loving what I do & hoping you love it too
Oct 01, 2022 11:25 pm
Hello !
Sixteen years ago, on my very first date with the man I now share a life, a mortgage, and an emotionally needy husky with, he told me he was planning to retire very soon.
That was the word he used. Retire.
I'm not sure what retirement means to you, but to me, it means that day when you no longer work. That time of life when you stop drawing a salary, or, if you're like me, stop chasing self-employment income.
Now you might be thinking, "Ahh, Danika is in one of those May-December romances. Since she's still so young (snicker), her husband must have been pushing 60 when they first met."
And you would be what I like to call - wrong!
Nope, Dave was all of 44-years-old when we shared our first meal—mediocre sushi we both still remember to this day.
"Ahh ... so he was a wealthy man! Good catch, Danika!" you muse.
Not even close. At least, not in the bank account sense. 😝
If you've been with me for a while, you may remember that Dave finally got his wish and retired from his federal government job in February this year. His last official day was, in fact, his 60th birthday.
That retirement lasted until mid-July. Not even five full months. He hasn't gone back to work for the evil empire, but he is working again, doing something he loves. Interestingly, taking a retirement path very similar to the one my dad took when he was forced into retirement from being the money guy for start-up businesses in his early 60s.
Both Dad and dave picked up tools and pursued (or are currently pursuing) a hobby that they'd always loved. Dad designed and built his first and only house, almost entirely on his own. He didn't get paid for this. He built it for himself and my Mom. It was their dream home, finally come to life.
Dave is rebuilding and refinishing hundreds of windows on the 100-year-old buildings in our village so they can be integrated into a new townhouse development.
Dad was, and Dave is happier as a labourer than he ever was as the brain man.
Personally, I just can't imagine spending a lifetime, a full career, in the wrong job, doing something I didn't love. I know I'm speaking from a place of privilege. And I certainly have had jobs that forced me to smile when I wanted to bite the hand that was feeding me. But I never lasted in those ill-fitting jobs for more than a few years.
I'm thinking about jobs—the right ones and the wrong ones—this week since two books that are important to me focus on this.
My own novella!
Her Seasoned Delivery is live on pre-order on Amazon!
He cooks with spice. Even in the kitchen.
This is the story of Stirling, a man who, like my dad, was forced to retire early for health reasons. Unlike Dad, though, Stirling loved his job as the executive chef of the restaurant his grandfather founded.
It's also the story of Magdalena, a 39-year-old woman who always wanted kids but never met a man she wanted to have those kids call Dad. So she opted for IVF and a so-called 'geriatric' pregnancy.
And when things get tricky for Mags, Stirling is the man who comes to her rescue with culinary skills to save her and her picky-eater, in utero twins.
This later-in-life couple novella is a romantic comedy filled with puns and outrageous situations. Stirling and Magdalena have proven to be a favourite couple with readers.
For you, , special offer!
If you love to read and review romance, and have either a Bookbub, Goodreads or Amazon account where you can leave reviews, I'd love to have you on my Advance Reader Copy (ARC) team.
You can get your free copy of this spicy novella, if you promise that you'll read it and leave a short, honest review on Amazon on October 24th or 25th, or anytime before that on either Bookbub or Goodreads.
If you'd prefer to simply read the story, it would bring me, and the career I love, so much great joy if you pre-order the book!
Important note: If you bought the Eat Your Heart Out 2 charity anthology in March this year, you already have this story! So check for that before you buy the story again. If you've already got it, you can absolutely still be an ARC reader! 😘
A new release!
JJ Knight is one of my fave rom-com authors. Her new book is also about a person in a job they're just not well-suited to.
Royal Escape is a hot, hot, hot romantic comedy about a princess pretending to be an influencer pretending to be a princess, a man who can’t keep his hands off her (as long as he’s wearing a mask), a meddling Pickle family who opens a castle in Colorado without realizing the pretend princess is a real princess, and a triple-double twist that everybody sees coming — except the donkeys.
And one more bit of exciting news!
One of the many reasons I love being a romance author is that my work colleagues are also romance authors. And romance authors are among the nicest, most generous humans on the planet.
I've partnered with eleven of them for this new charity anthology, Resolve: A New Year's anthology for choice. This title will be available on all platforms for a limited time starting on January 3, 2023.
Twelve of today’s most entertaining contemporary romance authors have teamed up to support reproductive choice in the new year. This anthology features feel-good fiction that’s heartwarming, often hilarious, and hot enough to light your sparklers. So raise a cup of kindness to the days of auld lang syne, and settle in for a steamy read.
100% of the royalties from this collection will benefit the National Network of Abortion Funds.
Get brand new stories from me, Liz Alden, Lainey Davis, Karen Grey, Tinia Montford, Alexa Rivers, S.E. Rose, Marie Tuhart, Kathy L Wheeler, and Sara Whitney.
That's it, that's all from me for today.
I really hope that one, two, or all three of these books spark your interest and give you a break from your own job—whether it's one you love or are counting down the days to leave. I just hope you're not like my darling husband who counted those days down for sixteen years—he had to cross off 3,760 days on his wall calendars to hit that magic date! That's a lot of red pens!
love &happydaysstuff,
Danika
xo
PS -
Review Her Seasoned Delivery and get if free!
Support reproductive rights for $0.99 by preordering Resolve.