He is a sweetheart, isn’t he?

Well, your wish is my command.

Meet BEWITCHED BY HER! A short, fun collection of four scenes told from the point of view of Ryan, just in time for your yearly reread of Bewitched by You or to return to Barnett for a little while.

On Kindle/KU!

You’ll read…

• The Meeting: Ever wonder what happened when it was Ryan’s turn to go into the office after Lu’s plans of a Samhain celebration on campus was turned down. Well. know you get to! See Ryan with his healing knee, the dean, his coach, and how he made the decision about what he plans for the rest of his life with or without the football jersey. And also where he goes after.

• Mabon at Gertie’s: Apple pie and then his first coven ritual? It’s a full night for Ryan of women who will absolutely interrogate him a little before having him participate in a pomegranate ritual that may undo him completely.

• This Kiss: Ahhhh. It’s so perfect.

• Halloween Magic: How the hillside, the pumpkins, the fairy lights, and everything came to be that Ryan did behind the scenes to make one night feel like magic for Lu for their perfect witchy HEA.

I had so much fun diving back into Lu and Ryan and it was run to re-read and rewrite and return to who I was as a writer when I last dove into the world of a modern witch and golden boy football player at a small town university. Ryan is definitely funnier than I remembered as well, especially while writing the moments where he’s trying to play it cool and not mess everything up— which he fails at… often.

I hope you love this little Halloween romance treat!

Get BEWITCHED BY HER today

On Kindle/KU!

Soon to be in a cute paperback as well… any moment really, so keep your eyes on the ‘zon page!

Share if you plan on reading this fun collection of Ryan’s POV and a favorite scene you remember from Bewitched by You!

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And I figured I would give my wonderful readers on Substack an extra hint or two. One is in the title of this newsletter.

The other is in the photo.

I mean, that pumpkin looks rather familiar, doesn’t it?

I wonder if anyone has any guesses what it is, yet.

Leave a comment

Thoughts?

Stay tuned…

Need More to Read?

Wait… you too?

Well, do I have a fantastic deal and read for you. Bewitched By You is currently available for only 99 cents on Kindle!

Get Your 99¢ Copy!

But all good things and fantastic celebrations must also come to an end at some point, so this deal will run out in one week. Plenty of time to download, read, share, and reminisce over Lu and Ryan’s Practical Magic meets college rom-com love story.

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Luella Pierce is having a mid-witch crisis.

Her best friend is top of her class and currently on a fast track to land her dream job. Her coven members have all found their passions in life and are excited to start their next chapter. Even her arch nemesis and Barnett University’s star football player, Ryan Gardner, has future plans. Sure, they’re to become a permanent nuisance in her life, but still. Everyone else seems to have life figured out except her.

Lu’s big plans? Procrastinating the future by throwing all her energy into creating the most fantastic Samhain–Halloween–celebration BU has ever seen. That is, if she can convince the student council she won’t perform any satanic rituals.

Cue the eye roll.

But when Ryan sustains a career-ending injury and Lu receives an offer from her sweet yet meddling coven matriarch that causes her to rethink everything, Lu also begins to question if the strongest magic may be taking a chance on love.

And herself.

If you’ve been meaning to read it, now is the perfect time to grab a copy and settle in for some cozy, witchy, contemporary romance.

Bewitched by You is the ideal contemporary romance…

• Fall college vibes

• Golden Boy Football Player meets Modern Witch

• Cozy moments

• Black cat girlfriend x golden retriever book boyfriend

• A plan to ignore all life and graduation responsibilities while attempting to plan the best Halloween party ever.

And, of course, a little modern witch fun that comes with the Barnett Witches

For one week only, you can get the Kindle edition for just $0.99 on Amazon to have on your Kindle forever.

Get Your Copy

I highly recommend for so many reasons, but also because I’d love for you to spend some time with my characters this season.

The 99¢ Kindle deal is only available for one week to celebrate the season with me, so don’t wait!

And maybe read and review too?

Happy reading!

Need More to Read?

If you’ve been meaning to read Picture Perfect Love Story, it isn’t too late! In fact, I would say now is the perfect moment.

Get Your Copy!

So, now’s the time to grab your ebook copy!

Wedding photographer Fran Sutton has built her career capturing perfectly imperfect love stories.

The quiet glances, the messy laughter, the moments couples never want to forget. She believes in love with her whole heart.

Even if her biggest professional rival doesn’t.

Because lately, every major booking seems to come with one unavoidable complication. Oscar Reeves.

A meticulous videographer, Oscar treats weddings like they are a scam. Where Fran sees emotion and connection, he sees timelines, deliverables, and the inevitable ways love falls apart.

When they’re both hired for a high-profile Chicago influencer’s wedding season, Fran and Oscar are thrown into a summer of shared travel, long days behind the lens, and mounting creative tension. Determined to prove that love is real, Fran finds herself increasingly drawn to the one person determined not to believe in it.

But when the influencer’s carefully curated wedding begins to unravel, Fran starts to wonder if Oscar was right all along. Maybe love stories aren’t meant to last forever. And the closer she gets to Oscar, the more she risks losing not only her heart, but her belief in love stories entirely.

You can download it here on Amazon now through Wednesday.

Get Your Copy!

Because I may have other bookish fun in store this week too.

If you’ve already read it, thank you so much. There are still a few ways to support me and this story if you have the time.

How can you help support?

• Send the link to a friend who loves a good contemporary romance.

• Restack this newsletter for more people to find it.

• Read or reread on Kindle Unlimited.

• Review Picture Perfect Love Story.

• Share on other social media.

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Happy reading!

Need More to Read?

If you’ve been around here for a while, you may have noticed that I’ve been a little quiet on Substack lately post Picture Perfect Love Story release. Which is funny, because I’ve actually had a lot going on that I could’ve been talking about, but I also feel like me stepping back from writing these newsletters was much needed.

The last time I was here, I was talking about PPLS, my most recent book release that happened in June, and all of the chaos, excitement, and exhaustion that comes with putting a book out into the world.

The ups of publishing, the downs of release day madness etc. It was all there.

Since then, life has shifted a little bit.

For one thing? I got married.

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Which still feels a little strange to type after all the planning work, life, traveling, and trying to keep up with all of the little things that somehow become very big things when you’re preparing for a wedding amongst everything else going on.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, writing and creating had to take a bit of a backseat for a minute to fully enjoy the moment.

I shared pieces of that season over on Instagram, but I don’t think I ever really stopped to talk about it here.

Now that the wedding is over and life is beginning to settle into whatever this next version of normal is where I’m not stressing over last minute wedding details (other than the fact I still need to send out thank you cards), I’ve found myself thinking a lot about getting back to work and getting back to writing consistently.

And I don’t mean just work in the traditional sense (though that too now that the school season is back up and running), but the creative work that threads through it all and feels like a never-ending cycle of being “almost there” or “almost enough.”

There’s all the writing I need to do and should’ve been doing already. The ideas that have piled up over the years. The projects I’ve been putting off because there simply wasn’t room for them or, more honestly, because I kept moving onto different projects and different series in hopes that I would hit the right cord somewhere else and make the dream of writing full-time and people falling in love with my books happen there (in the metaphoric somewhere over there sense) rather than seeing all the things through completely.

Like the Barnett Witches series.

Like Home Haven.

But we will talk about those more I think coming up as I sort through a plan and what I want to do next with all my stories.

For now, I recently shared a little day in the life of what getting back into a work routine has looked like with writing and day job. Honestly, I think it captures this season we are going into pretty well.

Because getting back into a creative routine isn’t always as romantic as we make it sound, even in the ‘ber months we have made it to already this year. Sometimes I want the cozy blanket wrapped around me at my desk, the coffee, the pretty notebook, the fall morning, the candle burning beside my laptop. And sometimes I have a full schedule of day job, approximately seventeen other things I should be doing from groceries to procrasti-baking, and absolutely no idea when I’m supposed to squeeze in the part where I’m actually creative and doing the work I want to be doing because I don’t want to miss out on the other bits of life either.

I’m trying to figure that out again without tipping one way or the other from work to everyday life— I’m starting to wonder if there is an even way to do it, or if it just becomes a balance where some days it is more ok to lean one way vs. the other.

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In both places, luckily, I’m also starting to think about books again in a way I haven’t for a while. I’ve been reading for joy. Reading physical books. Reading on my kindle. Slowly watching my amount of books I read this year casually climb without feeling all that stressed about it because I have a book I am currently reading more consistently again in a way that feels like me.

Recently reading…

• The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

• Sweet Blood by Lola Glass

• The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

• The Unlucky Succubus series by L.L. Frost

And, of course, because apparently I enjoy giving myself things to do, I’m going back into another round of marketing for Bewitched by You this fall the best I can.

It’s funny how as someone who knows that I need to consistently market and share a book (even one I’ve had out for 3 years now— wild!), a book doesn’t really feel finished when you publish it because you are constantly revisiting.

I still have to keep telling people that it exists.

So I’m pulling Bewitched by You back into the spotlight— Perfect timing with the Practical Magic 2 movie coming out as well!— and finding new ways to talk about it, share it, and hopefully introduce it to some readers who missed it the first time around.

And while I’m doing that, I’m also slowly making my way back toward a new book that I will hopefully be sharing more of the process about here and over on Instagram where I’ve been yet again spending too much time.

Take a guess in the comments if you have any clue what I am working on next!

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But I am writing and feeling like it is a soft sort of work again that isn’t completely stressing me out when I think about how I need to sit down to do it, or when I actually sit down to do it.

And after everything that happened this year and the years prior on that front and others, that feels like a pretty big thing to say. Because I didn’t realize just how much I’ve missed this part.

I’ve missed having ideas. And not only story ideas that sit in my drafts or Pinterest boards for ages, but having an idea and working on it in a way that don’t have to immediately become content one way or another.

I’ve missed sitting down with a story just because I want to see what happens next.

I’ve missed being a writer in the middle of writing something and not just an author talking about a book that already exists (though as I mentioned before, I’ve been doing a lot of that too).

So, this is where I’ve been. More or less.

A little busy. A little overwhelmed. Very newly married even though it feels like the wedding just happened and also as if it happened ages ago.

I’m trying to find my routines again.

I’m marketing an older book while quietly working on a new one.

I’m figuring out how to make space for creativity when life doesn’t necessarily leave you a perfectly empty afternoon or morning to dive in and dig deep into characters whenever you want to.

I’m hoping to be around here a little more again with some updates.

Other Things I’m Loving Lately…

• Cocokind ceramide lip blur balm is a new staple for me. I’ve been wearing the Be Bold but loving Be You shade as well going into fall season! I also got a few of these to give to my bridesmaids before my wedding in a variety of the colors.

• Imagining a day where I can hang things on the walls to decorate my home.

• I’ve never been a concealer girl, but this one from Saie has converted me. Blends so easy, even as someone who doesn’t wear foundation.

• Spending too much time on Pinterest thinking about holiday gifts for loved ones already.

• The fact that fall is back and so is pumpkin creamer for my coffee.

• My trusty Keds that I have been wearing basically all the time again now that sandal season is leaving us. I even wore a slightly different pair at my wedding reception. Perfect for dancing!

• Caraway already won me over with their pans, but now the mini muffin pan is my new love. No need for liners at all! Already made blueberry and pumpkin muffins in this.

Coming up, there will probably be more writing updates, behind-the-scenes pieces, book talk, and some of the everyday life stuff that doesn’t quite fit into an Instagram reel, but also more thoughtful pieces that I am not just constantly sending out here on Substack to send out and I hope that you not only understand but appreciate that.

And if you’ve been following along over there, thank you for sticking around through all of my little life updates. If you haven’t, you can find me on Instagram where I’ve been sharing more of the day-to-day lately.

For now, I’m just happy to be back to check in with you all.

And I’m very curious to see what comes next and share that too (hopefully soon). Maybe you will be too ;)

Need More to Read?

We made it. It’s live! You can read it right now.

Every book release is different, but this one feels especially meaningful. This story challenged me, surprised me, and reminded me why I fell in love with writing romance in the first place and also lead me into the direction I think we are writing into next.

Read the Book!

Also… Picture Perfect Love Story my 10th published romance book.

My 10th published book.

Wild.

And now we can really talk about it and see it.

So welcome to Picture Perfect Love Story and meet Fran Sutton, a wedding photographer who has everything planned, except working alongside the one videographer she cannot stand whatsoever. Oscar Reeves is charming, frustrating, and impossible to ignore in the Chicago videographer circle. And how together they spend a summer capturing love stories while slowly finding one of their own.

I poured so much of my heart into this contemporary romance that broaches more romantic comedy, and I truly hope it brings you laughter, butterflies, and maybe even a few happy tears mixed in there.

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If you’ve already downloaded your copy (or even started reading), thank you.

If you’ve shared the book online, told a friend about it, or simply cheered me on throughout this journey, thank you.

Self-publishing is built on readers who take a chance on stories and authors they love. Every single read, review, recommendation, and Instagram post genuinely makes a difference.

If you finish the book and enjoy it, leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads is one of the best ways you can support both this book and my writing. Those reviews help other readers discover stories like this one.

Today, though, I’m simply celebrating. Raise a glass if you have one.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Read the Book!

I can’t wait to hear what you think of Fran and Oscar.

Thank you for being here and for supporting this story.

Happy Picture Perfect Love Story release day.

Also! If you do pick up Picture Perfect Love Story today, I'd absolutely love to see it! Be sure to tag me in your photos, stories, or posts so I can celebrate with you.

Seeing my book in your hands will never stop feeling like magic and honestly makes my pub d.

Need More to Read?

Picture Perfect Love Story is only a few hours away really.

After months of writing, editing, proofreading, second-guessing, celebrating little milestones, and refreshing my inbox more times than I’d like to admit in hopes of something amazing happening with this book, Picture Perfect Love Story officially leaves my hands and finds its way into yours.

I really hope that you all love it.

It’s funny how publishing a book feels no matter how many times you’ve done it. Fran and Oscar have been with me through writing sessions, lunch breaks where I sneak in a few thousand words, edits that felt endless, and countless moments of wondering if this book would ever be finished.

Or if I had it in me to hit The End.

Now they’re about to meet you.

I don’t know exactly how I’ll feel tomorrow. Probably excited. Definitely nervous. Maybe a little emotional. Okay...probably a lot emotional.

There have been a lot of ups and downs that have come with this release and the expectations I had for it.

One thing I do know is how incredibly grateful I am.

Whether you’ve been here since my very first book or just found me recently, thank you for supporting this dream. Every preorder, every comment, every share of my newsletter or the book itself, every kind message, it all adds up.

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If you’ve already preordered Picture Perfect Love Story, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you’re planning to pick it up after release, I hope Fran and Oscar make you laugh, maybe cry, and leave you believing in love just a little bit more this summer whether or not it is a wedding season for you or not.

Tomorrow we celebrate.

PreOrder the Ebook

PreOrder the Paperback

I’ll be sharing plenty throughout the day, so come celebrate with me wherever you follow along.

See you on publication day!

One Day Countdown

• Current emotions: Ready for this book to be out. I know I’ve done just about everything I’ve could to try and promote it.

• Coffee consumed: Only one cup today, but talk to me later tomorrow.

• Early 2000’s rom-com playlists listened to: Even more than last week trying to find new songs to add to my reels.

• Release day plans: Hope to see everyone reading.

• Days until release: .5

Need More to Read?

One week from today, Picture Perfect Love Story will officially be out in the world.

After months of writing, editing, revising, creating content every day since I announced this book over on social media, sharing reveals, having ups and downs, and counting down the days…

It’s hard to believe we’re finally here.

We made it!

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I still can’t quite wrap my head around it fully, but I am so ready for the lead up to be complete and the book to be in your hands ASAP.

As many of you know, Picture Perfect Love Story is my tenth romance novel, but every release still feels a little bit more special and a little bit more terrifying.

This book feels especially close to my heart because I wrote much of it while planning my own wedding as well as coming to terms with creative burnout and somehow life and fiction became wonderfully tangled together in small pieces.

While Fran was photographing weddings and trying desperately to prove that happily-ever-afters are real, I was both excited to celebrate and stressing out over some very big things in my life.

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And now, in one week, you’ll finally get to meet Fran and Oscar.

You’ll meet a wedding photographer who believes wholeheartedly in love stories.

You’ll meet a wedding videographer who’s convinced love is mostly good lighting and a job he good at.

You’ll see this story all the way through wedding season chaos, a road trip, creative rivalry, and two people who slowly discover that love doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth choosing.

In fact, some of the messy bits or the simple moments are the best parts.

Thank you for being here and for supporting this story.

PreOrder the Ebook

PreOrder the Paperback

We are one week out and I hope this story makes you laugh, smile, swoon a bit over Oscar, and believe in happily ever afters in real life just a little bit more.

Whether you’ve preordered, shared a post, joined this newsletter, requested an ARC, or simply opened these emails each week, you’ve already made this release feel special and I hope that we have an amazing release together enjoying this love story.

So here’s to one more week until we all get to read.

I can’t wait.

One Week Countdown

• Current emotions: Excited and nervous and mostly ready to just get this book out to everyone!

• Coffee consumed: Probably too much (but who’s to say??)

• Early 2000’s rom-com playlists listened to: Countless (perhaps too many)

• Release day plans: Uncertain yet.

• Days until release: 7!!!

  ---

Need More to Read?

That feels like the right, writerly way to put all this, doesn’t it? Because well…

Unfortunately, the Picture Perfect Love Story release party I had planned for June 26th at The Last Chapter Bookshop in Chicago, IL will no longer be taking place.

Over the past month, I've been sharing the event, creating promotional materials like stickers and bookmarks and signs, dreaming up a DIY bouquet bar, reaching out to potential sponsors, and imagining what it would be like to celebrate this book that took so much of me to write in person with readers.

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I had a lot of high hopes for this event. When I first got the go ahead that everyone was excited with me, I was thrilled. I couldn’t stop smiling through the rest of my day job work day. After that, I got to work.

However, as much work as I was putting in and as much as I was looking forward to it, the event ultimately wasn’t able to gain enough traction to move forward.

While I’m disappointed, I’m also reminding myself that publishing rarely goes exactly according to plan. I talk about that a lot. And it reminds and humbles me whenever it can.

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Not because of the party itself completely even, but because it’s hard not to let moments like this make you question everything else as well.

Should I have promoted differently?

Should I have planned something else?

Am I asking people to care about a book that nobody wants?

But after sitting with it for a bit, I also am making myself realize…

The release party was never the goal here. Sure, it would’ve been fun and reminded me of the joy of publishing and everything that comes with it which, of course, is super important! But again, it wasn’t the ultimate goal in all of this. The book was. And that’s still here.

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The book is still happening. Fran and Oscar still get to meet readers and you get to fall in love with them.

Picture Perfect Love Story is still arriving on June 26th. So, the important thing is that the book is still on its way into the world, and that’s what I’m choosing to focus on now.

Because I am so proud of this book.

I am proud that I was able to write it at all after a terrible bout of writers block, self-doubt, burnout, imposter syndrome— whatever you want to call it all.

I am proud that I created characters that I love and a story I love and that I think you and so many other readers when they find this book will love to.

So we’re carrying on.

There are still launch week excitement coming up I hope, bookish content, and plenty of ways to celebrate Picture Perfect Love Story together from wherever you are.

Thank you for being here and for supporting this story.

PreOrder the Ebook

PreOrder the Paperback

Every preorder, recommendation, message, and share means more than I can properly express. If you've preordered, requested an ARC, shared a post, recommended my books, or simply opened one of these newsletters, seriously, thank you.

Now, thank you for listening to that update. Let’s get back to what really matters.

Let’s release an amazing book.

Need More to Read?

Like finishing the first draft. Or the second. Or revisions. Or sending it off to the editor or seeing the cover for the first time.

Then there are also the bigger moments, like seeing the pre-order page go live and waiting for just one preorder to come in to make you feel like you aren’t alone in waiting for this story to be let out into the world and enjoyed.

Somehow, one of the biggest ones as well for me has always been opening ARC requests and sign-ups. Because letting the advanced copies out into the world for book lovers and reviewers to share online means the story is finally beginning to leave my hands and find its way into yours.

After spending so much time living inside the world of Picture Perfect Love Story, I can hardly believe I’m writing this, but ARCs are officially available.

Some of you may have already found them, but I figured I would do a bigger announcement to make sure any reviewers or sharers, see too.

If you’re a reviewer, Bookstagrammer, BookTok romance lover, blogger, librarian, bookseller, or simply someone who loves sharing the books you read, I would be honored to have you consider reading Picture Perfect Love Story ahead of release before June 26th!

You can request an ARC through NetGalley or through my personal ARC application form to which you would receive the ARC through bookfunnel if chosen:

Request on Netgalley

Request via Form

As exciting as this moment is, I’ve found myself feeling surprisingly emotional these past few weeks.

So much of writing happens quietly. And there has been so much pressure on myself in so many ways.

To do better than my last release.

To enjoy the process.

To make myself proud and feel successful in what I am doing now that I am on book 10 of this process.

Readers see the cover reveal, the preorder announcement, the launch party, and eventually the finished book on the shelf. But what they don’t always see are the hundreds of those small moments that came before it.

Picture Perfect Love Story was written during a season of balancing writing alongside everyday life. While substitute teaching, building my author career, creating content, and trying to navigate all of the uncertainty that comes with pursuing a creative dream, this story slowly came together piece by piece.

And now we’re here.

Preparing for release has felt like a full-time job in itself lately too. I’ve been planning the launch party that I hope any Chicago book lovers will attend (we are going to have a fantastic time!), building reader resources, creating behind-the-scenes content on Instagram more consistently, reaching out to reviewers and media outlets hoping that someone takes a chance on me and this book, organizing possible preorder campaigns, and working on all of the little details that help bring a book into the world.

It’s a lot.

It’s exciting.

It’s occasionally (almost always) overwhelming.

If you’ve followed along on this journey—whether for a few weeks or a few years—thank you. Your support means more than I can adequately put into words. Just wanted to throw that out there.

So!

If you’re interested in reading Picture Perfect Love Story before release, I would absolutely love to have you on the ARC team.

We’re getting so close now and I want you to fall in love with this story and Fran and Oscar as much as I have.

Happy reading!

Need More to Read?

Wow.

I’m currently still in my pajamas this morning as I set to work on this update, and I hope that you are ok with that an equally as comfy as you are reading. My coffee cup is empty, I am full of renewed energy now that the school year is over.

Let’s chat.

May has been a countdown month whether or not that is the best thing. I had been counting down to hear back on a few emails I had out in the world. To both positive and negative outcomes. I was counting down until the end of the school year that would mark my final day of substitute teaching for a time (or ever if this book release goes well— more on that in the next sections).

And now, it is finally school’s out and I am ready to settle into focusing on my writing, publishing, and book work.

I’m basically where I am supposed to be.

In the life realm however, this month has been a bit slower. The weather has bene up and down until now where the sun is out and shining and I have been in a back and forth between getting to wear my sundresses and pulling back out my big sweaters for layering.

Otherwise, not much to report here. Everything has been focused on book, marketing book, or simply making it through.

Though I am hoping that as the weather warms up this next month I will be chatting with you all from outside with my coffee soon enough.

I have been in a bit of an impasse when it comes to what to write next. Do I write a continuation of Picture Perfect Love Story? Do I go back and write what I planned to be the next book after When in December? Do I write something completely different?

I have so many stories churning that I just don’t know which is the right one for this next step. However, even while promoting PPLS, I know I need to get to work on whatever I am doing next and soon.

I need to get back into that publishing schedule.

Read More

Buckle up, because amazing news…

I have a new book that is coming out June 26th!

You’ve heard about that, right? Book 10 has finally been announced and I am so excited to be excited with you all about this one. I’m sort of in love with it all and I hope you are too.

To be honest, I am determined to somehow make this book release my best yet and I am trying to really put all my energy behind the marketing and getting some pre-orders rolling since I have been notoriously not very good at preorders (still figuring out why). But this time will be different.

I have a lot of things to post on social media to help find more readers.

I’m going to have a release party for this book on June 26th! Chicago readers, if you can be there at The Last Chapter Book Shop, you’d be my favorite.

I want to connect with a lot of other Substack writers or readers with this book too to talk about romance, writing, books, anything! If this sounds like you, please reach out.

Lots going on for this book and I hope that you are along for the ride and ready to read the book with me.

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• Besides the fact that Picture Perfect Love Story is happening?? Ok…

• My new Caraway pans. They are fantastic for morning egg days.

• This article from Ashley Poston. I just love a Studio Ghibli film and hearing other people talk about them too.

• Sitting outside with a cup of coffee.

• When someone pre-orders PPLS.

• An amazing latte at a new to me cafe.

• Reading for fun again and loving it all on Kindle Unlimited.

• Antiquing.

• Long walks outside again on sunny days.

Happy end of May.

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Tell me all about your month. What are you reading? Loving? Excited for?

Need More to Read?

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This book means so much to me, and getting to celebrate it surrounded by readers, flowers, books, and the romance book community as a whole honestly feels surreal in the best way.

Join me for:

💐 A mini make your own bouquet bar
📚 Book signing with copies available
💕 Amazing indie bookstore vibes @thelastchapterchi
📸 Photo moments
🥰 A fun gathering for readers, writers, and lovers of romance books!

I would absolutely love to have you there at The Last Chapter Book Shop in Chicago, IL!

Each book ticket will include a copy of Picture Perfect Love Story. Tickets are non-refundable.

Save Your Spot!

Doors will open at 7pm with a 7:15pm event start time.

All events are 18+ and everyone in attendance will require a ticket.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Need More to Read?

If you haven’t already found the pre-order links published… ;)

There’s something kind of surreal about finally sharing a book cover after staring at it quietly on my computer for months of ups and downs while writing and planning this publication.

Picture Perfect Love Story became such a special book to me while writing it. Somewhere between wedding playlists, late-night edits, Pinterest boards, and planning my own wedding alongside this story, Fran and Oscar slowly became characters I couldn’t stop thinking about.

I hope they are the same for you.

This book is romantic and messy and hopefully, hopeful. It’s about imperfect love stories, long wedding days, creative tension, summer road trips and travel, and two people trying very hard not to fall for each other while spending an entire season surrounded by everyone else’s happily ever after.

And now… I finally get to show you the cover.

Are you ready?

3…

2…

1…

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Picture Perfect Love Story by Kendra Mase

Wedding photographer Fran Sutton has built her career capturing perfectly imperfect love stories. The quiet glances, the messy laughter, the moments couples never want to forget. She believes in love with her whole heart.

Even if her biggest professional rival doesn’t.

Because lately, every major booking seems to come with one unavoidable complication: Oscar Reeves.

A meticulous videographer, Oscar treats weddings like they are a scam. Where Fran sees emotion and connection, he sees timelines, deliverables, and the inevitable ways love falls apart.

When they’re both hired for a high-profile Chicago influencer’s wedding season, Fran and Oscar are thrown into a summer of shared travel, long days behind the lens, and mounting creative tension. Determined to prove that love is real, Fran finds herself increasingly drawn to the one person determined not to believe in it.

But when the influencer’s carefully curated wedding begins to unravel, Fran starts to wonder if Oscar was right all along. Maybe love stories aren’t meant to last forever. And the closer she gets to Oscar, the more she risks losing not only her heart, but her belief in love stories entirely.

I genuinely cannot wait for you to step into this world with me.

Coming June 26, 2026.

Pre-Order Picture Perfect Love Story

For the girls who still believe in love stories.

For now, be sure to Pre-Order Picture Perfect Love Story.

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Or at least, from her perspective, disliking him.

And now it’s time to share them with you.

Meet our two main characters of Picture Perfect Love Story.

First up is our main character and leading lady, Fran Sutton. Who’d 100% prefer if you never called her Franny… ever. She found her passion in high school for photography and took it to the level of starting her own weddings and couple photography business while living in Chicago.

She is slowly working her way up the ranks, and is most known for her romantic, editorial style photos that make couples feel like they are living their own rom com movie moments.

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However, she is also Type A and often second guesses herself whenever someone gives her reason to.

One of those people include…

Oscar Reeves is known for his classic, clean, and cinematic wedding films that have landed him in high-end wedding magazines. He’s an expensive wedding investments, but all the brides insist that he’s worth it.

However, he is a tad standoffish, never seems to say the right thing when he wants to, and believes that most weddings are really just a consumer scam.

Both are top of their fields (whether Fran believes that she is or not). So much so that unfortunately, they both keep getting booked for weddings together.

All.

Summer.

Long.

Stay turned for the cover reveal tomorrow!

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Who else is excited?

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Though there are up and down things about tropes in romance right now, there is nothing better to give you a taste of what is in store for this story before you get the big cover and blurb reveal.

If you love…

• Wedding Season Romance

• Photographer × Videographer

• Road trips

• Summer vibes

• Forced proximity

• Emotional slow burn

• Rivals to lovers

Picture Perfect Love Story has it.

Yearning, messy feelings, a touch of heat, and plenty of rom com energy is set to arrive on June 26th. Picture Perfect Love Story is about two people who spend all summer capturing everyone else’s love stories while trying to avoid their own. They aren’t very good at it.

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Are you ready to read?

Or should we see the cover first? ;)

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Yet somehow, it is still just as exciting.

Over the last year, while planning my own wedding and writing this story alongside it, I found myself thinking a lot about imperfect love stories. The messy, complicated, beautiful kinds of love that don’t always look flawless from the outside, but are still worth choosing anyway.

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Which is why I’m so excited to finally share the title of my next romance novel with you.

So readers, welcome our new summer romance. Meet…

Picture Perfect Love Story by Kendra Mase

Coming June 26, 2026

This book is incredibly close to my heart, and I can’t wait to share more of it with you soon.

Until then, consider this your official invitation to wedding season. If you haven’t already received your invite to RSVP.

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We are kicking off a week of reveals for my 10th romance novel that I have been talking about for ages and am finally ready to get in all of your hands. I know, I’ve bene holding off on sharing for some time, but this week is the week!

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I can’t wait to share this love story with you.

It may be one of my favorites I’ve written yet.

It all starts with a wedding…

Or a few dozen. I mean, the main characters aren’t the one’s getting married after all. In case that already gives you a clue or two of what it is about?

A wedding photographer.

A wedding videographer that doesn’t believe in love.

And one summer that changes everything.

This romance is perfect for those who love a good early 2000s rom com vibe like 27 Dresses or Anyone But You or readers of romance authors including Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry (specifically her book, Book Lovers).

For the next week I will be sharing:

• The book aesthetic!

• The title!

• The tropes!

• The cover!!

• And how you can get your hands on an ARC to read and review before publication day.

Who else is excited?

Be sure that you are following along so that you don’t miss out. And if you are a book lover who wants to help me share this week on Substack, Instagram, Tiktok, or anywhere else you love to shout about amazing new romance books from the rooftop.

Let me know! I’d love to share the excitement.

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Are you excited to RSVP?

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I woke up, slowly pulled myself out of bed, and meandered downstairs to where the coffee was already brewed by that time and added a splash of raspberry creamer. I slowly sipped it on the couch or front porch, while scrolling on my phone or reading whatever had caught my attention on my Kindle Paperwhite, which I recently made the investment in.

Some of my favorite books and authors during that spring included Laura Thalassa, Ruby Dixon, and Mariana Zapata.

I would finish my coffee and do a workout by Pamela Reif that would eventually lead me to the fittest I think I ever was, with a combination of dancing, walking around the block, and monthly vegetable box drops from our local farms that are delivered straight to your porch at a decent price.

Then, afterwards, I’d clean myself up for the day and dress myself in some combination of comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt from my high school sports years. Once that was all settled, I’d read some more. Or, I’d get straight to writing. I was working on a novel that I had been working on for years, and genuinely I don’t believe would’ve gotten any better or worse if I continued working on it. I’d queried it briefly the year before to no bites, and unsure what to do, I just kept working on it.

I was unable to let it or its second novel, which I was also working on at the time, go. Then, in the evenings, I’d read before bed again if I wasn’t completely encompassed by the act of writing deep into the night, the hours flying by until one a.m.

Honestly, looking back (and not thinking about why we were all at home, etc.), it sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?

Around April and May, I devoured one Kindle e-book after another with my free Kindle Unlimited trial. As I read, a thought came to mind. All the authors I loved—book after book, day after day—were indie authors. They self-published, were doing an amazing job, and were even making a living from it.

Before the lockdown and before I was working a part-time gig at my local library, I planned to work in book or magazine publishing. I liked books, and I had a degree in English. Thus, it felt natural while also knowing my biggest dream was to write novels and get them published (a big faux pas I was warned to never bring up in interviews if I ever got any at the time).

That was still the dream though. The book writing, anyway.

I saw so many people making it happen before my very eyes. The proof was right there in what I was reading. So many amazing writers made their living and their books happen all by themselves. I knew that I could too.

I could publish my books that I had ready to go, just like they did. I just needed to clean up the first book, find an editor, find a cover artist, and figure the rest out. Easy, right? Maybe I could be just like the many authors I admired so deeply who didn’t get published by a publishing house traditionally (at least, not at the time).

So, I decided. I was going to publish my first novel.

At first, I thought maybe in a year I would publish it (very traditional publishing timeline of me). Only then, shortly after, I figured, why wait? I ended up publishing The Strings that Hold Us Together in September 2021.

There are so many things that I would do differently, knowing what I know now about the publishing process as a self-publishing author. I would’ve looked more into what was working for other authors in the marketing sphere (though I definitely did try, as seen from my old IG reels and eventual TikToks). I would’ve made a brand sooner (though was branding yourself even a thing back in 2021??). I would’ve double checked that I found the best editor for me and for my book, rather than just guessing and putting my faith into the one that fit my schedule.

But, no matter how much I think about it and wish that the first book was also much, much stronger?

I am so glad that I published it.

Without publishing The Strings that Hold Us Together and then Words that Burn Like Ash, I would’ve never continued to write. Those characters and those stories held such power over my brain and my craft. I was unable to move on from them because they never felt done to me. Once I published them, however, I could move on. I could keep writing and building stories and grow my craft and talent as a writer. Without publishing those books that I look back on and think to myself, Yeah, not my best work… I would’ve never been able to grow and write what is my best work on and on and on.

Because let’s be honest, your first book isn’t likely to be your best work. If it is, fantastic! If not, that’s ok. More than ok! If you look back at something you wrote years ago and think, Wow, that is not good. That means that you’ve already grown.

Even if you cringe at the fact that someone out there is also continuing to read it. But who knows, I like to think in the moment that I also wonder if I should just pull my first few books down from being sold, maybe there is a reader out there that needs to read that book just as much as I needed to write it.

5 years ago me was a writer and a soon-to-be author and someone who ultimately believed in herself so much to put herself out here.

So far, the experience has definitely been an up and down journey as I still continue to find my footing and my readers in order to make this the dream and the success that me five years ago truly believed I could find.

These days, I’m working to build that brand that will help readers find and remember me and my books. I’m trying to keep believing that I can do this. I’m trying to keep up with a writing pace in the self-publishing world that has doubled and then tripled from what it was when I first started five years ago. I’m trying to grow. I’m trying to find the enjoyment and the pure love of writing I had in the beginning as a girl who just wanted to tell stories for the other girls like her who found a home and an escape inside of them when she had nowhere else it felt like to go.

Because that’s really when the magic has always happened.

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It’s April.

It’s May.

We made it to May.

Honestly, I’ve been focusing a lot on that. We made it to May and May is practically the summer which means we are halfway through the 2026 year. Insanity, when you think about it like that.

It took me a bit to sit down and write this post, so forgive me if it isn’t as in depth as last month’s musings that I poured a few weeks into a little at time. This one is going to be written right here, right now on my lunch break at day job, because for a little while there, I wasn’t sure if I had the energy nor good vibes to share and pull it off at all.

I am sitting at the table I normally do in the corner of the library with my notebook open and my water with lemon (because it makes me feel a little fancy and not like I am just drinking water) next to me. I am thinking back on April and… well, let’s hope I don’t forget too much that I want to share with you and this all doesn’t have too many typos.

It’ll be like a quick catch up with a friend.

April felt like a time of transition, as it actually is as we jump farther into spring. I started the month continuing on my journey to making my Instagram a good space for readers, writers, and people to hopefully find and read my books (always the real goal that I honestly feel like I have been failing at for some reason no matter how many tactics I try—more on this below in The Work section).

But otherwise, my days have felt oddly monotonous between events. There was been bright sunny days that have been highs and lower days of disappointment and uncertainty.

We celebrated Easter at home where I continued my tradition I started last year of making bunny shaped sourdough bread.

I picked up my wedding dress from alterations. I’m happy to have at least that all said and done. Somehow, going back and forth to make sure it fit right made me feel like I was going to a slightly better version of a doctor’s appointment after the first few trips.

We took a trip to Omaha, NE to visit friends which was the highlight of the month. We ate great food, dessert, and it was so nice to be around people and community which I don’t feel like I have fully found in our current space. Something I hope to make more of a priority in the future where I can. Because, in case you didn’t know, it’s nice to have friends and be around people you like. Who knew?

Near the end of this month, the first farmer’s market opened. Last year, I remembered that we went and it was freezing out. This time felt perfectly like spring. We picked up some local honey as well as some donuts that there was a long line for. They were good, but I did question the length of the line we waited in after trying them.

I have been in a bit of a stand still since finishing book 10. I think this is primarily because I wanted to share more information about it with you all. But we have to hang tight at least a little longer.

Otherwise, I have been trying to work on what I thought was the next book on my docket only to find that maybe that book isn’t ready to be written and a different book that has been on my mind for a few years is.

Maybe.

We are still deciding and I feel a little overwhelmed with all the stories I have thought of and plan/planned to write. As of now, I have approximately 5 different books that could technically be worked on.

I just need to get writing on one of them.

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As I mentioned above, the past few months I have been really working on my online presence in hopes to find my readers. I’m coming up on 5 years since self-publishing my first romance novel, and still feel like I am treading water when it comes to people reading them all.

It’s so hard to find your readers, and I have tried a lot in order to make it happen.

I have…

• Posted like other authors I admire.

• Created and posted ads on social media.

• Posted to multiple TikTok accounts hoping that one of them would get a book teaser off the ground.

• Worked on my newsletter consistently.

• Worked on my newsletter more quality vs. quantity and vise versa.

• Posted more life content.

• Posted more marketing of my books content.

• Decided to focus more on my “personal brand” in a sort of content creator way, trying to see if I could find followers and hopefully future readers that way as well as maybe opening up other income streams to make writing and working remotely in this way more possible.

And on and on and on…

I genuinely wonder what I haven’t tried yet that might actually work. Let me know if you know. I beg of you.

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So far, I have had a bit of luck when it comes to focusing on my author/writer/reader lifestyle personal brand and a few trial reels, but it hasn’t quite translated to book buying readers yet. But we shall see.

I know I have decent books and so many stories to tell. I just need to find the readers that will read them along with me writing them.

I read Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. This book make me both love it while also frustrating me, so I think it succeeded in its mission of bringing forth conversation. I told the entire plot to Mystery Man while we were on a run to Costco as if that could help me sort through how I felt about it once I finished.

Chobani is coming out with a cookies and cream creamer I am excited to try if I ever see it in stores.

I’m loving Witch Hat Atelier. Only a few episodes in, but they come out once per week and I already know I will be sad when the season is over.

Trying to use my Kindle more again. I miss reading for pure random book joy like when I binge read the entire IPB series within a month.

These under eye patches are both miracle workers and help me relax after a long day. Plus, Mystery Man says I always look fabulous wearing them.

Banana bread is so underrated in my opinion.

Thinking a lot about romance books lately and how they inspire me and my writing.

I finished another of my moleskin mini notebooks in my travel journal this month jotting down random dialogue for all the books and characters floating around my head.

I plan on watching the new Weathering Heights adaption now that it is streaming. Let me know your thoughts if you have them already.

Opening the windows and letting fresh air in.

I’m currently finally reading and finishing up my first Abby Jimenez, Just for the Summer.

Happy end of April.

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Tell me all about your month. What are you reading? Loving? Excited for?

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Once I finished book 10 (more details to come soon, promise. Just hold tight. I’m trying to hold on tight too which is… painful, to say the least when all I want to do is shout about what this book is and about etc etc.), I sent it off to be edited after I looked through it once or twice more.

I spent hours on this book. Days. Weeks.

I have seen it so much that I know the plot like the back of my hand. I fixed silly wording in sentences and caught strangely placed commas.

Yet still, when I get my edits back somehow they always manage to surprise me and make me ask myself out of the gate of jumping into them…

Am I really this bad of a writer?

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