Finding Joy in Vintage Romance: A Summer Read

June 10, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Today was one of those summer days (I know, the calendar says it’s still spring, but trust me, it’s summer) where it’s hot and humid and I am especially thankful for Koolio and the fan club, as well as access to drinking water. Storm is on self care patrol and lets me know when I need to take a break. My desk is next to the window, which is not great on summer afternoons. Now that this is my room instead of sharing it, I can move that, if I want to. We will see.

Photo by Anastasia Borozdina on Pexels.com

Originally, I had planned to take pictures of some selected art journal pages, because art journaling is getting me through a lot of the life adjustments going on lately, but this was a low energy day, and a stock image is better than an unwritten blog.

Anyway, it’s summer. This is the kind of day when. as a kiddo, I would have begged my mom for a few hours at the public pool. I do not know if there is a public pool near me now. I should find out about that. The next thing that comes to mind is settling into a seasonally appropriately seasonal reading nook with fan access, cold beverage of choice, and a vintage paperback. Also with a spot for feline companion. When I was a teen, that meant the brass bed in the guest bedroom, with a box fan in the window, aimed straight at me. My current bed isn’t brass, but it is metal framed, with a swoopy headboard, so I am going to call it close enough. Tomorrow is laundry day, which means fresh, flower=sprigged sheets. I am currently reading a vintage gothic romance on my Kindle app, but I also want to dig out a vintage paperback for the full experience. If anybody ever made a way to scent Kindles like vintage books, they would make a fortune.

Speaking of vintage paperbacks, if I had known, during the Bicentennial, that it was going to be this hard to find historical romance set around (as in before, during, and after) the American Revolution were going to be so scarce when it came to America 250, I would have asked my mother and aunts to stock up, for the sake of my future well-being. They were everywhere in 1976, but I was ten, so A) I was not in a place to be buying my own books, and B) I was still a year away from the fateful day I would snatch The Kadin, by Bertrice Small, from my mother’s nightstand, and fall head over heels with historical romance.

So, where is this going? I’m not sure, but written is written, and I stand by that. Fiction writing is going well, actually. I am in uncharted waters now with Her Last First Kiss, as this is one of the parts of the book that I changed, so getting all my ducks in a row is having an effect on the daily page count, but that’s okay. Weekends are for cleanup. Weekdays are for blabbering, and, so far, that seems to be working out okay. The Chasing Prince Charming reboot has now had a look-over and tweak from both Melva and myself, so now we are closer to publication. Formatting, cover art, uploading, boom. Melva is doing the first pass over Queen of Hearts, which is going to need some tweakier tweaks, but things are going well.

Next week will be six months since Real Life Romance Hero left us. I know he’d be my biggest cheerleader, though he never read my romance novels. Some days, it feels like it just happened, and some days, it’s like it’s always been that way. Weird, but apparently par for the course. I had already planned for my next new historical to go into discovery writing, to have both male and female leads widowed and finding love for a second time, but that was long before RLRH’s passing. This one is gong to be close to home, and I am actually looking forward to that.

Writing is my happy place. I would like to be doing more reading, which I have in the past done best when I have to talk about it to other people. Would you be interested in book reviews/impressions here? Possibly on TikTok or YouTube, but I don’t see a lot of representation for vintage historical romance, and I would like to chance that.

What’s up with you guys?

June Reflections: Music, Reading, and New Beginnings

June 2, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Welp, it’s June. Safe and happy Pride to all who celebrate. The start of a new month is as good a time as any to hop back on the blogging horse. Storm will be back on the weekend. Today, you’re with me. That’s good timing, because I am feeling more myself today than I have lately. One big sign of that is that I am listening to music again. Since it’s been a long time, that means I get loads of new music to discover. Reading is coming back as well, and, no surprise, vintage historical romance and gothics are indeed my way back to reading.

As thrilled as I am to find one of my top three historical romance, and one of my top two gothic romance authors in KU (and paperback, for those so inclined) I do have to give preference to the original cover:

This book is The Stuff when it comes to finding an Anna-worthy read. The setting is 1720 New England (I don’t think the colony is specified, so insert your favorite.) Our heroine, Adria, is not fitting in with her adoptive Puritan community. For people who spend that much time in church, they might try reading their Bible, because I don’t think they have. Adria gets in big trouble, right off the bat, and her only way out is the choice arguably worse than death — the big scary house on the cliff, Wyndspelle. There’s a job for her there, caring for an ailing woman…and that’s all Adria knows. Adria is a quick study, though, and she can tell that creepy and unknown is better than certain death, so off she goes.

I have read this book, and the whole trilogy before, and I have never read a Vandergriff I haven’t loved. It’s been a while, though, so I expect a few jump scares along the way. I have one of her other reissues, Sisters of Sorrow, a standalone gothic, preordered for the end of the month. I am pretty sure I have a paperback copy of that one in my keepers box, which is regrettably in storage. I am definitely going to need my special books around me as I embark on this new chapter of life. Real Life Romance Hero’s half-anniversary of his passing is this month.

There is also art journaling, which is a load-bearing wall in keeping me together. Some days, it’s all words. Sometimes, like above, it’s no words and an assortment of images culled from any number of sources. Right now, I am focused on using what I have more than acquiring new things. I will repurchase things that I use to completion or have passed their usefulness, but I got all of these things because I wanted to use them, so I will. Discovering things I had forgotten about or neglected feels very on brand for life in general right now, and I am very sure that some of this will spill over to fiction writing.

Right now, thanks to the critique group found through an RWA program, I need to have thirty pages of new fiction by the end of the month. That felt like a lot at first, until, surprise, I hauled out a notebook and started to break things down. If I write five days a week for the next three weeks (the last one is a cushion) that is only three blocks of ten pages. That means two pages per day, or 500 words, if you prefer. I do have a tracker in my regular calendar, so I will report on how that does when I hit my goal. Melva and I are not only proofing the Chasing Prince Charming reissue, and diving into the final-final pass of Queen of Hearts, but have been tossing about some what-ifs for a new standalone, based off a long-ago writing prompt.

That’s going to be it for today, as I need to get my pages in, so talk amongst yourselves, or better yet, say hi in the comments. What’s a vintage author you think more people should be reading?

Exploring the Decline of Historical Romance

May 9, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Today is the start of this year’s Tulip festival in the city where I live. We are across the street from the park (and down the block) so it’s not far. Housemate and I are going tomorrow. Real Life Romance Hero loved the tulip festival, so it’s going to be different going without him. It’s Housemate’s birthday tomorrow, though, so celebrating her will be fun. I will probably take pictures, and hopefully put something on Tik Tok. I am still figuring that out, but I am there, as anna_log_writes. Do I know what I am doing there? No. Am I having fun? I think so. If you’re there, I’d love to connect. Right now, I am mostly getting the lay of the land, especially as it pertains to Booktok.

One of the things I’ve noticed in my very brief time there, is that I’m not seeing very much about historical romance on Booktok. As I’m getting ready to oh so finally release A Heart Most Errant, this has become relevant to my interests. Not that there aren’t any, it’s that I would like there to be more.

Those who have been here for a while know that I am coming out of the biggest reading slump of my life. Things have of course changed since I was last able to read the way I like, and some of those changes are big. Harlequin Historicals, which I’d always appreciated offering a variety of historical settings, went first to nineteenth century only, and now are closing. Mass market paperbacks in general are a dying breed. Perusing shelves in book and mortar bookstores now show lots of contemporary, romantasy, and dark romance on the shelves, but I’m not seeing as much historical as there used to be.

Ask one hundred people why that is, and you’re likely to get a hundred different answers, at the very least. My educated guess? I’m not sure. I don’t know how history is being taught in schools/ Bridgerton is popular, sure, though not exactly my speed. The Sims 4 is even having a Bridgerton themed event starting on May twelfth. I will be playing that for sure, since Sims is my relaxing place, and it will probably also be fun.

Historicals in the here and now, however? That’s a topic I am investigating. Several of my favorite romance related YouTubers have had a lot to say, such as PeaceLoveBooks:

She’s got a lot of really good points, as usual. I wouldn’t say there’s nobody reading historical romance anymore. There are a bunch of us, reading and writing both, and that does extend beyond the nineteenth century. Medievals, ancient world, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, Edwardian, US Western, Australia, the high seas, and pretty much any place on the globe, in any time before living memory. Right now, that sits roughly around WWII, which can feel modern to those of us who had parents who served at that time. Then again, WWII is a pretty popular era in historical fiction, which may or may not have a love story, which may end any sort of way.

Recently, I’ve noticed some of the historical romance authors I have followed for years, even decades, are taking well deserved retirements from the publishing world; Pamela Clare, Shirl Henke, Marsha Canham, and others. Others are coming back in fine feather. Danelle Harmon’s meta memoir, featuring characters from her beloved historical romances, is coming out at the end of the month, and I can’t be more excited. I gulped the ARC of that one, and it has me even more pumped for the next historical romance.

So, where am I going with this? I do not know. All I know is that I wanted to get a blog out this week, and here it is. Expect babbling, because that seems to come easily even when the brain fog is fogging. If you do follow any historical romance Booktokers, drop their names or links in the comments below and I will definitely check them out.

Summer Vibes and Romantic Reads

April 14, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Today feels like summer. I did not authorize that. I do have summer dresses on hand, so there is an upside to that. Today is blog day, so I am here, blabbering on the page.

Reading is looking up, after a library run. Current read is A Lady For a Duke, by Alexis Hall. This is not my first historical romance with a trans lead. That would be Artemis, by Jessica Cale. It will likely not be my last. It will assuredly not be my last Alexis Hall novel. I am thinking possibly Glitterland or Never After. I love the rich and intricate language the author uses, and oh my stars, the emotion.

A contemporary YA romance that I loved with similar vibes would be Birthday by Meredith Russo. Two leads who grew up together, loved each other deeply, yet something wasn’t quite right. Nobody is presumed dead in Birthday, but the intimacy of emotion, the shift in the relationship when one lead figures out something very important. Birthday does have a traditional HEA, likely much easier (though not exactly easy) in our modern day. I have questions about how things will turn out for Viola and Gracewood in A Lady For A Duke, but I this is a romance, so they will be together and happy about it, and that satisfies.

Also, Meredith Russo is on my auto-read list. If her name is on the cover, that is enough for me. I have already read her debt novel, If I Was Your Girl, and it looks like I still have some anthologies to read.

Also on my TBR are

A historical romance where both leads are Jewish? Yes, please. It looks like the first scene takes place in a synagogue, and there are more books in this story world. I am going into this mostly blind, ready to discover its delights. I am always up for recommendations of books with Jewish characters and would love to see more in romance. For a historical where being Jewish has a strong influence on the romance, I recommend A Bed of Spices, by Barbara Samuel. .This is a medieval, where Christian heroine and Jewish hero bond over a passion for medicine. Yes, HEA, but realistic for the time.

Third in line is Just in Time For a Highlander, by Gwyn Cready. I have been looking forward to trying this author for a while now, and greatly appreciate that I have stumbled upon a series starter. Scottish borders always mean lots of plausible conflict, and I love the idea of a historical reenactor finding themself plopped down in the middle of the real thing. Odds are high that I will like this.

For a Scottish time travel recommendation, I will suggest:

First in Terri Brisbin’s MacKendiman series, this came out in the 90’s, when time travel was so much of a thing that it had its own line. This was also my first ever Terri Brisbin, leading me to her historical and fantasy romances as well as time travel.

This is only my physical short term TBR. I am saving the e-book and audio lists for future posts. What’s on your TBR?

How It’s Going

April 9, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Blog coming at you on Thursday instead of Tuesday because meds adjustment has me in two modes: loopy and asleep. This will only be for a few days. I am fine. Bestie and Mr. Bestie came to visit this past weekend, with my fur niece. We all wore ourselves out in the park. Having my loved ones around me when a major holiday :salute: Real Life Romance Hero loved rolled around without him helped a lot.

The more I use this pocket rings setup as my everyday carry (EDC) planner, also my main planner (I have another at my desk, for scheduling video chats/meetings) Planning and journaling is what my brain has honed in on, and I have a couple of A5 rings setups that are wholly based on vibes. Right now, British Isles and nautical/mermaids. There is indeed some overlap, and there is already some fairy overlap in the British Isles book. Are either of these going to turn into bases for future romance novels/ Probably.

A big influence in my journaling right now is the You Tube channel WordLayout. Her commonplace book videos have absolutely lit a fire under me, and that is not a complaint. This is probably going to go a long way in chucking out the old way of creating novel notebooks that I then never use. Lots of splashing about in the shallows.

Storm has been focusing lately on being my purr-sonal assistant, but is ready to return to blogging duties if she remembers where her treats come from. She has a bunch of new catnip toys from Bestie and Mr. Bestie, and may or may not have tried to climb into the actual gift bag to get at them before I could present them properly.

So far this week, I have been to the park twice. No, three times. The waterfowls are back and doing their thing. The big gander and his Mrs. have checked me out and determined me not to be a threat. I find this reassuring. Dogs are out in abundance, which is always fun. There is a dog park within our park, but dogs can be anywhere-anywhere. This is a good thing.

This Saturday, I will be starting back with Improv classes. I am interested to see what I have to bring back to the process now that my life is very different from where it was when I started the last iteration of the class.

Nothing up yet, as I am still observing, but I am caving and joining BookTok. Drop any favorite BookTok people, authors or readers, in the comments, and I will give them a look. Also, if there’s anything you’d like to see me make content about, drop it below. I am open to suggestions.

That’s about it for right now, as I am exiting the loopy stage and drifting to the sleepy stage. Pet your pets, read good books, indulge in a beverage of choice, and I will see youu next time.

Bed Time and Other Stories

March 25, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

I am starting off with a cat picture because it’s been a while, she’s cute, and there is never a time when a cat picture is not a good thing, so hi. March sixteenth was the three-month mark of Real Life Romance Hero’s passing, and it hit hard. That was also the day that Housemate and our building super, Maintenance Dude, helped me get the old bed out of the apartment, and the next day, Housemate and I, with Storm’s help, put together the new bed. Lovely new memory foam mattress, and pink floral sheets I have wanted since I was but a wee princess. It’s comfy, it’s pretty, Storm has her big bed on it, and with my lap desk, the soft office is back in action.

new standalone (for now) novel from my contemporary cohort

New books are always a good sign. I am delighted for Melva over the release of Angel Whisperer, one of her solo titles. I would call this cozy romantic suspense with a dash of something extra. Melva wrote the first draft of this in our longstanding critique group, so I am very happy to see it out in the world for all to see. Review coming soon.

Spring does seem to be a season of new life. We are working on the reissue of Chasing Prince Charming, and doing some adjustments to the current draft of the third Love by the Book title, Queen of Hearts. Future Love by the Book titles are currently in discussion, so stay tuned.

Besides those, late spring or early summer will bring my first independent historical romance, A Heart Most Errant, which means that I need to get my ducks in a row for A Heart Most Ardent (I will get the hang of this series thing yet.) Thanks to the Write Stuff program in Romance Writers of America (RWA) I have been matched with a fabulous historical romance critique partner, Roma Cordon, which means back to work on my Georgian era Her Last First Kiss. If you like Georgian era Scottish historical romance with a little something extra, definitely give her a try.

This brings me to the newest news, that being my interview on Roma’s blog. This was super fun, and she asks great questions about writing with a partner versus writing solo, and about Drama King in particular.

Here is the point where I like to loop around to close where I started, so back to bed we go. I fully expect that having a comfy and lovely bed will indeed help make reading more comfortable, and dare I say even romanticized. The briar rose linen spray and lily shaped lamp definitely help in that regard. Tea will probably fit in there, but I need to get milk first, and possibly a petticoat or two of shortbread

How is your spring starting?

illustrated image of a redheaded woman writing in a journal as her calico cat observes. — as always, Anna

New Season, New Workspace (literal and metaphorical)

March 10, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

The mouse for the laptop where I am writing this is somewhere in the primary bedroom, but I don’t know where. If you have ever had a cat, you understand. I have reached the stage of adjusting my environment to this new shape of our family, which partly involves me turning Real Life Romance Hero’s old desk into my new analog (and Anna Log) and laptop desk, and using the accompanying bookcase into a home for journaling supplies. With the new setup, I should be able to film journal and planning content, which is both exciting and intimidating. As with anything else, I plan to make a bunch of mistakes until I figure out what I am doing in that regard.

The biggest surprise for me is that taking over RLRH’s old desk is that it helps me feel more connected to him. I was not expecting that but not complaining. I’ll take it. Since this is a curbside treasure (city dwellers, if you know, you know) I need to re-surface the surface. I would prefer not to know how it got to its present state. We do have a better desk in storage, but this is the one that is here now, and I am very much interested in using what is here now.

2026 is doing pretty well so far, life-wise, apart from the grief thing. I am working on a blog for the MelvaAndAnna site, about Melva’s brand new solo release, Angel Whisperer..

I remember first experiencing this book as Melva was writing it, in pages submitted for our long-standing critique group. I would describe this as cozy romantic suspense, which Melva does extremely well, this time with a paranormal accent. I will gobble this published version as soon as I am done with my current Kindle read.

For those keeping track, Melva released her nonfiction book, Thanks For the Memories in the end of last year, and together, we put out Drama King, our second Love By The Book title, last month. Last night, I turned in my final-final edits on the Chasing Prince Charming reissue. All we need now is cover art, formatting and uploading. Queen of Hearts is already in the second round of edits, and later this spring, or early in summer, I will be releasing A Heart Most Errant. A Heart Most Ardent is in pre-writing, which also includes poking at A Heart Most Wicked with a stick, as the two stories have slight overlap. Writing a historical series is new to me, writing a series by myself is new to me, and writing medieval is new to me, so there is a learning curve. I have to pay attention in what I am doing with these books, since they are going to affect the fourth book, A Heart Most Wild. I know very little about A Heart Most Wild, and I am okay with that.

There is also the matter of computers. RLRH had more than one laptop. I have a desktop that I named Brick, that peaked with Windows 10, and my beloved rose gold laptop with the expanded battery, so Housemate and I are getting well acquainted with the computer fixer people. Ideally, there will be one desktop and one laptop, all done. The others, I will sell, donate, or recycle. Not top of the line machines, so we are not talking huge profits here, but I am one person, and one good machine is better than a bunch that semi-function, no matter how much I can relate to them.

As of today, I am on season eight of my new TV love, Waterloo Road. There are still about nine more seasons I haven’t seen yet, the show is contracted for two more, and news just dropped that one of my favorite students turned staff members is coming back, this time as a parent, with her mini-her daughter now a student and teenager. She was the first student to come back as staff, but not the first to come back as a parent. I have already seen beloved regulars leave, their characters off to other adventures such as young marriage, university, military service, moving to another country, and even incarceration. I know other favorites, students and teachers alike, will be leaving, some to the great staff meeting in the sky, so to speak, and I know there are a few couples I would have made canon were it in my power. I have added a series tracker to my reading journal, so I can see where I am iny viewing journey. I have also adopted their favorite insult, “you colossal muppet.” Lowercase “m.”

I am also warily eyeing the list of lovely, delightful friends I need to get back to, who sent wonderful messages after RLRH’s passing. We will hit the three-month mark on the day before St. Patrick’s Day. Right now, that feels like just a fact. Closer to the day, that may change. Being more social and active on social media feels more do-able somehow. Many thanks for all who have been patient I will post later about the planning methods that are helping me get things back in order, but this feels good for now.

Exploring Changes in Local Libraries: A Personal Experience

October 22, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Yesterday was a full house day (not the tv show) meaning that everybody was home. Real Life Romance Hero likes his alone time, so Housemate and I headed out for some shenanigans. One shenanigan was making a library stop because A) we had library books to return, B) we wanted more library books, and C) our area has a lot of libraries. We picked a particular one we hadn’t been to for a while. It was an experience.

Once upon a time, we’d known our way around this library, but sometime in the past year, or maybe two, they changed things. Now it’s much more open plan, with stacks clearly labeled (which is helpful) but all in identical off white metal shelves, which made it seem, to me, like a warehouse. I don’t know if they are in the middle of decorating/renovating, but it was overall very low-contrast, which is not great for my impaired vision. That’s fine, though. My general modus operandi for library browsing is to find my desired section and drift through, seeing what catches my eye. This time, it was not what I expected.

I headed to romance first, because that’s my favorite, though I felt more stranger-in-a-strange-land-ish than I generally do in such an environment. Most of the books were trade sized paperback rather than mass market. Not revolutionary; bookstores are like this, too, but it stood out. This also tells me we are looking at mostly newer releases. The majority seemed to be contemporary, many on the rom-com side, which also applied to a not insignificant amount of the historicals I noticed. Is it possible I missed several examples of exactly what I was looking for on this particular day? Absolutely. Is it probable. though? I don’t think so.

Though this may sound like a complaint, it isn’t coming from that. It’s coming from a place of observation. Libraries need to focus on what the majority of their readership wants. That is often not going to match the wants of certain individuals, sometimes including me. That’s not a bad thing, just a thing. I am quite sure that at least one reader in the recent past has seen exactly the same setup with exactly the same books and hot diggity dog, load up the truck, Grandma, we’re going to town.

Most of the historical romances I did see were set in the nineteenth century, which is currently super popular. There were a few examples of other eras, but those were the outliers. No, I did not take home any romances from that visit, historical or otherwise, but I did appreciate their new YA room. There, books are shelved by subgenre, with a sign at the start of said section explaining what one might expect in said subgenre. For instance, fantasy is where you’ll find wizards, fairies, myths, things that can’t happen in the real world. Realistic fiction means that these things can happen in the real world. Historical means before living memory (around 1920s) etc. If you’re curious, I came home with one realistic YA and one horror YA.

Okay, so, let’s get to the point where we summarize. The sad part was that I didn’t feel represented in this particular library’s selection on this particular day. First world problem. Also first world solution, because librarians exist, and they love to help patrons find the books they want. Asking them is a fabulous way to get the book you want but don’t see, if not part of the permanent collection, through interlibrary loan. If the book can be gotten, the librarians will get it for you. There are also things like Kindle and Thrift Books and used bookstores (less common now in the brick-and-mortar variety but online is a different story, pun intended.) There is also the private library option, where I could read books I already have but haven’t read. There are also the ones I have read; the good ones always give me something new every time I go back to them.

Even when the stories are historical (or futuristic, etc) commercial fiction is written for the contemporary audience and that is going to affect what publishers buy, which affects what librarians can buy, which affects what patrons can borrow. Trends come and go. Don’t like the “in” trope or cover treatment or whatever? Wait five minutes. Something else will come along, and we are at a point in bookish history where there is more variety than ever before, so one library trip is not the end of the world.

Anyway, that’s what’s on my mind for today. What’s going on at your libraries?

Superpowers, How It’s Going, and Holidays to Come

October 17, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Hey there, hi there, ho there. It has been a while. Superpowers are in effect, yes, though a bout with shingles (not the roofing kind, thankfully mild this time around) and recovery from that knocked things back more than I would like. I’m back now, so what did I miss?

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

Right now, I am two books ahead of my Goodreads challenge, with twenty-one books read out of twenty-five. My most recent read was We Won’t All Survive, by Kate Alice Marshall. YA thriller with trauma survivor teens who apply to play a Survivor style game in a privately owned ghost town, only to find out it’s not a game? Uh, yes, please. I will definitely be reading more Marshall, but I want a palate cleanser with a historical romance first.

Writing wise, the super powers are not disappointing. Final-final edits for Drama King are done and dusted, and once we finalize the cover art, it is all over but the formatting and uploading. Melva and I feel like we are hitting our stride here. We are each working on our individual contemporary stories for next year’s Christmas anthology (and of course I managed to work in a historical tidbit) and I am getting the metaphorical ducks in a row to release A Heart Most Errant out into the world, and other historical projects after that.

Storm has figured out she can get inside paper bags, which adds a new dimension to getting takeout/delivery around here. She’ll be getting back to kitty blogs ASAP, because she knows where her treats come from, and there is a correlation.

Koolio is ready for his winter home. The windows are closed. The property manager has turned on the furnace, though we have not yet put on the heat. Soon, though. It’s tea season. Definitely sweater/sweatshirt weather. My birthday is next week, then Halloween, then it’s Thanksgiving season and then the Big Show, Christmas. The Holidays are most certainly on, and the superpowers are ready. Fingers crossed that Melva and I will have at least one book ready for new release in time for the gift giving holidays.

For tonight, I am headed to the soft office with a spare weighted blanket, some spooky themed journal stuff, and the next book from the library bag. Add a cup of tea and a feline companion. I have French-toast scented wax melts on the burner, and the days are getting shorter. That sounds like prime cozy to me.

Welcome Back, Super Powers

September 23, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Do not adjust your screen. This is really a blog post from me. There were leaves on the ground as recently as this past Saturday. I see hints of foliage in the trees around here. Our temperatures will be in the seventies or lower (Fahrenheit) for this entire week, and we are looking at sixties very soon, which will mean sending Koolio to his winter home (aka Housemate’s closet.) Our maintenance dude turned on the furnace. I had two cups of tea this morning and am currently wearing an oversized sweatshirt and leggings. The season of pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon is upon us. Store shelves have moved from back to school, to Halloween, which means time to stock up on things I will use all year long.

After watching a few (dozen) videos on turning a composition book into a more visual journal, I tried my hand at it, and it’s working extremely well. Plain pages don’t give my eyes anywhere to rest. The best stationery advice I have ever heard is that if I am stumped by a blank page, draw a box around it. There. It’s not blank now. The above is that, with decorative washi creating the box. Add some stickers, stamps, various ephemera, and pens with a bold nib — 1mm or higher– and I am off and running.

The book above is my landing pad, which means it gets everything that pops into my head, much of it to be transferred to its proper place at another time. I am one hundred percent more comfortable composing anything in longhand first. Once the whatever is on a page, I can move it to the dedicated one later. I work out a lot of stuff in this book, though I do have a separate place for mental health/therapy things. I grabbed a bunch of these books when they were on sale for under fifty cents a pop and know I am well supplied for the year to come.

Another thing that comes to mind this time of year is planners. I haven’t been clicking as well as I would like with my Happy Planners, though I will see out the year in the two I am using. For 2026, though, the above is what feels most natural. I eyeballed the layout of the Archer and Olive planner, available in dated or undated, and gave recreating it in a dot grid journal (also A&O) a whirl. It makes sense. It’s fun to decorate. The biggest change I made was splitting the section the printed planner calls “notes” into Saturday and Sunday, then using the bottom two sections, which the printed planner has labeled for the weekend, and making those my note section. I am equally comfortable with customizing the dated version or dating an undated one myself.

Since I am well stocked with journals (but never averse to adding to the family) I am leaning toward using what I have. This fits well with wanting to have separate home bases as it were for each individual project. I love what I am working on this autumn. I am currently reading a wonderful medieval romance ARC, and just finished listening to a medieval romance from a favorite author in audio, which added a whole other level to the experience. Reading is getting better, which I welcome. I have a contemporary Christmas romance novella on the front burner, the second novella in my medieval romance series queued after that, and then it’s back to my standalone Georgian romance, which has been waiting for far too long.

This week is our move-in-iversary, which I celebrate. Real Life Romance Hero and I are making plans to make the kitchen more usable, and more aesthetic. Housemate is working on her room, and I am fine tuning not one but two desks, one for my desktop and one for laptop and longhand. Fairy lights are involved in both, and milk crates are my friends. Other bits are slipping into my daily routines. Wax melts in autumnal scents, sweaters and blankets coming into play, and a tea cabinet well stocked for the season.

How is autumn finding you this year?

Typing With Wet Nails

for the love of romance

reading