Grabbing agency by the throat

and spilling some long held secrets

Today marks the sun’s highest point and longest day. A renewal with a full strawberry moon in sight and with it the ushering in of the slow descent into darkness. Being a Fall child as I am, I more than welcome the turn of the season, moving us all one step closer to damp grass, overcast skies, cozy coffee shops, and the shedding of expectations.

My first point of change for this occasion is this newsletter. Gone is Idyll City. While I loved the idea of an idyll place, it never really felt quite right. That’s the thing about life, isn’t it? Most things don’t feel quite right. But we make do until the right thing comes along. Or, at least, the right thing for right now. So, in place of the light airiness of Idyll City, is now Moods & Mayhem. With the shifting of the tides and my comfort in change, it’s fitting for the next chapter in my journey. Hopefully, you all like this emergence and I look forward to leaning into this aesthetic as I would a favorite sweater.

Like my personality, my writing differs so widely. I’ve written dystopian, YA, contemporary, romcoms, paranormal, romance, women’s fiction, literary, poetry… and there are so many other genres I’m interested in exploring still. It’s made finding my brand more difficult than I’d like to admit. Over the last few weeks I’ve really dug in to do the work to figure out who I am as a writer and while I know it is an evolving thing, I’ve found the threads that tie:

My writing is always going to be voicey. Poetic. Lyrical. I’m going to slip into what could be considered second POV at some point. The flow of a sentence sometimes matters more to me than the content. I write love stories - even if they don’t fit into a genre or tropes. My words are character driven and my characters are human - flawed, morally grey, and can easily be seen as either the hero or the villain at any point.

Maybe this helps you see why I landed on Moods & Mayhem in the end. It just feels right.

The second reveal I’d love to share with you all is the title of the Poe Book.

I’ve held this close to me because releasing it into the void feels vulnerable. Like I’ll lose a precious piece of this story if I only call it by its name.

For the last year, everyone has lovingly referred to it as the Poe Book and I’ve loved the hushed quiet of recognition when I was recognized as its writer. I loved having such a legendary name attached to something I’m known for, even if it’s just a little slice of its history.

Naming it feels like I’m losing that.

But everything needs a name. Names give us a carved-out space all our own. It gives us power and presence and agency to move into the world and demand to be seen. And my book… well, soon enough it’s going to demand to be seen. So, not to hype this any further, the official title of the Poe Book is…

Now, I know why you’re all here and the news that you’re really waiting for. In the spirit of this newsletter and my new “brand”, I know that my career needs to be dynamic, flexible, and full of change for me to be at my happiest. I’ve been running off dreams and futures that my twenty-something-year-old self, set, and I’ve come to realize that I need to accept that I’m a different person with different needs. At this juncture in my life, where a catalyst has occurred, allowing me the time and space to reevaluate my future, I’ve made some big (and small) decisions and goals that align more with who I am now.

One of those is chasing a hybrid-publishing career.

The House of Poe Collection will feature a duology that starts with The Truths We Make (previously known as the Poe Book) and its companion novel, as well as a planned novella.

The Truths We Make will be available for pre-order very soon and is set to publish in the Fall of this year. You will all finally be able to read Eve and Oliver’s story and I am so excited I can hardly contain myself.

This book is my love letter to all the romantic sad girlies. To all the ones who locked themselves in their bedroom, wailing out early aughts emo music. To everyone who’s ever felt held down by the expectations of their past, but still believed in their futures. Who has suffered the absence of the things they love most but still wouldn’t change a moment of loving them.

And while I wouldn’t say there’s a happy ending, there’s definitely a hopeful one.

Here’s a blurb of The Truths We Make and what you can expect:

EVANGELINE PIERCE knew falling in love with a Poe boy was a mistake. She knew it when she was seven and at twenty-seven, she knows it still.

After eight years on her own, trying to leave behind the emotional wounds that just won’t heal, she’s called back to Dellbrook to mourn the death of PAXTON POE. In the halls of her childhood home lay memories she’d rather forget, and her ghosts aren’t the only ones demanding to be heard; Paxton has left a letter. One that his brother, OLIVER, insists reveals he didn’t just die. He was murdered. And Oliver can’t solve the riddle without her.

As they delve deeper through clues, what happened to Paxton gets ever closer to being unveiled. But so do Oliver and Eve, bringing their history sharply into focus. For Eve to get closure, she must confront the past and the scandal that tore them all apart—no matter the cost. And to have any hope of solving the mystery of Paxton’s death, she must ask herself if generational chains can be broken and if love will ever be enough.

But it’s a truth universally acknowledged, that you should believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see, especially when dealing with a Poe…

I cannot wait to share more with all of you! I am announcing this on socials in the next few days and would love it if you’d share it with anyone you think might enjoy this story.

I still have other projects that are in the query trenches and I have talked with several other hybrid author friends, and feel like this is the right decision for this book and for my career moving forward. I am SO excited to go on this new journey with new dreams and goals and mile markers to hit!

As for this newsletter, I’m considering posting some behind-the-scenes of my publishing journey over the next few months (and beyond)! Let me know in the poll below if you’re interested in that direction.

That’s all my news… for now. There is plenty more I plan to share just not yet!

A few things I am loving lately

Sabrina Carpenter - Please, Please, Please

This music video has me in a chokehold. Everything about it has me OBSESSED. I have another WIP outside of the Poe collection that is very much this video-coded! Barry is that morally grey character that you cannot help being drawn to, even when you know you should walk away. Please, please, please enjoy this as much as me (and DM/comment me about it)!

HOCKEY!

I started a few weeks ago playing hockey in my local NHL learn-2-play sessions and y’all… I love it. The smell of fresh ice is probably one of my favorite things in this world. I walk into the rink, the slight chill wisping through my clothes in such a slow way that I don’t even realize it’s happening. Then the clean, frozen scent forces me to take a deep breath, sometimes what feels like the first one all day. It’s beautiful. My body feels alive and ready. Excited and nervous and fully present.

Sure, the pads are thick and I bought ones that are too big making me look like a roly-poly. And I still don’t know how to stop making me feel like that kid from Mighty Ducks who speeds into walls. But I’m learning and both of those things can be fixed with time.

If you’ve never been interested in sports, I wholeheartedly suggest giving hockey a try. Watch it on TV or go to an AHL game near you when the season starts back up in September. I find the rules, speed, and pure athleticism mesmerizing. Not to mention, you can pick up a hockey romance book and get your fix there, too! Might I suggest Pucking Around by Emily Rath or Consider Me by Becka Mack (if you’re looking for SPICY) or It Had to be You by Susan May Warren or Romancing the Grump by Jenny Proctor (both on my TBR but not read yet)

You can follow more of my hockey journey on my IG account that I created so I could stop bombarding my writing account with it (LOL): Sin Bin Hockey

Earl Greyer Vanilla Black Tea Bags by The Republic of Tea

Lately, I haven’t been able to drink coffee first thing in the morning but I still have a desire to have a warm drink in my hand. So, I’ve switched to making myself London Fogs. A great earl grey tea can be hard to find for a London Fog. Some people think it’s ok to use just an earl grey, but let me tell you a secret: you have to have an earl grey with vanilla AND a creamer with vanilla in it. Otherwise, it’s just not going to taste right.

I was so sad to learn that The Republic of Tea discontinued their Queen’s Ball, Bridgerton collection vanilla earl grey. I was desperate to find an alternative and came across this one - thankfully, it was JUST as good! Now, I steep one of these in boiling water for 3-5 mins, remove the bag, then put a half inch of Oraganics Vanilla Creamer. BOOM - best homemade London Fog with minimal sugar.

You can find the tea I’m loving here (this is not an affiliate link, I just really like the tea): Earl Greyer Tea

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Well, that’s it for this month! I hope everyone has a happy and safe solstice and that you all are finding ways to stay cool during this heatwave most of the nation is going through right now!

Until next time…