I made a quick and delicious dip with a can of artichokes (drained), a couple of ounces of cream cheese, and some green chile. If you can't get real New Mexico green chile, you might be able to find a weaker canned version in the Mexican section of your grocery store, or try salsa.

I'm working on a mystery novel, and my brother and I are running our next Sweet Home Alabama comedy. It's the hot and windy season in New Mexico, which doesn't make the outdoors too tempting, but we did get out for a hike this morning.

Voice recognition mistake of the day: "I shook my head and turned toward the rum." That's ROOM, room I say!

Things you should be watching: Secrets of the Zoo

"Go behind the scenes at The Columbus Zoo." This show covers some veterinarian stuff, along with other activities, such as a giraffe being born or polar bear cubs taking their first swim. Lots of cute animals and enthusiastic keepers! We're watching it on Disney +. It's also on National Geographic TV or for sale on Amazon.

Cute of the day: Merlin the Maine Coon is a reader favorite in my cat café novels. If you’ve read about the big sweetie, you’ll know why! The Maine Coon is the largest domesticated cat breed. While they were bred for hunting, they are friendly and sociable. Check out some of the gorgeous Maine Coon cats with the Instagram hashtag mainecoon_of_ig. Do any of them fit your mental image of Merlin?

Need some summer reads?

Contemporary Romance - All Levels of Heat!

Take a book vacation! Some stories are sweeter, and some are hot hot hot! You’ll find exes and friends; billionaires, bosses, firemen and cowboys; and beach reads. I believe all these books are in Kindle Unlimited.

Summer Romance - Read and Review

Check out a variety of romance titles – sweet or steamy, contemporary or historical, with some paranormal. These books should all be available for free via Story Origin, in the hopes that you'll provide an honest review.

Books on My Radar:

Pussweek by Bexy McFly. “Pussweek: A Cat’s Guide to Feline Empowerment is full of hilarious spreads, quizzes, and advertisements, as well as top–notch photos of cats in all their cuteness and weirdness.” Check out the review here.

Better Endings (Tammy Mellows Series book 2 but can be read as a standalone) by Tina Hogan Grant: “A woman embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery in this heart-warming tale of love, strength, and the sea...” It sounds like this is more of a woman's personal journey, but there is a romance. Readers call it uplifting.

Work and Pleasure, by Ella Cooper: "Work and Pleasure is a stand-alone short, sweet and steamy romance filled with love and humor." Even a negative review called it cute, and it’s 99 cents or free in KU.

Visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)

Don't forget, book 4 is out. Plus Coffee and Crushes at the Café is available free for review from Booksprout or via Story Origin.

If you haven't yet gotten your copy of my free novella, Lions and Love at the Cat Café, you can get it here. For “13 of the recipes mentioned in Kris Bock's Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series,” go here.