🌴Stepping Into Lucky Seasons (Mine Just Got a Little Brighter)

I was watching  a video yesterday by Jesse Itzler about habits that create space for “lucky” things to happen in your life. He says, “You don’t get lucky sitting on the couch watching the Kardashians. You need to put yourself in positions to get lucky opportunities.”

For me, that means an abundance of prayer and forcing myself to jump out of my comfort zone to do things I’m not naturally inclined to do. I realized recently that I’d been doing exactly that without even noticing.

Last year, I spent a lot of time rethinking my artistic goals and the direction I wanted my art to take. One thing that stood out was that I had no network of other artists doing similar work. I didn’t know any writers—at least not any who were currently writing—and I’d reached a point in my career where that was holding me back.

So, I pushed myself way out of my comfort zone and showed up to a Sweet RomCom reader event. Alone. Not knowing a single soul. If you know anything about me, you know how difficult it is for me to attend social events where I don’t know anyone and have to drum up conversations out of thin air. But I went anyway.

Shortly after that first event, while I was teaching my middle schoolers about setting goals for their future, I set two goals for the 2026 and 2027 Galentine’s events. The first was that when I returned this year, someone would recognize me, from 2025 or from the outreach I’d done over the following year.

During this year’s Galentine’s event, I met that first goal before the event even started, thanks to two separate online interactions where it seemed people remembered me. Then, when I showed up, the very first person I ran into remembered me from the previous year. Yay!!!

I was elated. I’d met my goal for the first year. But my 2027 goal was going to be much, much harder—one of those stretch goals you aren’t quite sure is even possible. Yet before I left that night, things had already been set in motion: I was invited to a writers’ retreat in March, where I’ll get to hang out with some of the writers I’ve looked up to for years and learn from two of the top authors in my genre, Melanie Jacobson and Jenny Proctor.

I’m hoping this long weekend will mark the end of my Winter Writing Sabbatical, that I’ll walk away with fresh inspiration to write again and a clear direction for the second half of Coast of Carolina. Even more than that, I hope to come home with some new friendships among like-minded authors.

Just like I’ve been pushing myself to build new connections and chase those stretch goals, Em in Souvenirs, Book 3 of the Warrior Women Series, is doing something similar. After a really hard couple of years stuck in grief, dormancy, and the weight of the past, she finally decides enough is enough. She travels to Maui with her roommate Indigo to visit friends, and one night at their weekly Game Night by the fire, everything shifts. Surrounded by people who are fully embracing life, she realizes it's time to reclaim her own spark.

Here’s a glimpse straight from the book:

By the time the sunlight wanes, we are well into our game for the night. I look around the fire as I take the last sip of my drink. I have only been here in this new place for a few hours and already I’m awash in community, surrounded by people who are embracing life, moving toward their goals, and enjoying every minute of it.

I, on the other hand, have spent the last two years stuck. Stuck in the past. Stuck in my own anguish. Stuck in a permanent state of dormancy.

But that stops here.

New season, new me. Or maybe I’m finally getting back to the old me—the free-spirited, daydreaming, lighthearted me. The old flower bulbs that have been tucked underground to survive the winter are now ready to burst forth again for a new spring of neon color, vibrant beauty, and unrestrained joy.

Em’s story is all about that turning point—the moment you choose to step forward, surround yourself with uplifting people, and let joy bloom again. It’s a sweet, sun-soaked second-chance romance full of heart, laughter, surfing vibes, and the kind of hope that feels so needed after a tough season.

Right now, Souvenirs is on sale for just $0.99 starting Wednesday, Feb 18—but this special price won’t last! It’s leaving Kindle Unlimited on March 11, so if you want to grab a digital copy to keep forever (and dive into Em and Finn’s Maui adventure), now’s the perfect time.