When I was a kid, we didn't have cable, at least not until I was a teenager (the '90s). So when I stayed home sick from school, it was daytime TV. My favorite show was Unsolved Mysteries. I remember my sister and I would watch it together during summer break, and it was such an exciting series. We would get caught up in the mysteries and theorize as best as we could in the pre-internet era. 

But now...not only is Unsolved Mysteries back (thank you Netflix!), but there are so many other options! I think it started for me a couple of years ago when a makeup YouTuber I watch was doing a Mystery Monday (Bella Fiori) series and I was hooked. I started looking into the unsolved mysteries she talked about, and then I found that it was a "thing." You know, not just a one-off, but that there were so many other channels that covered similar topics, and that lots of people were like me where we were incredibly intrigued by all the cases that weren't only unsolved, but were sometimes unexplainable.

Next up was Buzzfeed Unsolved, then podcasts, and so many more (Mr. Ballen - a Navy SEAL who now tells us all scary stories is my current fave). 

So imagine my delight when I saw the SNL Murder shows video! This is so me! LOL

So tell me, do you guys like Murder Shows and podcasts? If so, share your favorite channels, podcasts, shows, whatever you prefer!

 I was talking to a friend the other day, and she asked me what my favorite book was where the previous villain got his HEA. We of course had to define what she meant by "villain," and we decided that Lisa Kleypas' Devil in Winter is the best example.

Jennifer Ashley does a good job with those grey area type heroes. They aren't good, they aren't bad, they're somewhere in the middle. She has a dragon series called Dragon Series and in the first book, Dragon Heat, Malcolm is the bad guy...but he isn't, not really. So it was no surprise when he got his own book The Black Dragon. She's done this trope well in her Shifters Unbound series as well.

Cynthia Eden- In the Dark Obsessions series, Ethan Barclay is almost always the first suspect in each book. He's not a good guy...but he's not really a bad guy either. In Beware of Me, he gets his story, and I really liked the way the author did it.

Another of her books that does this trope well is Ghost of a Chance. In the Wilde Ways series, there's a book where who we think is the villain of the piece...isn't. And it turns out, he makes a pretty good hero in his own book.

So what other books should we add to this list?

My youngest is obsessed with a book called What Do They Do With All That Poo? (Thank you to her teacher who read this to the class).

(Amazon link here)

This book is cute a funny, but at the end, we do in fact find out what they do with all that poo. Zoos sell it. Use it for compost. And my personal favorite, they make paper out of elephant poop (the fiber in it). Well, with my love of notebooks, you know I went looking for this poop paper. You guys. I found it. On Amazon no less!

Mr. Ellie Pooh has everything from pretty stationary to cute notebooks. Fine writing poo paper (LOL I seriously just typed that!). 

(Link to Amazon)

Mr. Ellie Pooh Website

How cute are these notebooks and sketchbooks? I bought a couple-one for my daughter, because poo. The other for myself. I want to buy more sustainable things, I try to not be wasteful, but when it's super cute like this, it's no hardship. I'll keep you guys updated on the quality of the poo paper LOL. 

*some links may be affiliate links

 I thought I'd gather a couple of blogs where I'm being featured 

I wrote a guest post for That's What I'm Talking About where I talk about how Dreams of the Past came about.

I'm over at the Romance Gems where we talk about what you do to treat yourself.

Dreams of the Past is also featured over on Got Fiction? book blog

Today is the day!

DREAMS OF THE PAST, my short story from the Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End box set is out now with a fresh new look and bonus content! A short story with low angst and a guaranteed Happily Ever After, DREAMS OF THE PAST is exactly what we need to kick off 2021!

"A troubled past leads to romance at Last Chance Beach. A story filled with charm, heartache and the promise of love that will bring a smile your face. Jenny and Scott are the perfect couple."

-Alexandra Ivy

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Smashwords | Goodreads

I am so excited to share this with you! When I got the rights back to DREAMS OF THE PAST, I knew I wanted to add a bonus scene so to speak. The Last Chance Beach: Summer's End box set was amazing! But it was rated G. We all know my books are not G-rated ;) so that means we have an extended scene. With the new content, comes a new cover. But that would mean that DARK PAST wouldn't match DREAMS OF THE PAST, and we can't have that. So thanks to my assistant Kelly at Author's Write Hand, I now have two new covers.

Original covers:

New covers:

 Hi All! The box set Last Chance Beach: Summer's End has ended with the Summer. Now that we are fully into Fall, the box set has been taken down. The good news is that I will be releasing my story from the set on my own. That means if you are not a Kindle reader this is your chance, since I will release it wide (meaning at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google, etc).

My story is Dreams of the Past and I will set it at $.99. This is the second story in my Fatal Instincts world and I'm almost finished with the next book in that series. I really don't want Dreams of the Past to be down for too long so we're looking at a January release date. 

I'll send out a newsletter soon with all the details and an excerpt. You can sign up here if you aren't already.

Thanks everyone, and I hope you're all having a lovely Fall! Perhaps we'll see some more stories take place in Last Chance Beach...I have a feeling there's more to tell over there.

Pre-Order Dreams of the Past