I’ve been away from the blog since Thanksgiving. It’s been a very busy holiday season here at the Beck house. We got ourselves a new puppy–Big Mo–whose been taking up a lot of my time. He’s a “Zuchon” (part Shih Tzu, part Bichon Frise) and adorable! 
We also enjoyed a white Christmas in Vermont with subzero temperatures. That weather kept up even in Connecticut, where I’ve been drinking plenty of hot chocolate to keep warm.
But not even the freezing weather can keep me from embracing 2018. My word for the year is “balance” and I hope to achieve that through discipline. I bought myself a cheap, old-fashioned planner to map out my schedule and to-do list. I’m trying to exercise. Still working on that healthy eating (the holiday sweets overload has thrown me). But nine days in and I’d say I’m doing a B+ job of finding balance in my life.
On top of all of that, I’m thrilled about the three book releases I have planned for this year. The first, ALL WE KNEW, is coming out at the end of this month. Here’s a short teaser:
So far his plan to rekindle the spark that had thrown them together hadn’t been working out as he’d hoped. Rather than concede defeat, he shifted the conversation. “Did you notice the benches outside Doe?”
“I did. A nice addition, actually.”
“I’m glad you approve, because we donated them.” He stared at her, hoping for her wide smile to emerge. The expansive, joyful smile that always filled him with heat and happiness.
“We did?” She chuckled with exasperation. “I don’t recall discussing it or writing a check. Maybe I’ve got Alzheimer’s on top of everything else.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her temple, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin. “You know why I did it?”
She shook her head against his chest. He eased his hold and looked directly into those intelligent, sky-blue eyes that he’d never grow tired of waking up to each day. “Because of all the good things that came from my four years at this school, you are the very best.”
“But what’s that have to do with benches…” Her brow furrowed. Then her face relaxed and, for the first time all day, her real smile surfaced. “You pounced on me in that glade.”
“Pounced is an exaggeration,” he defended.
She cocked a brow.
“Okay. I pounced.” He tipped up her chin with two fingers and lightly kissed her mouth. “I’m not ashamed or sorry, either.”
“Hunter.” She hugged him, sighing deeply. “Just when I’m feeling uncertain of everything, you say something that reminds me of why I love you.”
***
In June, we release the third Cabot book, WHEN YOU KNEW, and then I have a new series, The Sanctuary Sound novels, starting in October with the release of THE MEMORY OF YOU. I’d love for you to check some of these out. My publisher is running a giveaway of ALL WE KNEW on Goodreads, too, so sign up for a chance to win!
I hope your new year is off to an excellent start, too. Happy reading!
xo-Jamie
