In Conversation With...
My first time as a conversation partner was a dream!
Cross-posted to my website.
In case you missed it, Lorissa created some drop-dead gorgeous special editions for the Leade Park series. I put pictures in my last newsletter, but they were toward the bottom, and I want to make sure these babies have their moment.
Aren’t they stunning? I can’t stop staring at them.
Since so many people asked for an opportunity to purchase them outside of the select signings where they’ll be available, I am offering them on my website for a limited pre-order period. You’ll have until April 10 to order, and then books will be shipped out by May 22. All books include a special edition bonus epilogue. They will be hand signed and each comes with a matching bookmark. I’ll also email everyone who places an order a PDF of three coloring sheets featuring Lorissa’s character artwork, and one of the 6-chapter extended epilogue.
AND you can get 15% off if you order before March 15 with the code EARLYBIRD so don’t wait!
This is not about coffee at all, but you know what I’ve been obsessed with? Chobani protein drinks. People tell me all the time about how their afternoon kombucha is their little pick-me-up, but let me tell you…kombucha does not like me. So I tried this yogurt drink instead, and it is a little sweet protein to keep me going through my day. (Well, that and an iced coffee, let’s be real here.) I’m drinking one as we speak! And then…water. I swear.
When Jillian Meadows messaged me asking if I was available to be her conversation partner at The Last Chapter in Chicago, I believe my first response was, “HELL YEAH.” And then, I responsibly said I had to check with my husband to make sure the calendar was actually open. And then I said, “HELL YEAH, LET’S GO.”
Jillian and I have been author friends since she was getting ready to indie publish Give Me Butterflies. She even did a feature Friday post with me back when I was able to do those regularly. It has been incredible to watch her success and cheer her on. (And, let’s be honest, pick her brain as I’m also making the move from indie to trad.) So when the opportunity came to serve as her conversation partner, I was 100% on board.
The Last Chapter is such an incredible addition to Chicago. I love doing events there, and being Jillian’s conversation partner on Wednesday was no exception. We had such an incredible time celebrating her and her new release, No Place Like You. This was the first time I had been a conversation partner, and it was the first time Jillian and I had met in person, but it really felt like we fell right into step and we’ve known each other forever. She made it so easy to talk to her! Honestly, it was all a dream come true, and I can’t thank her enough for letting me celebrate the release of this gorgeous book with her.
So if you haven’t checked out No Place Like You yet, go grab a copy now. (Hint: The Last Chapter AND Partners in Crime bookstores both have signed copies of her books and mine if you’re in the area!) It’s such a swoony read about facing the past and growing something new. It feels like hanging out with your favorite friends in those pages. You’re going to fall in love with Fable and Theo. I just know it.
(And don’t forget to mark your calendars, because I’ll be back for a Not a Strong Enough Word event on June 5, in conversation with Sarah Estep!)
The entire Strong Enough series is available for preorder now and releasing this year!
Not a Strong Enough Word - June 2, 2026
Not on the Same Page - August 18, 2026
Not the Way it Ends - November 10, 2026
Preorder information, blurbs, and playlists for all three books can be found at my website.
Preorder now to get the limited edition sprayed edges!
And add them to your Goodreads TBR!
I’m officially into the second act of Not the Way it Ends! Which is exactly where I need to be right now. I’m expecting edits back on Not on the Same Page…today, actually, so I can’t wait to also dive back into Trina and Casey’s story and give it the fresh eyes it deserves. These books are coming fast, y’all! Have you preordered yet?
Dive into Jillian’s backlist with:
A swoony, steamy, STEM romance in which two curators at a science museum—a handsome but grumpy astronomer and an anxious but sunshine-y entomologist—realize they are the perfect match. Now with exclusive bonus content!
Millie has never taken the expected path. Her childhood love for bugs and science led her to entomology, and her role as a curator, inspiring museum visitors every day. It’s her dream to run her own department—so when a rare director position opens, she is determined nothing will distract her from her goal. Especially not Finn, her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, electric blue eyes, and endless supply of astronomy ties.
. . . Not that she’s spent time noticing any of those things.
Finn doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his role at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and trying not to ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row. He can’t afford to let anything slip, and certainly doesn’t need more to deal with—especially not Millie literally stumbling into him, with her bright smile and sunny optimism.
He bugs her. She’s too starry-eyed for him. They want nothing to do with each other. But with Finn on the interview committee, avoidance is impossible. And Millie soon realizes it’s one thing when a job is on the line. It’s quite another when it’s her heart.
Lena’s plans are simple. Surprise her family for Christmas, don’t tell them she lost her job, and most importantly, spend the week relaxing with the people she cares about.
But when she arrives in Juniper, she discovers she’s not the only unexpected guest this year. Her older brother’s best friend, Gavin, is back after disappearing three years ago without a word. He has the kind of charm Lena has always been drawn to. But she knows he’s also the kind of temptation she needs to stay far away from.
Gavin has built his architecture career out of planning strategies for dealing with the unexpected—but he didn’t have a strategy for the possibility of seeing Lena again. Though he’s been dreaming of her since the day he left, he can’t risk giving in to his feelings when they could upend the only family and home he has ever known.
New plan: try to be friends again. Just friends.
But as the pieces fall into place about why Gavin left, staying friends is the last thing on his mind…and on Lena’s. All the plans they’ve made might end up completely wrecked. And for once, maybe they want it that way.
I hope spring has spring where you live, and you’re also feeling like fresh new beginnings are in store for you. Grab a book and a coffee this weekend. You deserve it.
