Best Books to Read Now - October 2017

I didn’t post a list of books last month because for several strange reasons, I was overlapping a bunch of these – hence a bunch of books to recommend in October! WHeee!

The Look of Love – Julia Kelly

I was very lucky to get to read an early copy of this and once again, I’m blown away by Julia’s sweet, smart, sexy prose in the first book of this new historical romance series with a MATCHMAKER in SCOTLAND!! (I know, you just one-clicked that, right?)

Buy THE LOOK OF LOVE at Amazon || iBooks

King of the Sea – Madame de Boudoir

Out today! This is a paranormal erotic romance novella that made me gasp and laugh, too. Madame’s voice is fresh, intoxicatingly creative and the start of what should be an unforgettable new series featuring mermaids/ mermen and their loves through history.

Buy KING OF THE SEA at Amazon || iBooks

The Alice Network – Kate Quinn

Pretty much a non-fiction book disguised as fiction with effortless, suspenseful, thrilling prose. I’m obsessed with lady spies and recommending this to everyone.

Buy at Amazon || iBooks

Beard in Mind – Penny Reid

Another Winston Brothers installment, this time featuring the good-looking and good-natured Beau and the surly and sexy mechanic Shelly. We caught a glimpse of this couple in Cletus’ book and their story of overcoming illness to find love and family will kill you in a good way.

Buy at Amazon

Beginner’s Luck – Kate Clayborn

A debut that left me laughing, crying, and with a hurting tummy (from nerves! Were these two crazy kids going to work out?). For those who love STEM heroines, HGTV home renovation shows and real, fun contemporary romance. I’ve got Kate coming up on Women With Books next week so make sure you subscribe to hear our very cool conversation.

Pick it up at Amazon || iBooks

Unfortunately, I also had a DNF (did not finish) this month. It broke my heart to do as it’s not in my essential nature to give up on a book.  Do you ever stop reading before a book is over? Or are you a push-through-til-the-end kind of reader?

And have you read any of the books that I’ve recommended? If you have (or do) please let me know what you think – either on my Lindsay Emory facebook page or my Women With Books podcast page. I’d love to discuss books and what makes you read til the very end.

Everything You Need to Know About Writing You Can Learn From Rogelio De La Vega

JANE THE VIRGIN is back!!!!

Okay, I was a bit late on the Jane train. I think the word “virgin” threw me off. I knew the premise was that somehow a chaste Latina got knocked up but the story I picked up from the promos was that maybe she was hiding her sexual activity from her traditional (read: anti-sex) Latinx family and I was just not into that story.

But y’all. Jane the Virgin was not actually about that! It’s a telenovela that manages to be about family, about love, about ambition, about America, about face-stealing murderers and evil twins and snow in Miami and… it’s everything.  I cried last season. Hard. I also laugh and get inspired and I have concluded that the best character is Rogelio De La Vega.

I know, it’s a crowded field. This could be a controversial opinion.  I mean, there’s the title character, Jane. Her abuela, Alba. Her mom (oh how I love the flawed and brave Xiomara). The ever-hotness of Rafael (see below). The perfect man-next-door-ness of Michael. Hey, I’ve even warmed up to Petra, Our Lady of The Eternal Short Shorts.

But despite Mr. Sexy Pants right there, Rogelio is THE BEST. (And he would agree with me.)

 And really, every single writer in the world needs to watch Jane the Virgin (returning to the CW, 10/13, 8/9 CST) and take notes on confidence and hustle from Rogelio.

Why? He believes in himself.

He really loves his art.

He gets knocked down in the tabloids, gets second billing under his nemesis, loses everything and keeps hustling (with the support of his best friends Oprah and Charo, claro.)

And he just owns who he is, in all his lavender, spray-tan, new pants glory.

And really, that’s what all writers need to do. Embrace your inner Rogelio De La Vega. You’re hot, you’re inimitable, you’re YOU. And the world needs more of all of us. And all of YOU.

All These Things That I Love - September 2017

...to Taylor Swift. Yes, I’m basic. So what. Yes, people are now on the Taylor hate train. Well, so far, I’m still Team I HEART TS. The two singles she’s put out went instantly on my writing playlists for my current WIPs.

 Get Taylor's music here --> Amazon | iTunes

...with Yayoi Kusama, the internationally renowned Japanese artist, known for painting, um.. polka dots.

A few weeks ago my darling Alexandra Haughton invited me to the Dallas Museum of Art’s exhibition of Kusama’s pumpkin room.

The experience was… wild. You go into a small mirrored room and for forty-five seconds you just stare at the glowing polka dot pumpkins and the reflections of glowing polka dot pumpkins. 

Yeah, we do pumpkin season in a sophisticated fashion round here.

What I’m obsessed with though, is that this woman has dedicated her life’s work, almost the entirety of her art to polka dots. And you can laugh at how ridiculous that sounds but then when you see it? It strangely makes sense at a very atomic, elemental level.

Obviously, it’s weeks later and I’m still thinking about polka dots and what *my* polka dots are. Cranky sexy heroes? Murder by stiletto heel? Liberal consumption of gin and tonics?  Don’t laugh. I could be in a museum one day.

I mean, that's a statue that should be in a museum. Me with Cheryl Etchison's RITA award. For law of attraction purposes.

And of course, I’m still obsessed in the last week of the third annual #ReadWritePlan challenge on social media. Follow the hashtag #ReadWritePlan for all the planner peeks and inspiration.

Loving Trader Joe’s for my liquids these days. Their grapefruit-flavored sparkling water gives me life.

And this TJ’s wine is very drinkable. I forget how much it was, definitely under $10. But hubs and I have pretty much become total Paso Robles converts so I shouldn’t have been surprised.

There’s still time to enter our #ReadWritePlan giveaway here. We're giving away a Kindle Fire, a May Designs gift card and books!

One more note… Since I’ve started my podcast, Women With Books, a lot more of my time is eaten up and I’m considering moving a lot of my blog content to my newsletter. If you like my reading lists and my recommendations like above, please consider subscribing to my newsletter because all this might be exclusive to subscribers by the new year.  Maybe. I’m still trying to figure all this out, y’all. Productivity is hard. 

Speaking of which, back to the books. xoxo

All These Things That I Love - August 2017

To Kesha's Rainbow

I’ve got Kesha’s new album on repeat here. If you love fun, feminist pop with a country twang and rock swagger, this album is for you. I’m loving Learn to Let Go and Woman (fair warning, there’s quite a few F-bombs so I fast-forward for the little Emorys) on my playlist for my current WIP.

Amazon | iTunes

With Micron ultra fine pens & Gray Mildliners. And when I say “ultra fine” I mean .25mm. ULTRA FINE, y’all. Somehow using these pens and a gray highlighter were the last key to total planner peace. You know, that zen-like calm when you have the perfect system in the midst of life’s craziness.
 

Are you a paper planner?  Alexandra Haughton and I are hosting the third annual #ReadWritePlan challenge on social media. Follow along for all the planner peeks and inspiration.

Buy Microns on Amazon

Buy Mildliners on Amazon

Peeling Feet Booties.

It’s that time of year again. After a few months of summer sandals, I need another foot peel. I’ve blogged about it here and seriously, if you have summer sandal feet, just trust me and get a few for you and those you love.

Buy on Amazon

Project Runway is back!  My girls and I love watching this show together (I’ve blogged about the similarities between publishing and fashion here) and this season, they’re featuring models with a variety of body shapes which is inspirational and just good business sense for anyone wanting to get started in today’s fashion world.

One of my favorite mantras, courtesy of the amazing Tim Gunn.

I'll be talking about books I've read and loved lately in my newsletter this month, so if you're not already signed up you can do so here. Subscribers who open the newsletter within three days of me sending it are automatically entered to win a monthly giveaway!  Or if you just want to hangout and chat on my Facebook page (about peeling foot booties? Kesha? Project Runway?) join the party here! 

#RWA17 - #SquadGoals4Life

For some reason, this year’s post-convention wrap-up is particularly hard to write. 

RWA Nationals was last week in Orlando and it felt like a wonderful dream, one that I didn’t want to wake up from. 

Why?

My tribe, y’all.

Ride or Die Friends

The OG HBICs are my family away from my family. No one can empower me or make me laugh, cry, create like this crew.

So leaving them on Saturday? It hurt, to be honest. Physically.

More than these five ladies, I met and reconnected with more amazing kindred spirits - Frannie, Kate, Amber, Violet, Ainsley, Laura, Tamsen, Tina, Cheryl, Elizabeth, Kristin, Megan, and so many more.  In a world that so often encourages women to take each other down, to compete  with each other, to judge and to mock, for four days in July, women writers from all over the globe join together and talk about making the world a happier, more hopeful place.  And the women I met are at the vanguard of this bodice-ripping movement (in the most Diana of Themyscira way).

So, yeah. It was hard to leave this beautiful wonderland. 

So fun to celebrate Jeffe Kennedy's RITA win on the dancefloor!

Like all the HBICs, Alexis and Julia stayed until the music was over.

For one brief, shining moment, RITA was mine... until Cheryl Etchison took her away.

The best roomie ever - saved me from total disability.

Me & VonHottie singing beautifully.

Because dance parties. And golden statues. And sparkly shoes. And books. And best friends. These are the best things in the world. 

If you’re coming home from #RWA17 and want a game plan for working through all that you’ve got running through your head, subscribe to our HBIC Nation newsletter for an exclusive post-con workbook. Because we can change the world together.