Lindsay Emory's Blog, page 11
November 14, 2017
Best Books to Read Now - 2017 Gift Edition
Because books are the best gifts. These books will inspire, educate and help your friend/ partner/ Aunt Sally have a great holiday.
Braving the Wilderness - Brene Brown
Seriously. I’ve been recommending this to all my friends. A must-read for anyone who looks around and thinks we could do better in how we relate to one another.
Giant of the Senate – Al Franken
For those who like to laugh along with a fair and balanced (truly) look at politics. It shouldn’t ignite too much debate around the turkey. Also a good audio book to listen to in the car while driving to Aunt Sally's.
John Adams – David McCullough
For the history lovers and the Hamilton fan in your circle, this biography of John Adams is an evergreen great read.
Tools of Titans - Tim Ferriss
For fans of Tim Ferriss’ podcast, for self-improvement lovers and those who like all sorts of words of wisdom and hacks, this book is full of extensive tips and tricks for being your best self in 2018.
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! – Ree Drummond
Because everyone wants good, classic food. Perfect for hostess gifts, teachers, and Aunt Sally. (and me – my secret homemade cobbler recipe came from The Pioneer Woman blog… shhh…)
Resisting Santa – Lindsay Emory
Um, my new release just came out! It’s a quirky holiday romance set in Mistletoe Key, Florida, where Christmas is celebrated 365 days a year - like a Hallmark movie you can read in line at the post office. Get one for everyone you love who needs a sugar cookie break!
And – for the month of November all proceeds from the sales of RESISTING SANTA and BLUE CHRISTMAS, the second book in the Mistletoe Key world will go to hurricane relief. So get it, quick!
October 19, 2017
RESISTING SANTA - Cover Reveal!!!
It’s here! The cover for my #bookinaweek (read about the creation of it here)!
RESISTING SANTA, Book 1 of the Mistletoe Key series!
Isn't it adorable? The cover fits the book perfectly- cute, holiday fun.
Want more? Read on!Caroling Mermaids, Snow in Florida, and Matchmaking Parrots – Who can Resist Love in Mistletoe Key?Mistletoe Key takes Christmas traditions very seriously. So when Eliza Hart advocates for a gender-inclusive Santa late one night on public radio, she inadvertently sets off an historic island-wide scandal. After years away, she’s just returned to the island but once again she’s persona non grata, fighting the patriarchy one Santa suit at a time.
Tiki bar owner Shep Butler had a childhood crush on Eliza and while she’s stirring up trouble in town, he can’t help the feelings she’s stirring up in him. He’s always been fascinated with her eyes and her freckles, but now her grown-up feminist opinions are a package deal and maybe even a deal breaker.
On an island where Christmas is celebrated 365 days a year, can Eliza and Shep find room at the inn for different opinions – and love – before politics and tradition tear them apart?
This book was so fun to write and I’m loving hearing back from early readers that they’re having fun reading it!
If you're in the mood for a Hallmark Christmas movie that you can read on your phone, well, this is the book for you.
Pre-order yourself a Holiday Present today!
Amazon ||iBooks || Barnes & Noble || Kobo
October 17, 2017
Best Books to Read Now - October 2017
I didn’t post a list of books last month because for several strange reasons, I was overlapping a bunch of these – hence a bunch of books to recommend in October! WHeee!
The Look of Love – Julia Kelly
I was very lucky to get to read an early copy of this and once again, I’m blown away by Julia’s sweet, smart, sexy prose in the first book of this new historical romance series with a MATCHMAKER in SCOTLAND!! (I know, you just one-clicked that, right?)
Buy THE LOOK OF LOVE at Amazon || iBooks
King of the Sea – Madame de Boudoir
Out today! This is a paranormal erotic romance novella that made me gasp and laugh, too. Madame’s voice is fresh, intoxicatingly creative and the start of what should be an unforgettable new series featuring mermaids/ mermen and their loves through history.
Buy KING OF THE SEA at Amazon || iBooks
The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
Pretty much a non-fiction book disguised as fiction with effortless, suspenseful, thrilling prose. I’m obsessed with lady spies and recommending this to everyone.
Beard in Mind – Penny Reid
Another Winston Brothers installment, this time featuring the good-looking and good-natured Beau and the surly and sexy mechanic Shelly. We caught a glimpse of this couple in Cletus’ book and their story of overcoming illness to find love and family will kill you in a good way.
Buy at Amazon
Beginner’s Luck – Kate Clayborn
A debut that left me laughing, crying, and with a hurting tummy (from nerves! Were these two crazy kids going to work out?). For those who love STEM heroines, HGTV home renovation shows and real, fun contemporary romance. I’ve got Kate coming up on Women With Books next week so make sure you subscribe to hear our very cool conversation.
Pick it up at Amazon || iBooks
Unfortunately, I also had a DNF (did not finish) this month. It broke my heart to do as it’s not in my essential nature to give up on a book. Do you ever stop reading before a book is over? Or are you a push-through-til-the-end kind of reader?
And have you read any of the books that I’ve recommended? If you have (or do) please let me know what you think – either on my Lindsay Emory facebook page or my Women With Books podcast page. I’d love to discuss books and what makes you read til the very end.
October 13, 2017
Everything You Need to Know About Writing You Can Learn From Rogelio De La Vega
JANE THE VIRGIN is back!!!!
Okay, I was a bit late on the Jane train. I think the word “virgin” threw me off. I knew the premise was that somehow a chaste Latina got knocked up but the story I picked up from the promos was that maybe she was hiding her sexual activity from her traditional (read: anti-sex) Latinx family and I was just not into that story.
But y’all. Jane the Virgin was not actually about that! It’s a telenovela that manages to be about family, about love, about ambition, about America, about face-stealing murderers and evil twins and snow in Miami and… it’s everything. I cried last season. Hard. I also laugh and get inspired and I have concluded that the best character is Rogelio De La Vega.
I know, it’s a crowded field. This could be a controversial opinion. I mean, there’s the title character, Jane. Her abuela, Alba. Her mom (oh how I love the flawed and brave Xiomara). The ever-hotness of Rafael (see below). The perfect man-next-door-ness of Michael. Hey, I’ve even warmed up to Petra, Our Lady of The Eternal Short Shorts.
But despite Mr. Sexy Pants right there, Rogelio is THE BEST. (And he would agree with me.)
And really, every single writer in the world needs to watch Jane the Virgin (returning to the CW, 10/13, 8/9 CST) and take notes on confidence and hustle from Rogelio.
Why? He believes in himself.
He really loves his art.
He gets knocked down in the tabloids, gets second billing under his nemesis, loses everything and keeps hustling (with the support of his best friends Oprah and Charo, claro.)
And he just owns who he is, in all his lavender, spray-tan, new pants glory.
And really, that’s what all writers need to do. Embrace your inner Rogelio De La Vega. You’re hot, you’re inimitable, you’re YOU. And the world needs more of all of us. And all of YOU.
September 26, 2017
All These Things That I Love - September 2017
...to Taylor Swift. Yes, I’m basic. So what. Yes, people are now on the Taylor hate train. Well, so far, I’m still Team I HEART TS. The two singles she’s put out went instantly on my writing playlists for my current WIPs.
Get Taylor's music here --> Amazon | iTunes
...with Yayoi Kusama, the internationally renowned Japanese artist, known for painting, um.. polka dots.
A few weeks ago my darling Alexandra Haughton invited me to the Dallas Museum of Art’s exhibition of Kusama’s pumpkin room.
The experience was… wild. You go into a small mirrored room and for forty-five seconds you just stare at the glowing polka dot pumpkins and the reflections of glowing polka dot pumpkins.
Yeah, we do pumpkin season in a sophisticated fashion round here.
What I’m obsessed with though, is that this woman has dedicated her life’s work, almost the entirety of her art to polka dots. And you can laugh at how ridiculous that sounds but then when you see it? It strangely makes sense at a very atomic, elemental level.
Obviously, it’s weeks later and I’m still thinking about polka dots and what *my* polka dots are. Cranky sexy heroes? Murder by stiletto heel? Liberal consumption of gin and tonics? Don’t laugh. I could be in a museum one day.
I mean, that's a statue that should be in a museum. Me with Cheryl Etchison's RITA award. For law of attraction purposes.
And of course, I’m still obsessed in the last week of the third annual #ReadWritePlan challenge on social media. Follow the hashtag #ReadWritePlan for all the planner peeks and inspiration.
Loving Trader Joe’s for my liquids these days. Their grapefruit-flavored sparkling water gives me life.
And this TJ’s wine is very drinkable. I forget how much it was, definitely under $10. But hubs and I have pretty much become total Paso Robles converts so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
There’s still time to enter our #ReadWritePlan giveaway here. We're giving away a Kindle Fire, a May Designs gift card and books!
One more note… Since I’ve started my podcast, Women With Books, a lot more of my time is eaten up and I’m considering moving a lot of my blog content to my newsletter. If you like my reading lists and my recommendations like above, please consider subscribing to my newsletter because all this might be exclusive to subscribers by the new year. Maybe. I’m still trying to figure all this out, y’all. Productivity is hard.
Speaking of which, back to the books. xoxo
August 22, 2017
All These Things That I Love - August 2017
To Kesha's Rainbow
I’ve got Kesha’s new album on repeat here. If you love fun, feminist pop with a country twang and rock swagger, this album is for you. I’m loving Learn to Let Go and Woman (fair warning, there’s quite a few F-bombs so I fast-forward for the little Emorys) on my playlist for my current WIP.
With Micron ultra fine pens & Gray Mildliners. And when I say “ultra fine” I mean .25mm. ULTRA FINE, y’all. Somehow using these pens and a gray highlighter were the last key to total planner peace. You know, that zen-like calm when you have the perfect system in the midst of life’s craziness.
Are you a paper planner? Alexandra Haughton and I are hosting the third annual #ReadWritePlan challenge on social media. Follow along for all the planner peeks and inspiration.
Peeling Feet Booties.
It’s that time of year again. After a few months of summer sandals, I need another foot peel. I’ve blogged about it here and seriously, if you have summer sandal feet, just trust me and get a few for you and those you love.
Project Runway is back! My girls and I love watching this show together (I’ve blogged about the similarities between publishing and fashion here) and this season, they’re featuring models with a variety of body shapes which is inspirational and just good business sense for anyone wanting to get started in today’s fashion world.
One of my favorite mantras, courtesy of the amazing Tim Gunn.
I'll be talking about books I've read and loved lately in my newsletter this month, so if you're not already signed up you can do so here. Subscribers who open the newsletter within three days of me sending it are automatically entered to win a monthly giveaway! Or if you just want to hangout and chat on my Facebook page (about peeling foot booties? Kesha? Project Runway?) join the party here!
August 1, 2017
#RWA17 - #SquadGoals4Life
For some reason, this year’s post-convention wrap-up is particularly hard to write.
RWA Nationals was last week in Orlando and it felt like a wonderful dream, one that I didn’t want to wake up from.
Why?
My tribe, y’all.
Ride or Die Friends
The OG HBICs are my family away from my family. No one can empower me or make me laugh, cry, create like this crew.
So leaving them on Saturday? It hurt, to be honest. Physically.
More than these five ladies, I met and reconnected with more amazing kindred spirits - Frannie, Kate, Amber, Violet, Ainsley, Laura, Tamsen, Tina, Cheryl, Elizabeth, Kristin, Megan, and so many more. In a world that so often encourages women to take each other down, to compete with each other, to judge and to mock, for four days in July, women writers from all over the globe join together and talk about making the world a happier, more hopeful place. And the women I met are at the vanguard of this bodice-ripping movement (in the most Diana of Themyscira way).
So, yeah. It was hard to leave this beautiful wonderland.
So fun to celebrate Jeffe Kennedy's RITA win on the dancefloor!
Like all the HBICs, Alexis and Julia stayed until the music was over.
For one brief, shining moment, RITA was mine... until Cheryl Etchison took her away.
The best roomie ever - saved me from total disability.
Me & VonHottie singing beautifully.
Because dance parties. And golden statues. And sparkly shoes. And books. And best friends. These are the best things in the world.
If you’re coming home from #RWA17 and want a game plan for working through all that you’ve got running through your head, subscribe to our HBIC Nation newsletter for an exclusive post-con workbook. Because we can change the world together.
July 5, 2017
Best Books to Read Now: July 2017
Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!
An Extraordinary Union - Alyssa Cole
This was totally my catnip book. Spies, Civil War, a woman with extraordinary mental abilities (the heroine has a perfect memory!). A great start to a series and a great book to read during the patriotic season!
The Day of the Duchess - Sarah MacLean
In the middle of this, I was comparing it to my favorite Sarah Maclean, (Yes, I always mention it. Temple’s book, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished) because my heart was clenching in that oh-so-painful-but-good way and I realized it was because they’re both stories of second chance love. There’s also more of SESILY, a secondary character who’s been in at least two or three of this series and I’m really hoping that Ms. MacLean puts us out of our misery and gives us the Sesily (and the American?) book that we’ve been dying for.
Slightly South of Simple - Kristy Woodson Harvey
This was my book club pick for the summer. I told my book club that I was picking a book with a beach on it, so I did, and so I read it by the beach when we were able to get away to Mexico last month. This is a great, easy read, about sisterhood, second chances and summers gone by.
The Deep End- Julie Mulhern
I’ve had this on my TBR list for a really long time, and was finally in a place where I could read a straight up mystery (I don’t like reading it when I’m writing it) and I give this an enthusiastic two thumbs up (I think I’ve already hand sold a few more copies). It’s set in the 1970’s, in a Kansas country club set. The time period isn’t too much, and as a writer, I appreciated that the setting allowed Ms. Mulhern to write mysteries where no one could call the police on their cell phones, which really changes plots these days. A start to a five book series, I think, so you’ll have a lot to binge!
On the Lindsay Emory books front, if you’ve been following along on my Facebook page, you’ll see that I just wrote a BOOK IN A WEEK. At the end of the week, I had a first draft of my Mistletoe Key Christmas novella, hopefully releasing in November 2017! Go check out the posts (and unedited snippets!) and then sign up for Mistletoe Key updates and giveaways here.
Or sign up for my general monthly newsletter here. I love sharing the highlights of my month and doing a monthly giveaway for subscribers. HOPEFULLY, I will have a big announcement later this month (or early August) so please, check here or sign up for my newsletter so you can squee with me.
Or if you just want just-the-facts book news, Bookbub (that site that sends you your favorite books on sale - if you're not subscribed you want to be) has a way for you to follow me and they'll update you on when my books are released. Just click follow and easy peasy: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linds...
June 6, 2017
Best Books to Read Now: June 2017
Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!
Let’s jump in, shall we?
Summer Heat by Alexis Anne
A hot steamy romance with baseball? Um, yes. There’s just something about summer nights and guys in tight white pants. Fans of Alexis Anne will be thrilled with this new story in her Storm Inside world, and past characters come back! Whee!
White Hot by Ilona Andrews
I’ve waited for this book for what, 2, 3 years? Of course I took a day off to read it. I’ve recommended the first book in the series, Burn For Me, here and it’s still on sale for $2.99. The third book in the series is releasing in August and yes, it’s that good. I’ve converted a number of peeps into fans, so if you’re jumping on the train, let me know so we can gush together.
It Happened on Love Street by Lia Riley
I’m going to be honest. I read the first five pages of this book and texted a writer friend: “I hate Lia Riley so much.” I don’t really hate Lia because she’s sweet and awesome and writes incredibly real, funny, sexy books that inspire envy and low-self-esteem in other authors (me.) This book is Kristan Higgins-esque set in a small Georgia town that’s like Bluebell, Alabama (from Hart of Dixie) mixed with Stars Hollow. Read it and bask in the sexy adorableness.
You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
This was the inaugural #HBICNation book club pick (read more about HBIC Nation here) and I really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to talk about the mindset of wealth with the other HBICs. If you’re a creative entrepreneur who identifies as an HBIC, check out our Facebook group and join the party (and book club.)
Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter [here] to get all the latest news about books, appearances and sales AND my monthly round up and giveaway!!
As always, I’d love to hear what books you’ve been reading and loving lately! Comment below!
May 23, 2017
She was warned, she was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she watched a movie.
As I talked about on Facebook recently, my family took me to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for Mother’s Day (which I thought was fun, creative and funny). Love ’em or hate ’em, we got to see lots of preview trailers for all the upcoming shoot ’em up superhero action movies. The one I found myself weirdly engrossed in was this one:
The Mummy trailer:
Now I loved the first Mummy movie, it’s my favorite kind of romantic adventure crack. Ancient curses and a bookish, stubborn heroine and a wise-cracking hero. FLOVE. So I was watching this new trailer to see if/how they were referencing the original.
Strangely, I found myself completely rooting for the evil woman who was wrongly entombed and is now returning to wreak revenge on the world (using Tom Cruise as her pawn. As one does.)
I mean, come on. Go girl.
Then on Twitter a few days ago other women authors were also reporting feeling… feistier than normal. Their heroines started kicking dudes, their manuscripts were getting a little bloody, that kind of thing.
So I started making a list of movies to watch, to capture this girl power in the air, when you feel like resisting… something… everything…
Women with Guns. Swords. Trucks.
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Mad Max Fury Road: Amazon || itunes
Women with Smarts
Legally Blonde: Amazon || itunes
Erin Brockovich: Amazon || itunes
Hidden Figures: Amazon
Women with Plans
There are some upcoming girl power movies I’m really excited to see, too. I already got my Wonder Woman (in theaters on June 2!) stamps and gleefully used one to post a card to The Ripped Bodice (a woman-owned independent book store. Shop here!)
And how amazing does this trailer look for Battle of the Sexes? It’s one of my favorite tropes to write although… maybe not with Steve Carrell as the hero… but it still looks like a great movie.
So what do you think? What gets you pumped up? What’s your favorite girl power chick flick? Are you rooting for the nasty woman who’s going to bully Tom Cruise into doing her bidding? Answer below or connect with me on Facebook – we’ve always got something fun to discuss there.
And OH!!!! Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? I’ve started monthly giveaways – if you open it within three days of the send date, you’ll be entered to win that month’s “birthday prize.” Do it now to get into this month’s pool: http://eepurl.com/Z_iTP
