I have so many things to celebrate. I am so fortunate, and I am truly so, so happy. But I can’t let this weekend pass without acknowledging something really huge and sad. It’s not my typical post today, but… I don’t know. I’m feeling called to write about this, and who am I to argue with that?
TW for discussions of pregnancy loss on this one. If you’re feeling vulnerable about that, skip this one. Or scroll past to the Updates section.
Believe it or not, Ronnie and I connected over donuts.
Okay, well, sort of. I actually reached out to her back before she started authoring and offered her an ALC of The Write Place audiobook because I had some UK copies burning a hole in my ACX account. So I’ve been following her since before she was an author. On Threads, she posted something about people not liking your book and how scary that is, I think (I can’t remember anymore!), and I came back with something like: “Some people don’t like donuts, either. Doesn’t mean donuts aren’t awesome.” And then she tagged me in a picture of a donut, and now we’re best friends. (I’m manifesting.)
I’m so incredibly proud to announce that Ronnie just released her debut romance, Those Two Words, and I’m super excited she’s here today to talk about it!
I have been in my feels recently about this whole author thing. It looks both exactly and not at all like I thought it would. Lately, though, I’ve been struggling with a bit of an identity crisis as it pertains to all things in my life.
It’s back-to-school time here, my friends. We started at our first institute day yesterday, and my students start on Monday. So I figured, what better time to schedule a FREE Kindle event for my teacher-related ebooks?
In honor of back-to-school right around the corner (or, for some of you, in the rearview mirror already!), I’ve got a little quiz for you! Don’t worry—it’s not graded. But I thought it’d be fun to find out what Allie Samberts heroine you are with a personality quiz! It was so fun to put together. I hope you have fun taking it, and be sure to let me know who you got in the comments! (And let me know if you think I should do another one about “Who is your perfect Allie Samberts book boyfriend?”)
Y’all. I have been deep in the muck this summer. I am grateful that I can schedule this newsletter so I can take a breather with my family as we are on a little end-of-summer vacation this week, but I finally feel like a fog is clearing away from my brain, and it is so refreshing to be on the other side of it.
Which also means I figured I should talk a bit about mental health today.
You all should know by now that I am a sucker for all things coffee and romance. So when Megan Becker released her debut novel, Coffee Dates, last summer, I was definitely intrigued! AND it’s a slow burn? About an aspiring writer? Sign me up. I’m very excited to have her here today to tell us a little more about her books and her writing process. So, without further ado, here’s Megan!
Hello and happy Friday afternoon, fellow readers. I know it’s late for a coffee break. We have officially hit that point in the summer when I am only vaguely aware of what day it is, and I wisely decided to take yesterday off for a bike ride and swim with my kids. Buy the time I realized it was Thursday, I was in that state of delicious summer exhaustion that simply cannot be interrupted by a little thing like writing a newsletter. And, here we are.
But I’m going to make it up to you with the sunshine vibey romance playlist of your dreams. Cool? Cool.
I’ve been seeing this sentiment a lot lately. People won’t or have stopped picking up indie books as a general rule. There are obvious reasons why I think that’s a bad policy to have (I mean, hello, I’m an indie author trying to sell books here), but I can also admit there are some issues with the industry right now. However, I do think if you don’t read indie books as a rule, you’re missing out.
And now on to your daily dose of feminism. Long before I ever fell in love with romance novels (pun intended), I was a feminist blogger and op-ed writer (under my real name… you won’t find any of that stuff if you search for Allie Samberts), so this is my wheelhouse, and something I feel passionately about.
*tips head back and forth and hops on her feet like a fighter getting ready to enter the ring* Here we go.
