The highlight of my month is my new coffee machine with milk frother that makes espresso, so that I can make lattes from the comfort of home. It's cold out, and I severely dislike it (the only perk is lots of kitty snuggles). One of my annual conventions has already been canceled, and I'm expecting … Continue reading January Wrap-Up & February Goals
A Year in Reading: 2021
Hey, remember I was totally shocked by how much I read last year? A whopping 258 books? 2021 was apparently my time to shine. And by shine, I mean completely immerse myself in fictional worlds. How did I pull this off? A few reasons come to mind. My day job finally got rid of its … Continue reading A Year in Reading: 2021
November Wrap-Up & December Goals
As 2022 barrels down on us, I can say two things with certainty: 1) I still dislike cold weather; and 2) If the Kindle Unlimited price ever goes up, it's probably my fault. But good news! In 3 weeks, I'll be headed to warmer waters (literally) for a much-needed true vacation. And the best part … Continue reading November Wrap-Up & December Goals
October Wrap-Up & November Goals
I'm writing this on Halloween, my second-favorite holiday of the year, which marks exactly 60 days until New Year's Eve, which is my favorite holiday of the year. I'm looking forward to dressing up in a bit and helping my mom give out candy at her house. Then, I shall endeavor to get a good … Continue reading October Wrap-Up & November Goals
September Wrap-Up & October Goals
Everyone should have a home away from home, and mine is apparently at my friends' house near Atlanta, Georgia. Which means another road trip in the TARDIS! The spouse and I are down south again for few quiet days before a weekend at a fancy lakeside cabin with friends and board games (and alcohol). I … Continue reading September Wrap-Up & October Goals
August Wrap-Up & September Goals
The spouse and I spent a good chunk of August on the road, visiting friends in Atlanta and family in Florida. We stayed as safe as possible (even if we were the only ones wearing a mask in many, many gas stations), but had to treat ourselves to a trip to Kennedy Space Center while … Continue reading August Wrap-Up & September Goals
July Wrap-Up & August Goals
First, the obvious news that I've been shouting about for a month now: Steel Justice (Steel Empires #6) is live! I've already heard from a few people how much they are enjoying my take on a murder mystery set in my urban fantasy/alternate history universe, so I hope you give it a chance, too. Amazonย |ย Barnes … Continue reading July Wrap-Up & August Goals
May Wrap-Up & June Goals
It's a gorgeous day outside, and summer is my favorite season, so I'm here to celebrate a great month and look forward to an even better one. I am now fully vaccinated, so I got to hang out with my best friend in person for the first time in nearly 18 months, along with planning … Continue reading May Wrap-Up & June Goals
April Wrap-Up & May Goals
It's been a quiet month here at Casa Siamese, with all the big news over in the spouse's department. He started a new job and has to wear business casual for the first time in his life (as opposed to jeans and a hoodie when he was a shop technician or the military uniform he's … Continue reading April Wrap-Up & May Goals
Review: Forever Wilde Series by Lucy Lennox
This post contains reviews of all the books currently available in the Forever Wilde series: Facing West (Book 1)Felix and the Prince (Book 2)Wilde Fire (Book 3)Hudson's Luck (Book 4)Flirt (Book 4.5)His Saint (Book 5)Wilde Love (Book 6)King Me (Book 7)NautiCal (Book 8) Facing West (Book 1) I'm not usually one for kid-fic stories, even … Continue reading Review: Forever Wilde Series by Lucy Lennox
February Wrap-Up & March Goals
February is already a short month, and being productive made it feel even shorter. Or maybe that was the old-fashioned cold that laid me up for a week of it. Major changes lately include settling into my new multi-computer setup for officially working from home full-time, setting up the new mattress and bed frame that … Continue reading February Wrap-Up & March Goals
January Wrap-Up & February Goals
We thought 2021 would be low-key. Isn't that cute? Instead, there have been some major ups and downs that distracted me from my goals. On the other hand, I also got some great news about my day job--the pandemic proved that we do not need a central office to function, which means my permanent telework … Continue reading January Wrap-Up & February Goals
A Year in Reading: 2020
As usual, I set my Goodreads Reading Challenge for the year to 50 books. That's about a book a week, and combined with novellas and graphic novels, I usually end up with a final tally of around 100 books. Not bad. Makes me feel like something in my life is productive, and reading will always … Continue reading A Year in Reading: 2020
December Wrap-Up & January Goals
Hey, we did it! If you're reading this, we survived the train wreck that was 2020. I sincerely hope that your loved ones fared as well, and that we all do much better in 2021. I'm keeping expectations low and assuming that I'm in for another year doing a lot of reading and playing video … Continue reading December Wrap-Up & January Goals
September Wrap-Up & October Goals
New nerd swag for the laptop!* Another month of this crazy year has come and gone. The spouse and I escaped to Atlanta for a week, to socially distance with friends who also work from home. It was absolutely lovely and reminded me how much I miss conventions this year. The TARDIS drove and charged … Continue reading September Wrap-Up & October Goals
August Wrap-Up & September Goals
This month slipped away from me pretty fast, like the rest of this summer has, since time has basically ceased to have all meaning. I'm still working from home full-time, I'm still doing a lot of reading, and I've done some solid work on book 7 that I'm pleased with. All travel plans through the … Continue reading August Wrap-Up & September Goals
July Wrap-Up & August Goals
Steel Victory 2.0 Now Available! Buy links and other info The revised edition of the first Steel Empires novel includes: Authorโs preferred text for Steel Victory.Foreword by award-winning author and editor Lee Murray.โThe Reluctant Masterโ: A previously unpublished story featuring Victory and Mikelos in the early days of Limani.โLimani: A Brief Historyโ: An excerpt from a … Continue reading July Wrap-Up & August Goals
June Wrap-Up & July Goals
Announcement: Steel Victory 2.0 Available for Pre-Order! Hardcover release date: July 15Buy links and other info The revised edition of the first Steel Empires novel will include: Authorโs preferred text for Steel Victory.Foreword by award-winning author and editor Lee Murray.โThe Reluctant Masterโ: A previously unpublished story featuring Victory and Mikelos in the early days of Limani.โLimani: … Continue reading June Wrap-Up & July Goals
May Wrap-Up & June Goals
Time has ceased to have any meaning. Or is it just me? This was supposed to go out yesterday, but I had a bit of a weekend and losing myself in romance novels seemed a healthier option. But I'm here now, to entertain you with all of my exploits! /checks notes Apparently there is still … Continue reading May Wrap-Up & June Goals
February Wrap-Up & March Goals
Happy Leap Year! If January 2020 lasted about a millions years, February 2020 only took about 5 minutes. My month has been full of useful and not-so-useful productivity (yeah, I started playing World of Warcraft again), but it was also filled with good books and lovely times with friends, so what more can a girl … Continue reading February Wrap-Up & March Goals
