stack of books yet to read.

I"m always open to putting more books on the TBR...what are you reading these days that sweep you away from the realities of challenges of life? I'd love to put it on the list.

My Continued Writing Journey...

...is currently nonexistent. And I'm working hard to offer myself grace about that.

I received rejections from every single agent I pitched for Rules of Survival.

Editing feels really hard right now, but that's the thing on the table.

Hopefully by next month, I'll be able to tell you something awesome, uplifting, and encouraging. Until then, I'm just letting you know how it is. Because sometimes life is....lifey.

Thanks for being here. I appreciate you.

One thing that is super encouraging to me is to get little notes from you. They keep me going. So, tell me, what are some good books you're reading? What do you do when life feels heavy and hard? Have a sweet picture to share? Any of that will make me smile. I'd love to hear from you.