June 8, 2022
I'm finished writing books. Instead, (effective immediately) I'm hanging up my shingle for a small-engine repair business.
Ha ⏤ kidding! But it got your attention, right?
This past weekend I hit a concrete chunk hidden underneath the lilac bush. It stopped the mower with an alarming BZZZT!! When I started it back up, the blade was so bent that it sheared off a spot of sod and the topsoil too. Let me tell you: there is nothing more angsty in my world during the summer than a dead lawn mower. I'm known in my family as the Lawn Mower Killer. No joke.
My geologist husband teaches a field camp during May and June; he has for the past 28 years. Then he's home for two weeks and is back in the field for most of July to do his own research. That means I've led pretty independent summers for most of my adult life. Everything falls to me during this time, including making contingency plans for dead lawn mowers.
There used to be a small engine repair business in town. He got plenty of business from me before he retired. Since then, I've gone through a mower every three years. This one is going on Year Four so I felt a stronger obligation to at least try to repair it myself since it has stuck with me all this time. I figured I must be getting better at maintenance (oil, air filter, and spark plug changes, I can do them all!), so why not?
After six viewings of the same three-minute YouTube video, three trips to the hardware store to get the right blade, five visits to the tool box in search of the correct-sized wrench, and a nerve-wracking moment when, after pulling the start-up cord, I wondered if the new blade might fly off into a window or hit some living thing, it worked!
Let me reiterate. I. Do. NOT. Like. Lawn. Mowers. But now I can add another check onto my list for lawn mower maintenance. Praise the lawn care gods!
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Enough of my yard care problems! In book news, I have a $.99 sale on the LOVE LIKE AIR e-book going on until tomorrow (6/9). It's Book #3 in the Hearts in Hendricks series and centers around Debi Thomas, donut shop owner, and Mick Graham, a widowed father who has harbored a long, unrequited crush on Ms. Thomas. Her delightful bakery, Mick's precocious daughter, and a mystery poet all figure prominently in this delightful book which is marked down in recognition of Donut Day (last Friday). Also, Amazon has slashed the price of the paperback version down to $4.62! I'm not sure how long it will stay but for those who love to feel a book in your hands, that's a great price! You can get both versions by visiting the Amazon sales page.
Also, LOVE LIKE AIR and 20+ more books are featured in the JUNE IS THE SWEETEST MONTH promo. This selection of books was personally curated by me because the stories all take place in bakeries, candy shops, ice cream stores, or have another sweet-inspired setting since there are at least a dozen sweet holidays in June.
It's National Candy Month, first of all. It’s also the month of Doughnut Day (3rd), Frozen Yogurt Day (5th), Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day (9th), Ice Cream Soda Day (20th), and Chocolate Eclair Day (22nd), among others! See what I mean?!
Check out these fun titles for some deliciously-fun reading this month.
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JUNE CLEAN MY SHELVES GIVEAWAY
I visited the most awesome book sale last weekend and came away with a shopping bag full of so many glorious romance and women's fiction paperbacks for $9.00! I'm keeping some for myself to read but also snagged some for the monthly giveaway. See, I'm always thinking of you!
If you're new to my newsletter, I have been slowly emptying my shelves of books that I've read or haven't read (and won't any time soon). Of course I can't resist a good book sale, so I've added more from sales and/or Little Free Libraries that I've come across too. That means some of you will be the recipients of my shelf-cleaning projects and book-buying habits! Here are the titles you have to choose from this month:
I've read How to Walk Away, Garden Spells, and How to Make an American Quilt and can recommend all three. I’ll pick TWO lucky winners from those who send me their choice by replying to this e-mail. Please take note: all of these are lovingly USED books. Sorry, non-US friends, I can only ship within the US. If by chance I choose someone outside the country, I’ll offer a $5 Amazon gift card instead.
The contest closes on Sunday night 6/12/22, at 7 p.m. CST. Winners will be notified via e-mail and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Winners will also be announced in the next newsletter.
Happy Reading!
~ Dawn
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SWEET & SWOONY TITLES
Fresh from a divorce that she never saw coming, Rachel decides to take the summer off and get away.
“Extremely entertaining, captivating and interesting read. Wonderfully written with strong, intriguing characters. Loved and recommend this book!” -Goodreads Review
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Where to Find Me and My Books
Facebook Page * Instagram * Goodreads * Readers Group
(Clicking on the graphic below takes you to my Amazon author page)
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