We made it! The kids are back to school, and not a moment too soon. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write anything when kids are around? Even though mine are a little older, and don't need me every second of the day, it's like they can sense when I finally get into a writing groove. The get that little notification in their head (I'm assuming that's how it works), then they come creeping into my office to ask for snacks or to go to a store so I can buy them books or gift cards for online games. 

Now that they're out of the house every day, I think I'll finally be able to get some work done. Probably. I hope. 

Maya Parker has come a long way since the days of living in her car and listening to recordings of Alan Rickman’s delicious voice to drown out the noises of the street surrounding her. Between her job as manager of Bishop’s Books, running a Naughty Book Club full of the senior citizens of Carlisle Creek, and taking care of Nana Bishop, the bookstore’s owner and her neighbour, she has her hands full. Add to that cleaning up after Harold, the huge, grumpy shop cat she adopted who enjoys leaving mountains of dead mice by the back door, and she doesn’t have a lot of spare time.

There is one thing thing she’ll make time for, though: telling Nana’s good-for-nothing grandson exactly what she thinks of him if he ever gets his butt back to Carlisle Creek to visit his elderly Nana. If there’s one thing she can’t stand, it’s people who turn their backs on family.

When Liam Bishop finally makes it to Carlisle Creek after working night and day for the last three years to repay pay his debts, he’s surprised to find an attractive young woman working in the bookstore in place of his Nana. He knew his Nana was getting a little older, but the idea that she’d ever stop working in the store is crazy to him. That his Nana hired this woman and she’s been running the store, and making changes, for years and he had no idea? Well, let’s just say it’s a good thing the verbal tongue lashing he got from Maya when he walked in served to make him interested rather than guilty. Because he feels guilty enough on his own, and he’s determined to make it right.

And if he gets to know Maya better in the process, well that’s alright too.


Stay tuned here or on my socials in the coming weeks for more information about Carlisle Creek Book 1, inlcluding Title and Cover Reveal and release date.

If you recall, last time we talked I told you all about how I was obsessed with Stardew Valley. Well, I'd like to say that's done, but I think I'm just taking a little break. It's still fun, but I'm at the point where I have to do all the mines and dungeons and higher level quests, and that's just not as enjoyable for me as the regular farming and fetch quests for villagers. Instead of Stardew, I've been playing something else.

I found a game called Wytchwood, where I play as an old crone of a witch with a pot for a head/helmet who wanders around collecting souls for some old goat I found in my yard. I need to help him so I can figure out the mystery of a sleeping maiden that I can't seem to remember anything about. (Side note: I'm pretty sure I'm the sleeping maiden, and somehow I made a bad deal with the goat so I'm in some sort of magically-induced coma until my witch-self can save me...or something along those lines.)

I'm trying not to look up anything about this game (no cheats, no walkthroughs, no advice) and I've really been enjoying it so far. I've been forced to look up a couple of things, but they've all turned out to be glitches (I had a quest that wouldn't mark as complete no matter what I did, incredibly long waits between crafting of items, and an item that was just floating in front of my character no matter where I went), but I tried several things before resorting to using the Google, so I feel okay about it.

The creepy cute art style, easily doable quests, and virtually non-existent combat make this game my current favourite.

Sadly, I'm already nearing the end of the game, and I will need something to play soon. I'd love to hear your recommendations for cozy games for the Nintendo Switch.