Maybe You Release Day!

Today is the day: Maybe You is out in the world! I’m so happy/excited/nervous/relieved this book is finally out. This is my thirteenth (!!!) time hitting that Publish button and it never gets less nerve-wracking, but it’s also exhilarating. Not a day goes by I don’t thank my lucky stars I’m able to do what I love - tell stories, entertain people, and hopefully touch and inspire them.

Meredith and Kieran’s story was so much fun to write. The idea of a ‘professional cuddler’ (yes, it’s a real thing!) fighting her growing feelings for a client - a client who happens to be adorable and Irish - really appealed to me. Especially since not only is Meredith fighting her feelings for Kieran, she’s also dealing with personal demons, namely grief and depression - two things I’m, unfortunately, well acquainted with. While Meredith learns to navigate the bumpy roads of her new life, plus try to deny her growing feelings for Kieran, she’s supported by incredible friends, reminded how much she’s loved, and she gets to have some fun along the way (including a trip to my favourite Canadian city, Kingston - more about that in the coming weeks!).

Read on for more about the book!

Some rules are meant to be broken...

Meredith has rules. As a “professional cuddler” at Human Touch Companions, it’s a necessity. Her number one rule: Don’t get attached to clients and don’t let them get attached to her. She’s never had a problem with that until she meets Kieran.

The adorable Irishman hires Meredith for emotional support in facing his estranged family, but he’s the one who ends up comforting her as she tries to come to terms with her beloved mother’s slide into the heartbreaking abyss of Alzheimer’s. It's only when Meredith sees how much she's leaning on Kieran that she realizes she's blurred the lines between professional and personal, but even worse? She’s broken her number one rule. She’s gotten attached to a client.

Meredith knows the best solution is to resume a strictly professional relationship. But Kieran makes her feel something she never thought she'd feel again. Surely that's worth breaking her own rules for?

☆☆☆☆☆

Buy MAYBE YOU for the special release-week price of 99 cents (regular price will be $2.99)

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☆Check out the MAYBE YOU Pinterest board and Spotify Playlist

Meredith was first introduced in my last book, Only You, as a side character. Only You and Maybe You can both be read as standalones, but if you'd like to read Only You this would be the perfect time to snag a copy because it's also just 99 cents! This one is currently only available on Kindle, and you can read it free if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

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It’s a Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans: Review & Discussion About Mental Health

It's a Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans
Published: October 5th, 2018
Publisher: HQ Digital
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Chick Lit
Acquired this book: Bought
Rating: 5 stars
Warning: This review might contain mild spoilers
GoodReads || Buy now: Amazon Canada || Amazon US

One night will change their lives forever… 
Georgia Bailey is closing up her little charity shop in Oakbarrow when she gets a mysterious late night call from a stranger, threatening to jump off the town’s bridge.

Something about the man’s voice is faintly familiar but all she can do is stay on the line and after talking for hours, losing sense of time passing, coax him back from the edge.
The next morning, Georgia walks to work, buys a festive latte from Leo (who she’s had a crush on for months!) at the local coffee shop, and is shocked when she suddenly recognizes the voice from last night…

A heartwarming festive love story that reminds us that even in the darkest of times, hope is always just around the corner!

Jaimie Admans’ books are always a joy to read. They’re fun and funny and always have a magical quality and something about them that makes them feel different from anything else I’ve read.

It’s a Wonderful Night had that magical quality I’ve come to love in Jaimie’s books, but the thing that really set it apart was something completely unexpected: the fact it dealt with mental illness. Honestly, take a moment to let that sink in: a romantic comedy that deals with mental illness. I love romcoms and have read many of them, most of which are light, fluffy, feel-good stories. An escape from reality. When you think of those things, you don’t associate them with mental health issues, right? But that’s one of the things that sets It’s a Wonderful Night apart and makes it a must read. Jaimie Admans struck the perfect balance between fun and funny romcom and serious, true-to-life, relatable issues.

As someone who has battled with depression since her teens, I’m always on the look-out for books that depict mental illness in not only a realistic way, but a sensitive and thoughtful way, and Jaimie did that. Having that not only in a romantic comedy, but one centred about the holidays, was brilliant. It’s important to talk about mental health all the time, but I think it’s especially important around the holidays because they can be difficult for many people.

“We shouldn’t be acting like mental health is something to be ashamed of. It affects everyone. No one is immune. Everyone is fighting a battle that we know nothing about.”

While some people see the holidays as the most wonderful time of the year and revel in the festivities, for others it can be absolutely miserable. For many people, the happiness of the holidays and getting together with friends and relatives can be exhausting. They feel they have to pretend to be happy because that’s what people expect. Or they see everyone else’s successes - jobs, travel, relationships, children, wealth - and it only shines a light on their shortcomings and failures. Many people also have complicated relationships with their families for a variety of reasons, and since the holidays are generally a time for family gatherings, it can bring on a lot of anxiety and stir up old resentments. Then there are the people who are either alone for the holidays, or feel alone...and the ones who have lost loved ones and the holidays are a reminder of what they’ve lost. Then there are the expectations that come with the season - financially, emotionally, timewise. There are so many reasons the holidays can be a difficult, painful time, and a lot of people bottle it up, put on a smile and a good show of holiday spirit, and meanwhile they’re spending money they don’t have, exhausting themselves with draining interactions, and feeling worse by the day.

This book shone a spotlight on those complicated Christmas + depression emotions. It didn’t make light of it and it didn’t sensationalize it. It didn’t make it seem like there was a magic cure for depression or that simply ‘getting in the holiday spirit’ would fix anything. Georgia reminded Leo that no matter how bad things get, they can get better and there are things - and people - worth sticking around for. She reminded him about the good things in life and that he matters. He’s important. Life is worth living. It was a beautiful, heartfelt message that rang so true for me and really spoke to me on a deep level.

“Sometimes the people who smile the widest are the ones who are suffering the most.”

The book wasn’t solely about Leo’s struggles with depression, though. It was also a story about friendship, community, and pursuing your dreams. It was sweet and heartwarming and hopeful. And romantic! I’ve found a new book boyfriend and his name is Leo. He was a perfect example of someone hiding behind a mask - always smiling, kind and generous, but hurting inside. He would do anything for anyone, and put himself last until Georgia came along and showed him how valued he was. I absolutely adored Leo and Georgia, and all the other Oakbarrow residents. These characters leapt off the pages and felt so real. I didn’t want this book to end, and it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that while reading a book. I could picture it all so clearly...which made me realize this would make a wonderful movie. Get on it, Hallmark!

If you’re looking for a sweet, funny, heartwarming read this holiday season - or any time of the year - I hope you’ll pick up a copy of It’s a Wonderful Night. It’s not only a beautiful festive read, it’s also a reminder that even in the worst of times, there’s still hope, and you’re not alone.

Are the holidays a fun time for you or do you find them stressful and emotional? Or maybe, like me, you feel a combination of both? Do you have any favourite books that deal with mental health issues?

 

 

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Thoughts on Finishing the First Draft of my Tenth Book

This past Saturday, I wrote ‘The End’ on my tenth novel. *throws confetti* If you’ve been following along for awhile, you’ll likely know I’ve had a lot of setbacks in the last few years. My last full-length novel, Something in the Air, was released in November of 2015, and even getting to that point was a struggle. Shortly after that, a lot of crap happened in my family that basically turned my life upside down. I lost my motivation, I lost my drive, and there were times when I honestly felt like I'd lose my mind. I worked away at different projects, but had trouble focusing on anything, plus my writing time was much more limited than it was previously. Depression and anxiety were basically the cherry on the shit sundae. I knew I couldn’t give up, though. I love writing and have always loved writing, even when writing didn’t necessarily love me. I would have bursts of creativity where I’d write for a few days in a row, thinking 'maybe this is finally it, maybe I'm getting my mojo back', and then not touch that project again for days or even weeks. But I kept going. I believed things would get better. I tried to stay positive even when it felt like there wasn’t much to be positive about. I used to be able to write a book in a matter of months. My personal best was two weeks in 2012, when I wrote Waiting for the Storm. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do that again, and I’m not entirely sure I want to; while that book is my personal favourite and the book that’s closest to my heart, it was also fueled by grief and my need to keep myself afloat and not drown in my own sorrow. That being said, I’d love to return to the days when I was able to write a book in one to three months, and that pride in having a daily (or almost daily) writing routine. So many things have been out of my control in the last two and a half years, but when I wrote ‘The End’ on my latest novel, I felt like I got some control back. Some of the issues that prevented me from writing are still present, and my mental health issues are still...well, an issue...but I’ve proven to myself something I’ve always known: I can do anything I put my mind to. I’m strong, I’m capable. I'm resilient. I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m ready. I’m actually excited to dive into edits and start a marketing plan for this book. Want to know more about the project I’ve been working on? *It doesn’t have a title yet. Yesterday I realized the book needed an epilogue (the MC kept telling me something that happened a few months later!). When I wrote the final line, I decided there was a possible title in there, but I need to give it some more thought. *The main character is Ivy Sima, who was first introduced in my 2017 Christmas novella Mistletoe Kiss as the main character Bridget's best friend. Bridget gets a fair bit of page time in this book, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. *The love interest is Scottish. And swoony. And I love him a whole lot. *The story started out as a Christmas novella, but morphed into something completely different. It takes place around Christmas, but isn’t a Christmas-y story. It ended up being a full-length novel at just over 83K words. *I’ve been calling it a romcom, but I need my beta readers to tell me if it’s actually funny enough to call it a romcom, haha! If not, it’ll be categorized as Contemporary Romance. *Tentative release date is November 13th, 2018. In the next few weeks, I’ll share more info about the book, including the title and synopsis. I’ll also be putting out a call for beta readers, reviewers, and people who are willing to help with the cover reveal and other promo. Watch the blog, along with my bookstagram account for more information. 

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