Booking Through Thursday: learning to read

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Do you remember learning to read? Or do you have an early memory of reading that stands out? Maybe it was a particular book or a series that you loved so much you couldn’t help but become a lifelong reader.

Do you remember learning to read? If not, what is your earliest memory of reading?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Big bundle audio event

So, this was a surprise. Well, not completely. I did submit to be part of the big audio bundle event over on Chirp Books. Since the Coffee & Ghosts series is narrated by the incomparable Amy McFadden, I thought it was worth a shot.

Then I completely forgot about it. You know, as one does.

Chirp sale

So here it is, the sale of the year (at least for me for this set of audiobooks).

I’m still amazed at how Amy so expertly captured the entire series. Her narration is a near match for what’s in my head. She was also a dream to work with. I’m so grateful our paths crossed.

Shakespeare and Sunshine

Yesterday was cold, rainy, and blustery—the perfect day to watch King Lear. Which is exactly what I did, since I’m taking a Shakespeare course through the folkloric lens at The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic.

Because, of course, I am.

Today, though? Today, while still cloudy, is promising sunshine. Things are turning green. I really need to venture into the garden, start pruning, and generally prepare for the growing season.

It’s already 62 degrees. I’m going to assume the sun will make a grand appearance later in the day. So, I’m heading outside to stomp around in the mud for a while.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Booking Through Thursday: Goldilocks reading

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Are you a Goldilocks reader? Do you like everything to be just right? You know, the lighting, the temperature, the right blanket, along with a drink and snacks? Or are you someone who can read nearly anywhere?

If so, you can still tell us about your ideal reading space.

Are you a Goldilocks reader (everything needs to be just right)? Or can you read anywhere?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

First Quarter Reckoning

So, I am still (loosely) following the Ines Johnson Page Turner Planner system. Part of that is to reflect after each quarter—a good practice. It’s so easy to think you haven’t accomplished anything at all. At least, it is for me.

But in tallying up the first quarter of 2026, I discovered I did quite a bit.

The biggest, obviously, is getting a solid draft of The Marigold Miracle, which is now spell-checked, formatted, and resting quietly.

Other things I did:

  • Started Booking Through Thursday.
  • Submitted two short stories, one of which is in the final round of consideration.
  • Got a BookBub Free Reads deal for Must Love Ghosts that was tremendous.
  • Added a funnel to The Pansy Paradox at the end of Coffee & Ghosts book four—a short excerpt with a link to the extended preview.
  • Updated my WordPress template.
  • Migrated my email newsletter list to a different provider. This was not fun, but I’m glad I did it.

Things I didn’t do or dropped:

  • I wanted to look at drafting short stories, but my entire attention was on The Marigold Miracle, so this didn’t happen. It may happen in the next weeks while the manuscript rests. I’m fine with this. My entire brain was in the world of King’s End, and that’s where it needed to be.
  • The Jane Eyre slow read. I don’t know if it was the audio version or what (and yes, I know I could switch to a print version). But Adele sounded like a fifty-year-old French woman, and I’m not even sure what Mr. Rochester sounded like, except for wrong. But since it felt like a relief to stop, I think I made the right decision here.

And that’s my first quarter. I hope you take time to reflect and discover that you also did so much more than you imagined—even if it wasn’t exactly what you planned on doing.

Booking Through Thursday: Poetry

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Happy April! In honor of National Poetry Month, today’s prompt is all about poetry. Do you read it? Have a favorite poet? Avoid it altogether? Let us know in the comments or on your blog.

Do you read poetry or have a favorite poet?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

April’s Booking Through Thursday prompts (no fooling)

For those who like to plan ahead, here are the April 2026 Booking Through Thursday prompts:

  • April 2: Do you read poetry or have a favorite poet?
  • April 9: Are you a Goldilocks reader (everything needs to be just right)? Or can you read anywhere?
  • April 16: Do you remember learning to read? If not, what is your earliest memory of reading?
  • April 23: It’s National Library Week! Do you have a local library that you visit? If so, tell us about it.
  • April 30: Have you ever visited a Little Free Library? Did you know that you can find them all over the world?

Want to suggest a prompt? Leave a comment or use the contact form to send it my way.

It’s done! (Well, mostly.)

This draft of The Marigold Miracle is done!

Well, mostly.

It’s not the final draft, but it is the draft that has all its moving parts—or, at least, most of them. If someone read this particular draft, they could follow the story. I filled in all the missing scenes, wrote a new beginning, and picked up where I left off with the epilogue.

In the previous draft, I stopped writing in the middle of that epilogue. Yes, really! It was in my head, the last line in particular, so it didn’t really matter if it was on the page.

What comes next? I’m going to run a spellcheck, since when I draft, I never use spelling or grammar checking or turn on anything that provides “helpful” hints. (And Copilot is even more annoying than Clippy.)

After that, I’ll put it in manuscript format and then let it rest.

For how long? I’m not sure. I’m thinking between four and eight weeks. Then I’ll print that monster and do a paper edit.

And it is a monster of a story: 160,000 words, y’all.

This is the longest book I’ve ever written, beating The Pansy Paradox by 20,000 words. I did add a point of view (Marigold’s) and wrote a new beginning, so this makes sense.

I will streamline things in the edit, but I know my writing process well enough to know that I won’t move the needle that much. I tend to streamline and cut in one place only to add in another.

But for now? It. Is. Done.

Well, mostly.

Booking Through Thursday: seasonal reading

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

It’s spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, so this week’s question is about seasonal reading. Does your reading change along with the seasons?

Let us know in the comments below or on your own blog.

Does your reading change with the seasons?

How to play:

  • On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
  • On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
  • Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Spring has (sort of) sprung!

What a difference a week makes! Last week, we were in the middle of an epic snowstorm. Yesterday, I took my first walk of spring.

It was in the 70s yesterday! Of course, today, it’s a bit colder. This is Minnesota, and we won’t get true spring for a while. Still, winter is (mostly) in the rearview mirror.

I had my root canal on Tuesday. Here’s a public service announcement about that:

Take the next two days off.

No, really. Do so. I did not, and I really wish I had. Also, if there is another root canal in my future, someone, please, gently remind me that this post exists. Future me will thank you.

So, in the spirit of taking time off, I’m going to keep this short.

Wishing everyone a restful Sunday.