Kathryn R. Biel's Blog

Thank You, Sandra Boynton!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I originally wrote and posted the following blog post on May 18, 2016 on my Blogger Blog (remember that platform!). I am reposting it today, May 18, 2023. It's still my dad's birthday, but it's the first one he's not here to celebrate with us. I still love this story, but the picture of him with his mug absolutely shattered me today. I know he'd want me to remember the good times, so please read this throwback post and know what a good day this was.

May 18, 2016

The year was 1991.

(Please give me a moment while I sob uncontrollably that 1991 was 25 years ago. Holy crap, where did that go?).

I was a freshman in high school with a big perm and a crush on a Sophomore. I was on a field trip to Boston with Math Club. We were in Quincy Market when I decided that I should probably get a birthday card for my dad, seeing as how it was his birthday and all. I'd already bought myself a Goofy watch at the Disney store. I remember going up to a small booth and spinning the rack of cards around. Then I saw it. The birthday card for my dad. This is what it looked like:

The card was a big hit. Like a really big hit. So much so that the next year, on that same trip to Boston, I found the same vendor in Quincy Market and bought another version of that birthday card. Best birthday card ever.

Fast forward a dozen or so years, and I had my first child. My friend Amy gave me some board books for my shower. Included in that was The Going to Bed Book. As my son grew, he loved to be read to, and that was one of his favorites. I can still recite it. "The sun has set, not long ago, and everybody goes below. To take a bath in one big tub, with soap all over, scrub scrub scrub."

Based on the awesomeness of that book, we slowly expanded my son's library to include many, many Sandra Boynton books. My dad was my son's primary babysitter when I worked. They've had a special bond since my son's birth. He spent just at much time reading these books to my son as I did. His favorite was Hippos Go Berserk.

We also had one of the Sandra Boynton CD's (Philadelphia Chickens). It was set as a Broadway musical, which really struck a chord with our family. I still have trouble driving through farmland without this song running through my head.

https://youtu.be/Z1f9b7sX_XY

But as children do, my son (and then my daughter) aged past their Boynton phases, though my dad and I have always held her close to our hearts, mostly for the memories with the kids. When we learned that our favorite children's author was also the author of the best birthday card ever, it was like for a moment, the world was perfect.

Fast forward another dozen years. This past year has been difficult for my dad, and this birthday was not guaranteed. So, what I really wanted was to find the Hippo Birdie card. Even 25 years later, everyone in our family remembers it. I had to find this card.

I follow Sandra Boynton on Facebook, and often share her drawings, especially on my author page. I decided to reach out to her to see if there was any way to get a personalized card or something special for my dad. I mean, she has to have a store, right? Does she sell autographed things?

Instead of being directed to her store, Sandra's daughter Darcy reached out to me and offered to send something for my dad for his birthday. I was floored, and then even more so when I received it in the mail. I cried.

How this woman (and her daughter who handles this sort of thing) could be so kind and generous to me--it just blew my mind. She had already impacted our lives in such great ways, and then here she was, doing it again. I've waited weeks for this day to come. My dad's 70th birthday.

I brought down the presents to him. Upon initiating opening the card, without even knowing what the card was, my dad started singing, "Hippo birdie two ewe."

I told you, this card had an impact.

And then when he realized that it was his card. And his new birthday mug.

Then to his personalized book. He kept asking me, "How did you do this? Did you send away for it? Do you know her? How did you do this?"

There's not much my dad needs in life right now, other than quality time with loved ones. Spending time with us makes him happy (I hope). Having some mementos of some of the greatest years of our lives--when the kids were little--is the cake. Having it personalized by someone who played an integral part in shaping it is the best icing ever. Chocolate, in case you're wondering.

And Sandra Boynton does have a place to buy this card (and other things too). You can click here to get the best birthday card ever.

Thanks, Dad for everything, and happy birthday.

And thank you Sandra Boynton for yet again touching our lives.

What are Medium Spice Books?

#mediumspice #mediumspicebooks #mediumspicetok

A few months back, I started using the term "medium spice" to define my books. This is mainly because I found myself on TikTok, specifically the book side of it (known as BookTok), trying to promote my books. The audience there is largely supporters of the more racy reads (proudly known as SmutTok), and I saw more than a few videos with readers expressing their distaste with fade-to-black and closed-door romances, dismissing them as "clean."

DISCLAIMER #1: I don't like the term "clean" because it implies that sex is dirty, but for the sake of this blog post, I will be using this term. That's another blog post for another day.

Now, over the years, I've been friends with a lot of authors who do write clean romance. When they recommend my books to their readers, their readers are often less-than-thrilled at my innuendos, touching, out-of-wedlock relations, and colorful language. Clean readers have definite expectations that include: no intimate scenes, no sexual language or situations, no out-of-wedlock relationships, no cursing or cussing, little to no alcohol use, and will usually end with a chaste kiss. The couple is not getting to first or second base, let alone hitting a home run. If these books were movies, they'd be rated G. Possibly PG if the plot deals with a more adult subject. Think what you see on the Hallmark Channel.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the high heat, graphic, explicit romances. Pretty much anything goes. And it usually does. I think we all know those books when we see them. These are the NC-17 and X-rated books if the MPAA guidelines are applied.

Like with most things, the ends of the spectrum are usually very vocal about their likes and dislikes. So when you write in between the two, it's often hard to make your voice heard. This has been a difficult avenue to navigate, as it's hard to market books to your target audience when you can't find them. But I know they're out there. They just don't have a voice, a label, or a name.

Enter medium spice.

What's a medium spice book? Think PG-13 to R-rated content. The couple is going to have intimate relations. You see the lead-up to it. There is kissing, touching, and perhaps discussion of body parts tightening or changing in anticipation. The kissing scenes are detailed, and you are in the moment with the couple (who may or may not be married). Basically, you are with them for first and second base. Generally speaking, at this point, the book will employ the 80s soap opera maneuver with a fade-to-commercial break (known as a fade-to-black in the book world), and when the scene resumes the deed is done. This is also known as a closed-door scene because the couple has sex behind closed doors and the reader is not in the room for it.

Occasionally, medium spice books will have an open-door love scene (as I do in Take a Chance on Me). This is usually included because it is vital to the plot. While more explicit (obviously), and earning the book a definite R-rating, these love scenes are generally shorter in length, ranging around 500-1,000 words, whereas a love scene in a higher steam book usually starts at 2,000 words on the shorter side (and there are multiple scenes like this in the higher steam books). Take a Chance on Me is my only book to date with an open-door love scene because it was vital to the reader to be in the room with Gloria and Grayson to know that he took care of her properly as part of her healing. This scene is about 950 words long in a 95,000-word book, so it only accounts for about 1% of the entire book. Certainly not enough to satisfy someone looking for a steamy read, but more than enough to offend someone looking for a clean one.

DISCLAIMER #2: This is a judgment-free zone. We don't yuck on others' yums here. If you like clean reads, great. If you like alien reverse harems, great. You read what makes you happy and helps you escape. There's a book out there for every reader and a reader for every book.

Think of medium spice books as you would chicken wings. You're not going to need a glass of milk or a roll of antacids following, but your taste buds were stimulated a bit. Be prepared for a little content, but don't be disappointed that there's not that much content.

To all of those looking for a medium spice book (perfect for your beach reading), make sure to check me out and use the #mediumspice, #mediumspicebooks, and #mediumspicetok hashtags if you're sharing on social media!

USA Today Bestselling Author Kathryn R. Biel writes medium-spice romantic comedy, contemporary romance, and women's fiction. Her next book, XOXO, releases August 1, 2022. Click ,here for more details.

I Saw the Sign

This one's long, but I think worth it. Buckle up.

The signs-- they're everywhere. Even in working on this blog post. You might call it coincidence, but there are way too many coincidences that this is simply chance.

Let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start. Or so says Julie Andrews.

November 2019. I'd just released Seize the Day. Book number three had to come next. Except I dreamed a dream. And that dream had nothing to do with my UnBRCAble Women Series.

It was of a man bumping into a woman, being very friendly and outgoing. She was paralyzed by anxiety. But he makes her sing, and that brings her out. But singing was the cause of her anxiety to begin with. It took a little finagling, but quickly I came up with the plot for Take a Chance on Me. In December 2019, I did my character sheets, basically plotting out (which I never do) a large part of the storyline so that on January 1, 2020, I could start writing. I was hoping to complete an 85K90 challenge, in which I would write about 1,000 words a day to finish this book in 3 months or less.

I usually write without plotting or outlining, so going in, I had more structurally to this book than I'd ever started with. Here's what I had:

Small-town musical theater based on the real-life Mac-Hadyn Theatre in Chatham, NY Coffee shop in town named Dean's Beans Heroine suffered from PTSD as a result of a viral video her ex leaked. The heroine and her ex were involved in musical theater, so this became a trigger for her. She was moving to this small town to work with a therapist for EMDR therapy The hero, based on Jeremy Jordan, owned the theater with his family The theater was undergoing heavy renovations and was on the brink of collapse Little bits of The Mac-Hadyn Theater would be sprinkled in, including their coffee house performances and the musical director named Josh (though the musical director is now Dave Maglione , when I first started going, it was a guy named Josh, so that's what stuck in my head. For a long time, my brother and I referred to Dave as Josh 2.0. Sorry, Dave).

I had the whole season plotted out for The Edison Theater. I was writing away, hitting that 1,000 word a day goal. Then, in late January 2020, this news story broke: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jan/21/amar-ramasar-west-side-story-broadway-comeback-metoo Basically, an actor cast in the revival of West Side Story had previously been fired from the New York City Ballet for releasing nude photographs of his ex, another dancer in the NYCB, without her consent. You know, like the plot of Take a Chance on Me. Weird, but whatever.

I get further into the book, writing about this theater on the verge of collapse due to the massive financial undertaking renovations have cost. They must have a season, or they will lose it all.

Enter COVID.

The theater that I'd lovingly dedicated this book to (which was now over 80,000 words), was facing similar ruin. There would be no 2020 season. The renovations they'd started, unbeknownst to me, were put on pause because there was no money. Hell, there was barely enough money to stage another show. I finish the book, at 92,000 words on March 30, 2020. In the back of my mind, I knew there'd be another book set in this theater, but I wasn't sure yet who the main characters of that book would be.

My audiobook narrator picks up on the fact that the managing director, Henderson, uses the word, 'mate' multiple times. She asks if he's Australian and voices him as such. It had never occurred to me that he was, but I wrote him that way. Why? I have no idea.

I put Take a Chance on Me up for pre-order with announcements that I'd donate 1/2 the pre-order royalties to The Mac-Hadyn Theatre. Their managing director, James Rodgers, contacts me, and we set up a Zoom call and subsequent Instagram Live. He's from New Zealand. Not unlike The Edison's managing director, Henderson Quade.

Okay, are these signs or what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_MHuslRpVY

Yeah, even this clip is a sign. Here's an excerpt from Take a Chance on Me, when Gloria finds her voice again:

A soft voice floats out from one of the back rooms. Dammit. Ria not only left the lights on, but the radio too. Doesn't she realize electricity's not free?

I halt, frozen, when I realize the voice is not only the radio, but Ria too.

Singing.

I'd bet money she's a mezzo soprano.

I stumble back for a minute, listening to her voice, signing along to The Bangles, "Eternal Flame." She's not just singing, but doing the harmonies as well. Ria is a singer.

A damn fine one.

I quietly walk into the room, mesmerized by her voice. With the last chorus of the song, I can no longer restrain myself and join in singing. She looks up, a bit startled, but continues as our voices entwine and twist together, supporting each other. As the last notes drift away, I can't control the large grin from spreading over my face.

We sound perfect together.

Eternal Flame. I just noticed that today when I went to grab this video.

A small sign: I sell my books at a small farmers' market in my hometown throughout the summer. The Waterford Harbor Farmers' Market had their own brand of coffee, Harbor Joe, created for them. It was made by a company called Dean's Beans.

Fast-forward into 2020 (because who wants to spend any more time in that year than we already did?): I get asked to participate in an anthology. I know I'm going to write a book that ties into others for potential sales. I know Henderson is my man. I settle on Tabitha from Once in a Lifetime as the female lead and set about throwing together this grumpy-sunshine story. I intend my novella, Vision of Love, to expand into a full novel once the anthology is done.

For this season, The Edison has been asked to do a run of The Greatest Showman as a pre-workshop for Broadway. I totally made this up. I don't think this is how it happens at all. But the songs and characters from Showman run deep through Vision of Love. Grayson, the lead from Take a Chance on Me, will be playing PT Barnum.

The novella version of this book, 22,000 words in length, goes to my editor around December 7, 2020. Just into 2021 (which isn't seeming that much better than 2020), I see this on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08AGzOmCk-s

Again, I had no way of knowing this when I wrote Vision of Love. Jeremy Jordan, my Grayson Keene, is responsible for bringing The Greatest Showman to the screen.

Still think this is all coincidental?

I knew that the 3rd book in the series would be about the ballerina who was named Leslie Ann Moose. I'd written her first lines several years back, and I knew The Edison was the stage to bring her to. I told this to James Rodgers during our pre-interview chat.

I even made a cover, even though I had no book. I've never done that before. Here's what it looked like:

But I needed her love interest (hence the uber-generic guy on this first version). Though I was only mid-way through Vision of Love, I knew I had to start laying the groundwork for Whatever It Takes. I knew Leslie would be reunited with her first love and that she'd broken his heart as a teenager. I just didn't know who that guy was. Yet.

The next morning, my best friend called to tell me about her dream.

Mind you, I'm the one with the crazy dreams. So I had to listen. She asked if I had any characters named Josh. I laughed. "Yes, the musical director at The Edison." I tell her why he's named Josh and that Josh is now the title for all musical directors, regardless of their actual name. She then went onto tell me about her dream in which she was hosting a book party for me because my book was a "crazy best seller and was huge." She was driving all over the place, looking for Josh Wines because the main character in the book was Josh. We laughed, because while she said she would not, in real life, plan a party like this for me, but we both know, in real life, she wouldn't let anyone else do it either.

I can tell you right where I was in my car when I knew that Josh was the main character in Whatever It Takes.

Don't worry, I'm wrapping it up. I promise.

I'm starting to think that the signs really are pointing at Whatever It Takes being my breakout book. Right? What else could all this mean? I mean, why else would all other roads be leading me here? It'll be my 18th release and 18 is my lucky number. Also, let's not forget the fact that anyone who knows me knows green is my signature color. And not just any green, but this weird shade of grass green that most people hate but I love because it is MY COLOR.

This is the final cover for Whatever It Takes.

Yup, it's my green, and even though I've been trying for 18 books, it happened to land here. And you can ask my cover designer how many times I've tried for green. The answer is approximately 17.

Last coincidences: there are two television shows on right now about 90s girl pop groups reuniting, which is the plot of Once in a Lifetime. They are "Girls5Eva" on Peacock and "Queens" on ABC (premiers in October). There's also a show on Fox called "The Big Leap" about a small theater taking desperate measures to succeed. The books in this series are front and center on TV!

You know, there are probably more signs and coincidences that I've missed in this blog (but let's face it, it's long enough as it is). If you're a believer that the Universe is sending me a message, perhaps you want to check out my Center Stage Love Story Series. Whatever It Takes releases on October 4, 2021.

And, just to be careful, fingers crossed and throw salt over your left shoulder. I need all the help I can get.

I Don't Belong Here

I'd never heard of imposter syndrome until I started writing. Even for the first few years of my career, I didn't know it had a name. It wasn't until I was attending my first major writers' conference in 2015, a full two years after I'd published, that I first heard of it. And while I was virtually crippled by it at this conference, it was another author-- a big name-- who talked about feeling like no matter how much success she'd achieved, she still felt like someone was going to call her out any moment for being a fraud. The feeling is real, and it can be paralyzing.

As an indie-published author, this feeling can be magnified. I didn't have an agent sign me. I don't have a publisher who read my manuscript and said, "YES. THIS is a good book and deserves to be out in the world." There is no gatekeeper, a fact long since bandied about by those in the traditional publishing community. The common defense of this is, "Anyone can publish a book." I've heard it before. I'm sure I'll hear it again. More often than not, it's another author who says it to me. Sometimes, it's someone starting out and in search of that validation. But when it's a traditionally published author, it smarts. Okay, it makes me stabby-ragey.

It feeds the imposter syndrome. It plays on every single insecurity I have.

But after eight years in this business, I've learned a lot. One of those things is that even the most successful authors have the same insecurities. Frankly, I've decided it's a good thing. I don't want to read a book by someone who is so confident that they no longer work to improve. To refine. To accept critique and comment. I don't want to be like that. I cringe when I read my earlier works, still loving the stories but knowing how far my writing skills have come.

Recently, I was having a discussion with a writer just starting out. He admits that he's looking for the validation that an agent and a traditional publishing deal will give him. His book is out in ebook form, but he's not feeling that it's real yet. We discussed the business aspect of it, and I told him why I made the decision to be an indie author. Working as my own publisher with my own imprint, I'm able to control what I write, when I write it, when I publish it, the pricing, the sales channels, the promotions, the covers, the blurbs, and the subject matter. I have 100% control over my work. I pay for multiple rounds of editing, as that's the one thing I cannot do myself. I've learned formatting and the craft of writing. I've learned about ads on Amazon and Facebook and try desperately to navigate the algorithms that make these websites work for a business. This new author asked me, "But without an agent to validate you, how do you know your work is any good?"

The answer is simple: the readers who keep returning. The emails. Social media follows. The reviews. I have several books that have reviews in the three digits. My lowest-rated book has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. That's what tells me that I'm worth it. I know there's room for improvement-- there will always be room, but when I read the overwhelmingly positive reviews, I start to feel a little less like an imposter and a little more like I belong here. Most readers don't know and/or care who publishes a book. They just want a compelling read. They want a cover that makes them stop and look. A blurb that makes them want to one-click to read more. A story that keeps them up past their bedtime. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how that gets to the readers; only that it does.

Seven years ago today, I hit my first major sales milestone, which I shared on my Facebook author page:

And then I received some responses.

I think that says all I need to hear. I'm right where I belong.

USA Today Bestselling and Award-winning author Kathryn R. Biel wants to help you find your funny with stories of resilient women. Click here to receive a FREE bonus scene from the bestselling book, Once in a Lifetime, as well as to stay up to date about new releases and sales.

What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been...

Eight years ago today, I held my breath as I hit the publish button for the first time. My first novel, Good Intentions, went out to the world. Oh, if I could only go back and teach myself some things! I'd start with this:

Yes, you need an editor. Probably two. Three wouldn't be a bad idea. You can't use song lyrics in a book due to those pesky copyright rules (don't worry, I've long since taken those out). That cover is terrible. Pick a genre. You can't write in multiple genres from the onset and hope to build a business. This is a business. You have no idea what you're doing, and you probably need to learn a lot more before you hit that publish button. Don't let fear hold you back and hit that publish button.

Still, there was a freedom in not knowing what I didn't know. I went in with little expectations. I had to sell four books to recoup my cover costs (a whopping $10). I wasn't in this for the business. I was in it because I had a story in my head and my heart that I had to get out.

So here I am, eight years later, having just completed my 17th book. I'm also working on revising and tightening up Good Intentions. At 98,000 words, it's my longest book. It doesn't need to be that long. I've learned a lot about the craft of writing in the past eight years, which I hope my more current works show. But I still love Maggie's story. She just needs some spiffing up to get up to par with my other books.

In the past eight years, I've lost some friends and but made tons more. My world is infinitely better for the wonderful people who've come into my life because I didn't know enough to know what I didn't know. I've had experiences I never would've dreamed possible, and this is only the beginning. I cannot thank these people enough. There are too many to name, but if you're reading this, you know who you are.

Okay, I've never really liked this song, but I'm feeling sappy, so this song is for everyone who's supported me on this journey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDcuRgk-JEI

I was definitely one of those kids who got "talks in class" as a comment on their report card. Anyone who's ever met me knows I'm a talker. My overactive brain finally has an outlet. Including the novel I finished writing 2 days ago, in the past 8 years, I've written 16 novels and 1 novella for a total of about 1.2 million words. Thank you all for reading those words. My husband especially thanks you because he didn't have to hear me speak them.

Eight years ago, when I sent an email to my friends and family and published a blog post about the publication of my first book, I really had no idea what a journey I was embarking on. It's been one hell fo a ride, and I can't wait to see what the next eight years (and more) bring!

USA Today Bestselling Author Kathryn R. Biel enjoys writing books that help resilient women find their funny. Her latest book, Vision of Love: A Center Stage Love Story, Act Two releases June 29, 2021. 50% of pre-order proceeds will be donated to the Mac-Hadyn Theatre's Bright Future Fund.

Do You Believe in Coincidence?

My whole life, I've been plagued by strange things. Most often, it presents as a dream or a random thought of a person, song, or movie that pops into my head. These are not things that I should be thinking about on a regular basis. Obscure thoughts, if you will. Then, by chance-- by coincidence-- I come across that thing in real life.

Like the time I had a dream that my college boyfriend broke up with me. We were going strong with no indication of trouble. In the morning, I told my roommate we were going to break up. No less than 2 hours later, he came over to watch a movie (The Princess Bride, which was ruined for me for years. Thanks Brian). Mid-movie, he decided to break up with me. When I asked if that was his intention all along, he said that it just came to him. By the way, his reasoning was that he didn't want things to get too serious, as he was leaving to join law enforcement and I still had 4 years of school in Boston ahead of me. Whatever.

Or the time (not that long ago), that I told my friend that when searching for a title for my 'X' book (my books go in alphabetical order and are all song titles), I'd have no choice but to use 'Xanadu.' I also told her that I didn't really know the song at all, just the title. Twice within the following week, iHeartRadio Broadway (which my alarm is set to) played Xanadu when my alarm went off. I've had my alarm set to iHeartRadio Broadway for over a year now, and this only happened after I mention it to my friend.

This has occurred in my life so often that I used it for the basis of my novel, ,Killing Me Softly,,. Sometimes, when I think of a person, the next time they're mentioned is their death. My dad and cousin have the same "gift," so we often have conversations about how we "killed" a celebrity because they popped into our brains.

So the rest of this story is long and convoluted. However, it's filled with so many of those moments that I can't help but hear some Twilight Zone music in the background. Here we go:

Last November, after I released Seize the Day, I began plotting my next book. I knew I had a character who was crippled by anxiety. I also knew that singing was not only the cause of her anxiety but her release from it as well. On and off throughout December, I plotted the book. I worked on character development and backstory. I needed a cause for the protagonist's anxiety and PTSD. In a sheer flash of inspiration while in the shower one day (because that's where the ideas hit), I knew that her boyfriend had released a sex tape and it had gone viral. Certainly the idea that the whole world had seen you naked would be enough to paralyze mose people with fear. So January 1, 2020 rolls around, and I start writing Take a Chance on Me. In writing this book, I committed to 85K90, which meant I would write almost 1,000 words per day for the first 90 days of 2020. I started on January 1 and was scheduled to finish on March 28 (pause for laughter because we all remember March of 2020).

Take a Chance on Me is set in the world of a family-run muscial theater set in Upstate New York. My theater is unabashedly based on the real life Mac-Hadyn Theatre in Chatham, NY. My female protagonist struggles through her PTSD while the male protagonist works to save his family theater during massive and crushing renovations. They have to make this season a success or the theater will close.

So I'm in my writing cave, writing when a story pops up in Google feed (probably fueled by my searches for different Broadway shows, as I was doing research). You can read it ,here. In a nutshell, there was a call to boycott the opening of the West Side Story revival, as one of the lead cast members had been fired from the New York City Ballet for sharing nude photos of his female colleagues without their knowledge.

You know, basically the plot of Take a Chance on Me.

Ok, little bit of a woo woo moment. Still, I continued writing. I mentally cast Jeremy Jordan as my male lead. I watched countless videos of Ann Reinking in Chicago for research. I spent hours watching her dance to "Me and My Baby" and "We Both Reached for the Gun." If you've read the book, this will totally make sense. If you haven't read the book, why not? :-)

Then March hit. I struggled to keep writing as schools shut down, restaurants shut down, the world shut down. I pushed on and finished the book, coming in at a whopping 92,000 words. I said to a friend, "how to I write about a theater struggling to stay in business when in reality, the theater I based this on may not open."

And they didn't open.

I donated half of my pre-order royalties to the ,Mac-Hadyn's Bright Future Fund to help them open hopefully in 2021. I began production of the audiobook of Take a Chance on Me. The narrator noticed that a secondary character, the managing director, always said, "mate," so she questioned if he was Australian. I'd done this totally subconsciously but agreed that he must be. In my subsequent efforts to help fundraise for the Mac-Hadyn, I had the opportunity to speak with their managing director.

Who is from New Zealand.

Getting freaked yet? Hang in there. He mentioned that I had no way of knowing but the Mac-Hadyn was undergoing massive renovations and this season was critical for them. So yeah, there's my whole book.

Okay, fast forward to this fall. I'm writing a follow-up book to Take a Chance on Me to be included in an anthology, out in February. I plot out the book, taking my Aussie director from Take a Chance on Me and match him up with a character from another book. It's great. I find myself immersed once again in the world of musical theater. Now I have to come up with another season of shows to run at my fictional theater.

Sometimes researching feels like more work than writing.

This season, my fictional theater will be doing "The Greatest Showman." It's not actually a stage musical yet, but in my fictional world, my fictional theater has been tasked with staging it to be able to sell it for a Broadway production.

I made this up.

My fictional theater, The Edison, is run by the fictional character, Grayson Keene. Grayson Keene is based on the very real-life Jeremy Jordan. Grayson and The Edison are going to bring "The Greatest Showman" to life. This is already written. The book was turned into my editors before Christmas.

(Speaking of before Christmas, Ann Reinking died suddenly. I only sort of take blame for this, but her favorite number of all time was reported to be "Me and My Baby.")

So last week, this pops up in my YouTube feed as I'm searching for aerial yoga videos (stay tuned to my page to find out why later). It was posted to YouTube on December 31, 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08AGzOmCk-s

I had no way of knowing that Jeremy Jordan had any connection with "The Greatest Showman." Is this enough to start believing in coincidences?

Sory for the long and winding story, but the best ones have intricate details not to be missed.

Telling stories of resilient women with humor, heart, and a happy ending, Kathryn R. Biel is the author of 16 award-winning romantic comedy, women's fiction, and contemporary romance titles, including Live for This, Made for Me, and Ready for Whatever: The UnBRCAble Women Series. Her next novella, Vision of Love, will be featured in the limited release anthology, Love in the City, available 2/16/2021.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Eve)

So I think we can all agree that 2020 is a year like none other. For a person like myself who doesn't do well with change, this year has added a level of baseline stress I didn't think was possible. We're going into Christmas, abandoning all our traditional plans, in the hopes of keeping our loved ones (especially our elderly parents) healthy.

I'm sort of glad for the COVID excuse really.

This year, Christmas Eve was going to be all different anyway, and the loss of our tradition hits me hard. It makes my heart hurt. Having the excuse of having to stay home lets me avoid facing a new reality this year. You see, within a few years of my birth, my aunt and uncle began hosting Christmas Eve. I vaguely remember their first house, but for the past forty years (or close to it), it's been in one location (we won't discuss the rogue year Aunt Maureen graciously let another family member host). My dad has a large family-- one of eleven children-- so Christmas Eve was when we saw them all. I remember driving home from Aunt Maureen and Uncle Andrew's as a child, scouring the sky for signs of Santa's sleigh. After all, I knew he was in the neighborhood because he'd stopped by for a visit.

It's no wonder I loved this Christmas Eve tradition. I made my family debut as people stopped by my parents' house on Christmas Eve in 1975. I was 6 days old. Having a birthday Christmas week was always hard, but on Christmas Eve, I was part of a special club. My birthday is December 18th. In 1992, my cousin Genny was born on December 19th (and also made her family debut on Christmas Eve). My cousin-in-law, Sarah's birthday is December 23. Aunt Maureen's father, Mr. Kelly, was a Christmas baby. My godmother, Aunt Catherine, is a Boxing Day baby. The group of us always had our special moment among the red and green. And speaking of babies at Christmas Eve: it was great for the mother. That baby was snatched the moment she walked in the door and she was able to eat and talk and some family member or another took care (with delight) of the newest family member.

A word about the guest list: in a family that's big, to begin with, there was always room for more. Friends of one uncle or another were invited. In-laws were invited. Friendships and relationships were formed. I looked forward each year to visiting with Robin and Hector and Aunt Roz's sister, Aunt Donna (not my aunt). My dad would bring his friend, Dave. I brought my mother-in-law. There was always room for more. My daughter still doesn't understand that the two other girls there are not her cousins, but cousins of her cousins (on the other side of the family) and that they won't be at all the Kopach family gatherings (though we'd have no problem if they were).

It was a great time, with great food and great people. An established tradition that I appreciated so much when I became a mother. Once I got through all the decorating and card writing and gift buying and wrapping and school plays and Christmas parties and baking, I could relax on Christmas Eve. And for the years when I hadn't been able to take my kids to see Santa, I was assured they'd still get a visit. It was especially useful the year Sophia was being a holy terror and Santa had some words with her about it. She knew it was coming the minute he walked in the room.

Sometimes my Uncle Andy played Santa. Sometimes they pressed any available male into the role. It was always a dangerous time for new boyfriends, as they were often given no choice. Sometimes Uncle Tom, the only brother-in-law in a family with 10 brothers, took on the role, handing out lottery (and fake lottery tickets).

Seven years ago, just after Christmas, Uncle Andy was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away a little over five years ago. Aunt Maureen, with help from her grown children and their spouses, soldiered on, making the best out of it. It was never the same, but in so many ways it was the same. There was still that tradition, the door always open, the wonderful food, the candles lining the driveway, cookies from the cookie swap, Uncle Chris playing the piano, and a sense of family, regardless of whether you were or not.

This past year, Aunt Maureen sold her house and moved out of state, to be near her daughter and her family. It's totally understandable. It's totally reasonable. And yet, it breaks my heart. First of all, I miss seeing my aunt. But I'm heartbroken at the end of a tradition I've known my whole life. Things will never be the same again. I know, life changes. Things change, whether we want them to or not. We had to accept that with Uncle Andy's passing.

I'm so grateful for the 40-er-something years of Christmas Eve gatherings. I honestly loved every minute of every one. I don't know what Christmas Eve 2021 (and beyond) will look like, but I hope it can replicate the wonderful feeling of family that Aunt Maureen and Uncle Andy gave us every year.

It was the best Christmas gift ever.

Telling stories of resilient women with humor, heart, and a happy ending, Kathryn R. Biel is the author of 16 award-winning romantic comedy, women's fiction, and contemporary romance titles, including Live for This, Made for Me, and Ready for Whatever: The UnBRCAble Women Series. Her next novella, Vision of Love, will be featured in the limited release anthology, Love in the City, available 2/16/2021.

Problem Solving

Math was never my forte. I've always blamed my middle school math teacher for this. After all, she did tell me, in front of my class, that I was bad at math and would never amount to anything. After years of ruminating on this, I've come to a realization: She is not the reason I don't like math. She is not responsible for the fact that I don't have enough patience to take the time and apply the effort needed to not make mistakes. She is not the reason that I didn't want to put in the work to get better grades in math. that was all me. And right now, I'm stumped with another problem. A bigger problem. An impossible problem: what do we do about opening schools in the fall?

We can't solve for X. There are no easy solutions and nothing will work for everyone.

We are in an impossible bind.

Kids need to be in school. Kids can't be in school. Parents need to work. Parents need to be home with their children. For every parent who wants to keep their child home, there is another that needs to send theirs to school.

We are in an impossible bind.

We need to spend money to make things safe. To buy PPE and upgrade air filtration and increase bus routes and add staffing, yet there is no additional money. In fact, there is less. We need bigger buildings. We need more time. We need more teachers. We need more bus drivers. We need more money. We have none of those things.

We are in an impossible bind.

The complexity of this situation is mind-boggling, which is why school district re-opening plans teeter on 100 pages yet still leave hundreds of questions unanswered. As a school district employee, as well as a parent, I have questions. Lots of them. They probably won't get answered either. I'm going to have to take a leap of faith.

I have no answers either. No solutions. No magic formula that you can check and re-check and always get the right answer. But I do see the problem. And maybe, we should be starting with the problem. It's hard to find the answer if you don't know why you are in the position you're in.

We've done this to ourselves, really. We've created a society of instant gratification. I want what I want when I want it, and I won't worry about the consequences of those choices. We are a commecially-driven society that focuses more on spending than on saving. We routinely live beyond our means in terms of housing, transportation, and recreation. Because we want what we want it when we want it, and we don't like to hear the word no. We don't say it to our kids, and we don't say it to ourselves. As such, we have to work. Single-parent families struggle and those with two parents have to have two incomes to make ends meet. We have to work and therefore our kids have to be in school, regardless of anything else.

If you don't think this is the case, look around. For the past five months, we've been hearing no. No traveling. No haircuts. No bars. No playdates. No sports. It's not bringing out the best in people either. In fact, in so many cases, it's bringing out the worst. We have lost the ability to dialogue with each other. Instead, we resort to a cancel-culture if we don't like what someone is saying. We have no resilience for adversity and no compassion for others.

We have made this impossible bind.

We have to be the ones to fix it.

It's time for people to start taking responsibility for themselves, rather than relying on someone else to sweep in and provide a solution. If we want to be critical of the way things are being done, then we need to be willing to put in the hard work to improve things. We need to stop complaining for the sake of complaining and figure something out. Think outside the box to find a solution rather than lamenting about the way it was always done. We don't live in a time that can support doing things the way they've always been done.

Take a long hard look at your life. What choices are you making (and they are all choices) that are resulting in your current situation? What other options are there? Have you even thought about other options? They may be hard choices. But maybe, just maybe, these hard choices can lead to better outcomes in the long run. We're often too focused on the short game that we forget about the long game. Choices that seem good in the interim are often detrimental for the long haul.

Let's all start plugging different things into our equation, keeping in mind that we all bear a personal responsibility for ourselves and our families. There is no one agency that can or will swoop in to save us. I think we're seeing the that fallacy of that ideology. It puts us in an impossible bind.

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Telling stories of resilient women with humor, heart, and a happy ending, Kathryn R. Biel is an award-winning author of numerous women's fiction, romantic comedy, and contemporary romance books. Her latest book, ,Take a Chance on Me, released May 21, 2020.

An Open Letter to the Governor of New York State

Dear Governor Cuomo,

For weeks-- actually months now-- I've tuned in to your mid-day updates, trying to make sense of a world in which reality seems like fantasy. Your voice, steady and even, fills the living room and changes the course of our world. It's funny, I remember trying to hear your voice as one of my principals streamed your press conference on March 13, 2020. My co-workers thought I was crazy that I was so sure you were closing schools for the safety of the children and teachers.

You didn't.

I mean, eventually, you did, when New York City's numbers exploded. Too little, too late, in my opinion.

It's never been a secret that you have no love lost for the public education system and the teachers of New York State. Announcing that in order to qualify for the 180-day waiver was contingent upon no interruption in distance learning was just one more example of how you like to flex on the teachers. An administrator said to me, "I can't believe that the teachers didn't fight not closing for Spring Break."

We didn't fight because we didn't have a choice. We knew that fighting that mandate meant losing tens of thousands of dollars each day of this cancellation for our school district. We were not about to do that to our kids. So we showed up. We logged on, weary and anxious. Needing a break. But we did it anyway because we are teachers and that's what we do.

I understand why buildings are closed for the remainder of the school year. I understand the logistics of keeping everyone safe and healthy. I understand that if we open up here in Upstate, where numbers are low and manageable, there is nothing stopping those in the Downstate area from coming up here, raising the curve back up. I'm not happy about it, but I understand it and will keep plugging along because I'm a teacher and a parent and that's what I do.

But what I don't have to do is sit here idly while you, the governor of my state, bully the education system and flex your privilege on us. Today, you said this:

“The old model of everybody goes and sits in a classroom and the teacher is in front of that classroom and teaches that class and you do that all across the city, all across the state, all these buildings, all these physical classrooms. Why? With all the technology you have?”

Has it ever occurred to you that access to technology is a privilege? That having a home with high-speed internet is a privilege? That having a parent not also working a job while trying to provide this education is a privilege? That having a home that is safe and secure and conducive to education is a privilege?

I am a school-based physical therapist. I provide federally mandated services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Physical therapy is very hard to provide through a computer screen. Most of my caseload is in Kindergarten and also has some form of communication or cognitive impairment. I depend on the parents to provide access and facilitate my services. But the parents didn't go to school for eight years, earning a Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees in my field, pass the State Boards, complete required continuing education, and maintain a New York State License for the past twenty years. If they could do what I could do, you wouldn't require me to participate in continuing education and pay New York State to maintain my license. Much like if every parent could do what a teacher could do, then why do we have teachers?

Or lawyers?

Or anyone.

You are basically saying that people are non-essential in the cogs of the developmental wheel since we have the technology. No one who developed this technology did so without a teacher.

Governor Cuomo, I'd like to invite you over to my house. I am fortunate enough to live in a safe environment with space to work. But still, you'd see cobwebs because even though I'm home all day, I don't really have that much more time to clean. I'm working longer hours, and I'm mentally exhausted from trying to talk parents through every nuance of what I do. Why don't you come in and watch what I do? Help a parent as a child has a meltdown because they have disabilities that desperately need outside help and all you can do is offer compassionate smiles and re-assure the parent, who is also now in tears, that they are doing a good job. You can help me document what I'm doing, how I'm modifying it, what level of support I'm giving, and what progress I'm making toward helping this child achieve the goals written in the IEP. For every student. Re-assure parent after parent and listen as they tell you that they cannot keep going like this, working and providing education. Of course, you'll have to move as I shove my chair aside, disconnect my headphones, and get on the floor to try to demonstrate to a child how to properly do an exercise. I have to wear the headphones in order to maintain confidentiality, as this is private information and I'm at home. You can watch me stretch my neck and take pain relievers because I don't have access to the healthcare I need to manage my neck pain while sitting every day at the computer. I'll get you a drink from the kitchen, but only when my husband isn't on a call. He works in the dining room, you see. In between our sessions on the computer, you can run with me upstairs to make sure my kids are doing their schooling. One of my children has special needs, and that child requires a lot more support than most of their peers. You can see how I bop back and forth between Google Classroom for my caseload and for my kids. You can sit with my other child as they cry, having an anxiety attack about an assignment they have to record and send in. You'll have to scrounge in the fridge for lunch, I'm afraid, as I only go to the store every ten days or so (I'm being a responsible New Yorker, you see), so the pickings might be slim.

And I have it easy compared to some. To many.

Why don't you go visit my co-workers who are trying to provide direct instruction with a two-year-old climbing all over them? Or my other co-worker who's husband is a State Trooper, working twelve-hour days, so she's trying to balance educating all her students, as well as her own three children?

Or how about going to a motel where a family of eight lives in one room with one cell phone to see how their education is going? Will you still think those children don't need a physical classroom?

I will say it unequivocally: distance learning is not sustainable and is not equitable.

I'd invite you to school, once we're back in the physical buildings, to see how it differs. But I know that our physical schooling, especially if you have anything to say about it, will never look like it used to. So what I will do is this: Ask yourself-- better yet ask your daughters who their favorite teacher was and why. It has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with personal connection.

I know you don't like the public schools. But don't rob an entire generation of children from that connection for a vendetta. And if you can read this letter, thank a teacher.

Sincerely,

A concerned NY resident, school service provider, and parent

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece are mine and mine alone and do not reflect those of my employer, nor do I represent my employer in any way.

,,CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER AND ,RECEIVE,, A FREE BOOK!

Telling stories of resilient women with humor, heart, and a happy ending, Kathryn R. Biel is an award-winning author of numerous women's fiction, romantic comedy, and contemporary romance books. Her latest book, ,Take a Chance on Me, releases May 21, 2020.

The Show Must Go On

Neither rain nor April snow nor global pandemic shall stop this book from coming. That's the attitude of resiliency I have adopted as I put the finishing touches on my 15th book, Take a Chance on Me. Here's what it's about:

Moving to Hicklam is the last thing Gloria Benedetti wants to do, but it's her final hope at having a normal life. After spending almost a decade as a near recluse and virtually paralyzed by crippling panic attacks, an alternative therapy might be her only shot at regaining her life after trauma. Trauma that forced her to give up everything, including a promising career on the stage.

Staying in Hicklam is the last thing Grayson Keene planned on doing, but The Edison Theater has been in his family for generations, and he can't let it sink on his watch. Unfortunately, things with The Edison have gone from bad to worse, and Grayson needs all the help he can get to save the old girl. He needs one successful season to make things work, and then maybe, just maybe, he can get his life—and his Broadway career—back.

As Gloria's on the verge of the health and healing she's been working toward, the one thing that will save The Edison may just break her once and for all. If she protects herself, it'll cost Grayson everything. This may be the one chance that's too big to take.

This story takes place in a small town in Upstate New York, centering around the main characters' journey to find themselves while saving a family-run musical theater. Ideas for this story have been germinating in my brain for years. I've always been a large musical theater fan and unfortunately, was not blessed with a singing voice to support my passion. It doesn't stop me from belting it out while cooking dinner, much to the chagrin of my family members. Every summer, my brother, parents, and I are season ticket holders for a musical theater company which served as the inspiration for The Edison Theater in Take a Chance on Me.

As I'm going through final revisions and edits, preparing to introduce Gloria and Grayson to the world, the theater from which I drew my inspiration should be doing the same thing. They should be knee-deep in rehearsals for their opening show, debuting right around the time Take a Chance on Me does. But we all know the reality of the world has closed the curtain for the time being.

I'm sad, as the rest of my family is. I know the actors who only want to be on stage are crushed. I know there is a theater family who has worked for over fifty years to bring high-quality shows to Columbia County who are worried that their theater won't survive. Spoiler alert: this is much the plot of Take a Chance on Me. With life so imitating art, since I can't break out into song and dance (well, I can but I really shouldn't) to advance the plot, I'm going to do the only thing I can.

Drum roll please ...

50% of my royalties from the pre-orders of Take a Chance on Me will be donated to the Mac-Hadyn Theater in Chatham, NY. It may not be much, but it could be a lot. That's up to you, my loyal readers. The more of you who pre-order, the more I'll be able to donate to Mac-Hadyn's ,Bright Future Fund. You don't have to do anything, other than purchase my book.

You can pre-order the book here:

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I'm simply one small business owner trying to support another. Please help us both out. You can find out more about the Mac-Hadyn Theater by visiting their website and following them on ,Instagram.

Remember, if you've never read one of my books, now is the perfect time to take a chance. Let's help the curtain rise for the 2021 season. Thank you and stay well!

Telling stories of resilient women with humor, heart, and a happy ending, Kathryn R. Biel is an award-winning author of numerous women's fiction, romantic comedy, and contemporary romance books. Her latest book, Take a Chance on Me, releases May 21, 2020.