Southernism of the Week: “As welcome as an outhouse breeze.” During our summer heat waves, that’s extra welcome!

Welcome to our new readers! And apologies – the email system might not have added new names since May 10, so this may be the first you've heard from us. Or not. Who can tell, with technology? In any case, if you haven't yet gotten your free preview of the new series, grab it here. The complete books are free for people willing to review. Get book 1 via Story Origin here. Get Book 2 free for reviewers via Story Origin here. Or Visit the Amazon series page for Felony Melanie: Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novels to buy them.

Movie news? 🎬 Josh Lucas, Reese Witherspoon, and Dakota Fanning set off some speculation about a Sweet Home Alabama sequel last week. Could love be in the Alabama air again? Read all about it at E online (but don’t get your hopes up).

With travel opening up Doug and Kris met up with their mother in Washington State where they saw some sights and visited an aunt and some cousins living there. We missed the big heat wave! Here’s Doug on the Whidbey Island beach.

And here’s Kris admiring a plant that’s bigger than what she usually sees in the New Mexico desert.

Kris’s Voice-recognition mistake of the day: "That man must have killed her" became "Batman must have killed her." That would change the story a bit.

Southern Treat of the Week: “Tomatoes, peas, corn, squash, berries, and peaches—we’re packing them into any casserole dish or cast-iron skillet we can get our hands on.” Sounds dangerous! Check out these “30 Classic Southern Recipes Everyone Needs to Make This Summer.”

Find New Authors and Books

Romance Reads!: Rock stars, motorcycle clubs, police officers, Navy SEALs, royals and their bodyguards – get hot or sweet romance in these #SummerReads.

Sweet Romances on Kindle Unlimited: Whether you like road trips or cozy coves; historical fiction or time travel; cowboys, billionaires, or search and rescue heroes; you’ll find sweet romance novels in Kindle Unlimited (and also for sale) here.

Have you heard of Kindle Vella? It’s designed for serialized stories told in short episodes. You can try the first three episodes of any story for free. Kris wrote a fantasy novel with three friends, and they are publishing it on Vella:

Four friends live in a dangerous world. They learn martial arts and magic, skills they take back to their war-torn homes around the world. Bound by friendship, these teens rally to protect The Regalia that control the elements. In a worldwide game of cat and mouse, each object goes to one of the friends. Their quest becomes a mission to reach Constantinople, where they hope the regalia will be safe. But their challenges have only begun…

Learn more here or check out the serialized story for free here.

The Making of Molly Gardner, by Bernadette Eden: A fast-paced romantic comedy. When an investigator says the company is under scrutiny for company fraud - and her eccentric boss goes missing – Molly Gardner's organised world is thrown into complete chaos. Molly must embrace the chaos to find her boss, save the company and get things back to normal. This sample is free with newsletter signup.

Thanks for reading! You're receiving this because you chose to sign up for our newsletter. If you want to unsubscribe, no problem – see below.