So many authors! So many books! All free!
If you need something new to read, this is where you should go.

So many authors! So many books! All free!
If you need something new to read, this is where you should go.
So in 2021, I managed the following:
I liked the symmetry of that so much, I purposely didn’t finish reading a book on the 31st.
And while I’ve had better writing years, I’ve had much worse. Considering the state of everything in 2021, it could’ve been much, much worse. Not only am I really pleased with how Season Four of Coffee and Ghosts turned out, but I also had a lot of fun writing it.
I also started a Little Free Library this year. Traffic’s a little slow now that the snow and cold have arrived, but readers are slipping in new books and taking others. In the spring, I hope to do more with it. It will be easier for all once you don’t have to mount the snowbank just to peek inside.
What didn’t work in 2021: Weekly writing check-ins. Lately, I’ve found I don’t have much to say, at least not about my writing progress on a weekly basis.
I’ve been blogging in some form since 2003, and I’m certainly not going to stop now. Okay, I just did the math, and that’s nearly twenty years. In that time, I’ve changed platforms and formats, what I write about, and a variety of other things. I think it’s time to change and grow again, but in what direction, I’m not sure.
It may take all of 2022 to figure that out. But for now, I’ll wish everyone a Happy New Year. May 2022 bring you the peace and joy you need.
Filed under Writing
I may have mentioned that I have a time travel series idea that’s been knocking around inside my head for about … four years now.
I never claimed to be a fast writer.
Or thinker, as the case may be. I pondered season four of Coffee and Ghosts for a good four years before I sat down to (seriously) write it. True, I did do a trial run in 2020, but I jettisoned it because … 2020.
When I tried again this year, it only took me six months to write 100,000 words. That’s not a bad pace, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. The entire story includes pondering and note-taking and letting it all simmer.
Instead of being frustrated by this, I’ve decided to embrace it and make it fun. Because it’s not changing. How do I know this? I’ve tried. Oh, how I’ve tried. I have learned that I’m not one of those zippy writers who can write a book a month.
I’ve attempted to adhere to the pithy writing advice of Don’t think, write.
Guess what? It doesn’t work for me. What I get is a mess of a draft or a story that’s anemic.
I also don’t outline. I take lots of notes, create a framework or a roadmap, but I don’t go beyond that, either. And yes, I’ve tried to meticulously outline as well. When I do that, I overcomplicate the story.
So here I am, plotters to the left of me, pantsers to the right, stuck in the middle with me.
Only now, I’m owning it.
Filed under Weekly Writing Check In, Writing
I spent this week doing a bit of clean-up. I finished adjusting my prices on Ingram Spark (for their price increase). I’ve been adding print book URLs to all my Books2Read links.
This is a manual process, and while I’m thrilled about having print links, It. Is. Tedious.
I’m really pleased with the release of The Ghosts You Left Behind. Early reviews are in, and the response is heartening. One of my biggest fears with this season was making things interesting and fresh while keeping the promise of the series.
What’s next? I’m not sure. I have several projects simmering on the stove of my mind. I visit each one, stir and taste, maybe add some spices, and set it back to simmering. (I’m not sure this makes sense to anyone but me.)
I’ve come to accept that I’m not the sort of writer who plans books and series in advance, with a calendar and project management software. One of those simmering stories will come to the forefront and let me know it’s ready to be written.
In the meantime, I have books to read, Photoshop tutorials to complete, and any number of writing-related things I can do.
Filed under Books, Coffee & Ghosts, Weekly Writing Check In, Writing
We got spooky this past weekend with the Little Free Library. Not only that, we had some little free pumpkins as well.
I feel compelled to point out that all the candles are LEDs, not wax and flame. Before Halloween, I bought a handful of spooky children’s books, which went fast.
Then on Halloween, I added the candles and the table with the pumpkins and the candy.
After that? Well, as you can see, it was spooky.
Filed under Books, Little Free Library
Yes, at long last! The release of The Ghosts You Left Behind: Coffee and Ghosts 4.
If Katy and Malcolm want a future, they’ll need to survive the past.
When Katy and Malcolm discover a secret stash of Springside ghosts, they can’t tell if they’re on a rescue mission, walking into a trap—or dealing with something far more sinister.
But the simple act of freeing the ghosts sets the past on a collision course with the present.
Katy has always known the past can haunt. Usually, that’s something she can fix with freshly brewed coffee and some Tupperware.
This time, old enemies lurk in the shadows, pulling strings and weaving inescapable webs.
When she falls in, survival may be impossible. But to escape, Katy must navigate threads from the past, deal with capricious spirits, dubious allies, and ruthless adversaries.
And if she fails?
No one she loves will have a future.
Coffee & Ghosts is a cozy paranormal mystery/romance serial told over multiple episodes. This series bundle contains all three novella-length episodes of Season Four:
What now? Well, now I have a Little Free Library and Halloween table to decorate. And maybe a nap to take.
Filed under Books, Coffee & Ghosts, Publishing, Weekly Writing Check In, Writing
Almost more there for the release of The Ghosts You Left Behind: Coffee and Ghosts 4:
This slow and steady approach seems to be working. Pre-orders are trickling in nicely. (Yes, I know. No one’s more surprised than I am.) This is definitely the way to release a book–low key and low stress.
Filed under Books, Coffee & Ghosts, Weekly Writing Check In, Writing
So, do you know what I have this week?
I mean, other than a pre-order?
Print books (in process) and pumpkins!
And I’m exhausted. It’s not that hard to do, but it adds up when you’re creating paperback, large print, and hardcover editions.
So, I will keep this short and take the rest of the day off while the title winds its way through all the various vendors and systems.
Filed under Books, Coffee & Ghosts, Weekly Writing Check In, Writing