Join Me in Provincetown
Have you ever been to Provincetown, Massachusetts? Some call it the perfect destination for LGBTQ travel, and I have to agree. Provincetown celebrates individuality and the queer community like no other place I’ve ever visited. Not only that, but it’s a beautiful little town on the water. I love to sit on the beach with… Read more »
TikTok and Bagels
I read a quote recently (I wish I could remember where) that said social media is like standing in the middle of a crowded room and yelling I LIKE BAGELS, waiting, and then one person yells back I LIKE THOSE TOO. Basically, you put yourself out there, reveal a few things about yourself, and see… Read more »
A New Lease
This photo was taken three days before my heart attack. As you can see, I was feeling pretty good that crisp September day. I was celebrating the new chill in the air and even posted the photo to Instagram. Two days later, I was reaching to turn off my morning alarm clock when the pain… Read more »
Part II
I posted this to my social media accounts on April 20th of this year and wanted to update my site as well. ******************************* Once you’ve safely made it down a long and arduous path, it’s incredibly difficult to imagine making the journey a second time. Paralyzing almost, the concept. It’s National Infertility Awareness Week and… Read more »
The Line Between Reality and Fiction: My Story
As women, we don’t often talk about the struggles we face. Maybe it’s just part of the role we’re taught to play in society: strong, in control, and totally okay…even when we aren’t. I’m starting to rethink that philosophy. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love my job. The ability… Read more »
The Strawberry Summer Tie In Explained
If you’ve read a handful of my books, you’ve likely noticed that I like to tie the worlds together, and show a connection from one book to another. The Soho girls enjoy MollyDollys every chance they get. Emory and Sarah attend a theatrical performance starring none other than Adrienne Kenyon. Jenna McGovern and Jessica Lennox… Read more »
Remember That One Time When I Was a Ballerina?
I have an unfortunate confession to make. I don’t often pursue things I know I’m not good at. There. I’ve said it. Call it an overt fear of failure. It’s a character flaw and probably keeps me from learning new and exciting things. I could have been a fantastic skydiver, if I weren’t dreadfully terrified… Read more »
Audiobooks are FUN (And Other Ways to Bond with Your Family)
I hope everyone is enjoying our new month of May and frolicking nonstop on sidewalks and country lanes alike. For me, it has started off quite promising indeed. I’m in the final stretches of editing on First Position as it goes to the printer in June, and am just getting started writing my new book,… Read more »
Guest Blogger: Welcome, Jove Belle!
(As I’m sure you must be tired of this blog being constantly filled with me, me, me, I thought what better way to spice things up then with a guest blogger in the form of illustrious author, Jove Belle. Enjoy! – Melissa ) This weird thing happens after a book is written. An author takes… Read more »
She’s Got a Way…
(A repost of a blog I wrote recently for Read a Romance Month): We all know her. She’s sweet, unassuming, sometimes funny, and once in a while a klutz. She’s endearing for days, and maybe a little quirky in a fun way. She’s easily attractive, but even more so once you get to know her…. Read more »
The End of Summer: England, the GCLS Conference, and New Books
Today marks my last official day of summer. I head back on Monday for what will be my last year of graduate school and feel I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to glance back at the very-unique-summer-of-many-things. I learned, I frolicked, I had fun with friends, worked on some books, and… Read more »
International Woman of Whimsy
In just a few days, I fly across the great big pond and begin my summer studies in the merry old land of England. Can you believe it? I can’t. Especially as I have yet to figure out how to pack for a month long journey, and really haven’t done much of anything in the… Read more »
Little Miss Nervous at Your Service
When I was a kid, I loved the Mr. Books. Do you remember those? “Mr.” (insert adjective here) would set out on an adventure that would draw attention to his particular attribute. There was Mr. Happy, Mr. Clever, Mr. Busy, Mr. Chatterbox (I loved him!), and many more. (Don’t worry. They came out with a… Read more »
A Romance Writer’s Work is Never Done: RWA Conference 2014
(*A reposting of a blog I wrote for Women and Words earlier this month.) “We are all fools in love.” – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice When I was twelve years old, I started reading romance novels. I was the youngest of three girls and my oldest sister had a collection of them along the… Read more »
There’s a Tyrannosaurus Rex in My Backyard
My backyard has always been one of my favorite places to relax. Or daydream. Or write whimsical stories when the weather is nice. We have a decent sized wooden deck just outside the patio door with some saved-up-for furniture that I happen to love. Further out in the yard sit a couple of Adirondack chairs,… Read more »
Guess Who’s Back, Back Again…
I’m a derelict blogger. It’s true. Life turned up the heat and I stepped out of the blogosphere. And when I say heat, I’m referencing grad school, that carnival ride of academia that owned me for the past nine months. I got home after midnight a lot and was too sleepy to figure out how… Read more »
Chocolate Makes the World Go Round
(***A Repost of the Blog I did for Women and Words Last Week) People who bake are sexy to me. Aprons are too. Flour on someone’s cheek is extra sexy and the ultimate, final creation, whether decadent, succulent, or savory, makes the whole process of baking the sexiest thing in all of life. Okay, I… Read more »
Conferences, Broadway, and Book Clubs, Oh My!
Can you believe how long it’s been since I’ve written a blog? I know. You might presume that time has just gotten away from me, or that I was daydreaming in a corner somewhere, and while both of those things are true, I’ve also been on the go, go, go. And now I feel like… Read more »
The Bentley and Me
Some of you might remember that last summer I purchased a model home that was going into retirement. Right, the house with the red walls. You remembered! (No worries, I took care of those). But the cycling out of those houses meant that the developer in my neighborhood was moving onto a new series of… Read more »
Say It Isn’t So.
Wanna know a secret? I never get sick. I’m sorry to brag, in fact my mother taught me not to, but it’s blissfully true. Some people are proud of their perfect cartwheels (which I can’t do), or their original recipe for potato soup (which I will eat), but for me, it’s my handy dandy immune… Read more »
Sister, Sister
I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but I have sisters. Two of them, if we’re being specific, and generally it’s nice to be. I’m the youngest in the line up, a fact I used to hate when they would run off together and have copious amounts of fun without me. Sad times. When I… Read more »
I’m Older Now and Making Things Happen
So I had a birthday yesterday. I know. I’m firmly in my mid-thirties now. This is kind of cool, I think. I’m the smartest I’ve ever been and I like that. I also like this owl. Thereby, I have included him in my blog post. (But I digress). As I take stock, I realize that I… Read more »
Next Big Thing: Blog Hop
What a crazy week, I say. Holding auditions for my next show, buying Christmas presents at a much slower pace than I should be and what do you know? I’ve been tagged by that cheeky Ashley Bartlett in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. In case you didn’t have a chance to read all about… Read more »
The Soundtrack of My Life
(A re-post of the recent blog I wrote for Women and Words…) You guys, I love to dance. Alone in my living room with no one watching, I am quite simply a rock star of dancing. I feel you should know this about me. You wouldn’t believe my mad skills and I can tell you… Read more »
Women Rocking Women’s Week. Again.
I’m back recently (okay, last month, sometimes I exaggerate) from the highly enjoyable state of Massachusetts. Listen, I love this place. This New England. So quaint, so chilly, so circular. That last part was a rotary reference. We don’t have those things in Texas, hence my preoccupation with going around and around and around before… Read more »
Coffee Talk
Click the link below to check out the vlog I did with Carsen Taite in Provincetown during Women’s Week. There’s coffee involved. I promise. Coffee Talk. A Women’s Week recap is on the way soon. Stay tuned….
How The Sweet Valley Twins Made Me the Richest Kid on the Block
I got my first job when I was eight. I know what you’re thinking. Late bloomer. But it was about that time in my life when I started to realize that I needed things, and things cost money. I went to my parents. My weekly allowance wasn’t going to cut it. What could I do,… Read more »
You Don’t Have to Go Home, But You Can’t Stay Here.
Two of the coolest words in the history of words are most definitely, THE END. When I see them at the conclusion of a movie or at least understand the implication that the film is over, it usually brings on an internal sigh of contentment. A “journey is complete” sense of finality, if you will…. Read more »
Change: The One Thing in Life You Can Depend On. And Coffee. That Too.
I moved this summer. Can you believe it? It took over a year to sell the house, but it happened. Praise Baby Jesus. Funny thing about selling: they want you to pack up and leave. So the next stop on the real estate train was find a house to hop into and quick. In a… Read more »
Learn More. Eat Cookies. Make Friends. Or: GCLS 2012
That was pretty much the theme of the week for my recent attendance at the Golden Crown Literary Society’s Annual Conference. I hope I accomplished at least two of three. First, let me say that I love conferences. Really, you can create a conference about pretty much anything and if you give me an all… Read more »
“Maybe You Just Need Something Fun to Do…”
I get that a lot. Most everyone has a hobby. At least one, right? At least if they really thought about it. These are the things that make us who we are, that carve out our personality and make us unique from the masses that bookend us in our day to day lives. Lately, I’ve… Read more »
That Place
I will forever remember my first matinee. I got to miss a whole day of school to see the musical version of “Hans Christian Anderson” in the city of Ipswitch, England with my third grade class (I was an AIr Force kid). As we passed through the theatre’s giant glass doors, all sound seemed to fade… Read more »
Let’s Hang Out and Count Leaves…
Gotta love autumn. I do. I live in Texas so there’s a definite delay when it comes to leaves changing to sparkly-pretty colors, but now that we’re into November, there are hints of it happening which gets me all kinds of excited. Makes me want to play a sport or craft something I have no… Read more »