You don’t know Jack…but you’re about to, because Drama King, the second Love By The Book installment by myself and the fabulous Melva Michaelian, is now available in both e-book and paperback formats.
If you’ve read Chasing Prince Charming, then you’ve already met Kelly Nolan, Meg Crawford’s clever and optimistic literary agent, who can see the best in anyone, and make it happen, by any means necessary. While it’s not necessary to have read Chasing Prince Charming to appreciate Drama King, we hope the glimpse you get here of Meg and Dominic will whet your appetite for their story.
Jack, known professionally as John Harrison Barnes, will be new to everybody, and we can’t wait for you to meet him. Jack came to us fully formed, in all his grumpy British glory, stewing in his own juices over a disastrous film debut and broken relationship, and sharing a studio apartment with Clawed, a battle-scarred orange tabby cat with strong opinions on sharing.
There’s also Kelly’s exacting family, a ragtag group of young thespians in desperate need of direction, and of course Meg, Dominic, and Heather from Chasing Prince Charming. Heather fans, take note; she will be the female lead in the next Love by the Book installment, Queen of Hearts, which we are revising now.
Melva and I had a wonderful time writing Jack and Kelly’s story. Spoiler alert: we have loved writing all three books we have written together so far and plans for many more, including a reissue of Chasing Prince Charming. We love seeing the Love by the Book universe grow, and hope you will, too.
February is going to be different this year. February means Valentine’s Day, which, as a romance author and reader, is kind of a big thing. This year, though, I am also a recent widow, (still getting used to saying that) so that gives the day a whole new light. I figure I will take it as it comes, let family and friends love on me, and there is always the option of hot tea, weighted blanket, journal and comfort read.
still life from top of dresser
This thought came to me while I was at the library, donating the first round of books from RLRH’s shelves. It came as one of those weird grief things: starts out mildly surreal, but I can do this, then ‘oh crap, I’m actually doing this.’ After that, there is the whole ‘what am I doing, this is their stuff’ thing and then ‘this is what they wanted’ thing and ‘somebody is going to be super happy to find these books at the library sale,’ even if that is a reseller.
Housemate and I also went through a couple of the boxes RLRH had in storage, things he had not asked after in years, but also things he wanted to keep. Again, whole range of emotions there, and once we got home, I super crashed, with Storm paying very close attention. Housemate suggested some form of visual confirmation that we had sorted through the boxes we did. Excellent suggestion. I am all out of neon labels, but that is easily fixed. Any excuse to visit a stationery related store is a good one.
Hardware stores are more neutral. Tomorrow is, after laundry, hardware store time, for mattress bags and a decent lighting device for the storage unit. That, as well, is moving forward. Writing-wise, indie publishing journey progresses, waiting only on one thing each for Drama King and A Heart Most Errant to make their final preparations for going live. I am taking part in a program called “The Write Stuff,” through Romance Writers of America. That means a small critique group within my genre (historical this time) and monthly meetings online to learn craft and commune with others of my kind. On that front, we tap into the computer side of things.
RLRH left electronics, which need various degrees of attention. I also have a couple of devices that need attention, whether it’s ‘this thing is toast’ or ‘easily fixable’ or some other diagnosis. Wipe, factory reset, sell, donate, recycle. Now, more than ever, keeping track of what I do on what day becomes important, not only because the regular course of things has been completely obliterated, but because I am charting brand new territory. Some of that is returning to places I haven’t been in a while. Taking pictures, for one. The earrings are a Halloween purchase, but are among my favorites for everyday wear. The small perfume bottle is a gift from a friend, and the large one is RLRH’s favorite cologne, which I have appropriated. Vanilla, tobacco, and tonka bean confirm that scent does indeed hold memories.
That is a good enough place to wrap for today. I am a writer. Writers write. Thanks for reading.
Hey, all. Anna here. As Storm said earlier, we are on a life detour around here. On Thanksgiving Eve, Real Life Romance Hero fell on the stairs, which resulted in a hospital stay. I won’t go into details here, but the goal is discharge. Days now begin with a hike to the hospital (we are only a few blocks away) and then the day goes as it goes. Hike back home, chill with Housemate and Storm, then wind down for the day.
Here, I will mention that I have anxiety and PTSD in part around loved ones in hospitals, so that adds another level. RLRH is stable, and I am doing what I need to do. Part of that includes getting my planners and journals set p for 2026. Right now, I want to use what I already have. Thankfully, I have a good deal. Focusing on things like planning and writing actually helps a lot, so I am planning (hah, see what I did there?) on setting up a tentative posting schedule here and on Melvaandanna.com.
A couple of days ago, I came home from the hospital, not yet ready for bed. I set up January in a personal sized ring planner, with an undated refill that has lovely pale pink accents throughout. I like my own handwriting, so I don’t need date stickers. I’m pretty well stocked with deco stickers, washi, etc. I like to think of it as a wine cellar for stationery. Please note, I do not drink, so maybe I have the wrong idea of how to use a wine cellar.
My everyday carry (EDC) is different when my destination is the hospital, not knowing how long I will be there. I bring one bound journal, equipped with colored page flags. I call it my maid of all work journal because that is what makes most sense for me. Everything goes in there. Notes on RLRH\s progress, notes on apartment stuff, personal journaling, and writing stuff.
Melva is taking the lead on publishing Drama King in early 2026. We have a tagline now, which I will debut on our site, and I will return to editing Queen of Hearts once things calm down over here. A Heart Most Errant will also be out in 2026, and I am writing on A Heart Most Ardent. A scene between my two leads, newlywed strangers, fell out of my pen in one waiting room session. Writing felt good. Familiar. Useful, even. Not perfect, not firm, but written, and that is the most important thing.
TLDR: RLRH needs some extra care right now, planning is mental health, and 2026 will see new releases in both contemporary and historical romance. I am also making some loose plans for 2026 reading, but that’s another story. Pun intended.
I have been thinking lately about Vermont. I lived there in my freshman and sophomore years of college, and fell in love with the place. It’s been a while since I’ve been back there, and never to the actual campus (well, two of them, but I am not sure on the plural of “campus.”) In a romance novel worthy bit, that school I went to before transferring to the school where I met Real Life Romance Hero? That was RLRH’s second choice school, so if he’d gone there, we would have met anyway. That’s not what I’m thinking about, though.
What I’m thinking about is that last night, we got our first snow. I did not get to witness it, that I was hard at work on Queen of Hearts edits, or I was before Melva found the draft I was supposed to be editing, which is now the job before me. We got snow flurries again today, nothing sticking, (please play an acoustic instrumental version of Noah Khan’s “Stick Season” softy in the background here) because of a delicious nap that can only happen on a gray November day.
But Vermont. The image that comes first to mind when I think of Vermont is the first time (there were more) I stood under a streetlight as the snow poured down, my head tilted up, captivated by the beauty of the snowflakes dancing their way down to earth. Vermont was where I learned that my favorite part of prepping the daycare classroom was mixing unique shades of tempera paints for the standing easels. Vermont was where I found a small used bookstore that became my second home, where my ire that there were Traditional Regency romances but no Traditional Tudors, Traditional Medievals, or Traditional Any Other Era, first took form. Vermont is where a friend chased me across campus to put what she promised would be one of my favorite books in my hand (she was right.)
Vermont was also where I wrote my first historical romance novel, now thankfully lost to the vicissitudes of fate. I would race back to my dorm from class, turn on the electronic typewriter (dating myself, but that’s fine. I’m delightful.) stick in a fresh sheet of paper, and off I went. In time, my dormmates figured out what I was doing, and it was common enough that I had an audience as I wrote. It’s not realistic to expect people to physically stand behind me, urging me to write faster, because they are reading the lines as they appear on the paper, but I can come close. This is the interwebs, after all. I do have a blog, and two websites, and the serial format does exist.
In a broader sense, I do associate Vermont with higher education, and that makes sense. It’s been a wild ride for the past few years. I prefer to think of multiple attempts to get back up on the metaphorical horse to point to a survivor’s spirit rather than a series of failures. I have been making notes lately on things I would like to blog (and vlog) about. There’s the fact that I feel like a stranger in a strange land in many bookish spaces. Mass Market paperbacks are no longer so “mass,” as trade size seems to be more prevalent. Historical romance is going through some changes (down but not out, broken bones heal stronger, all that) and I am back in the freshman phase of being the adult new kid once again. Now go make friends. Start with others in your major (genre? I am the very model of a modern major genre?) or those in your dorm.
The more I think on it, the more it fits. Beginner’s mind. Lots of reading. Take many notes. Talk to others doing the same thing I am. Study. Find your place. Fall down five times, get up six. Apple cider donuts are delicious (another important Vermont lesson) and the right hot beverage can be a boost like no other. This isn’t the blog I planned to post today, but it is the one that feels the most genuine, so this is what you get. Turned in on time is a good thing.
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.
composition book, journalified
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.
planner shift
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.
Yesterday, a worker at Wal-Mart told me I looked “very gentlewomanly.” I will absolutely take that. For those who wonder, my outfit of the day was a baseball t-shirt, leggings, and hot pink Croc style shoes. The reason for my visit to that emporium was, of course, office supplies/back to school. Now that we are in September, back to school will be giving way to Halloween, so pouncing on the back to school deals is of the hour.
I have recently bought into the hype on composition notebooks, which are a lot more versatile than I originally thought. My preference is heavyweight paper, wide ruled, but I am flexible. I have also discovered that there are a lot more bold ballpoint pens than I thought. The Paper Mate Profiles above have a 1.4 mm point, which my strained eyes greatly appreciate. The Bic Cristal and Glide pens are my favorites when it comes to ballpoints, with 1.6 mm points, but I needed a pack of different colors, to live in the book sleeve with my landing pad notebook.
I have also found that there are more sizes than the standard (B5) composition size. The Staples notebook, above (black) is a B6 size, about the same as a Happy Planner Mini. I normally prefer gel or fountain pens, but for composition book paper, ballpoints are working well. I have seen the Pen + Gear notebook above used with fountain pens before, so I will probably try that.
My contemporary co-writer, Melva J. Michaelian, has her latest nonfiction book out now, available in both e-book and paperback. Thanks For The Memories chronicles Melva’s journey through the changes her husband, Jerry’s, Alzheimer’s diagnosis affected him, her, them, and their family. They found a place called The Memory Cafe, where other families dealing with memory issues gather for activities and community. Many of the events Melva describes, I have seen play out in real time. I said more on that on our blog together, at Melvaandanna.com.
While I’m here, a quick bit of housekeeping. I don’t have Facebook on my writing computer (can’t fall down a FB rabbit hole if I can’t get onto it in the first place) so subscribing here on the site is the best way to make sure you don’t miss any entries. Storm will be posting more regularly now that summer is but a memory. Until then, here is a taste to hold her fans over.
Storm has a box. There is catnip in it.
After I post this blog today, I get to spend the rest of the afternoon putting away spring and summer planner/journal things and getting out the fall team. There is indeed a separate winter team, which comes out the day after Thanksgiving. Right now, I am all browns and yellows and reds and oranges, in anticipation of the foliage soon to come. Here’s a peek at my writing planner, before the pen:
Happy Planner Classic, Dashboard Layout
With my vision, I need high contrast, and clearly defined sections. Using washi and water based markers helps my eyes know where to rest. It’s also pretty, and who doesn’t want to look at a pretty page? Setting up the pages gets me in the right mindset to get the right information down. I like to use the section covered by the sticky note for a bit of art. Maybe ephemera, maybe a doodle, maybe something else, but purely decorative all the same.
I also finished reading a wonderful historical romance, A Lover For Lady Jane, by Virginie Marconato. It’s book number five in her Welsh Rebels series, though never fear if this is where you jump on board; I had read only the first book, A Husband For Esyllt, before this one, and I only found my appetite whetted to get current on the others.
All in all, it’s been a decent week. Writing is happening, and we draw ever closer to a release date for A Heart Most Errant. I can’t wait to share Aline and John with all of you.
Bloggity blog time. Insomnia has been kicking my backside this week, though I had decent sleep by this afternoon, so I am going to blabber at you and fair warning, this will not be perfect.
Stock image, okay, that’s good. Anyway, hi. No plan for this entry, which fits, because that does jibe with my original plan, so maybe that works. Let’s go with that. A month or so ago, I had mentioned in an online group I’m in, where the topic was how we express ourselves. I mentioned that I am a novelist and blogger, and that if an acting opportunity were to drop in my lap, I would jump on it.
Well. As so often happened, I not long after that found a notice in our local subreddit, offering a free four week improv class for adults, very close to where I live. I did indeed jump on that. I hadn’t had formal improv training in decades, but the second I entered the room, it was like no time had passed. Here are the top three lessons from improv (which I love and one thousand percent intend to pursue more in the future) that I am applying to my fiction writing.
Yes, and…; this is the first rule of improv. Take what your partner offers and add to it. You had it in mind that your character would be an astronaut, and your partner offers that you are driving a tractor in a cornfield. Instead of refusing that, “yes, and” might look like finding a way to combine the two. Yes, they are driving a tractor in a cornfield, and they are also astronauts. What are the odds that they got assigned to the first corn farm on Mars?
Blurt: this goes directly against my innate urge to overthink, but it works. What the instructor suggested was that if we go for the funniest thing, we’re going to overpopulate our brain and then we can’t make any decisions, and the scene dies. Blurt out the first thing that comes to mind and trust that your partner will add to that. This definitely works when writing in collaboration, and it does work with solo writing as well. As Nora Roberts once said, “I can fix a bad page. I can’t fix a blank one.” I need to remember that. In the case of solo writing, for me, my characters can count as my partner in such cases.
The Next Obvious Thing: This one met with the most resistance from me, but I am warming to it. Reference the overthinking from above. The overpopulated brain bit does resonate. Case in point, let’s say we’re doing a scene. My partner starts with “Hi, Dr. Jones. Thanks for responding to my request for a consult. My patient is over here.” What’s the next obvious thing? Dr. Jones would want to see the patient, so, as Dr. Jones, I would go to where my partner indicated the patient is. If my partner doesn’t offer anything, like name a symptom or ask me to look at xyz, the next obvious thing might be to ask questions. With no offer given, I have no restrictions, so I can have some fun. Why is the patient upside down? So, they are complaining of ABC? This patient again? This is the third time this week. Anything. Refer to blurt, above. When there are too many options, what is the next most obvious one?
These are not the only lessons that improv has taught me, which I can bring over to fiction and blogging, but they are the — you guessed it– first most obvious ones. There are others, which I may go into later: celebrate failure, make your partner look good, be observant. Most importantly of all, there is this: when you take the stage, you have everything you need to complete the scene. I may need to make a sign for that one. What do you think?
Tails Up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. We are still in the cat days of August, which are mostly me lying in front of our air conditioner, Koolio, during the day and doing most of my cat stuff at night. Mama Anna had her special talking vet appointment yesterday, and tomorrow is Papa’s birthday. We are going to do whatever he wants, which will probably be at home, because he is a homebody. That must be where I get it. He will probably ask Mama Anna and Aunt Linda to go get cannoli, because he likes that better than cake (which is still good.) I think the Italian side of the family must approve.
this is about what I look like during the days
Mama Anna is chugging along with the writing stuff. When the sun is on her desk chair, she can go to the soft office, which is the big bed. She got a lap desk she can pop on the big bed and work with her laptop from there. It also works for writing longhand, which is where she does the most of her composing. I like to be on hand (or paw) to supervise and inspire.
Since my “days” begin at night, one of my favorite parts is when Mama Anna comes to bed after her bath and watches an old English tv show on her tablet. It’s like The Walking Dead but in the 1970s in England, and there are no zombies, but lots of farm animals. Obviously, she likes it a lot, and it inspires her to do more world building and character lore development for her medieval post-apocalyptic stories. Zombies aren’t a problem in this show, or in her books, but questions like “crap, where are we going to get salt?” and “oh no, the sheep ate the wrong grass; does anybody know what we do now?” are super big deals. Mama. Anna. Loves. It.
Reading is kind of not happening right now, which she is not liking, but the Talking Vet gave her some tips that she will try. That happens sometimes. She has plenty of books, so that is not the problem. My suggestion is to keep watching stuff and give me belly rubs.
We have Papa’s presents ready to go, and he gets to pick what dinner will be. Yes, I will be getting a special treat as well, because I always do on holidays. Usually, we share a can of people tuna.
Finally, it is August, and I am doing what many of my romance writer comrades are doing- writing a holiday romance novella. This one will center around Christmas, for a planned collection my contemporary cohort, Melva Michaelian, and I have in the works for 2026. While we have written a novel with holidays in it (Queen of Hearts gets three holidays plus a wedding) this is the first time I have set out to write a story where the holiday is the whole point. Never mind that it’s technically a few days before the holiday story and most of it takes place in a car. (forced proximity, yep, plus second chance at love)
and we have binder
This time, I am being very intentional in my pre-writing, and paying attention to what works for me now. For new people, hi. I’ve been through some stuff and it kind of affects this writing thing. Anyway, this time around, I am leaning into the way that makes the most sense for me. This also plays into my desire and intention to use the good stuff because I am worth it, dangitall.
Part of that is setting up the sections I can envision myself reaching for/turning to, which I figure out by putting the blank dividers in, with filler paper that has nothing on it, and then see what I would like to have there. If that doesn’t make sense, that’s fine. It only has to make sense for me. Results may vary with others. Right now, I am working on my character lore.
Normally, when I am the only person writing the story, A) I am writing historical, and B ) I stare at the screen, making noises like “huh” when I run into something I don’t know. This time, I am going at the character lore (or backstory; I will use the terms interchangeably.) in a different way. Part of that is influenced by the improv class I started taking this past week (awesome, loved it, will probably blog about it more later) — think of the next obvious thing.
If my classmates noticed the lightbulb that popped up over my head when the teacher mentioned that, well, they rolled with it because that’s what one does in improv. When researching a historical romance, for instance, I have a framework of where I need to look for what I need to know about the people, places and things in my story. Contemporary, though, has always been different. It’s now. I live now. Shouldn’t I know about now?
Well, yes, but I am me. I was born where I was born, brought up the way I was brought up, and my characters are different people. The hero (I am Gen X; I’m going to say hero and heroine) has a different career than he did when the heroine knew him. Okay. How did he get to be a Career One Guy? What degree did he need? Where could someone who grew up where he grew up get one of those? When he changes to a Career Two Guy, not only why, but how? What does he need to do to get to do that? Commence searching. In most cases, a few clicks gives me what I need, because this story is about a couple (re)connecting and not their professional CVs.
I won’t go into all the questions I have been asking myself and/or the interwebs, but my goal is to create a master character sheet that I can use for all my projects, historical, contemporary, or otherwise. Things like birth order (it’s more than just first, second, third, etc) and enneagram, MBTI, archetypes, etc. I have books on all of those things, as well as history, and my beloved books of names from the dark ages to today, in various specificities. I don’t want e-book copies (though I may acquire some) and I don’t want to take out library copies (though I may, if absolutely needed) and I would prefer not to buy new copies. I want my copies.
The issue with that is that they are in the back of the storage unit, where we have not been since we started the dang thing. I don’t know exactly where I drew this line in the sand, but there I am, setting up the binder for this story, and I’m working on what I need to know about my characters, and I Want My Existing Books. This is not negotiable. This will involve blocking out a day or days to haul furniture out of the unit (it’s indoors, climate controlled) locate the research books and my top tier keeper classic historical romances, and Bring Them Home. (cue Alfie Boe’s “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables)
There’s probably something symbolic about this, and I will be mentioning it to Therapy Dude at our next session. For right now, though, I will be taking it at face value, yes-and-ing the heck out of that and doing the next obvious thing. Behave as if. Tell the story I want to read. Hopefully, you’ll want to read it, too.
When do you, as a writer or reader, start thinking about holiday romances?
Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws.
pizza and me keeping each other warm
Mama Anna went to her first improv class in many cats last night, and she loved it and is going back next week. According to her, there were zero cats there, but she had fun otherwise. She also was working on her next project with Aunt Melva before and after class, and today, she worked on cover design for Aunt Melva’s nonfiction project. Safe to say there is stuff going on around here. In case you were wondering, I sat on the pizza box for about an hour. That’s how comfy Koolio keeps us here. The flowery thing behind me is Aunt Linda in her new dress. she looks nice.
Speaking of nice, I have a new toy. It has catnip in it and my humans tell me that Bigger Sister Olivia and Biggest Brother Ginger both loved this toy. Big Sister Skye was a straight edge kitty and did not indulge in catnip. This one was so nippy that I smelled it before it was even out of the packaging and came from another room to yell at Mama Anna to tell her that was mine and I needed it right away. Thankfully, she understood and opened it on the big bed so she and Aunt Linda could both watch me play with it. Papa is off at work. Suffice it to say I love this toy. It is great. I will be playing with it a lot.
10/10 would nip again
Mama Anna and I binged a show on Netflix the other night. It is called The Survivors, and it is Australian. At first, she thought it was going to be some kind of zombie or adventure story. She likes both of those kinds of stories, but this show is not one of them. It is a drama, which Mama Anna also loves, and one of the characters appears to have some form of dementia, which she knows because of some people in her life. She says the representation there was excellent, both of the person with dementia and their caregiver. There was also a story about a missing person and an unalived person and some caves in the ocean. It also had two timelines, and she really, really likes two timelines.
She also finished The Survivor Wants to Die at the End, by Adam Silvera. It is number three in the Death-Cast series and she wants the next one right now, please and thank you, but it is not out yet. I suggested she read something else. Reading got hard again, but she is working on that. In case you want to read this series, she says it is one hundred percent a read in order series. I don’t know what book she will pick next, but probably a historical romance.
Oh wait. She is reading Tears of the Wolf, by Elisabeth Wheatley. It is a fantasy romance but heavily Viking-flavored. If you are new to this author’s books, this is a good place to start. She still wants to read a historical romance, so I will keep you updated on that.
Typing With Wet Nails 