What's Your Weird?
Whatever it is... lean in, my friend
I love dolls, even the creepy ones. The one in this photo—made out of a tube sock (gawd, look at those horrifying T-Rex arms!)—even has her own Facebook page. Maybe that’s why Possessed Baby is a beloved secondary character in Celebrity Crush and Chuy the Puppet is the impetus behind Josie’s secret identity in Hollywood Hookup.
IMO, books of any genre are way more fun with a dollop of weird. Readers seem to agree in their reviews for Hollywood Hookup. Murdered puppet? Check. Dark humor? Check. Cosplay addiction. Check! If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, pick it up wherever books are sold.
In the meantime, I like to keep my real life as interesting as my books. While no celebrity has fallen in love with me yet, and I haven’t murdered any puppets (that I know of), here are some of my notable real-life weirdnesses from the past 30 days.
Best Things I Discovered This Month
There’s a race held every March in New Zealand through the actual set of Hobbiton where Lord of the Rings was filmed. They have a full marathon option and an 11K option (elevensies, get it?), plus stops along the way for you to eat and drink and basically be a Hobbit. Everyone dresses up. It sells out in 3 minutes. Anyone want to try for 2028?
For those of us on the dating apps, there’s actual science behind the ick feelings you get from certain profiles—you know, like the ones where the guy uses the limited number of characters in his bio to tell you what to do or the dreaded “pillow pics” (barf!). Professor of rhetoric Dr. Jennie Young deconstructs these in a book called Burn the Haystack. Five stars. I read it in a day. Now I swipe left with clarity and impunity.
I dreamed that Nathan Fillion kissed me, and it was the best kiss of my life, but we were only acting so it wasn’t real. I needed a minute afterward to recover. (Not really a discovery, but Nathan Fillion is single, so, you know, why not put it out there?)
What weird, interesting, or uncanny things are you leaning into lately? I’d love to know and share in my next newsletter!
Author Events
My last two Hollywood Hookup launch events are happening this month. I’d love to see you at one of them!
June 13th, 1PM-2:30PM, Author Signing. Lake Placid Memorial Library, 205 West Interlake Blvd., Lake Placid, FL, 33852. You won’t find Hollywood Hookup at a better price than at this event—only $15!
June 20th, 11AM-4PM, Read It, Write It Book Festival. The Mall at Wellington Green, 10300 Forest Hill Blvd, Wellington, FL 33414. (I’ll be in the Grand Court at Table 11 near the elevators!)
Free Fantasy ARC Reads
Bayne, my lovable neurodivergent Dwarf! I’m still looking for ARC readers for Shards of Power, by epic adventure fantasy based on the board game Rolling Empires.
What weird stuff appears in Shards of Power. I’m so glad you asked!
Sci-fantasy—a mix of magic and science—based on a board game you can actually play
A cursed Wizard whose touch either grows things or ages them
Groot-like Embodiment of the planet itself who is both terrifying and lovable.
All the Elves are women. Chew on that.
What does it mean to be an ARC reader?
Receive an advance copy of the book before release day.
Read the book within the provided timeframe, if possible.
Leave an honest review on sites like Amazon and Goodreads slightly before or during launch.
Help spread the word by sharing excitement, favorite quotes, or posts on social media if you’d like!
Intrigued? Sign up here.
Thanks so much for reading! See you next month where I’ll share some fun excerpts from Shards of Power.
