Hey, y'all,

How goes it? It's day sixty nine here in Coronapocalypse Quarantine, Northern Ireland Edition (insert teenage boy joke about 69 here) What about you? How many days has it been? Honestly, though, it feels more like day six hundred and nine. In the beginning I tried to get up and dressed at a reasonable time every morning, yup - I was that person who put the unnecessary wear and tear on her really expensive bras just to try and maintain a level of 'normal'. It didn't help, pretending things were normal didn't convince my brain, so at this point in the lock-down, anarchy reigns.

I've absolutely won lock-down bingo... a few times in fact.

I've given myself, and both my husband and son Corona haircuts (just a trim for me, but I was tempted to do a Brittney and shave my head at once point - I also haven't fully ruled that out yet!)

I've baked banana bread, though lately I've been facing my yeasty demons and trying other bakes - like scones and cinnamon rolls 'cause we don't have those Pillsbury cans of cinnamon rolls here that make your heart stop beating for a moment when they pop open. I've also made my first successful batch of scones in my entire life - I'd say that in itself has almost made lock-down worth it. Almost.

I've converted to spending my life in pjs - I don't even have day time and night time pjs any more - they all just kinda are. I've bought more books than I have space for. I've bought something absolutely ridiculous late at night, 'just 'cause it looked fun' (who doesn't need 200 glow sticks?). I've ordered retro sweeties from my childhood at 2am because I wanted to feed sugar my feelings. I've had writers block. I've had group zoom calls. I've joined Tiktok. I've colored a rainbow. I've clapped for carers. I've eaten ALL THE SNACKS. I've enrolled in a couple online author courses. I've bought some new books to help me work on my craft. I've celebrated Mother's Day from a social distance with an American friend 'stuck' here for quarantine (she came to visit for two weeks in March and she's been here ever since!) I rocked up with some pizza, wine and flowers to cheer her up from a distance in the yard of her Air B&B rental.

I've also had melt downs for no reason and for every reason. I've gone (for longer than is socially acceptable to admit) without a shower. I've had days where I've eaten nothing and others when I cant stop eating. I've slept for eight hours and I've slept for one. And, on a rare occasion, I've even had an alcoholic beverage before 5pm! *gasp*

Know what else I've done?

I haven't given up.

Every damn day I get up, I brush my teeth, I face my ever-expanding self in the mirror and do it all over again. Right now, in a global pandemic where the world is upside down and 'normal' feels like a distant memory, that's all you gotta do, folks. Get up every, single, day and keep fighting. Especially when it feels like you can't.

You're strong enough. You're loved. You're valued. You're needed.

This, too, shall pass. It might hurt like a kick in the crotch for a while, but it will pass.

You've got this!

No, really, you do.

Keep an eye out for my next newsletter, y'all - I'm going to be sending out my new epilogue novella, No Matter What, to you guys, for FREE!

Stay safe and wash your hands!

PS I know I'm sending a lot of books with my newsletters right now. The reason is two-fold. A lot of indie authors are struggling right now and I want to share their work and try and get it out there a bit. A bunch of them also stepped up to help me out by sharing my new release two weeks ago when the Amazon glitch tripped me up! Also, in chatting to people I'm finding quite an even mix of people who are reading even more than usual to escape reality, with an equal amount of people who just can't read at all right now. What about you? Are you reading? More or less than normal?

If you're reading more than normal, these wee book fairs, starting with this Contemporary Romance list, may help you find some great (and often free!) books to keep you distracted for a while longer x

This first recommendation is a funny one - I haven't read it yet, but it's come up in my 'if you like these books' (mine) 'you might like this book, too' list on Amazon a few times before I chatted with B about sharing it with you guys! The power of the 'zon, eh?!

Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but can it mend a broken heart?

Rae’s been unlucky in love ever since having her heart broken years ago. When her ex reappears and declares his hope for a second chance, she’s not sure what to do. Time can heal past wounds, but sometimes heartbreak is irreparable…

Flint knows that this is his last opportunity to win her heart again and he’s playing for keeps. But with his reemergence in her life comes danger. Mysterious messages that plagued their relationship years ago have returned, threatening their reconciliation. Rae already has doubts about rekindling their relationship but now the stakes have increased and her life might be in danger.

Can their love truly conquer all? Find out here, in this second chance romance.

Anna loves numbers. She loves order and cleanliness. She loves her high-powered career as a computer programmer--a job at which she excels. She loves almost everything about her perfectly structured life of solitude. But she's never been in love.

Then Anna meets Matt Harper. Matt is a perfectly normal man, who can't understand why Anna collects stacks of tin cans in her cubicle at work or why she washes her hands every fifteen minutes... and he doesn't care. All he wants is to get to know Anna better. And for the first time in Anna's life, she feels the same way.

Except Matt isn't as perfectly normal as he seems. It turns out Matt has a secret of his own. A secret that changes everything... Check out Crazy in Love to find out what it is!

How do you go home when home is gone?

I’ve paid my dues for protecting someone I love.

In return my family, my life, and my freedom—all taken from me.

When a friend calls in a favor, I go from nothing…to having a job and a place to live.

A fresh start brings something more; a woman who brings out my protective instincts.

She's been hurt—it's written all over her.

There's one thing for sure, I want her.

And I vow that nothing will ever harm her again.

Read Finding Home here.

Laugh and commiserate with hapless Eric as he lurches from one crisis to another desperately trying to execute the PERFECT PROPOSAL here in A Christmas Proposal.