Spring is Here!

IMG_1534Spring has *finally* arrived! The signs are everywhere: tulip and daffodil bulbs popping up, longer sunshine-filled days, and the newest resident in our backyard. Okay, so the last thing might not actually be a sign of spring, but it warrants talking about.

We have a vole. He lives under the stoop in our backyard. As with most things home improvement-related, when John and I first discovered this little creature, we looked at each other, utterly perplexed, and asked, “What the heck do we do?”

To date, the only thing we’ve done is name him Viktor and decide he has a Russian accent when he visits with the bunny living next door (who’s name is Starbuck, in case you were wondering). We’re still hoping to come to an unspoken agreement with Viktor so we can all live in harmony this summer, but in other news…

BNGFrom the depths of the editing trenches…I’ve been revising Mondays Are Murder and am happy to report that The End is in sight! I also took the plunge and submitted the first 5,000 words to the Daphne du Maurier Contest, so fingers crossed! On the short story front, I finished edits on The Hive for the Brave New Girls Anthology. It was so fun revisiting the characters and my strange futuristic world where honeybees lead to power, especially given how much cold medicine I was on when I last read through it. Ahem…

From the pages of my Kindle…I’ve been reading A LOT of great books lately! Some of my new favorites: 1) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins — This was like Rear Window meets Gone Girl, an addicting psychological thriller with a new twist on the unreliable narrator! 2) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr — A beautiful and touching story about a legendary diamond and its unexpected keeper in Nazi-occupied France. 3) The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty — At times this read like a murder mystery, at other times humorous women’s fiction or even literary fiction; but ultimately, it was a twisty page turner that I couldn’t put down!

toadFrom the Wii U controller…John and I have been playing through Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker, which is possibly the cutest video game ever made. I mean, just look at how adorable these little guys are! Bonus, Episode 2 features Toadette going on an adventure to save Toad, because sometimes the guy is the one who needs rescuing. Just Sayin’.

From the recliner couch… I’ve been totally addicted to these TV shows: 1) How to Get Away with Murder — The brilliance of the show is a cast of extraordinary character along with twists, turns, and SO MANY unexpected reveals! 2) Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries — it’s like Murder She Wrote but with a flapper heiress in Australia. ‘Nuff said. 3) The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt — Tina Fey’s humor is stamped all over this show; it’s hilarious, but also ridiculously heartwarming.

What have you been up to during these last few weeks of winter? Are you as ready for spring as I am? Have you read any really phenomenal books? Watched any fabulous new TV shows?

What I’m reading: East of Eden by John Steinback

What I’m listening to: Billion — Mat Kearney