Happiness is a Writing Partner Who Is More Obsessive Than I Am

~ Jenny

Okay, I will be the first to admit that I can be nuts. But it’s so nice to have Bob beside me being absolutely batshit insane about some things. It makes me feel so . . . normal. He’s obsessing about reviews now. What reviews? The ones for the book that’s out in ten days. Why is he obsessing about them? Because there aren’t any. Why aren’t there any? Because the book isn’t out for ten days yet.

And then this happened (and thank you, Jean, whoever you are, we love you):



I’m telling you, get yourself a paranoid writing partner. They make you look GOOD.

What made you look and feel good this week?

174 thoughts on “Happiness is a Writing Partner Who Is More Obsessive Than I Am”

  1. I’m so excited for Lavendar!

    Making progress with painting walls has made me happy this week.

  2. Because I’ve moved to a City which this year has instituted Year Round Schooling (with breaks between quarters) and it is time for the summer quarter to begin, the dotter has asked if I still want to help with school supplies. Ilove shopping for school supplies! (Weird, huh?)

    Also, the dotter’s Significant Otter is returning the two QYO 12-pod hydroponic units I traded him for an iDOO 12 pod unit. The farm is expanding again. šŸ™‚ (QYO is the one with square holes.) I just posted a mid-July Farm Report, and now I have to revise it. Happily.

    Nine more days.

  3. My father’s plumbing issues have been resolved and he has running water again. And I got my car back. It is making significantly fewer noises now, so that is good.

    I have a copy of Lavender, but I haven’t read it yet. It’s in reserve for the next few weeks because the day job is being challenging and I need something to look forward to. Also, I kinda want to keep my paper copy pristine. I can take the digital copy with me to work and read it at lunch. So I am also kinda waiting for that.

    1. Same! I keep carrying it around with me in case I get time to read it, but it has not happened yet. The joys of two jobs

  4. Spent an afternoon with SIL#1 – walking, shopping and a delicious dinner at a favourite restaurant.

    SIL#2 and her husband came to stay with us for a couple of days and brought their 6 month old cocker spaniel. Heā€™s adorable. We went to see the Foo Fighters at an outdoor music festival. It was a lot of fun and the band put on a great show.

    Work party Saturday on the farm. Theyā€™re hosting a workshop in a couple of weeks so lots to do to get ready, over and above the regular tasks. We celebrated our hard work with a swim in the pool.

  5. Bob is the perfect partner for you. I put a big pause on reading romances a couple years ago. No problem with the genre or the books. It was more a personal ‘loss of faith’ in certain aspects of my personal life. Long story. Aside from the lack of real life romance, all’s well in my corner of the world.

    What made me happy this week? Several things. I taught my second needle felting course at a local library. It went well. All the attendees were excited and creative. I felt comfortable teaching it. My two felted landscapes are framed. One is for myself. The other is headed to a neighboring state’s fair on Tuesday. I have several needle felted projects that will accompany it…as long as I get them finished by Tuesday morning. I’m busy stabbing wool over the next couple days. By the end of the summer, these projects will have been shown in three fairs. Well, that is except for the dragon. Dragon? Yep. My felted dragon (both wet & needle felted) was in a festival in early May. He came home with a Blue Ribbon and a special award. Now I am officially an award-winning fiber artist. There has to be another dragon soon. Mother of Dragon sounds so singular and lonely. Hahaha.

    My youngest turned 32 this week. Time flies. Looking at the calendar, I realize I have another special celebration today. Thirteen years ago, on a Friday morning, I felt a pinch in my shoulder area. A couple hours later I was in the hospital, listening to a cardiologist explain that I had a heart attack. Thankfully I’d reacted quick in the morning and the cardiologist was one of the best. No residual issues. Moral of the story – make sure you pay attention to those warning signs.

    2. In case you’re wondering what I am reading (since it wasn’t romance). Most of my reads for the last few years are audiobooks. I have a daily round-trip commute that’s just under 90 minutes. I’m going through The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. It’s fun because I picture the actor from the tv series and because James Marsters is the narrator. No explanation needed. Also working my way through several other series: the Preston & Child books (basically any/all), Orphan X (series by Gregg Hurwitz), Joe Ledger (by Jonathan Maberry) and some of the Clive Cussler ones. After I read one or two of these books, I break it up with some non-fiction – either something about felting/art or simply something interesting to me. Sometimes it is young adult books. Right now it is The Railway Children. Most recent finish was Ghost Riders: When US and German Soldiers Fought Together to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Horses in the Last Days of World War II by Mark Felton. This one was fascinating. Lipizzaners possibly wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for all the people who participated in this rescue. History, horses, danger, bravery, intrigue, dedication and fighting against the enemy. Loved it!

      Yes, my reading interests cover a VERY wide range. It’s been a while. Maybe it is time to get back into some romance. And hope.

          1. No, this is more about what happened in WWII. I have another related book on my list: The Perfect Horse: the Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis (Elizabeth Letts). I expect it will be a good read. Her book The Ride of her Life was very interesting.

    3. I think we need a photo of this wonderful dragon, or at least a very detailed description.

      1. Thank you, Jan! I don’t know if I can add a photo here. There doesn’t seem to be an option for it. The dragon is approximately 24″ tip to tail and when his wigs are open he can is about 18″-24″ wide and high. The wings are fully articulated and are wet felted. He is made from wool (several breeds) and some silk all in rusts/browns. The claw nails, horns and wing claw nails are handmade from polymer clay. The eyes are hand-painted (by me) clear glass cabochons. He’s my version from a felted dragon course I took online earlier this year. The next ones will be even better.

  6. I feel special. Amazon sent my paperback. I read it and LOVED it.

    When I wake up I will write a review.

    And a happiness comment.

    I just got off a ten hour overnight shift.
    –zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

      1. I found that, also. Idk whatā€™s going on, but putting in the title and Crusie didnā€™t even bring it up. ?????

        1. And, I did leave a review (which I hardly ever do- may need to start doing more!). Itā€™s going through Amazonā€™s checks, but it occurs to me that I may have spelled your name as ā€œJenniā€, which is how I spell it. Oops! Apologies in advance, in case I did!

          1. No worries. You should see what people do to “Crusie.” I’m just grateful for the review. Thank you!

  7. Iā€™ll read it as soon as it comes out to my Kindle. And if it helps, Iā€™ll leave a review. I donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever left a book review anywhere before. But I guess it makes sense. People canā€™t buy what they donā€™t know about. Are there any romance book review sites still in existence? Maybe one of those could provide a review.

    1. Reviews make a huge difference, Diane. If you love a book, you’re doing the author a big favour posting about it. Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, wherever you feel like.

  8. I’m happy to have overcome the hurdles to getting antibiotics for my Lyme disease, and happy that this time, other than a HUGE rash and one day of fever/headache/etc., the symptoms haven’t been too terrible.

    Also happy to have participated in medical research last Monday (follow-up study to the clinical trial I was in), AND I was separately recruited for another study on a very poorly understood aspect of my rare disorder (although the paperwork appears to have gotten lost in the ether and I need to follow up tomorrow to find out, I suspect, that they misspelled my email and will send it again).

    1. Lyme is insidious and I wish you all the best fighting itā€¦irradiating it from your microbiome. A loved one is struggling with it, so I know what you are going through.

  9. Happiness is preordering a book by your favorite authors.

    Iā€™m looking forward to reading it. ā¤ļø

  10. Made it back from Raleigh after getting stuck overnight in LaGuardia – newsflash: there’s nowhere to sleep in airports these days. I tried lying on the freezing floor but to no avail. A woman in the next gate had the temerity to pull out a blanket and wrap herself in it. I almost coshed her on the head and stole it. I know now who I’d be in the zombie apocalypse and it’s not the hero. Anyway – 24 hours in transit. Gawd. Have been catching up on my sleep this weekend. Now taking my mother away from her long term care home for brunch – she is on P of the Sue Grafton alphabet series.

      1. My poor son had two flights cancelled (resulting in a days delay each way with accompanying hassles) and a third flight delayed for hours when he went to the London commitment ceremony, and so did two other guests. It was awful.
        I also have a new life lesson to share ā€”if you are picking people up from an international flight after the airport is temporarily shut due to weather, donā€™t even bother to leave for the airport until they are almost through the passport lines. We spent 2.5 hours in the cell phone waiting area Friday night. The border patrol was fully staffedā€”it was just that backed up.

    3. You would be the survivor driving around in an armored and spiked mini van. I would like to be in your roaming band of vagabonds. I think that my chances of surviving during the apocalypses would increase significantly. Of course we would need a trailer just for shoes, so that might slow us down…

      1. I’m set up for the Zombie apocalypse. I always have extra water & a picnic set and nifty picnic mat in my car. A comfy parka thingy. The seats raise at odd angles, so short-but-long-limbed me has a crafted Ā½ pillow to sit on.

        The gym bag is my go bag since I hardly gym go. Heh. (Yoga and Tai Chi in studios and parks took over.) It’s a regular bag but like an overnight carry, has a change of clothes, necessary toiletries, toilet paper, the not-quite work out gear doubles as pajamas because I dislike track/sweat suit or tights and sport tops. My harem-style calf length pants with a matching colour T shirt is fine for training or sleeping.

        I’m not concerned about the robot army yet. I believe Skynet is live but we call ’em Cortana, Siri, Alexa and they think we are useful. šŸ§™šŸ»

      2. See, Lupe and Sure Thing, I like the way you both think. Absolutely we’d need a trailer for shoes but…it wouldn’t slow us down…we could strew our lower priority ones into the path of our pursuers who would be completely distracted trying to hastily retrieve them.

        And Sure Thing has obviously put all the practical thought into this endeavour that, perhaps, we are missing.

    4. Tammy, in our airport (MUC) there are sleeping cabins like in Japan. Though it might not help you to fly across half the globe just for a stop-/sleepover šŸ˜‰

  11. I had a photography session on Thursday, re-bonding with my camera. Iā€™d been a bit envious of my friend Pamā€™s new camera, and it made me happy to realize the one Iā€™ve got is good. (https://www.instagram.com/p/CurTjUds3Ph/) Had long chats with a couple of friends, and watched ā€˜The Best Exotic Marigold Hotelā€™ for film night with Pam.

    And today itā€™s mostly dry, so Iā€™m having a gardening day.

  12. My happy is that I have had electricity, when thousands of people who were in the same horrendous Friday thunderstorm, didn’t. Some areas reported 73mph winds! The power company is doing an amazing job of restoring it, and recruited help from neighboring states to work on it. I took my usual walk the morning after and saw leaves, limbs, huge branches, and whole trees strewn on lawns and streets, and some houses.

    I went through that same experience soon after I moved to the Kansas City area, and had no power in high summer for four days. I lost everything in my two refrigerators, and had no air conditioning on those really hot days. So, I paid my dues to this suffering, then. I think my town’s impetus for passing an ordinance that trees around power lines had to be trimmed was due to that storm, and is the reason my area did not lose power this time.

    The suburb next to mine is still waiting for restoration, and that is where my son and family live. They are troupers, and are doing OK. I made room in my freezer for some of their food. The rest is toast. They keep saying, “It could have been worse.” A house on the next street was split in two by a huge tree that fell right through the middle of it. Oy vey!!!!

  14. I left a review on Amazon, which they didn’t post for some reason, so I went back and did it again. It is up on Goodreads, along with one from someone names Elizabeth. Take a breath, Bob.

    On the other hand, it was hella hard to find on Amazon. I put in the title, then the title plus Jennifer Crusie, then the title plus both your names. Nada. Finally specified “books” and it came up, but this is a major issue. If no one can find the book through searches, you’re going to have to blanket the internet with posts that have links. Oh, BOB…

    Showed up right away on Goodreads. Go figure.

    BTW, has anyone heard anything from author/Argher Robena Grant? She used to post here, but when one of the Betties asked me about her, I realized I hadn’t seen her here in a while.

    2. The other person who hasnā€™t posted in a long time is Ann the genealogist. She used to post amazing books on Thursdays.

      1. I miss Ann. She had lung problems the last time she posted. I hope she is okay.

        1. Hi Deborah Blake — I’m the Elizabeth who posted a comment on Goodreads. You and Bob liked it. I’m touched. I wanted to give an impression of what a great book Lavender is, in the tradition of Jenny Crusie’s opus. Without spoilers or words that have been overused. Not easy for me.

          I was surprised that there were no “want to reads” on Goodreads. Must be because folks are having so much trouble finding Lavender for reviews.

          1. Also, I just commented on Barnes & Noble as Colona. I tied Lavender’s Blue to Bet Me and Faking It. But I goofed — I forgot to mention Bob. Sorry, Bob!

            Is there any other place where I should add a review? I don’t do any social media like Facebook, but if there are other review sites, I’d be happy to post.

    3. Amz seems to have developed a default algo where it hides books you’ve already purchased. Super annoying. You have to start at the author’s page.

      If you’re just checking for visibility, try searching from an incognito window.

      1. No I think Deb is right. I havenā€™t bought it yet (I will) and I had the exact same search results she did. Nada under the general search. I had to limit the search to books specifically and then it showed up no problem. Super weird.

    4. A reader posted a review of my new book on Amazon last Thursday morning (US, Eastern time zone) and it finally appeared today, three days later. So if you uploaded your review in the last day or two, there’s every chance it will pop up soon.

      The search function seems to work OK as long as you specify “books” and then search. If you try to search from the Amazon home page, you get all kinds of weird results. Readers on Ilona Andrews’ blog were reporting similar problems a couple of weeks ago regarding the latest IA release, Magic Claims. No idea whether this is a new problem as I always search “books.” Hopefully most readers will do the same.

    5. I followed a link posted on here, days ago, and added it to my wish List. I’m not buying any books until I’m sure I’ll be able to read them. But immediately at that point, I will order Lavender. That is definitely a problem, though.

    6. I also couldnā€™t find it searching Amazon, but Iā€™m guessing that has to do with how Amazon prioritizes things.

  15. I was so excited to get my copy of Lavender in the mail! Will definitely reviewā€”reviews are life. Faking It and Agnes are my favorite of your books.

    Weā€™re heading out for a short hike, hoping to get out and back before it gets too hot. We struggle to get out the door earlier enough most of the time, but I think we have a shot at it todayā€”itā€™s still below 70 out. Even the dog condescended to come. That makes me happy!

  16. We had a flash visit from my nephew and his family, with kids, 6, 10 (today!) and 13. Really fun and exhausting. Lobster dinner, whiffle ball, key lime pie, goofing around. Many hugs, and the youngest is still in the stage where she’ll just come sit on you, your lap, your chair. They’re off to an assignment in Germany for some years, so it will be a while before I see them again, although I am determined that this time, will indeed visit.

    The garden is chaotic and beautiful, with plants put in the back of the bed showing up in the front, but I don’t argue with blooms. I actually put a few photos up on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CuwzccRLEbi/?img_index=1. Hope this link works!

  17. Planted another garden last Sunday. The Helene & Dorothy Garden. My mother and aunt, sisters, the bookends to three brothers. Some of their favoured flowers like sweet peas, phlox, gladioli, delphinium, sweet alyssum, and a plant I canā€™t remember the name. Something that takes sun. My cousin loves it and said they would love it too. Brings to mind a b+w photo of them laughing and holding hands. Garden has survived the heat so far this week. Makes me happy.

    Waiting for Lavenderā€™s Blue download. Predict reading into the wee hours.

  18. Yay for an excellent support system.

    Happiness is friends that I can swear at in exasperation and get told, “Swear me again!” Mainly because they know they were supposed to inform me, or warn me, or ask me, or criticize me; but didn’t. Absolute blessings they are.

    I bought plants. Since it’s been rainy and climate-changey here, I got a discount on the yellowing lemon grass. Going to be magicking some plant positivity into my workspace.

    1. Now I really want to reread Faking It. However, I loaned it to a neighbor months ago and haven’t gotten it back yet. I should know better… šŸ˜

  20. I’m one of the lucky ones with a pristine copy of Lavender. I’m about to travel this week, and my debate is – do I take it with me and risk it getting damaged, or do I hold out and take something I won’t care as much about.

    I too had a hard time finding it when I ordered. I had to look for Bob, since it wasn’t coming up when I searched Lavender’s Blue and Cruisie – although another book with that title did. But I persevered and now have the prize!

  21. happy today is having a brunch date with DH in half an hour or so. We haven’t gone out to eat together since vacation, and before that it was literally years.

    also happy to have made big progress on a couple of projects ranging from the backyard wilderness to movie-watching comfort to backlist revision.

    incidentally, we watched ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ last night and I totally loved it. Most movies, I can read the whole way through while watching. This movie, I had to really pay attention. Every second means something. Terrific cast. I adore Michelle Yeoh.

    when we get back from brunch I need to send out review requests for the new novel. This is going to sound stupid, but I couldn’t find a link to contact Jenny re Argh Author. Most of you already know about my books, but I’m working on going wide with the backlist and would love to feature something here in the future. šŸ™‚

    1. chacha, you’re a regular here. When you’re ready just sent me the stuff you want put up–author’s name on book, title, blurb, links, etc.–and we’ll be good to go.

    2. I canā€™t find a contact form, either, though I know I did find a way to email her years ago when there was a problem with the site I wanted to let her know about. Anyway, itā€™s not just you x although Iā€™m feeling rather dim now, too.

      1. I just went to Jennycrusie.com where it says something like ā€œI know thereā€™s no contact page here just leave a comment at atghink.com and Jenny will see itā€

        Jenny, I think chachal is saying she doesnā€™t know how to send you all the stuff about her new book.

    3. chacha1 — if you don’t find the contact address before you see this, send an email to gin at ginjones.com, and I’ll hook you up.

  22. I can find all three books easily on Barnes and Noble by searching for Jennifer Crusie. On Amazon they donā€™t come upā€”although Lavenderā€™s Blue came right up a few day ago when, apparently, it was ā€œsponsoredā€. I assume that some of this is Amazon wanting you to pay for placement. (The number of sponsored books that come up having nothing to do with Jennie is ridiculous.)

    I continue to recover from my surgery and still canā€™t garden. Fortunately there are not too many weeds yet but I sense a LOT of weeding as soon as Iā€™m cleared. I had to reorganize the garden this year to accommodate tree growth (areas now shady) and my husbandā€™s expanding the garden beds into the lawn (more sun). Iā€™m not sure this layout is exactly right but itā€™s much better than last year.

    My husband put little fences around the morning glories that are growing up the banisters of the front steps to protect them from bunnies. A tiny baby bunny watched from a safe distance ā€”and Iā€™m sure plotted how to get around them. A mamĆ” deer and fawn use our back yard as a regular commute. We have at least three foxes who also come through. Some days itā€™s really hard to remember that we live within commuting distance of the White House ( then again, periodically the deer jump the White House fence).

    I made huge progress on planning the August partyā€”I now have locked in all the various vendors and supplies, and know that itā€™s all doable. Iā€™m still looking for the right presents for the good friends who made DDā€™s dress and are playing a duet with DS during the ceremony. Everything else is just a matter of working down a checklist (and decluttering the house before we have 70 people for brunch on Sunday. Which means filing all my papers. Argh! But doable.)

    We also booked our trip to California to my (ex) auntā€™s 80th birthday party and will take a week to vacation. We leave the day after all our long distance guests for the party leave.

    My brother and nephew came back from their trip to Japan and headed home with all nephews stuff. Iā€™m glad to have hosted my nephew for 7 weeks but glad to see him go.

    We are harvesting from the garden ā€”lots of squash blossoms and nasturtiums, another batch of sorrel for soup, and the first cherry tomatoes.

      1. Well sometimes they don’t let you go, my friend’s uncle got divorced, they loved his wife so much, they kept her

        1. Yes, one of my aunts told her daughter-in-law ā€œyou may no longer be Philipā€™s wife, but you will ALWAYS be my daughter-in-law.ā€

      2. My uncle divorced her. We kept herā€”and not just because she is the mother of my only cousins. She isnā€™t my aunt anymore but she is still family.

  23. I got back from 10 days of coaching in Phoenix last week, mostly good results, and a little drama. And then had to promptly leave for the Upper Peninsula to support my wifeā€™s effort to clean out her motherā€™s house and prepare it for sale, which has gone almost exactly as badly as I expected, though apparently she and her sister had higher hopes which were dashed when the crazy nephew who was squatting in the house refused to leave (my wife owns the house outright and has for years but itā€™s 500 miles away in the middle of nowhere).

    2. Glad youā€™re no longer in Phoenix. The heat there is making headlines over here (along with other places in the US and southern Europe)l

    4. Sorry about the house situation. Do take a careful and discreet look at local bylaws and specific customary law with regard to squatters. There are often rules per region that can be used to either maintain residence as a squatter or facilitate eviction if an owner.

      I say discreet, if the records are not online and have to be read at the deeds office/sheriff/town hall/local library/agricultural society as is often the case in the middle of nowhere, you don’t want to tip your hand.

    5. This is exactly what is going to happen when my mother in law passes. We are dreading it. Fortunately, the bank is going to the executor of the estate. Hopefully that will help.

  24. I accomplished things I grumbled about doing so that counts as a double happy. The annoyance is over and we got a good result.

    Downloaded some promising samples after catching up with good book Thursday this morning.

    Board meeting this morning was pretty straightforward so hopefully the minutes will be easy to do. Much discussion which will result in my just typing ā€œafter discussion, it was decided Xā€. Though I have to go back and fix little errors in the last ones that one member spotted. (Sigh)

    I have leftover cookies from my company last night. They are excellent, if I do say do myself.

  25. See??? You should have sent me a copy and I would have done a review! I’ve already sent the link to ten people telling them they have to read it.

    It’s gonna be fine. Nothing but good times ahead. šŸ˜€

    Also, I ordered the kindle version and then found out about the hardback, so I ordered that, too, because I have all your hardbacks. See! It’s all good šŸ™‚

    Love,
    ~Chelle

    1. Thank you, Chelle!

      I have one copy. I wouldn’t even give it to my daughter when she asked. BOB doesn’t have a copy, not that he’s bitter about that. Much.

  26. Im happy that Iā€™m getting a new Crusie (sorry Bob) the day before my birthday. I canā€™t wait. However, I have big work deadlines that week so it will be a challenge to stop myself from reading it immediately.

    Iā€™m also happy because I just spent a couple of hours visiting neighboring counties to get library cards. (Most of the libraries around here have reciprocal agreements.) Itā€™s easy to apply online, but eventually you have to show up with something proving where you live, so I did a whirlwind tour.

    So now I have 4 library cards and more importantly, 4 ebook and audiobook collections at my disposal.

  27. Iā€™m happy to be back reading Argh. I got lost over on Instagram shortly after WorkingWednesdayPix started happening. (Too many cute cate videos.) I was thrilled to learn that Lavenderā€™s Blue was available and after having a challenging finding it on Amazon, I have a hardback winging itā€™s way to me. I believe it is arriving on Tuesday. I will be sure to post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads after reading it and promote it as much as possible.

    Iā€™m happy because next week Iā€™ll be on vacation with my husband and weā€™re going to Charlevoix, MI for a long weekend.

    I also finally got borders put on a quilt that has been waiting for them for a few months now. https://www.instagram.com/p/CuxRqo3J6SX/?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==

  28. went to pre-order at AMZ; The Liz Danger Series is right on top if you search Bob Mayer (all three books) whereas only Lavender’s Blue shows on p1 of Crusie search. AMZ can be a dick sometimes.

  29. I feel I should mention that Amazon does not let me post reviews. It seems that if you express your honest opinion of a vendor’s poor service, it violates their terms of service. They took down all my old reviews and asked me never to review again.

    When I’ve read the books, I’ll try to post a review at Goodreads, but Amazon owns them now, so…

    1. Gary, those reviews must be juicy reads!! Candor is unappreciated, unfortunately.

    2. Also if you donā€™t spend enough money. Since I now have an Amazon account thanks to my boss deciding to give everyone Amazon cards for Christmas, I tried to review some books. Iā€™ve only spent twenty dollars so far, and according to them thatā€™s not enough.

      1. Gary, so itā€™s ok to post a bad review of a book but not of Amazon ? Or were the reviews of third party vendors?

        I bought my copy from B and N. I wonder if they will let me post a review of a book I didnā€™t buy from themā€¦. Will report later .

        1. It was a third party vendor with problems. Months (four) should not lapse between ordering and shipping, and getting the order cancelled was entirely too difficult. I said so. I was not happy with their customer service department, either.

          1. Well, that significantly reduces the value of their vendor ratings. Very good to know.

            I really try hard to avoid Amazon ā€¦. Just one more reason

          2. Yeah,if you try to get AMZ to solve a third party snafu,all they do is send you a form letter saying that since you bought it from a third party, they weren’t responsible (even if the package was traced as far as their local warehouse).

  31. There are three reviews, now, one by an M. Hooper, and I neglected to memorize the second single name. Anyway, all three are rave reviews.

  32. I had difficulty finding the book also BUT when I did as suggested and searched BOOKS category it came up by just putting in the title, Lavender’s Blue.

    As I write this, I keep picking up the candle and sniffing because I burned the heck out of a bag of microwave popcorn & the smell lingers.

    I am happy because I did my chair yoga today & I was in the pool Friday – so movement is happening. I talked things over with my therapist and decided on a new food plan. So far I have not successfully made that happen but I have high hopes.

    Next up is my 500 words on my wip and weekly goals wrap up with my awesome accountability partner! That makes me happy.

    It makes me happy that book 2&3 of the Liz Danger series are only one & two months away respectively. Lavender’s Blue was soooo good!

  33. I’m stumped by all the folks having a hard time searching the books at Amazon. For me the series came up instantly with one search. Looks fab, too!

    Also, I’m thinking since the books are already ranking high on best sellers lists and poised for great success, that maybe the audiobook versions won’t be far behind?

    I know audio is a big investment, but it also brings in a whole other set of readers and income stream. Also, as an indie you could do them at your own pace and just start with Liz #1. Not now, obviously, while you’re doing the whole move thing. But maybe soon, she asked hopefully;)

  34. I am one of the 99 who hasn’t read it yet! But as soon as I do I will leave a glowing review because I’ve loved every single thing I’ve read from you guys including your blog posts.

  35. Waiting on the digital copy, but I promise a review when I finish!

    I’ve been reading the good book Thursday posts, but I just can’t read anything right now except fic. It will pass. Probably when Lavender downloads, lol.

    1. I just realized I should put a recommendation in at the library too. It’s Houston, so our big system orders anything patrons request. I’ll do that now.

  36. I loved Faking It! But itā€™s not my favorite Jennifer Crusie. Top 3, though! I canā€™t tell you how excited I am that you are publishing again. Congratulations and enjoy the momentā€¦of what I predict is your triumphant second act! The time is right for romantic comedy. And you are so, so, so good at it. Itā€™s exciting to see!

    1. We’ll see. I’m still getting “We’re doomed” e-mails from Bob but the last one was “We’re doing better than I expected,” which worries me. It’s so unlike him.

  37. I ordered all three books on Kindle but I don’t have an e-reader, so I also ordered Lavender in paperback. Scheduled to deliver on Tuesday. I will buy the rest as soon as the paperback options come up! I’m excited to read your collaboration just because I loved the others SO MUCH! I think you guys write wonderfully together. And I love love the dialogue in your other books. I will leave a review after I’ve received and read. But I will also be recommending to everyone I can.

    1. SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.com does publication notices as well. I put the Amazon link for the full series on this morning’s Hide Your Wallet post. So far it encouraged one person to pre-order all three!

      After I posted, though, I realized that they started doing this weekly and it should have gone on next week’s post. Aside from my rule-follower’s conscience beating me up, it gets the word out there and gives one or more of you the opportunity to add it on the next week!

  39. My sister arrives tomorrow and we’ll be going to lunch at my cousin’s. Don’t know what else we’ll do. Antiquing?

    So looking forward to Lavender.

  40. I received my copy a few days ago and it’s lovely! I haven’t started reading it yet because I know it will be great and I wanted to savor looking forward to it. However since I now know you need reviews, I’ll queue it up for next!

  41. Definitely easier to find by narrowing Amazon search to books and looking for Liz Danger.

    You will have Pink and Vermillion in paper, yes?

    1. Yes. But I want people to find the book who love Jennie but have no idea a new book is coming out .

  42. I got a heat pump so now my lovely little home is lovely and warm. For you Americans, we NZers use air conditioners in reverse as heaters and call them heat pumps. And I can turn it on remotely so the place is warm when I get home. Bliss.

    But my week overall was not at all happy. Our cat with heart disease died. He was only four, and only had 5 months after diagnosis. And he was the best cat ever.

    9. I’m so sorry about your baby, Reb. That’s awful. And we have heat pumps here too. I just got one put in with four mini-split units that can do either heat or cooling.

    11. Oh, Reb, I’m so sorry.
      Lyle was born with kidney disease and he died at three. It’s always awful to lose them, but when they’re that young, it’s such a cheat. I’m so, so sorry.

  43. Happy this week was a great Saturday out with friends. We started at the Lifeline book fair (8 books! For $24!!), progressed to an exceptionally cool antiques store I had no idea existed, then went bouldering and cooked a vegetarian feast together afterward. I love bouldering – it makes me feel strong and capable when I donā€™t fall off the wall.

  44. I just got back from a weekend in Milwaukee with my niece and her sweetie-pie husband. I took them out to dinner and Emmy tried to protest, saying,”It will cost about xyz!” “Per person?” I asked. Although Emmy grew up in Chicago, she has obviously forgotten how much more expensive this would have been there. I was easily able to treat them and feel like I was fulfilling my duty as an aunt to spoil them. The food was delicious, the company was my favorite. On Saturday I spent the day with a friend I hadn’t seen in 3 years and really enjoyed catching up with her. I knew that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease,but this was the first time I have seen
    her since then. It was hard to see how far the tremors have progressed, but Eva’s wonderful spirit is still easy to see. She says that physical therapy has helped a lot and I pray that it continues to do so.

      1. Thatā€™s too bad that sheā€™s ill. Cool that she keeps her sense of humour about things. I really liked The Wizardā€™s Guide to Defensive Baking.

      2. She is so funny.
        KEVIN (resigned): Did she tell you about the hyena genitals?
        NURSE: Oh yes. She told us all about the females having huge clitorises.
        KEVIN: Yep.
        ME (groggy): They DO.
        NURSE: I said maybe it was so the males could actually find it.

    2. Oh, yes. Her tweets are amazing (on this topic and others) — very grounded and funny at the same time, while acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. I’m hoping that once this is all over, and she’s officially in remission, she’ll write a memoir of sorts, maybe with illustrations. Mixed in with her tweets on the cancer journey are some drawings, very dark and weird, but presumably cathartic for her.

  46. My Lavender arrived while I was in dinosaur territory- Drumheller, Alberta- for the weekend. It was great fun to open it, and it is so thick and meaty!
    I just dipped in to the first few pages- first person- interesting, but my dad gave me a doozy of a cold on the trip so I will read it when my head is clearer. I wouldnā€™t want to snot on the pages.

  47. Jenny, you and Bob should do a podcast on Smart bitches Trashy books.
    Itā€™s a good site for romance readers.

    2. Oh, Sarah and I go way back. She and Mollie work together a lot.
      Podcasts, I dunno. Bob and I tend to snipe at each other so not sure how valuable it would be.

      1. If I were a Crusie fan who followed Smart Bitches and not this blog I would be very grateful to learn about your new book there.

      4. I vote yes on sniping! I’m not generally a podcast person, but I’d listen to that šŸ™‚

  48. I continue to slog through boxes from the attic.

    Genealogies. Most are records of names and dates, showing marriages and offspring who kept living, reproducing, and dying as time headed toward a specific descendant.

    Others are collections of family memories with some tentative dates thrown in. The husband who abandoned his wife and children: one child went to the grandmother, another to an evil Deacon who put the kid to work where he was handicapped. The wife who gazed out the window every night, hoping for her husband’s return.

    There are also descriptions a Welsh mining family who couldn’t make a go in the poor farmland in VT and MA, so hauled out to Minnesota and, further, to Oregon. And the relatives who kept moving west. Lands of opportunity.

    It’s all extensions from family. My head is in a fairly weird place now. Lavender’s Blue was a perfect add-on, as was the Wes Anderson movie Asteroid City. I’m just some place else.

  49. Finding a dog walker for my puppy has made me look and feel good. Now pup’s happy and I can do Pilates which works better for me than walking. Oh, and reading your post. šŸ˜„

  50. Australian readers or possibly Jenny, Bob and/or Molly. I read in the screenshots in this post that youā€™ve sold either 100 or 13 hardcovers. I got a bit confused with the details there but Iā€™ve had no luck ordering one.

    The Amazon link said paperback and hardback are currently unavailable although I could preorder the kindle version.

    I then tried on Amazon Australia site and success for the paperback but no luck on hardcover options. Iā€™ll get the paperback but I really would like the hardcover too if at all possible.

    Anyone have any suggestions?

    1. So Jennie are you moved? Essentials unpacked? No major crises?

      Inquiring Argh members really want to know how it went.

      Also happy Donald Trump ā€œofficial target of Jan 6 investigationā€ day.

  52. Oh for crying out loud! Typos everywhere. My apologies for spelling your name incorrectly Mollie. My surname gets spelt incorrectly all the time.

  53. Iā€™m someone who buys the hardcover!! Paperbacks use less ink and so my really bad eyesight loves a hardcover. šŸ’›

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