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Hey, my favorites!

Back when I was an undergraduate student, one of my professors asked me this question on the topic of career advice: "What are you doing when you feel the most like yourself? The most Rachel?"

(I was twenty at the time, so I had no idea how to answer that question off the cuff. To all the self-aware twenty-year-olds out there, I salute you! But I was not one of you. 😉)

Years later, when I had just had my younger son and was juggling a job, a baby, a toddler, and everything else we all deal with as adults, I heard a similar question on the topic of general life advice: "Think back to a time when you were truly happy. What were you doing?"

For some reason, that question made me think of what my professor asked me. And the two concepts fused together in my mind. Suddenly, I had an answer for both questions. I felt the most like Rachel when I was creating stories, and that made me deeply and uncomplicated-ly happy.

After that, I began finding time in my wildly busy life to write again.

Have you ever answered these questions for yourself? I know it can be so hard to build time into our lives for the things that are essential to being who we are, especially if taking that time makes us feel like we're shirking other responsibilities. But we just have this one life (okay, I know opinions differ here, but according to my own beliefs). What could be more important than living authentically?

So if you need permission to carve an hour out of your day to knit, or paint, or call your best friends, or cook your favorite meal that nobody else in the household particularly likes...I'll happily be the one to give it to you! ❤️

What I'm reading

I just finished reading Up North by Allison Temple, which was so much fun...a big-time celebrity and an ordinary guy, set against the stunning backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness.

What I'm writing

Not too much to report here, because the main project I'm actively working on is that pesky secret one. I can tell you that it's a full-length, contemporary mm romance novel, and that's about it! But it's coming along nicely.

Free stuff and sales!

Age Gap Romance Promotion with 32 books on sale, including my professor-student romance with a kinky twist, Jaywalking!

Dreaming of Summer, FREE mm romances. You've already gotten my short story, The Pool Boy, but there are a bunch of awesome reads here, and some are brand new!

xo,

Rachel

find me in more places

Website | Rachel's Party Barn on Facebook | Instagram | Discord

my books

Long Winter | Signs of Spring | Burning Season | As the Tallgrass Grows

Jaywalking | Sleepwalker