Thank you for all of your kind words about my migraines. I really appreciate it. This hasn’t been a particularly exciting week, although I did have a nice time on Father’s Day. My parents invited my second cousin (who is in college, doing research during the summer semester) to dinner and we ate out on the porch. For once, it was lovely weather and it was really nice to spend the time outside and actually enjoy it! I am writing this Wednesday but have plans to get my hair cut

I hope you enjoy the illustrations that Colleen did for Mickey & Rafe. I think she nailed their expressions perfectly. Rafe looks like a big ol himbo and Mickey looks focused (grumpy) on the ice. I hope you enjoy the gorgeous special edition paperback of Slew Foot. ​We are taking pre-orders for Slew Foot now and signed paperbacks will begin shipping August 25th. I also designed some fun merch for Mouse and Turtle. It’s a toss up between my favorite sticker but the Level 4 B

As much as I loved the illustrations Colleen O'Malley did for Connor and Jesse on the Goaltender Interference cover, I think Gavin’s illustration might be one of my favorites. He looks exactly like I pictured him. Every inch the stressed-out Boston Harriers general manager! I did not have Colleen do an illustration of Dakota so we could prioritize getting these paperbacks done. I am hopeful that once we wrap up the paperbacks, I can have her do illustrations for the other non

While I’d really love to be that super-organized author who always has my shit together, last summer’s migraines really set me back when it comes to bigger projects. This summer, the migraines are significantly better (but not completely gone) so I am trying to be careful not to overload myself. So although someday I hope to have illustrations and merch done before a book is finished that hasn’t been my reality lately. My more realistic goal was to get them out before the fin

Uhh, so if you didn’t already know by now, sometimes the ADHD strikes hard. I’ve been blathering on about James recording Flipping the Switch but, uh, that is in fact not the next book in the series! Kim finally pointed out that Made to Order comes next. Not sure how I forgot about my subby Army vet and his bossy chef, but well, somehow I managed it. It was no big deal. I hadn’t sent the files to James yet but it meant I needed to make a very quick pivot to get everything re

The Baby Pens are off to the Eastern Conference Finals, Sidney Crosby is doing Sidney Crosby things at Worlds, and Evgeni Malkin signed to play with Pittsburgh for one more year. throws confetti All is right in my hockey world. (I am disgusted and saddened by the situation with VGK going to the playoffs and their vile-excuse-for-a-human goalie and will not be watching any of the NHL playoffs.) I am having a great deal of fun in my fictional hockey world. Leif & Tanner are

If you love my illustrated paperbacks, but live in a place where you can’t order them directly from my Shop, you can now buy them on Amazon! They should be available in all countries and both the Rules of the Game series and the Relationship Goals series are available (Scoring Chances will be coming in August). Because of the way Amazon sets up paperback pre-orders for alternate editions, I can’t link you directly to the series but if you click the button below it’ll take you

Great news! The Baby Penguins are still in the playoffs, and I’ve had a very productive week! I stopped by the thrift store and bought a little metal organizer for under my bathroom sink. This led to a full sink re-organize (and required buying several more organizers at another store) but after years of it annoying me, now it looks and functions exactly like I hoped and I couldn’t be happier with it. On Wednesday, I had a meeting with my web designer, Pippa, about some si

As many of you know, the Pens got eliminated from the playoffs. I was very sad but honestly, making it to the playoffs at all was a gift. The entire season they had was a gift. Last fall, they were predicted to be the worst team in the league. Making it to the playoffs with Sid, Geno, and Tanger all there and healthy was impressive and I am so glad they got that again. I had to mourn for a bit and step away from hockey. While I did, I worked on puzzles, plus went hiking and s

It’s funny the difference a week can make! Tanner & Leif are behaving (for now) and words are flowing again on Game Misconduct. The Penguins won their last two games and forced a game six. knock on wood but here’s hoping they drag it to a game 7 on Saturday! The odds are not in their favor historically, but as I said last week, they do have a tendency to be dramatic, so … fingers are firmly crossed again! Let’s go, Pens! Want to know what else I’ve been up to? Writing: A

I know many of you love illustrated covers and I’ve been working with my illustrator, Colleen, to create special editions of both the Rules of the Game and #Relationship Goals series. It’s been a labor of love and took a lot longer than I had hoped (that’s on me, not Colleen!) but I am so thrilled with the way they turned out. In addition to the gorgeous covers, the special editions will also have custom interior formatting. I will be bringing copies of them to Sports

It’s difficult to wrap up a year like this one. It was a struggle most of the way through for me in so many ways. Losing my friend Helena at the end of last year, losing my aunt, losing a friend … I carried a lot of grief with me. The state of the world in general and of the United States in particular caused an enormous amount of stress. And yet, there were bright spots. Running the shop in addition to my writing was challenging but fun overall. I had a few misstep

Things are humming along around here. I took a couple of days off writing to focus on some admin work that’s been lingering on my To Do list. It feels so good to get that all checked off. I also finished my heirloom pumpkin puzzle and started a woodland wildlife one. I really enjoyed watching the Global Series in Stockholm Sweden last weekend. The Pittsburgh Penguins played the Nashville Predators twice there and it was really fun to see the behind the scenes social media con

Although we won’t be doing another Christmas Falls season this year, we do have something special for you. Along with DJ Jamison, Beth Bolden, Rye Cox, and Jacki James, I worked with the amazing artist Lauren Dombrowski to create illustrated covers for some of the Christmas Falls titles. We had a great time creating these special edition paperbacks and I couldn’t be happier with the way the cover for Scrooge You! turned out. Aren’t Hayden & Joel adorable ? And I love

Hope you’re having a good week. Mine has been a little chaotic (really feeling that Mercury in Retrograde energy right now …) but I’ve gotten a lot done. I bought and assembled a comfy new desk chair because my previous one was getting so old. The cushion was losing its supportiveness and the latch that lets me lean back in it/lock it upright went on the fritz. I figured it was time to get something more comfortable. My humidifier and my garment steamer both died too. L

I have been waiting a looooong time to launch character art and the day is finally here! I worked with an amazing artist named Colleen...