A Wonderfully Bookish Weekend

IRL Stuff

You can tell we're coming up on the end of the school year because my mood is just SKYROCKETING. (Almost dooooonnnneeeee!) I was really feeling that joy and excitement this weekend, which was "wear my Regency dress to the Pride & Prejudice screening" weekend. It was a remarkably lovely and bookish time!

I started it off on Friday by discovering a very well-stocked Little Free Library, from which I got The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, a book I've heard good things about but have never read. I kept the good vibes going on Saturday by completely finishing the ProWritingAid (grammar checker) pass of The Mark of Thieves and sending the doc off to proofreader number one — THEN got all dressed up in my Regency dress to take photos at a historic house in the city. From there we had a beautiful vegan meal (including a yummy vegan CUPCAKE <3) before heading to the cinema for P&P. A local romance bookstore had set up a pop-up shop, so bought my first ever blind date with a book, and THEN after the show, we went to a used bookstore and I found a gorgeous illustrated copy of P&P. How perfect is that?

ID: Kate wearing her Regency dress with her back to the camera. The dress is cream-coloured with soft red flowers.

ID: A cupcake on a blue plate. The icing is pink with jam in the middle.

ID: a stack of books — A History of Costume, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Pride and Prejudice, and a 'blind date with a book' wrapped in floral paper. The wrapped book has a label that reads: contemporary romcom, set in Toronto, secret identity.

ID: a gif of Kate unwrapping the blind date book to reveal A Fashionable Affair by Jacqueline Parrish.

Writing Update

As I said, I finished my grammar checking passes (one with Microsoft Word, one with ProWritingAid) and sent the manuscript to my first proofreader. I wasn't "reading hard," but looking for typos that slipped through the cracks and also for places to cut words. It was very successful!

ID: a Scrivener screenshot showing the TMOT word count: 100,522.

While I'm waiting for proofreader no. 1, I intend to keep moving forward with The Patron Saint of Scoundrels revisions. I just came off a major chapter rewrite, changing it from Bree's POV to Will's and also slightly changing the setting. The next chapter shouldn't need nearly as much work; I just need to turn up the angst (as usual). Wondering what part I'm at? Hint: there's a big brother to find and rescue.

Cover Update

Final tweaks ongoing. Coming soooooooon. 💕

Snippet

Someone's breaking windows in this one. 😅

Bree gasps, but the symphony of shattering glass overpowers her. Jagged shards rain down onto the road below, clinking and crackling in a violent storm: the sound of freedom. “Now or never,” I say, reaching for her hand again.

Have a wonderful week, everyone! And Happy Pride Month!! 🏳️‍🌈