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September 2024

Hey there,

Writing an enemies-to-lovers romance has forced me to think long and hard about what it means to be mean to someone.

In this context, “being mean” generally describes behaviour characterised by malice or nastiness. I like to believe people don’t get an innate sense of reward from being mean to others, that meanness is a more tactical move, chosen over and over until a person forgets that it is, in fact, a choice. But why would a person choose to be mean?

For most of my life, I believed people shouldn’t be mean, that the world would be a better place if everyone was just nice and kind. Between you and me, I still sort of believe that, but with many more caveats these days. I learned the hard way that you don’t always get to walk away; that sometimes dicey situations follow you until you bare your fangs and show you’re ready to put up a fight. Being nice feels better, but that’s not always the choice you get to make.

Katrina Lee, from The Guy from the Wedding, “niced” herself stuck in a toxic relationship, and realised there’s no point rewarding bad behaviour with a smile – not when the wrong person crosses her path. I think you can guess who this “wrong person” is by now. And I think you can guess he’s not really “wrong”.

But how things come good, and what happens when Katrina stops choosing to be mean, is a story for another day.

And that day is 1st November 2024.

Pre-order The Guy from the Wedding now. More retailers coming soon!

Peace,

Birdie 🐦

By the way, The Guy from the Internet is available for 99c this month across most major ebook retailers this month.

Ps. It’s got a lovely new cover! If you’ve already bought the ebook previously, you should be able to download the version with the new cover wherever you got the book from.

From friends and around the way

Lightning Over Bennett Ranch by Amber Daulton A clean western romance novella. His stolen kisses promise forever, but regrets and secrets wedge between them. How will she ever trust this cowboy again?

2nd Chance Ranch by Lynda Rees Chance Gordon abandoned the woman he loves for her sake. Dory Farmer rejected a life of luxury and her father’s wishes in order to keep her son. Worlds collide.

A Snowflake Christmas: The Series by Vicky Wollan Enjoy the adventures of three different couples as they navigate the twists and turns of small-town life in their own search for a romantic happily ever after.

Making Sweet Music by Jeanine Lauren Sometimes the sweetest melodies are found in the most unlikely of places. A story of friendship, love, and second chances in the second half of life.

Booked on Romance - September
A book fair for sweet, clean, and wholesome romance.

99c Sweet Romance September
These sweet & clean romances are available for 99c until end of September.

September: Free Clean Romance
Clean romances brought to you by the Caffeinated Romance Tribe.

You might enjoy this too:

A practical yet in-depth article about emotional intelligence via Psychology Today:

Emotional intelligence supports mental health, but it isn’t the whole of mental health. People get anxious or depressed for many reasons: Their biology may incline them to it. A partner suffers a debilitating experience. A breadwinner gets laid off. The more readily a person can recognize and label their emotional responses to life’s roller coaster, the better able they are to address those feelings while experiencing them, so as not to be overwhelmed by them.

Read the rest: The Truth About Emotional Intelligence

By the way, reviews are a huge help to small-time indie authors. Both good reviews and bad ones help readers hone in on the books and authors they resonate with. If you’ve enjoyed one of my books, I’d love it if you would leave me a review or star rating on BookBub, StoryGraph or Goodreads.

The Guy from the Wedding – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Internet – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Library – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Park – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Flower Shop – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

Well, that’s it for now! Subscribe to my newsletter if you’d rather get these updates with pictures, sent to your email inbox. You’ll also get a little thank you gift for signing up.