When I set out to write my third middle school novel, Landry in Like, I wanted readers to feel less alone in what they were going through while in middle school or while preparing for it. I remember being in middle school and thinking everyone else had it figured out except me. For one, no one else seemed as terrified about the idea of starting high school like I was. Plus, I was convinced no one else spent hours overthinking at night while staring at the ceiling and wondering about the passive-aggressive comments (and the outright mean ones) said at the lunch table.

I’ve often said I would return to high school in a second, but there is no way I’d want to experience even a second of middle school again. Well, maybe I’d drop in just long enough to swipe a Kissing Koolers lip gloss and grab that awesome Espirit sweater I had with the different colored pastel arms. Other than that, it was a time of confusion and insecurity as I never felt truly at ease in the classroom or on the playground. In fact, I put a lot of my own insecurity from that time in my Landry Albright character. Did anyone else feel that things changed overnight and going to the beach went from being fun to feeling weird about being in a swimsuit?

However, during those years, I did find comfort reading books about characters going through the same things as me. I can remember leaning back against my pillow after finishing a novel and thinking how wonderful it would be to write a book that made someone feel as understood as the book I just read. All I wanted was to write books that gave humor, escapism, and advice to a reader who felt the same middle school chaos that I once did.

I gave Landry her own friend and frenemy issues to deal with, situations with friends who are being bullied, and dealing with anxiety and how to get help. I had her stay true to herself and her values as we see her grow up and become more confident in herself. Plus, she got a library “date” with the basketball player she has a crush on and it’s adorable!

I hope you enjoy Landry in Like as part of the award-winning Landry’s True Colors Series. The books are free in Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WDLKHLW
Amazon Can: https://www.amazon.ca/Landry-Like-Landrys-Colors-Three-ebook/dp/B09WDLKHLW
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Landry-Like-Landrys-Colors-Three-ebook/dp/B09WDLKHLW
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Landry-Like-Landrys-Colors-Three-ebook/dp/B09WDLKHLW

About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager is a bestselling author of young adult, middle grade, and contemporary romance. Krysten writes because she loves bringing people swoony moments & hope-filled happily ever afters. Her books are known for making you feel all the feels.

Website: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/

UPDATE: The winner is…Beverly!
*~*~*

Here’s my end-of-month reckoning. It keeps me honest about my accomplishments and tells you what I should be working on (to shame me into doing the work)!

May

Work-related:

1. I completed my short story for Silver Soldiers and finished editing the entire book. It was published on May 9th!
2. I, along with the other Silver Soldiers authors, finished posting “Getting to Know” blogs on the Collections website to get readers ready for the release of the book. Then we posted fun “In One Picture” posts to celebrate and “hook” readers to get their copies of the book that released on May 9th!
3. I finished writing Cold Hard Cash and published it on May 23rd! Woot!
4. I completed only 3 editing projects for other authors in May.

Health-related:

1. I blew the diet—all month long. May was about LaLa’s graduation, and we had small celebrations, visitors from out of town, etc. I am afraid to step on the scale!
2. The pool finally got just warm enough that I began swimming a week ago. What are few goosebumps when you can do your favorite exercise activity?!

Happiness-related: 

1. Again, the month was about LaLa’s graduation, which occurred on the 20th. After that, it was about the other kid’s award ceremonies, etc.
2. I am still participating in the #the100dayproject online art challenge. As of today, I’m on Day 96. Here are a few of my May pieces…

June

1. To revise and publish a story I published through Harlequin many moons ago…Warrior’s Touch.
2. To publish a collection of first of series books in one volume.
3. To begin writing Jackson, the next in my Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT series which releases on July 11th!
4. To complete 4 editing projects in May!

For health related, I plan:

1. To resume counting those points for my Weight Watchers diet and hopefully shed at least 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas, red wine).
3. To swim at least once a day!
4. To begin walking and counting my steps.
5. I’ll make myself do more housework, too, because my art room is a disaster (although it’s getting better slowly). And cleaning is exercise, ahem.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To spend quality time with the family—movie nights, swim-time, making fun meals together!
2. To complete #the100dayproject, and then work on “finishing” the art I produced (varnish, fixative, wrapping or framing).
3. To re-open my Etsy store! I now have enough art to do so!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read in June…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

It’s Memorial Day, and while the kids are gleeful they don’t have to go to school, we’re planning a feast, and the pool is almost comfortable for more than a 10-minute dip before my skin welts up from the cold, it’s not a “happy” holiday. So, today, give a thought or two to the men and women this day is meant to remember—those who fell in service to this county.

And if you didn’t already know it, I have a book centered around a Memorial Day—but only pick up a copy if you’re ready for a good cry.

Read More

I never planned on writing a book. 

Sure, I wrote in school when asked and there was a collective groan when I got up to read my fifteen-page story in the fifth grade. But, writing wasn’t on the menu as a grown-up. I got a degree, I was a teacher, a wife and mother. 

But then my child had a near-death experience. He needed one-on-one care and I was the only person equipped to care for him. I quit my job and kept him and his twin sister home. They were nine months old at the time. 

Now, if you are a creative person, like me, you can’t help but make stuff. And you understand that when a creative’s brain is shut off from doing what it is hard wired to do, it begins to percolate, to leak ideas, to create sleepless nights while those ideas spin around and around in your brain until they MUST be acted upon so you can finally get some freaking sleep. 

I had to write these ideas down before they consumed me. Eventually, I hot-glued a huge, long, blank sheet of paper to the wall in my hallway and I started taking notes. And as I wrote, I realized that I had a story to tell.

While feeding my twins one day, I imagined a smart, caring druis who would do anything for her family and friends. I named her Avalina.

A handsome, sexy, jerk who was in trouble and needed a savior came to me in the middle of the night while I stood in the hallway, listening to my son breathe while he slept. Who better to help him than Avalina?

But, I also have a love for smart, sexy, dorky guys who are turned on by a good puzzle (enter my husband, ahem…) Inventor Tobias came to my mind while I was doing laundry. He, of course, needed a twin, so I gave him his sister, Dahlia, who is a metallurgist mage.  

And, as every story needs, a good villain. But, I didn’t want just any villain. He had to feel  justified, to have a true purpose for what he was doing. A man willing to sacrifice for what he believed was the greater good. Commodore Theodore Van Alst is exactly that. But, with a twist. 

Each and every character that came to me had an agenda, something they needed to say, to do, and make me believe their story was the true one. I needed to work out their truths and lies, their plans and what they really wanted versus what they truly needed. I weaved their lives together on this big, blank sheet of paper glued to my wall in the spare moments I had throughout the day. 

I did this for three years. Three years of ideas, jumping in and out, organizing themselves on the wall. Every time I walked by, I’d grab the pencil I had stuck next to it and write something new. 

When the twins were old enough to go to school three days a week, I thought to myself, “I have time. I’m going to write that story.” 

So, I wrote. 

I wrote it in three months. Now, it’s taken me another three to learn, edit, rewrite, figure out my voice, rewrite it again, send it to friends, family, editors, beta readers, get feedback, and rewrite it again. 

A year after I began writing, and four years after I quit teaching to take care of my son, I will have a book. A book I wrote. (I still kind of can’t believe it and will probably cry when it’s finally in my hands.) Three Coins From a Dead Man’s Pocket is Book One in my Realms of Souls Saga. 

I now have three huge, long pieces of paper taped to the walls in my hallway. Some are full of scribbles, some have only one or two notes. But, they are filling up all the time. I can’t wait to discover new characters, new worlds, and new romances that NEED to be told or my brain will explode. I’m excited to get their stories out of my head, through my fingers, and into your hearts. 

I don’t have a hard date for release just yet, but I’m aiming for August 2023. 

Blurb sneak peek: A powerful druis with a thousand-year-old secret. An unpredictable love that breaks all the rules. And an ancient soul plotting to destroy the barriers that keep their realms safe.

Want to read the ENTIRE blurb AND be the first to know when my book releases? Join my email list HERE. 

The next stop for Realms of Souls info is my Facebook group. I’ll have announcements for release date, merch, contests, freebies, and other thoughts about characters that I have no idea what to do with. Accept for probably writing them on a blank piece of paper on my wall. 😂 

And, occasionally, I feel the urge to make a video. You can hear my ramblings first hand if you follow me on TikTok. 

UPDATE: The winner is…Sara D!
*~*~*

When I learned how Charlotte E. Ray engineered her success, the old Brylcreem hairdressing advertising slogan came to mind, “A Little Dab’ll Do Ya.” Her use of initials rather than her full name allowed Charlotte to attend the male-only bastion of Howard Law School, graduate in 1872, and eventually become not only the first African-American female lawyer in the United States, but the third American woman of any race to earn a law degree.

One of six children born to Charlotte Augusta Burroughs and Rev. Charles Bennett Ray, Charlotte was born in 1850 in New York City. Charlotte’s family enrolled her in one of the few schools at the time that educated girls, the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth in Washington D.C. There Charlotte took teacher training which enabled her to enroll as a teacher trainee at Howard University.

In 1869, she taught at Howard University’s Prep School, the Normal and Preparatory Department. Knowing of their law school’s bias against women, Charlotte applied to the law department as C.E. Ray. Her stratagem worked, and she was accepted. There is some dispute about whether or not this story is true, but from what I’ve read about her, I believe it. While pursuing her law studies, she continued teaching at the prep school. In 1872 she was the first woman to graduate from the law school. She specialized in commercial and corporate law. After passing the bar exams, she became the first woman admitted to the bar to practice in the District of Columbia and the first African-American woman lawyer in the US.

In 1875, Martha Gadley, an African-American woman whose petition for divorce from an abusive husband was denied, decided to appeal the decision and hired Charlotte Ray to represent her. Ray argued the case before the District of Columbia Supreme Court and won. This victory however could not overcome the discrimination against African-Americans and women Charlotte faced, and she had to close her practice by 1879. She moved back to New York and became a teacher in Brooklyn.

Besides her law practice, Charlotte participated in social justice movements of her day. She attended the National Woman Suffrage Association’s (NWSA) annual convention in New York City in 1876, and she joined the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1895.

Records show she married in 1886 and became Charlotte Ray Fraim but had no children. In 1911, she died of bronchitis in Woodside NY.

I never cease to be amazed at how the women of this era refused to be cowed by societal expectations. Charlotte Ray’s victories are now recognized and celebrated. I’m glad her little stratagem enabled her to get what she strove for.

For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, leave a comment on Charlotte’s life or on the life of any woman you know who let a little stratagem do her.

“Take Me To The Water” by Michal Scott from Silver Soldiers

SILVER SOLDIERS: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will satisfy the reader who craves stories with older alpha male heroes—those salt-and-pepper hotties with crow’s feet earned through rugged training and years of combat. Former soldiers finding their footing after their first careers, or current soldiers nearing the end of their military careers. They’re ready to find the right partner to put down roots, ones who aren’t afraid of scars and rough edges.

Excerpt from “Take Me to the Water”…

That pitiable wreck of a man wasn’t her Ambrose.

Older, grayer, leaner, of course. She was older, grayer, leaner, too.
But the figure hunched in that corner of Douglass Fellowship Hall wasn’t her Ambrose.

Her Ambrose had never hidden, never cowered, never shunned attention even though he’d never sought it.

What had prison done to him? What had all these years of absence done to him? Why had she received no answer to her letters? Why had he stayed away when he had been released?

He’s not your Ambrose anymore. That’s why.

She closed her mind to that lie. In his eyes—despite the pain and sorrow etched on his face—she saw her Ambrose.

In whom she’d always taken her delight.

How many Christmases ago had it been when their bodies had become one, when their souls had soared, when their future had been assured? How many had passed since she’d learned of his release? How many had she stood in this window and waited for him to come back to her?

To come back home.

For hadn’t that been what he and she were to one another? What he and she had claimed to be for one another the night he’d left to fight in the West?

Buylink: https://amzn.to/3GBExbG

UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom!
*~*~*

During the infamous 2020, I spent a lot of time (more than I should have) watching YouTube. Like so many others, I found myself with extra time on my hands during that period. However, I wasn’t lounging around my house all day in my pajamas. My nine-to-five considered me to be an essential worker. This meant going to the office daily. What made this interesting is that while I was mandated to be at the office physically, only employees were allowed in the buildings. This meant that customers, consumers, clients, etc. were not allowed on the property. The results were (especially for the first two months), I spent eight hours alone in an office with the door shut and no work to do. I just sat once I had caught up on all the outstanding work that I had prior to the shutdown. Employees were not allowed to gather, and we really couldn’t talk with each other. It was a long eight hours.

I don’t know the reason (well, I can speculate but I shouldn’t say) the reason why they didn’t just tell us to remain at home was never explained. But the reason we had no work to do for such an extended period of time is that the powers that be did not devise a plan to address this. I made suggestions from the beginning, but, of course, there were egos to consider. Que sera sera. But none of that is neither here nor there now, and it’s been three years ago. I only mentioned it because it was a period when I experienced a lot of depression. Now, there are two kinds of depression: situational and clinical. Neither feels good, but clinical depression usually requires professional/medical intervention because it is a chemical imbalance. Situational depression, on the other hand, can be resolved by manipulating the environment. What I was experiencing during that time clearly was situational depression due to social isolation. At least, if I had been allowed to stay home, I could move around my house and roam around my backyard. As it was, my office has a small window with zero scenic views and is hard to access. I was left to stare at four walls in an approximately 12 x 10 room. I suppose it’s better than an 8×8 cell. However, after a while 12 x 10 begins to feel more like 3 x 3. So, while the powers that be sorted out a plan, my focus was to tend to my mental health.

Humans are social people. Taking away that social contact can be devastating for some. During the pandemic, people found alternative ways to meet their needs for socialization. As mentioned previously, one of the ways I fulfilled that need was by watching YouTube. However, many of the YouTubers that I had watched previously disappeared (e.g., beauty and makeup influencers). Thus, I began searching for new content creators to watch.

Somehow, I stumbled across perfume reviews. These weren’t my favorites because I had a hard time imagining the scents being described. Sure, I know what rose and lilac smell like, and I may could image them together. But when they began talking about top notes of balsam and red saffron with hints of vetiver and orris, it was like speaking a foreign language. All I knew was it didn’t smell like frying bacon. However, I watched these videos out of boredom and a mild hope that I would learn something. And I did learn something. Another reason I watched these videos is that many aromas make me happy. In the middle of the pandemic, I wanted something… anything… to make me happy. Sometimes, it is the small things that yield the most joy.

Many of the content creators spoke about having seasonal fragrances. They would say things like “This is what I’d wear in the spring.” Or “This would be smashing for a fall holiday party.” Color me weird, but I’d never thought of perfumes in seasonal terms. I purchase what I like and wear it until the bottle is empty. I never stopped to say, “Oh, I need to wait until winter to wear this.”

I still do not buy into that philosophy of wearing only during certain seasons—for one, because many of the scents I go for are too similar, and second, I’m not that organized. So, why am I discussing it? Well, I bumped into a dilemma. Usually, I create my own situations, but I have a whole multibillion-dollar company to thank for this one. See, they discontinued my favorite perfumes—one that I have doused myself in since my mid-twenties after obtaining my first job that I could afford to splurge on more than a body spray from Bath & Body. I mean this was my go-to jam, and I always received compliments that I smelled lovely. Yes, it stroked my ego.

I first noticed the scent missing in several stores, and when I went to the website, I saw that it had been reformulated and retitled. I learned my lesson about something similar with Estee Lauder’s Beautiful and Beautiful Sheer. Apparently, Beautiful Sheer was a limited edition. I purchased Beautiful thinking it would be similar, and I didn’t like it at all. My previous experience has made me weary of purchasing this new/rebranded version of my beloved fragrance. And for some reason, I none of the local stores are carrying it. So, I did what any obsessed person would do and turned to the internet. I found a carrier of the original with the price jacked up (of course). I only order one bottle because I had never ordered from the seller, and sometimes, what one receives is not what one ordered. I wanted to ensure that it was the real deal. Fortunately, it was. Unfortunately, I didn’t place a second order sooner.

By the time I used up this bottle, I had forgotten the name of the seller. I thought a Google search would bring it up the way it had the first time. To my surprise, though, the company had perfume listed for sale. I figured that they had decided to bring it back due to either customer demand, poor sales of the rebrand, or both. I didn’t care which. I was just happy. Eagerly, I put it in my cart. I did, however, notice that it was slightly cheaper. By hey, who am I to complain about a bargain.

Well, you know the saying if it’s too good to be true it probably is? Uh-huh. It was the same packaging, and the smell seemed the same—emphasis on seemed. When I sniffed it in the bottle, it was the same familiar scent. But when sprayed, it was much lighter. I know body chemicals can change the way a fragrance smells, and my instinct was to assume my body chemistry had changed. But it smelled lighter in the air. Yet, the biggest difference was it had zero staying power. It had been that once applied, the scent lasted the duration of my workday and longer. Additionally, the scent could be smelled father away. What I had vanished nearly after being applied, and the only people who could smell it had to be way into my personal space—as in their noses pressed to my neck. I’ve concluded (and I cannot prove it which is why I’ve neglected to name the fragrance) that it either has been reformulated with cheaper materials to cut cost, or I purchased an old batch that the company was trying to get rid of. I could be wrong, but that’s my opinion. In any case, I’m on the hunt for a new to-go scent. Enter dilemma number two. I can’t find anything. Well….

Thus, I purchased one perfume, and I loved it in the store. However, after wearing it for about an hour, the smell makes me nauseous. Another one I like but nearly everyone close to me tells me they can’t stand it. I like floral and clean scents. This one smells like a rose bush, and my friends all hate it. They say it’s “too much.” Normally, I wouldn’t cave, but since I am around them and they all complain, I agreed not to repurchase. There are a few others that I have enjoyed in the past, and now I don’t care for them. I suppose my preferences have changed over the years. Or maybe it is my olfactory that has changed.

So, here it is May. I’m in the same office with a slightly lighter workload. We’re no longer under lockdown conditions, but many of the Covid precautions remain in place. Employees are still required to socially distance. Masks are still required (although many employees can be seen without masks when no one is watching). Gatherings are not allowed, and persons allowed on the premises are restricted. Also restricted is the number of persons allowed to be in one area. As I write this, the Writers Guild of America continues to be on strike, and so I’m once again, reduced to watching YouTube—though not as much and not during working hours. Only this time, I find myself searching for a “summer” scent. Mind you, I still don’t know what that means exactly, and I intend to wear it regardless of the current season.

My curiosity has gotten the best of me. Who else has experienced something similar with either having their preferences for perfumes change or not being able to find a perfume that they like? Have you ever had your favorite perfume discontinued or fallen out of love with a scent? Have you had friends tell you that they can’t stand your cologne? Do you have seasonal scents? One person who shares their story below will be randomly selected to win a mystery gift. The contest ends at 12:01 AM CST on June 1, 2023.

Get ready. It’s time to hit the ice again. Future Goals has arrived and is available.

When a college hockey player needs the help of an attractive older attorney, he gets more than he bargained for when trying to sort out the troubles in his career. Falling in love was never part of either man’s plan, especially as Corrigan’s and Sacha’s lives should never have collided. Now they’re left questioning if they’re standing in the way of the other’s future goals, or if there’s room for redirection.

Order your copy at:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RjPYb9
Other booksellers: https://bit.ly/3CI8d5W

Missed the first four books in my hockey romance series? No frets.

Out of the Penalty Box (book #1), where it is one minute in the box or a lifetime out, is available at https://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. For more links on where to purchase or to read the blurb, please visit https://bit.ly/2i9SqpH.

Defending the Net (book #2) can be ordered at https://amzn.to/2N7fj8q or www.books2read.com/defending. Crossing the line could cost the game.

Ice Gladiators (book #3) is the third book in my Locker Room Love series. When the gloves come off, the games begin. Available at https://amzn.to/2TGFsyD or www.books2read.com/icegladiators.

Penalty Kill (book #4) retakes the ice. Get a copy at https://amzn.to/3ex0N9p or https://amzn.to/3ex0N9p and let the pucker begin.

For more of my stories, shenanigans, giveaways, and more, check out my blog, Creole Bayou, www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com. New posts are made on Wednesdays, and everything is raw and unscathed. Climb on in a pirogue and join me on the bayou.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search for me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors or BookBub or TikTok.

NEWSLETTER! Want to get the latest information and updates about my writing projects, giveaways, contests, and reveals first? Click https://genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com/newsletter/ and signup today.

Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.

About the Author

Genevive Chamblee resides in the Bayou country, where sweet tea and SEC football reign supreme. She is known for being witty (or so she thinks), getting lost anywhere beyond her front yard (the back is pushing it as she’s very geographically challenged), falling in love with shelter animals (and she adopts them), asking off-the-beaten-path questions that make one go “hmm,” and preparing home-cooked Creole meals that are as spicy as her writing. Genevive specializes in spinning steamy, romantic tales with humorous flair, diverse characters, and quirky views of love and human behavior. She also is not afraid to delve into darker romances as well.

Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I must confess I love a fairy-tale romance, especially if it includes a reckless and gallant knight, willing to risk all for the one who has captured his heart. Throw a little magic and a touch of fantasy into the mix and I am lost.

While I might be a hopeless romantic, I have no time for the helpless damsel in distress. I like a heroine who can stand up for herself, fight for those she loves and embrace life with her arms thrown open wide.

For a long time, I had the seed of a story slowly growing in my mind until it reached a point where it pushed restlessly against my consciousness and demanded to be released. As the characters slowly took form on the pages, they changed and reformed themselves in new and surprising ways and the story unfolded around them.

The first version of the book included some detailed and intimate scenes, but I soon realized that the story was better suited to simmering romance, fueled by longing, and forced separation. Finally, many revisions later, I had a story I was excited to share with the world.

Demonic haunting, mystery, and dark romance intertwine with everyday magic in the final version of this tale of cursed love, where the growing attraction between a young witch and an “almost werewolf” puts both their lives in peril.

Bewitched in the Inbetween

Demonic haunting, mystery and dark romance intertwine with everyday magic in this bewitching tale of cursed love.

Ayla grew secluded and protected by her grandmother and their enchanted cottage, free to explore and nurture her magical gifts. This blissful existence is shattered when her grandmother dies, leaving Ayla vulnerable to the darkness that seeks to steal not only her gifts, but her very life and the life of those she loves.

And then she meets the one she cannot live without.

The wolf that lurks somewhere beneath Ash’s skin draws him deep into the darkest forest, where the last thing he expects to find is the terrified young witch, running for her life.

Drawn together by fate, their growing attraction puts both their lives in peril.

Get your copy here!

About the author

I live and work with my family and menagerie of pets in Sydney, Australia. Aside from writing, I work as a teacher, graphic designer, and artist. I love to believe in the possibility that magic might exist in our everyday lives, hidden just below the surface of our day-to-day existence. I enjoy using words and art to create landscapes where magic and fantasy collide and overlap with ordinary, everyday experiences, bringing a new dimension of colour and light to the world.

Connect with me through:
https://www.instagram.com/smilingmoon_books/
https://linktr.ee/smilingmoonbooks