Vacation, New Novella Series, Reading, Movies & Pesky Gnats!

Hi,

I'll try to make this quick. I know you have a lot to do now that summer is almost over. Did you have a great summer, by the way? I got a lot of rain, but with all the showers, it kept the gnats away. Last year those pesky things nearly drove me crazy, and Zevo barely helped. Well, enough about that—let's get into The Mash Up!

What's Ahead / Writing

I hope you had a fantastic July! Did the weather meet your standards? Did you get to vacation on the beach? Now that the month is behind you, what's ahead for August? More writing? Family time? School prep with the kiddos? Whatever it is, I hope you balance it all with grace.

For me, July started off with a bang—I had ten days off and didn't do anything! Well, I read a little, and I finished my novella. But it's not with my editor yet. I know you're wondering why, and like I've said before, the cost of editing and getting a professional cover can put a real dent in your pocket. Saving is all I can do at this point. And no, she won't take Klarna...lol. As I move into August, I'll start outlining the next novella in my planned series.

Oh, I just remembered I may have failed to mention a few things about this new novella series! I'm planning three novellas, all set in a small mountain town called Cove Mountain.

I really enjoyed writing the first novella. I'll share more about it once all the professional edits are done and I have a beautiful, clean, professional book cover—not one made by me. (Although the other covers weren't that bad, I'm just not a book designer!)

What I'm Reading / Read

What a disappointing bust! My reading didn't make much of a dent this time around. I finished Jenny Hale's book, then a couple weeks later dove into Kennedy Ryan's novel, Before I Let Go. The book isn't bad, and of course Kennedy is a spectacular writer—her prose is to die for. I just can't seem to stay indulged in it. I have about 100 pages left. I'm going to do my best to finish the novel by next week. Hopefully!

What I'm Watching / Watched

🎬 Movie Quote: "Oh, my God! I've been abducted by Huey and Dewey!"

You've gotta know what movie this popular line is from. Reply if you know—and no Googling! 😄

Let's start with Ride or Die (a must-watch, fantastic series starring Hannah Waddingham & Octavia Spencer), Enola Holmes 3 (starring Millie Bobby Brown & Henry Cavill), Silo season 3 (starring Rebecca Ferguson, Common, & Tim Robbins), Superman (starring David Corenswet, Milly Alcock, & Nicholas Hoult), Moonfall (I was surprised this one was okay—starring Halle Berry & Patrick Wilson), Pompeii (starring Kit Harington & Emily Browning), Legally Blonde (starring Reese Witherspoon & Luke Wilson), Shang-Chi (starring Simu Liu & Michelle Yeoh), and finally Old Henry (a must-watch western, please watch this one!—starring Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Dorff, & Scott Haze).

Some old favorites: Ruthless People (a must-watch old classic starring Danny DeVito & Bette Midler), In Hell (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme—I know, more Van Damme...lol. I went down the rabbit hole of his movie catalogue, and he has a ton of good movies), Until Death (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme), and Nine Lives (starring Wesley Snipes).

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading The Mash Up!

Talk to you soon!

Nola.