My goodness, Reader. It's been a month so far! 🥴

I'm sitting at my kitchen island, sipping my coffee. It's not the most comfortable place in the house to work, but it is one of the only places where the puppies can't crawl onto my lap and start pushing buttons for me. (I'll put an updated pic of them at the bottom of this email. They're growing so fast!)

How have you been? What's been going on in your world? Anything fun? Anything fancy? I just realized the other day that I've lived in this town for almost 6 years now and I don't know a single person besides our mechanic. 🤣 It would help if I left the house, I know. In lieu of going anywhere, you and I are friends and can have gab sessions, right?

That's what this is. A Sunday gab session.

(Do you need more ice for your drink? Give me a second and I'll refill your glass.)

This has bee a rough month for me. I have spinal stenosis and it usually doesn't bother me too much. But it decided to hit hard and fast a few weeks ago and it won't go away. 😫 I see my chiropractor this week and she usually helps a lot. But it's been so hard to sit, stand, recline, walk, not walk for more than 10 minutes since the first of the month. It IS getting better but it's not *better*. This is why I pushed the Make Me release to May 8th. If you preordered it, you would've gotten an email from Amazon. If you're waiting for Kindle Unlimited, this is your email from me about it.

I have fallen in love with Hartley and Mira though. Books hit differently, even with the authors who write them. These two are fun and their banter makes me smile just thinking about it. And, of course, there are their group of friends who keep things interesting. And Lolly. Wait until you meet Lolly. 🤣 But there's a bit of angst in this one—the heartache, the chest pangs of loving someone for all your life and not having them love you back. Not being able to be with them. It's delicious and I haven't written something like this in a long time!

Oh. There's emotion, too, and some of you might hate me before it's over. 🥸

A reader suggested doing an occasional "Locke Loves" section where I show you all the things I'm loving at the moment. It sounded fun, so let's give it a shot! (I'm always up for ideas, friend!)

I can't wait to tell you more about Make Me, so here's a little unedited snippet. Please don't share! It's just for you. 💋

Snippet:

“Yeah. About that …” I grimace. “At some point between beer number three and six, I aided and abetted an escaped inmate, paid off his debts so he wouldn’t have to stand trial and be given a death sentence—”

“What the heck?”

“—and then I had to make accommodations for the guy because his whole family was murdered. Or will be. May they rest in peace.”

“Mira. What in the world are you talking about?”

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♥️ Locke Loves

👩🏼‍🍳 - Mr. Locke is gluten free by necessity, and I've become a pretty darn good cook and finder of all things GF. So, when I tell you that these things are the best GF things in all the land, I MEAN IT. The entire house devours these babies and I wind up making two batches at once just so I can get one. 🤣 GF or not, your family will LOVE these! (They say donut but they're really like cupcakes.) ---> click here for Miss Jones Cinnamon Sugar Donut ​

🎙️ - I'm trying to get into my baseball era. I used to love the sport but fell out of love with it years and years ago. We went to a Reds vs Yankees game last year, and will watch the Reds vs Dodgers this year. As a part of my journey, I've been listening to podcasts. You must listen to this one if you love baseball! ---> Glove Actually Pod​

🦟 - I hate mosquitoes. They can ignore everyone else and flock to me like I'm candy. Then I swell up and it's hell for a few hours. Well, mosquito season is upon us, unfortunately, so I asked my Facebook friends what they do to rid their property of the pesky pests. They overwhelmingly told me about this little track. I promptly ordered some. Let's hope it works! ---> Try Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech​

📦 - I was killing time on Etsy, as you do, and found this adorable alternative to a reading review journal! It's a reading BOX and feels so analogue and retro—and I love it. ---> Check it out on Etsy.

📖 - I've been reading Willow Aster's All for Love this week and I'm obsessed! She gave me a little snippet to share with you. Enjoy. ---> Read All for Love on Kindle Unlimited. ​

Snippet from All for Love:

“Did you mean it about wanting to see where this goes between us?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay,” she says firmly. “I want that too. But Dylan, my dad can’t find out. I don’t want him anywhere near this. He doesn’t let go of a grudge, and when it comes to the Whitmans, I don’t think he ever will. I know how vindictive he can be.”

“Okay.” I waggle my eyebrows to lighten the mood. “We can sneak around. It’ll be exciting.” I lean in closer. “No, seriously, my dad’s got a lot to think about with his health, so I’ll keep it quiet on my end too.” I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “So, we take it day by day.”

“It’s probably going to be short-lived anyway, given that we’re living in two different states,” she says.

“Not for long…”

“But even then, you’ll be a couple of hours away. I say we just have fun and not try to label it.”

“If that’s what you want, but I’m warning you now, I’ll be the most fun you’ve ever had.”

Her cheeks flush. “Oh, you already are.”

I lift my shoulder. “See? You won’t be able to let me go.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s not get too cocky.”

I pull my phone out of the seat pocket. “Since we’re keeping this such a secret, I’m changing your name to a flower emoji. Which one do you think looks most like a dahlia?” I show her the flower options, and she picks the cherry blossom.

She picks up her phone and opens my contact information. She deletes Dylan and puts in a guy on a surfboard.

“We’re official,” I say.

“Officially taking it day by day,” she corrects me.

“Don’t worry, Doll. I got you.” I wink.

She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.

​Read All for Love here.​
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🎁 Locke List Giveaway (just for you!)

I'm giving away 2 signed paperbacks to my Locke List (you!). To enter, click the graphic below. Winners will choose what paperbacks they want out of all of my books! So fun!

📸 Pics of the Week

Throwback

It's a flirty time of the year, which means I have to make sure you've read Flirt. 💕

HOW CAN YOU RESIST THIS?

I reach behind me to find my office door open. I take another step back and then turn toward my desk. Someone moves beside my filing cabinet just as I flip on the light.

“Ah!” I shriek, clutching my chest.

My heart pounds out of control until I get my bearings and focus on the man looking back at me.

I set my bag down on a chair and blow out a shaky breath. “Darn it, Moss!”

He leans against the cabinet and smiles at me cheekily.

“We’re going to have to stop meeting like this,” he says. “People are going to talk.”