It feels silly to be talking about favorites as news out of Minnesota—and the rest of the U.S. and the world—continues to grow scarier, more painful, and more frequent. I’ve felt this way so many times since 2016. It seems futile to mention things we’re enjoying or the places we’re finding comfort amongst the chaos. It feels wrong.

But it’s not.

I go through this cycle every few hours. Reading the news, feeling angry, feeling aching hopelessness, calling and emailing my representatives, recognizing that joy is rebellion too, trying to laugh and smile and live, and then thinking of the news again.

Please indulge me where I’m at currently in this cycle: trying to find that joy. It can be hard to think forward, at months ahead, when the now is so uncertain. But one thing I know: I’ll be in New York City from April 22^nd to 28^th. We received a confirmation from the Barnes & Noble off Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn for a signing that Monday the 27^th. That bookends my schedule alongside the signing (with my good friend Becca C. Smith) at The Mysterious Bookshop in Tribeca on the 23^rd. We’re waiting to hear back from another bookshop but it’s shaping up to be a wonderful trip. Most of my family will be able to make it and some incredible friends, too. I can’t wait.

That said, this isn’t my favorite book-related news from this past week.

Favorite THANKS FOR WATCHING news:

I got to choose a narrator for the audiobook! Working with Podium has been so fun and the rights agent passed along several narrators for me to choose from. I’d even listened to one of them before, so of course, I chose her. I’ll wait a little bit longer to make the OFFICIAL announce but I can’t wait!

Favorite Day of our Pusheen Calendar:

I don’t remember what I was looking to buy at Walmart in December—maybe some yarn—but I was wandering the aisles and found the discounted clearance section. Lo and behold this beautiful, daily Pusheen calendar appeared. I gifted it to my husband despite him buying a Pokemon desk calendar in Germany several months earlier. (He then gave away the Pokemon one during a gift exchange and kept the Pusheen. So, you know, taste.)

He gets the benefit of tearing off the calendar and I get the benefit of him curating the best ones (read: most of them) for me by randomly leaving them on my desk, sometimes with a little note. This week’s favorite was Cozy Hobbies with Pusheen because that very much described my weekend, too.

Favorite Read:

All aboard the Heated Rivalry train, choo choo! I’ve been slowly watching episodes on HBO and my library, like lots of others, decided to buy more licensing for Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series. Instead of binging the show, I ended up binge listening to the audiobook, and I had a genuinely wonderful time. It was a lot more sex than my usual romance reads, but Reid really managed to layer in depth to each interaction, advance the plot, and build character. Totally how I want my steamy sex scenes to be done!

(To be fair, its competition for ‘best read of the week’ was WRITE FOR LIFE, which I completed on the way home from St. Louis. It’s a nonfiction follow-up of sorts to THE ARTIST’S WAY, and I gave it a rough 3/5 stars for my enjoyment. That said, I gleaned several new things to try in my writing process, so overall I’m glad I read it.)

Favorite Performance:

Water for Elephants. Holy shit. The voices! The choreography! The acrobatics! This really had it all. It also made me sob. (I was on my period, but I think I still would’ve cried anyways.) I somehow avoided the Water for Elephants book and movie from the past two decades so the musical was my first experience with this story and I’m not sure how either the book or the movie could be better. (Also not sure I’ll read or watch either because of the aforementioned sobbing.)

Easy will absolutely be added to my rotation of songs. Also look at how beautiful the ceiling of the Majestic Theatre is. I’m always marveling no matter how many times I visit:

Favorite Purchase:

I’m making a granny square blanket for my brother and future sister-in-law for their wedding! Having never made a granny square anything outside of the learning process early on, after years of crocheting, I finally had to buy a blocking board! With some rough measurements, I think I’ll need to make one hundred squares total, which feels both very doable and also like a lot of weaving in ends.

Least Favorite New Hobby (lol):

To get the free shipping, I also snagged this gem/diamond painting kit alongside my blocking board. Turns out—not for me! Much like watching ballet, this is a very fun discovery. It’s why I’ve been on such a “tutorial kit” buying kick! All different hobbies, I’m ready to dabble. I’m not sure anything will *click* for me the same way crochet has, but isn’t that the fun of experimenting?

Finally, I’d like to leave you with my favorite photo I took of Zelda this week. Of everything in this world, my animals bring me the most comfort. Isn’t she regal? A true princess, just like her eponym.

Hope you are all staying warm and safe during this Winter Storm!

There goes the first complete week of the year, done and dusted! I’m proud of myself. Proud of what I wrote, proud of what I posted, proud that I fulfilled the promises to myself and followed through on my plans.

And I’m also proud that I let myself continue to experience the ups and downs of grief. Saturday, the hormones of my period rendered me nearly inconsolable. And I let that happen, no guilting, no chastising, no worries about anything other than the emotions of the moment. And on Sunday, I felt so much better. (Well, my head hurt a little from crying so much and my eyes were swollen, but otherwise, I wasn’t exhaling out exhaustion with each breath!)

It was a quiet week with one big event, so though most of my favorites will stem from Friday’s festivities, I enjoyed falling into a gentle, familiar rhythm.

Favorite Road Trip Snack:

In preparation for the long drive from San Antonio, through San Marcos to pick up my friend, all the way to Houston for the Rachel Hawkins signing at Murder By the Book, I bought some snacks!

Even with the incredible options at Buc-ee’s, nothing could come close to the deliciousness of these Nerds Gummy Clusters. So tart, so sweet, and the irresistible need to reopen the bag and have a couple more. Better than caffeine for perking me up while driving through the storm on the way home.

(Coincidentally, the new Rachel Hawkins book is called The Storm! We got some very cool videos of the lightning while driving home, with the book splayed on the dashboard. I’ll post them on YouTube later!)

Favorite Crossover Moment:

My favorite thing about book events are all the bookish people you get to meet. No matter what, you have at least one thing in common: you love books. Even better, you probably love or enjoy the same author/genres!

With that basis, it’s so easy to talk to one another. My friend and I weren’t the only road warriors. We also found a duo who’d made the drive from Ft. Worth! I had such a giggle when they shared that one of them didn’t even know who they were going to see until halfway through the drive, they were just along for the ride! (But had loved Hawkins’ The Heiress, so it was perfect bahaha.)

I also spotted someone from my periphery who was crocheting. After the event — as my friend was using the bathroom after we’d gotten our books signed — I saw her and her friends again. She set down her WIP and I, of course, had to ask her what she was making. She explained she was working on a book sleeve using a granny square!!

She explained how to do it, how to fold it, and now I’m working on my own. (This is revolutionary for me, because I’ve made two book sleeves before but they were suuuuuch a pain of single or half double crochets over and over and over and over. The granny square is much more fun!)

Favorite Bit of Yarn Math:

Come every crochet project, I’m doing yarn math. Will I win this game of yarn chicken? Will I need to buy an extra skein? Did I buy too many skeins and will need to reconfigure the entirety of my already overflowing stash?

I returned to the beginnings of a blanket I haven’t touched since June:

Using the basketweave stitch, I finally finished the first jumbo skein! And I’m exceedingly happy to report that I bought exactly enough. (And by that I mean, I bought and sent my husband out to fetch for me, since I was hundreds of miles away at time of purchase and Michael’s had already sold out of the yarn I needed from anywhere nearby.)

Favorite Purchase:

My philosophy the past few weeks has been the Parks & Rec classic of ‘Treat Yo Self!’ It’s not the best way to handle the depression of losing a pet, but alas, my wallet must also feel the weight of my suffering. (Or it’s an inverse relationship. Goodbye money, hello Lego sets!)

That said, my favorite purchase this week was inspired by a thread on my Laqueristas subreddit. Apparently you can use chrome powder on regular (non-gel) polish? And it will recreate the most incredible shimmer effect?? This was news to me!

For $10, I bought the FNNZ Ocean Glimmer color. And, of course, I had to try it across all my cremes.

I. Was. Mesmerized. If I ever figure out how to create a gif and upload it to the blog, I’ll do that. But I hope photos for now will suffice. I also think this will help with my polish FOMO once it’s New Release Season. (Read: Every season once the dust of December has settled.)

I’ve now spent an additional $20 to get two more chrome powders — in Cyber Mirage & Galactic Dream — and will report back on if they equally blow my mind.

Favorite Epiphany?:

Goals = hope, for me. A sort of wonderful delusion. Perhaps it’s why I always set them so high and can never quite achieve them on the timeline I dreamed. They’re meant to be aspirational, a reach, a guiding light, not a designated hopscotch with The End easily jumped to.

That same hope is why I’ve been so turned off goals this year. With the ~everything~ in my personal life and the ~everything~ happening in the States and around the world, I’m not feeling hopeful. This epiphany makes me both sad and, in a twisted way, hopeful too. Hopeful that I’ll return to the silly goal setting (and dreaming and delusion that comes with it) when I’m in a better emotional place. That it hasn’t left me forever. I’ll find goals again when I find hope. And I have to trust that that’s not too far away.

It’s been a week of recovering. Recovering from cellulitis, recovering from the depression fog of Buffy’s death. Neither of these things are ‘over,’ but each new day is better than the last. Both the metaphorical and physical bruise hurt incrementally less and less and, I guess, that’s all I can hope for.

And, a bright spot, there were some favorites for this week.

Favorite Lesson: Firstly, I learned that the ballet wasn’t for me.

I love art. I love art in so many forms. And even when something is decidedly NOT for me, I still love it and can find something in it to appreciate. Ballet, I think, just doesn’t speak to me. 

It’s a marvel. It’s incredibly cool to see athletes at their pinnacle performing in tandem, the symphony of the orchestra, all the lighting and tech crew working together, and yet…

It’s slow. I think that’s my problem. The storytelling itself is just a touch too slow for me and, after thirty minutes, I felt like I’d had enough.

This. Is. Awesome. I am SO happy to learn that about myself! I also can’t wait to talk to people who do love ballet. Sometimes my mind can be changed and perhaps, rather than ballet itself, it was The Nutcracker that wasn’t for me. I could always be persuaded.

But I’ll probably wait several more years until I pay for that chance.

Favorite Actually-Delicious-AND-Probably-Healthy-for-Me Recipe:

Umm, this is a delight? I felt good after eating it. And it was so tasty. Plus, I think this is only the second or third time I’ve browned butter and I am amazed at the chemistry every time!! Look! It transforms! It bubbles and the color and taste change! SCIENCE. FOOD SCIENCE.

Anyways, cannot recommend this recipe enough. Also, it’s so easy. So easy I can do it! 10/10.

(It also reheats pretty well, I’m happy to say. It’s better fresh, but nothing an extra bit of goat cheese can’t make up for.)

Favorite Bit of Escapism:

The mantra for the past two weeks has been ‘just keep moving,’ which is especially true of my hands. If I could keep my hands busy — building Lego sets, crocheting — then some part of my mind couldn’t trap itself in a rumination spiral. (I’m still at the stage where every fleeting, happy memory is quickly replaced by the gaping, aching hole of missing Buffy. But I’ll get there eventually. I know I will.)

Since I have no more Lego sets and I needed to give my wrist a rest, I decided to puzzle and listen to Paladin’s Strength. I think I can safely say T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors now. Her writing and stories captivate me and it’s so fun to read and reread her work.

Also, isn’t this puzzle the cutest? If T. Kingfisher has become a comfort for me, so too is the artwork on this puzzle. I felt bundled in a hug as I worked and listened.

I’ll hold off gluing this puzzle together and displaying it until maybe the next time it’s completed. The pieces themselves are a joy to work with and I love the cute little container to hold them together.

Favorite New Tradition:

With the Formula 1 season over, my husband and I have a vroom-vroom sized gap in our hearts and in our schedules. We’ve been filling that hole with racing movies. Each Sunday, we pick a new film or two. And — most shocking of all — we both have agreed with how the films stack up against one another. Our very distinguished list below, in order of our enjoyment:

Rush

Daniel Brühl, need I say more?

I don’t, but I will. This had great tension, I loved the acting and all the accents (even Chris Hemsworth’s, which I couldn’t quite place, lol), and I genuinely felt the character development. Plus the way it was shot — the intensity, the up-close look at different parts of the car as they rattled — you could feel the speed.

Cars

A cinematic, childhood classic neither of us saw until we were adults and, like most Pixar movies, holds up really well. I love an archetypical talented asshole getting his comeuppance and realizing it takes a team to truly be great.

Ford v Ferrari

My only complaint is that Matt Damon’s Carroll Shelby wears a cowboy hat frequently in the film and when they showed the real photo of Shelby and Ken Miles at the end, Shelby is wearing a baseball cap. Where is the continuity!

Otherwise, this was incredible. I really do love Christian Bale, all the characters felt real and not like caricatures, the story felt complete, the editing tight (it did win an Academy Award for Best Film Editing & Sound Editing, so I guess that makes sense), and I had a great time.

F1

I refused to watch this in theaters or Apple TV, so we had to wait to access it a different way so that I wouldn’t be giving any credit, attention, or money to Brad Pitt. 

It was SO cheesy (and I love cheese). There’s a scene where Brad Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes, says that the extra c is for ‘combat’ during a meeting and the other characters start chanting ‘combat, combat, combat’ and NO. JUST NO. WHY. NO, WHY, NO, WHY, NOOOO.

I hated the way the two female characters were written, but I guess that’s better than there being none. (I guess? Also they edited out Simone Ashley, which I simply cannot cosign.) 

That said, I was entertained (when I wasn’t cringing). The cinematography was incredible, I liked getting peeps at real drivers from the grids I’ve known. And there was a plot! Was it basically every ‘80s or ‘90s sports movie reworked? Sure! But they’re classics for a reason and it’s not last on this list.

Drive

A controversial take around the internet, but this movie really didn’t do it for either of us. I get it was supposed to be artistic. I get that the director wants you to live in the discomfort of the prolonged shots. But we didn’t get to know any of the characters well enough for me to care if/when they died and the plot was barely there. It moved so slowly. Several strikes from me. It doesn’t help that Baby Driver is still a far more entertaining take on the same concept despite its wildly problematic cast.

Cars 2

How dare they make us sit through an entire movie with Mater as the main character? It inspires me to take my comic relief side characters, make them the protagonist, and show how it SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE.

There are still 8 weeks until Formula 1 is back, so we’ll have to fill that time with several more movies. Maybe even Cars 3.

Until next week! Thanks for reading. 🙂

350 miles, 10 chapters edited, and approximately a million hours spent researching the intricacies of single-pilot aircrafts later, we are at the end of another week!

I do fear there’s precious few of those remaining in 2025. (Three. There are three as of this typing.)

There’s been lots of highs and lows. Literally, because the weather in Texas can’t make up its mind. Is it Fall, is it Winter, or is it most people’s idea of the perfect Summer?

As mentioned on last week’s blog, I visited my friend in College Station this week! Her dog, Penny, has to be a shout-out for my favorites for the week.

This precious girl has to be over a decade old now. She has few teeth and few cares. She shakes when she’s excited and also when she’s cold. (Her sweater collection is immense and themed, and I’m jealous.)

It’s a delight to know my friend’s pets almost as well as my own. And truly I wish every place I visited could have a dog.

Speaking of which!

Favorite new bookstore: Wonderful Words Bookshoppe in Bryan, Texas. They have a built-in secret shelf that leads to the mystery/thriller section of their shop. Need I say more?

OH WAIT, YES, because they have a shop dog!! (Their name is Benchly.)

My friend very casually slipped into conversation that I had a book coming out and they were effusive in their congratulations and request for me to visit when the book debuts. Hopefully next time I’m visiting her, we can organize that signing after all!

Favorite parasocial moment: Evelyn From The Internets is posting for Vlogmas and the scream I scrumpt!!! I know parasocial relationships are kinda weird and can be dangerous and can blah blah blah, okay? OKAY? I DON’T CARE. Literally, it was a joy to see her on my screen with a new video again. She made a video — ages ago — where she referenced, “Don’t be afraid to be seen trying” and it’s become a mantra for me. For a couple years, that’s all it was. A thing I’d repeat to myself. I needed just to hear it, to work my way up to living it. I’m not sure I’m always there now, but I feel it. And it’s because of her. (Also her entire recent-ish Thirsty Thursday series is iconique, if you’d like to start with something. Pick any, they’re all great.)

As for another thing I’ve been watching…

Favorite show: Dexter: Resurrection. Holy. Shit. Holy shit holy shit holy shit. Okay, so I weirdly watched Episode 4 of this with Becca at Comic-Con because I don’t mind coming into a show halfway through and told The Husband that we needed to start watching immediately. We didn’t. A half year later and finally, we got around to it, and I hesitate to call the show perfect TV, but it’s pretty damn close!

Favorite recipe: The skillet gnocchi with miso butter and asparagus by Ali Slagle in NYTimes Cooking was, indeed, incredible. As delicious and nutty as I’d hoped and an incredible way to eat more greens (something I’m always on the search for!).

I think next week I’ll try the Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake by Ali Slagle, too! See if she’ll do me right again.

Favorite bite: Unfortunately, there’s nothing like other people cooking for me, and so the meal my husband made of stovetop mac’n’cheese mixed with more cheese and also pulled pork does in fact take the proverbial cake. The above recipe was incredible and delicious and I did eat all my leftovers, including the single serving I had still in the fridge when I returned from College Station, but was it better than mac’n’cheese and more cheese and pulled pork? No. Credit where credit is due.

Favorite sports moment: Watching Lando win his maiden F1 Drivers Champion title. Do I wish it were my boy, OP? Yes. But I assigned myself a McLaren fan as I began watching the sport and have so enjoyed Lando raising McLaren from the midfield. And I love seeing a man cry (happy tears), which he did spectacularly. Also donuts! Vroom, vroom.

Favorite new jewelry: Your girl got pierced (again)! I finally have a second lobe piercing on both of my ears and will have these tiny silver hearts in place for the next four months, or however long the piercer recommended. I currently have a gold moon in one ear in my original piercing, and a gold star in the other original piercing, and the piercer wanted to confirm I was down for the mixed metal look. I am.

I do fear that this has unlocked the desire for more piercings. Just in the ear though. I think I’d still like my helix, and maybe tragus done. But I’m eyeing a tattoo place to book up in the future for when my brother graduates from his PA school so that we can get our sibling tats. (The current plan is matching N64 controllers.)

Favorite cursed object: This Santa from Dollar Tree. I didn’t buy him, but he won’t be soon forgotten.

It’s like looking into a mirror for this week. Technically it has the shape of the thing, but something about it isn’t quite right. That’s how I always feel with mid-week travel. I was here, but I wasn’t here. It was wonderful, but it was A Lot.

ARCs of THANKS FOR WATCHING are almost out and my emotions are in a whirlwind. I’m excited for people to read my story. That’s what I want. I’m also nervous for the reaction, because the little Doubter and Impostor tells me I should be, but I know I can’t control that. I’ve done everything I can to create the book exactly as I want it to be, and I hope it finds its readers. That’s what I keep having to tell myself. (Even when sometimes that voice feels like it’s being drowned out.)

Next week, I think, will be a lot of the same. I have jury duty. I have a holiday party. I have videos to film and words to write and books to buy and hopefully all of that will be a growing chorus of so much fun that the Impostor Syndrome doesn’t stand a chance at getting a word in. Fingers crossed.

Let me know some of your favorites for the week. Thanks for reading! 🙂

It’s the end of the week, and the end of November, and I keep asking myself, “Where did the year go?”

I fear it’s the thing my parents always warned me about: that time moves faster the older you get. And even though — logically — I accept this inevitability, I also reject it. AWAY, YOU UGLY TRUTH, AWAY.

To contend with this pain, I thought I’d share some of my favorite things from the past seven days. Maybe reminiscing, recollecting, and sharing can be the solution.

In no particular order, here are some favorites:

Moments: Chatting reality TV (from Survivor to Married at First Sight, and yes, I promise there is a through-line if you’re a true trash panda) and playing Hot Streak at Friendsgiving. It’s not my favorite board game I’ve played, but perfect when you’ve drank nearly an entire bottle of champagne on a lazy Monday evening.

YouTube Video: Do you like sweaters? Do you wear sweaters? Do you enjoy falling down unnecessarily specific rabbit holes, specifically in regards to sweaters? Then I think you’ll like this video.

Thing I bought: Technically I ordered this a couple weeks ago, but my Holo Taco package finally arrived, which included the Sticky Base Coat. I am known to mess with my hands, especially my fingers, and will often peel my polish. Part of this is anxiety and part of it is the absolute satisfaction of a thing well-picked and/or torn and thus, my manicures often last me only a day or two, if I’m lucky. Up until now, the plus-side has been that I can change the colors I wear multiple times a week. The minus-side is perhaps everything else.

But now! Now I have a new holy grail and it is the Sticky Base Coat. It gives me about 3.5 days of manicure wear without any lift, meaning I have used it twice since it arrived and I am AMAZED. I’ve loved both manicures and finally feel like it’s worth applying magnetic polishes again.

(With the bonus that I still get to rip off my polish in a few days! The mani can still be picked at and come off in one fell swoop, hooray!)

An honorable mention goes to the NYTimes Cooking App subscription for the year. ($25 on sale.) They finally made it so their tiramisu recipe couldn’t be accessed over the paywall and I swear by it. Now I have a whole list of “Easy” recipes I want to make.

Made: The aforementioned tiramisu for family Thanksgiving. Marrying into a family with elite cooks often means that I feel incredibly satisfied, satiated, and grateful, but also like I haven’t contributed enough. So being able to share the oft-requested tiramisu makes me happy! (It’s also so easy.) I only have a single photo of the tiny bit I was able to take home, but my goodness, it was delicious.

Wrote: Is it terrible if I say this post? I wrote a lot of disparate things this week, several of them very fun bonus materials for THANKS FOR WATCHING. I am really excited for all of them, but I’m also nearing the point of being So Very Done with the story that I need a brief break from it. A little, loving hiatus, before I return and rererereread it in its final form.

Also, I’ve been wanting to blog again and this is the first post I’ve made in over two years?? Incredible.

Alternatively, I also came up with a brief outline for ANOTHER mystery that I might try to pitch Inimitable Books as a follow-up to TFW, so that’s quite fun as well. It even has a title! I also want to utilize a dual timeline, something I’ve never attempted before. How fun!

Read: A few short chapters (“short” as in a single page) of Murder Among the Stacks. It’s this adorable word search mystery, where on one page you have the story and on the other page, a word search! Eventually you’re supposed to be able to use the word searches to solve the whodunnit and honestly, this is the perfect “turn your brain off and chill” book. It also hits on some nostalgia of these activity books with a vague storyline from when I was a kid! 10/10, would recommend (if you like word searches).

Email I sent: Will this category ever come up again? I doubt it! But this week I sent off the email to my favorite local indie bookshop, hoping and requesting for them to host my launch day event. Not only did they agree, they also offered to help do a signed preorder campaign!!!!! ALL THE EXCLAMATIONS! I’m so giddy words cannot possibly do my emotion justice. I’ll keep y’all updated when those signed copies are available.

Podcast: The only way I clean my house is with my headphones on and a podcast playing. I’m currently working my way through Curse of: America’s Next Top Model, a recommendation from Clara, and it. Is. Incredible. I’m on episode 6 and absolutely riveted.

Show: My husband, the tech guy, has finally configured a way for us to watch allllll our British television and while I specifically had requested The Great British Sewing Bee, it’s Taskmaster that’s dominating our screen right now.

We’ve finished the series with Fern Brady (14), Noel and Mel of separate eras of GBBO (4), and chaos incarnate Jason Mantzoukas (19).

Now we’re starting from Series 1 and will work our way up until there’s no more new-to-us episodes to watch.

And then, maybe, I’ll finally go back to The Great British Sewing Bee. Or just start a rewatch of Taskmaster.

For some things I’m looking forward to this coming week: December! The small act of changing my calendars over always makes me grin, especially the freebie ones I get from my husband’s aunt every year that feature and support the National Park Foundation. (I also got to pick out my calendars for next year and oh boy, am I excited. It sounds like I’m being sarcastic, but that was a genuine “oh boy” and I stand by it.)

I’m also taking a mini roadtrip across Texas to visit my friend in College Station and it’ll be wonderful to see her. It’s been almost a year since we last chatted in person and I can’t wait to cozy up on the couch and binge watch some TV, nestled amongst all her holiday lighting. (She goes all out for Christmas and it quite literally is like living on the set of a Hallmark movie, but better. They should hire her.)

I also thought of a fun video idea that will require me to visit all the local bookstores in my city and maybe send off a goodie bag or two to end the year. One of the shops should even be on my way to visit my friend, so I’ll get to knock that one out early. All in all, lots to look forward to! 🙂

What was your favorite moment/podcast you listened to/email you sent this past week??

Thanks for reading! 🙂