Genre: Literary fiction, historical fiction

Synopsis: Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Emotional abuse, toxic relationship, death, poisoning, infidelity, infertility, suicidal ideation

Genre: Contemporary romance

Synopsis: Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

Content/Trigger Warnings: Graphic sexual content, guilt, loss of a parent, compulsions, neurodiversity, toxic sexual content (off-page)

And if you’re not traveling by plane with liquid and TSA regulations, I definitely recommend taking your usual products in a bag along with you. And depending on the location you’re traveling to, you may be able to buy some minis from a local store to prevent single-use products. 




Keep your skin moisturized

Whether you're on the road or traveling on a plane, you must keep your skin well-moisturized. Airplanes have low humidity levels, with 50% of the air circulating the cabin being pulled from outside. This leads to most travelers experiencing dryness in their throats, noses, and skin. That's why it is important to start hydrating your skin before you embark on an airplane. It's also very easy to forget about your skin when you get caught up in all the excitement during your vacation. Regular application of your moisturizer will keep it soft and supple despite the type of weather conditions you find yourself in, whether it is intense heat or cold. At the end of each day, ensure that you exfoliate your skin to get rid of dead skin cells and open your pores. I love all Eight Saints products, and for travel, Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask is the best!




Use little makeup

You might be a makeup lover with tons of amazing makeup products you use every day back home. But when you're traveling, you likely would not like to haul your makeup bag with you on your trip. That is unless you want to do so, of course. However, it is important to note that traveling is about admiring and having fun in a new environment. So, if you spend hours on end applying tons of makeup products, you're going to miss out on a lot of fun stuff. Instead, you can choose to be smart with the kind of makeup you carry along on your trip. You can get a much smaller bag that fits all the essentials such as concealer, lip balm, mascara, pressed powder, and a small bottle of foundation. Pack the items that are essential to you and leave those heavy makeup bags behind. I particularly love going makeup free if I’m somewhere adventurous and outdoorsy! But hey, you do you, boo boo. 




Take care of your hair

Travel and hair don't usually pair well together. Environmental factors can play a major role in damaging your beautiful locks, depending on where you go. While you might not want to spend a lot of time fussing about your hair and styling it daily while on vacation, there are some tips to keep it strong and healthy. You should moisturize your hair daily to keep it looking healthy and voluminous for those stunning pictures you plan on taking. If your hair gets greasy earlier than normal, you can apply dry shampoo, especially if you do not have immediate access to water and traditional shampoo.

If you are traveling to a beach location, be cautious when swimming in the ocean, especially if you are concerned about your hair's color. The salt from the ocean can bleach your hair. Fortunately, there are tons of products you can purchase before traveling that are used for treating bleached damaged hair. Otherwise, you can cover up your hair with a swimming cap. 

Figure out some cute and easy hairstyles to keep your hair safe from the elements (and your scalp!).   




Rest

Vacations are fun but can leave you feeling more exhausted than before when not planned or spaced out well. That's why you need to schedule a day just for you! After all, you came to this place to escape from all the hustle and bustle of your home. Don't worry, and you wouldn't be missing out on anything. When you get tired, you're going to get moody and ruin the rest of your holidays in the long run. Instead, select a quiet day and unplug from the world. You can get a nice massage from a spa or soak in a tub with some wine and fruit.

After all, you are on vacation! If you enjoy reading, you can grab a book and head down to a quiet spot to spend a few hours reading. Alternatively, if you like staying active, you can spend a quiet afternoon walking around town and exploring by yourself. Or, if you are too tired, you can take a quick nap to reset your body and prepare yourself for the next exciting activity. But allow your vacation to truly be restful! 




Stay hydrated

Chances are when you’re on vacation, you may be drinking more alcohol, be in a totally different climate, and being more active. So it’s critical to drink lots and lots of water to stay well. Plus, it keeps your skin clear and glowy!




Take care of your lips

As mentioned earlier, traveling can leave your skin looking dry. It can also leave it chapped, which can be extremely painful when they start to flake. It would be best if you always carried a trusty tube of lip balm at all times while you are on vacation so that your lips look soft and plump even when you get back home. If you're visiting a colder destination, you can even use lip balm around your nose to prevent that area from getting dry and developing skin cracks! In warmer destinations, some lip balms with SPF can prevent sunburn in the area. Plus, you can use lip balm as a substitute for lipstick, especially when you're out and about. Some lip balms come with soft hints of natural colors that make your pout stand out more.




Dress well

If you love to dress up, traveling to a new location can present the perfect opportunity to showcase your unique personality. While you are advised to pack light, you must pack the right clothes. Ensure that you select clothing items that you can mix and match and pick colors based on what you will be doing and where you’ll be going. Most importantly, don't dress like a boring old tourist!

Ensure that your clothes are not only stunning but also comfortable enough for you to walk around in for longer periods. If you are going to a destination that has strict clothing rules, be sure to check them out to know what you can and cannot bring along. Once you have an idea of what to pack, you can include some comfortable shoes, a few accessories, and a stylish bag that will tie your outfits together. Dressing well is a form of self-care, and it doesn't matter if you're on vacation. Plus, you will look amazing against beautiful backgrounds in those vacation photos.




After spending the past two years unable to travel and explore comfortably, you deserve to look and feel amazing when you finally get to travel this year. These tips will help you stay in top form while on vacation, so embrace them and incorporate your beauty tips to make the most of your upcoming vacation. Remember to stay safe and enjoy your travels!

Genre: YA drama, mystery

Synopsis: When you look like us—brown skin, brown eyes, black braids or fades—everyone else thinks you’re trouble. No one even blinks twice over a missing Black girl from public housing because she must’ve brought whatever happened to her upon herself. I, Jay Murphy, can admit that, for a minute, I thought my sister Nicole just got caught up with her boyfriend—a drug dealer—and his friends. But she’s been gone too long. Nic, where are you?

If I hadn’t hung up on her that night, she would be at our house, spending time with Grandma. If I was a better brother, she’d be finishing senior year instead of being another name on a missing persons list. It’s time to step up, to do what the Newport News police department won’t. Bring her home.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Alcohol and drug usage, guilt, missing family member, racial profiling, violence

Genre: YA fantasy, magical realism

Synopsis: man who betrayed her. Then one day, she meets Pallas, a precocious twelve-year-old who lives with her rockstar family in one of the city’s storybook Victorians. Xochi accepts a position as Pallas’s live-in governess and quickly finds her place in the girl’s tight-knit household, which operates on a free-love philosophy and easy warmth despite the band’s growing fame.

But on the night of the Vernal Equinox, as a concert afterparty rages in the house below, Xochi and Pallas perform a riot-grrrl ritual in good fun, accidentally summoning a pair of ancient beings bound to avenge the wrongs of Xochi’s past. She would do anything to preserve her new life, but with the creatures determined to exact vengeance on those who’ve hurt her, no one is safe—not the family Xochi’s chosen, nor the one she left behind.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Excessive drug use, child neglect, death, pedophilia

Genre: Thriller, suspense, serial killer fiction

Synopsis: The Cold Creek Highway stretches close to five hundred miles through British Columbia’s rugged wilderness to the west coast. Isolated and vast, it has become a prime hunting ground for predators. For decades, young women traveling the road have gone missing. Motorists and hitchhikers, those passing through or living in one of the small towns scattered along the region, have fallen prey time and again. And no killer or abductor who has stalked the highway has ever been brought to justice.

Hailey McBride calls Cold Creek home. Her father taught her to respect nature, how to live and survive off the land, and to never travel the highway alone. Now he’s gone, leaving her a teenage orphan in the care of her aunt whose police officer husband uses his badge as a means to bully and control Hailey. Overwhelmed by grief and forbidden to work, socialize, or date, Hailey vanishes into the mountainous terrain, hoping everyone will believe she’s left town. Rumors spread that she was taken by the highway killer―who’s claimed another victim over the summer.

One year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek, where her sister Amber lived―and where she was murdered. Estranged from her parents and seeking closure, Beth takes a waitressing job at the local diner, just as Amber did, desperate to understand what happened to her and why. But Beth’s search for answers puts a target on her back―and threatens to reveal the truth behind Hailey’s disappearance…

Content/Trigger Warnings: abuse, death, murder, homelessness, manipulation, misogyny, sexual assault, child pornography, trauma, violence

Genre: YA romantic comedy

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Evie Beckham has always been too occupied with her love of math and frequent battles with anxiety to want to date. Besides, she’s always found the idea of kissing to be kind of weird. But by senior year, thanks to therapy and her friends, she’s feeling braver than before. Maybe even brave enough to enter the national math and physics competition or flirt back with the new boy.

Meanwhile, Evie’s best friend, Caleb Covic, has always been a little in love with her. So he’s horrified when he is forced to witness Evie’s meet-cute with the new guy. Desperate, Caleb uses an online forum to capture Evie’s interest - and it goes a little too well. Now Evie wonders how she went from avoiding romance to having to choose between two - or is it three? - boys.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Panic attacks, anxiety, given drugs without consent,

Genre: Romance; Queer; Interracial/Multicultural; Body Positivity 

Synopsis: Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact to him, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Suddenly, half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf is secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his... um, thighs.

The easy lay Dani dreamed of is now more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

Content/Trigger Warnings: Death, anxiety

Genre: YA queer romance

Synopsis: Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism/misogyny, gaslighting, anxiety disorder, self-harm/suicide attempts

Genre: Dark academia, YA thriller

Synopsis: Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I'm one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions...among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. And in some cases, it's deadly.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Alcohol use, bullying, death, blackmail, toxic relationships

Genre: Women’s fiction

Synopsis: In Baxter’s Beach, Barbados, Lala’s grandmother Wilma tells the story of the one-armed sister. It’s a cautionary tale, about what happens to girls who disobey their mothers and go into the Baxter’s Tunnels. When she’s grown, Lala lives on the beach with her husband, Adan, a petty criminal with endless charisma whose thwarted burglary of one of the beach mansions sets off a chain of events with terrible consequences. A gunshot no one was meant to witness. A new mother whose baby is found lifeless on the beach. A woman torn between two worlds and incapacitated by grief. And two men driven into the Tunnels by desperation and greed who attempt a crime that will risk their freedom – and their lives.

Content/Trigger Warnings: abuse, death, death of infant, drugs, manipulation/toxic relationship, racism, trauma, violence

Genre: YA thriller, mystery

Synopsis: Tress Montor’s family used to mean something—until she didn’t have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. The entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the “White Trash Zoo.”

Felicity Turnado has it all: looks, money, and a secret. One misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she’s worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can’t even remember what it is . . . only that she can’t look at Tress without feeling shame and guilt.
But Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity—brick by brick—as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. Tress will have her answers—or settle for revenge

Content/Trigger Warnings: Loss of parents, drug and alcohol use, animal abuse/death/violence, panic attacks and anxiety, bullying, trauma, violence

Genre: crime thriller, suspense

Synopsis: Three months ago, Lena Nguyen’s estranged twin sister, Cambry, drove to a remote bridge seventy miles outside of Missoula, Montana, and jumped two hundred feet to her death. At least, that is the official police version. But Lena isn’t buying it.

Now she’s come to that very bridge, driving her dead twin’s car and armed with a cassette recorder, determined to find out what really happened by interviewing the highway patrolman who allegedly discovered her sister’s body.

Corporal Raymond Raycevic has agreed to meet Lena at the scene. He is sympathetic, forthright, and professional. But his story still seems a bit off. For one thing, he stopped Cambry for speeding just an hour before she supposedly leaped to her death. Then there are the sixteen attempted 911 calls from her cell phone, made in what was unfortunately a dead zone. But perhaps most troubling of all, the state trooper is referred to by name in Cambry’s final enigmatic text to her sister: Please Forgive Me. Lena will do anything to uncover the truth. But as her twin’s final hours come into focus, Lena’s search turns into a harrowing tooth-and-nail fight for her own survival—one that will test everything she thought she knew about her sister and herself...

Content/Trigger Warnings: fatphobia, death, suicide, racism, misogyny, paranoia, trauma, violence

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Synopsis: A dark history lingers in Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, Protestant martyrs were betrayed—then burned. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And a few weeks ago, the vicar of the local parish hanged himself in the nave of the church.

Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Jack finds a town rife with conspiracies and secrets, and is greeted with a strange welcome package: an exorcism kit and a note that warns, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.” The more Jack and daughter, Flo, explore the town and get to know its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into the age-old rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo begins to see specters of girls ablaze, it becomes apparent there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

Uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide and no one trusts an outsider.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Death and violence, stalking, loss of loved one(s)

26. Take a ride on the Skyview, or similar ferris wheel. 

27. Attend a murder mystery dinner. 

28. Have a “dine in the dark” experience. 



Fashion, Beauty, & Wellness

29. Get genealogy testing.
30. Complete some kind of movement at least three days each week for a year (yoga, hiking, walks, etc).

31. No eating out for lunch for one month.
32. Take a trip to a local farmer's market to buy fruits, vegetables, and/or flowers.
33. Spend a weekend "un-plugged."

I plan to share an update every four months, which you’ll be able to find right here on the blog, and regular updates on Instagram. 

Genre: Contemporary romance, Black romance

Synopsis: Seven days to fall in love, 15 years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again...

Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award‑winning novelist, who, to everyone's surprise, shows up in New York. When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their buried traumas, but the eyebrows of the Black literati. What no one knows is that 15 years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. While they may be pretending not to know each other, they can't deny their chemistry - or the fact that they've been secretly writing to each other in their books through the years.

Over the next seven days, amidst a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect - but Eva's wary of the man who broke her heart, and wants him out of the city so her life can return to normal. Before Shane disappears though, she needs a few questions answered...

With its keen observations of creative life in America today, as well as the joys and complications of being a mother and a daughter, Seven Days in June is a hilarious, romantic, and sexy‑as‑hell story of two writers discovering their second chance at love.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Abuse, excessive drug and alcohol use, death, racism, self-harm, trauma

Exercising can help you out in challenges you face in your life

When it comes to exercising you’ve probably heard the “feel the burn” saying a lot, right? Well, to a degree that can be a good thing. When you’re doing new workouts or just something your body isn’t use to, it can help a lot. There are some workouts you can check out here! You come to eventually enjoy pushing yourself and this mentally can stick around in your life and it can help with the challenges you could potentially face.



Feel better about yourself

While feeling physically better about yourself is one way you’ll build confidence, there’s more to this as well. You’ll emotionally and mentally feel better about yourself as well. For instance, if you were someone that use to get out of breath when walking up a bunch of stairs, you’re going to feel better about yourself because you’re now confident that you can do this without shortness of breath.



Improve your posture

One great way to show off to others that you’re very confident is through your posture. When people are feeling stressed out, they’ll tend to hunch over, almost as if they're protecting themselves. But doing this poor posture can do a lot more harm than good to your body. This can lead to your organs feeling compressed and that can cause long-term bone and muscle problems as well.

Did you know that working out can improve your posture? This can help your body stay nicely aligned and it’s also going to help in keeping you more energized. However, it’s also very important to know that you’ll have to have proper form in your exercise in order to achieve good posture.

Finding joyful movement regularly doesn't have to be painful or intensive. I find joy in mostly floor yoga or walking extremely slow, and that is a-okay! 

Genre: YA horror, Short stories

Synopsis: Welcome to tonight's feature presentation, brought to you by an unholy alliance of our spellcasters at Hex Publishers and movie-mages at the Colorado Festival of Horror. Please be advised that all emergency exits have been locked for this special nostalgia-curdled premiere of death. From crinkling celluloid to ferocious flesh—from the silver screen to your hammering heart—behold as a swarm of werewolves, serial killers, Satanists, Elder Gods, aliens, ghosts, and unclassifiable monsters are loosed upon your auditorium. Relax, and allow our ushers to help with your buckets of popcorn—and blood; your ticket stubs—and severed limbs; your comfort candy—and body bags. Kick back and scream as you settle into a fate worse than Hell. Tonight's director's cut is guaranteed to slash you apart.

Stories in the collection:
Foreword by Bret and Jeanni Smith 

Introduction by Paul Campion  

Alien Parasites from Outer Space by Warren Hammond 

Return of the Alien Parasites from Outer Space by Angie Hodapp 

Negative Creep by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro 

Helluloid by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore

Rise, Ye Vermin! by Betty Rocksteady

The Cronenberg Concerto by Keith Ferrell

Creature Feature by Gary Jonas

Invisible by Mario Acevedo

Screen Haunt by Orrin Grey

The Devil's Reel by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola

On the Rocks by K. Nicole Davis

Coming Attractions by Stephen Graham Jones

Late Sleepers by Steve Rasnic Tem 

Special Makeup by Kevin J. Anderson

Content/Trigger Warnings: Gore, death