Good morning, friends!

I hope you are well. My day started exceptionally early this morning and, as I sit on my porch in the early morning chill and fog, I am struck by how very Tuesday today is. I'm tired, but not Monday - tired. I'm moderately enthusiastic - but not the level of "almost the weekend" of Thursday or Friday. The first hints of Fall are in the air and I'm all wrapped up in a blanket with a steaming cup of tea.

These mornings are my favorite kinds of mornings. There's a quiet peacefulness that comes from sitting on a porch and watching the world wake up around you. My writer's brain can take me away in an instant, letting me fall deep into thinking about my characters and thoroughly distracting me from the fact that I live next to a gas station, a daycare, and a busy road full of busy people.

These moments of manufactured peace in the early hours of the morning give me some of my greatest inspiration. This week I am working on the next book in the Astoria Bay Thunder world: Levi's book.

A gruff hockey captain, haunted by the past.

A woman in dire need of a hero - just not... that one....

A twist of fate, second chances, and an unlikely duo.

Scorching Chemistry. Exquisite Care. ALL the Emotions.

He's coming your way mid-October in a live release. I love all of my characters but this cinnamon roll hockey player is fast becoming one of my faves. He knows how to handle his business on and off the ice... and who doesn't like that? ;)

The Astoria Bay Thunder is going to be a wild ride and I can't wait to share it with you.

For now? The peace of my foggy Tuesday is slowly waning. The delighted shrieks of kids finding each other on the playground, of slamming car doors and air brakes and early-morning honking breaks my imagined silence. My own household is awake and the morning must continue.

I leave you with these things:

1. I genuinely hope something good happens to you today. Maybe it's big, maybe it's small - but I hope it's something that brings you joy. Want to tell me about it? Reply back to this email and tell me your joy. I'd love to hear it.
2. THANK YOU for all the love you have shown Malicious Compliance. Seriously. It means the world. I adore Maxwell and Ember and am so glad you do too. Can you do me a favor and leave me a review? You can review on Amazon or on Goodreads or on Bookbub. Reviews are how indie authors get our books in front of our readers and I am so grateful for each person who has taken a chance on my little book. <3

Have a wonderful Tuesday, friends!

With hockey + apple cider donuts on the brain,

CJ

P.S. Over the weekend, more titles in the Men of the C-Suite collection dropped and they are absolute fire. Seriously. This author collaboration and collection has been SO fun. Run, do not walk, to your Kindle and make sure you check out the rest of the collection here.

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Contact us at:

Emerald Fern Press

3300 NW 185th Ave #1047, Portland, OR, 97229

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