The Kindle version has them, too, but there’s something cool about seeing it all on PAGES.

Cross-posted on Substack.

First of all, welcome to a bunch of new subscribers! If you’ve never seen these emails before and you’re wondering what the heck is going on, you probably opted in to this newsletter from my Common Grounds ARC sign-up form. There were a lot of you who wanted to be on this list! Which is amazing! I’m so glad you’re here.

This is not your typical author newsletter. It’s more like a blog where you’ll get updates, news, book recs, and my unhinged thoughts. I try to send one every Friday, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. (Like last week. Sorry, friends!)

My hope is that reading this is like a weekly(ish) coffee date with a friend where we just… chat about books. You can always feel free to leave comments below, too! Or respond to this email! I read everything you send me, I promise.

So, grab a coffee (or whatever beverage you want), and let’s talk about the Common Grounds paperbacks, shall we? But first…

It is firmly cold brew season in Illinois. I’m back to bringing my homemade cold brew in my super cool tumbler to school every day, and I am really happy about it. It’s one step closer to summer, and I. Am. Ready.

But, maybe more importantly, I think I’ve found my secret to drinking more water. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I struggle to stay hydrated. But, friends, I think I’ve cracked the code. It may or may not surprise you that I am the type of person who really likes to finish things. You know what I could never finish? 40-oz water bottles. You know what I sucked down in no time flat? 16-oz tumblers. So I split the difference and got a really cute, hot pink, 30-oz tumbler to see if that would help. I figured it’d give me a better shot at “finishing” the water bottle (which would make my enneagram type 3 heart happy), but also allow me to not have to refill it a million times a day.

Reader, I was right. I’ve been drinking a ton of water! And, as an added bonus, I bought one that doesn’t leak too badly AND keeps my drinks super cold. Wins all around! (None of these links are sponsored or affiliate links. I just love spreading the word about good tumblers.)

I’m not going to lie to you all. I’m about to do a hard sell on the Common Grounds paperbacks. If you don’t like spoilers, you may want to scroll to the end real quick, or at least not look too closely at the images. There will be pictures of the paperback interior in this post (but I’ll block out what I can). Because it’s awesome. Seriously. There’s artwork. And chapter heading art. And text messages, emails, and newspaper articles on the page—formatted correctly. There are latte recipes, too. It’s a feast for your senses. Seriously, you’re going to want to grab one, and you can pre-order them now.

I guess… that’s about it, right? I totally just gave it all away. But here, let me show you, just so you can see how cool this is. (I’m really, really proud of this formatting. I did it myself!)

We start off with Lorissa’s gorgeous art print in the front of the book. It’s grayscale here, obviously, and you can get the full-color print when you order your swag from my site. But I’m so excited to have a full print of the shop, since Baker’s Blend is almost a character in and of itself. So, I included it in the front of the book!

Lorissa also did chapter heading images for Trevor and Emery. Since this is dual point of view, I needed one image for each. Emery has a little notebook, and Trevor has a little cup and saucer. It’s so perfect, and I think it really helps you immerse yourself in each point of view from the start.

I was told by my team that on-page text messages give an instant serotonin boost, and that I absolutely must format them with text bubbles. So I did. And, honestly, they’re not wrong. I love them. They make me so happy! There are also emails and articles on page, but I can’t show those, because they’d give too much away. But you can trust me that they’re there!

And, finally, we have latte recipes in the back of the book, fresh from Baker’s Blend! (And by Baker’s Blend, I mean Megan Carver who is now my editor, audiobook narrator, and recipe developer.) You can make your own lattes just like Trevor to enjoy while you read. I don’t have pictures of these, either, because they’re also spoilers, but I can’t wait to see people make them!

To say I’m excited about this paperback would be an understatement. And, yeah, the ebook will have all of these things, too, but I think it looks so cool on the pages of the paperbacks for some reason.

Regardless, I hope you snag a paperback when you can. I’ve held the proof in my hands, and it’s gorgeous. I told my husband that I think I’m even more excited for this one than I was for The Write Place. Or, maybe equally excited, but in a different way. I hope you’re excited, too.

With all these new coffee break friends, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone that Common Grounds isn’t my first book! If you’re feeling a bit impatient to dive in and you haven’t already, you might want to check out my Leade Park series (The Write Place, The Write Time, and The Write Choice) while you wait!

You can, of course, pre-order Common Grounds, too, if you’re not into ARC reading. The Kindle version is available for pre-order, and you can grab the paperback here.

But if you wanted to apply for an Advance Reader Copy, you still can! The form closes on Tuesday, so get in there now! ARC readers who have been selected will be notified sometime after the form closes, and ARCs will go out on May 1. So keep your eyes peeled! If you applied, you’ll get an email whether you’re selected or not, so check your spam folders if you don’t see one.

I actually finished a few books this month! I FINALLY finished House of Flame and Shadow. I ended up really liking it, though I was on the fence for a while there.

And I listened to the final Bromance Book Club book, Isn’t it Bromantic? Well, final for me. I read the Christmas one during the holiday season, even though that one technically comes last. Bromantic was super cute! As with all of the books in this series, I very much enjoyed the audio. I’d listen to Andrew Eiden read … literally anything. The book itself was typical of the others—laugh-out-loud funny, heartwarming, emotional, and laced with some pretty awesome feminism. All in all, I’d suggest reading (or, really, listening to) the whole series!

That’s all for now! I hope you snag your copy of Common Grounds! And for those of you who are new here, I hope this wasn’t too unhinged for your first newsletter from me. 🙂 I’ll be back next week with an Indie Romance Feature Friday interview, and before you know it, CG ARCs will be out in the world! *squeal!!!*

Happy reading!