What brings me joy

When I sat down to write this blog, I had no idea where to start and, honestly, was feeling a bit gloomy. There's been a lot of darkness in the world lately, and part of me wanted to go on a rant about how we can all do so much better, both individually and collectively.

But I didn't want to add to the gloom. 

And then, I remembered something that Alyssa Cole said during her closing keynote at the (kinda!) recent Romance Writers of Australia Conference. 

Alyssa said: What the world needs now is love. 

And she was right. We all need more love. For ourselves, and for each other. 

So, I decided to write a little about what's currently bringing me joy. Starting with my TBR pile.

I have not been reading as much as I should. But this little stack of bangers is making me want make time for reading again! They're certainly not all recent releases, but they're all reliable purchases.

I'm about halfway through The Takeover by T L Swan, who spoke at the RWNZ Conference and she was phenomenal (I want to be TL when I grow up!). 

I've not yet started How to Survive a Scandal, but Regency romance deserves more love than it's been getting lately, and Amy Andrews and Renae Black ALWAYS produce a brilliant story.

And, last but not least, I'm particularly excited abut In Full Bloom by Elle Ashwell - I randomly sat next to Elle at the RWNZ Conference this year and she was a gorgeous human!

Second moment of joy from lately is I've been teaching as part of the day job. 

I was recently given the opportunity to guest lecture into a Masters level course on workplace investigations at the University of Sydney. It was great to be back at my old stomping grounds for a few hours, and on my feet in front of a group of really keen students who were interested in everything about workplace investigations (yes, I appreciate this is a niche topic, but it is my day job!). I couldn't believe how much the University had changed since I graduated! I mean, I'm sure graduation was only last year, right?  And I promise I had way more fun that my face in this photo suggests!

Third moment of joy is I got a new car! 

She's black, and beautiful, and has the most amazing sound system ever. Tay Tay has never sounded so good!

She's also quiet, and has a big, oversized sunroof and flashy touch screen with all the bells and whistles that makes her feel very luxe. I mean I can go in and change the colours of all the interior lights from red to green to yellow to blue and white! It's amazing!

Fourth, does anyone else love Law & Order SVU as much as me? 

New episodes for season 28 start in the US this coming week (and fingers crossed they're available in Australia via Apple TV the next day... they have been in past years!) 

And they're bringing back Elliott Stabler for episode 600 in mid-November! I pinched this photo from Mariska Hargitay's Instagram.

Elliott and Olivia are one of my all time favourite TV couples and, frankly, it's about time that they get their happy ever after! I'm hoping the powers that be come through with a little lovin'

Finally, to bring this back to writing, and reading, I love the words I've been writing. 

I'm working on a spicy short story about a man who comes back to his woman after some unknown number of years away and I'm actually loving the way it's falling into place. 

A little snippet from the beginning is to the side here!

So, now that I've shared a little of my joy, tell me what's been bringing you joy in the last few days, or weeks, or months!

LOVE TO LOVE: My cousin's brand new baby boy! He is the cutest baby to ever baby (and no, I'm not biased at all!)

LOVE TO LAUGH: Dad jokes. I used to be a tap dancer until I fell in the sink. :-)

LOVE TO LEARN: I'm about to sign up to a course to become a Wedding Celebrant! Who wouldn't love to learn about love!