Lily Writes

I’m spending a couple of weeks island-hopping in the Caribbean—a tradition my partner and I settled into several years ago. We love Michigan and genuinely enjoy four distinct seasons, but January and February can be bleak. The original sixty to ninety shades of gray. I can go a while without sunshine… but not that long. My body requires sun. Full stop.

Stepping out of routine is also a gift to mental health. New patterns of movement. Soaking in blues and greens. Listening to the steady rhythm of ocean waves as they speak directly to the parasympathetic nervous system—calming, grounding, resetting. My shoulders drop. My breath deepens. The world softens.

While away, I’ve been reworking Goddess: Moonborn. The final book in a fantasy series always wants to say everything, and I keep reminding myself to stay focused on Trace and Caela. They are the lens. The heart. The still point around which all the epic chaos swirls. So I’m carefully cleaning up the rough draft—reshaping, refining, trimming where needed. Like my Animal Crossing character, I’ve got the terraforming tools out: digging a little here, filling in there, guiding the water so it flows better. It’s coming together beautifully.

I’ve also mapped out the next two series in much clearer detail and started blocking in a writing calendar for which one launches first. (As if that will matter once the characters start talking over each other.)

Hounds of Hell will continue along the fringes of the Vanguardian world, following the pirates who fell in with Hades in Malta—an intriguing, dangerous, utterly delightful group with their own backstories and fated mates. Their adventures will be international, hotter, steamier, and far more relationship-focused, with less emphasis on Vanguardian politics. I’m very much looking forward to letting them loose.

I’m also deep into developing a new small-town series: Pink Matchmakers. Romance, humor, steam, and a whole lot of fun. These will be quick, dirty, HEA-filled reads featuring some of my favorite tropes—enemies to lovers, second chances, curvy heroines—all centered around the fictional town of Pinkerton Falls. Think Hallmark hometown energy… with teeth. Building this town has been a joy. Nearly twenty years as a Chamber of Commerce executive director and almost thirty years of event-planning experience have given me plenty of behind-the-scenes chaos to draw from. Festive disasters, earnest intentions gone sideways, and real-life romcom silliness? I’ve got stories.

Is all of this escapist?

Absolutely.

The news cycle gives me tachycardia. (With one exception: the Heated Rivalry boys. Love them. Yes, I’m a Loony.)

And for now, I’ll take sun, stories, and a little island magic while I write.