First Newsletter, No Pressure

Well, hi! Thank you so much for subscribing to my newsletter, I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Maybe you made your way here because of my booksta, maybe you thought my book sounded interesting, maybe you’re just hoping for pictures of my cat. No matter what I truly appreciate it.

So for this inaugural edition, I thought I’d touch on what brought me to reading and romance. Oh, and I promise there’s some news too for those of you interested, so keep reading.

I’m lucky I can say that I’ve always been a reader. My mom who is ridiculously smart, incentivized my younger sister and me by promising to buy us books as rewards. Good grades? Let’s go to Barnes and Nobles. That thing I didn’t want to do? More books. One of my favorite things we ever did was put together a book case from Target that I have moved with me apartment to apartment, it’s placed behind me right now overflowing with my latest collection of books.

Books have always been a place for me to escape, find joy, learn something new, be in someone else’s shoes. I played the Truth game with Wes and Macy. I fell in love with Jesse hanging out in Suze’s bedroom, wondering how the heck a ghost was ever going to make it work with this sarcastic and jaded girl in Sunny California. Marcus Flutie was wearing those T-shirts for me just as much as he was for Jessica Darling who wrote those diary entires with such aching honesty of someone who grew up in a small town and just wanted out. Ella going on her adventure and falling in love with Charming while breaking her curse, had me along for the ride every step of the way. Each and every book locked itself away in my heart, left an impression behind, that feeling I had when I read it, reread it, and then reread it again.

One of my favorite things now is to sit with my nephews and read with them. My oldest nephew is slowly making his way through the Percy Jackson series. Even my niece, not even a year old is always reaching for a book (I’m not biased they’re just the smartest kids). I just love how universal books are.

The other thing my mom did a great job of growing up, was always having romance books up. She had a monthly subscription and received a box of historical romances every month. Clinch covers, Fabio, all over the bookshelves in our family room. My mom was a romance reader, still is, and with zero shame.

Sorry this is a rambly mess, I’m in the middle of edits, but this is all to say I’m incredibly lucky I was encouraged to read and to read romance as a kid.

Which is why it is incredibly wild to me that in less than a year I’ll have my own romance book out in the world, something that will hopefully offer someone an escape of their own, a comfort reread, whatever they need (hey a girl can dream).

So what’s this book I keep talking about? Well, at least for now, the title is Restoring Forever. It’s my modern Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring a curvy historical home restorer who finds herself accidental roommates with a grumpy recluse, both too stubborn to move out of a crumbling mansion. Alcove Press is releasing it and it’s coming out….

JUNE 4, 2024!!!!

Preorder and Goodreads links to come soon. But in the meantime please let this fake cover Kate Robb kindly created for me meshed with this photo that Alicia Thompson sent me from her local Barnes and Noble after she so kindly read, that lives rent free in my mind help, get you hyped. Alcove is working on the cover now and I couldn’t be more excited to see what they come up with for my hornsters.

Alright since you’ve made it so far, I wouldn't be me if I didn’t scream about some other books.

So some recently released books you should check out:

You, With A View by Jessica Joyce (Spectacular banter, former rivals on a roadtrip, and Theo’s thighs, yummmm. )

With Love, From Cold War by Alicia Thompson (a tender hug of a book, there are no words it is just gorgeous writing, and the setting couldn’t be more fun)

And some books that should be on your PreOrder list:

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (releasing September 12) (epic friends to lovers, come for the snark, stay for the angst and intimacy)

This Spells Love by Kate Robb (releasing December 5) (a laugh out loud time slip, that knocks you over as you fall in love with the characters, and somehow a spider, just trust me a must read)

I’m honestly stopping myself at two each but there are so many amazing books out there and to come.

Thanks again for reading and I can’t wait to share more news about Restoring Forever as I get it!

Mae & King Louis