♥ Love Makes the World Go Round ♥

I love Valentine's Day. I especially love it when I can share with little kids who always love everything. This year it's a set of twins whose teacher has asked for mailed Valentines in their study of how the post office works. My niece and nephew will be getting these.


Of course I love the adult version of Valentine's Day, too - much more fun than those little I♥U candy hearts!

But the best thing I love about Valentine's Day is that even the grumpiest people usually spread a little love around the planet. That's a good thing.

Book Nook

I finished reading The Alice Network, the book I raved about here last month. It was awesome. Here's the review I left:
THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn is one of the best books I've ever read. Fantastic story, true-to-life characters, and perfect pacing. There's even a character named Finn Kilgore. It doesn't get any better than that! Highly recommend.
It took a few days for me to be ready to start a new book. Major book hangover! But I'm now wrapped up in the arms of a new book and so far it's pretty good, too.

In other book news, Jalapeno Cupcake Wench, the first book in The Amazing Gracie Trilogy, will be on sale for 99 cents from Monday, February 11 through midnight, February 17. Mark your calendars!

My World

In January, I was busy putting the finishing touches on the third Gracie book. Much more on that next month.

I always do a lot of research on all kinds of things. January was no exception. One of the best things I read was a cool article (and watched a YouTube video) by a woman who is a former Chief of Disguise for the CIA. Interesting and informative... and bookmarked!

Some of the other things I researched were the Jaws of Life, the Rocky Mountains, and names. Lotsa, lotsa names.

In Real Life, I fed dogs, played with dogs, haggled with one dog, loved on dogs, and stayed out of the dog house with almost everyone.

Like Punxsutawney Phil, I'm also ready for spring. So done with this winter stuff. How about you?

Gracie and I will be back here on Monday, March 4.




Comments

Research can lead you to some interesting places.
Cute cards! I bet they'll love them. :) It's always fun to get mail!

Sounds like a fun week with the dogs. :)
Liza said…
I loved The Alice Network! Never heard the term "book hangover" before but you can bet I'll be using it in the future!
H. R. Sinclair said…
Aw, those are are so sweet. - I love your real-life notes. Made me smile!
L. Diane Wolfe said…
And now Gracie is mostly ready to spring upon the world.
Murees Dupè said…
I'm jealous. I am ready for Autumn or Winter already. Its really hot here. Spending lots of time with dogs sounds great to me too. I have to check-out your book
recommendation now.
Research can take us down some fascinating byways can't it?
I am longing for autumn. And winter. Recent photos of Chicago have looked very tempting to me.
Mark said…
We have Valentine's day decour up in our house now that the kids made, but now my house looks too pink for my taste (grumpy cat face).
Carol Kilgore said…
Alex - Interesting, sometimes scary, sometimes funny. I love it because I never know what I'm going to find. Other times I hate it because I spend hours and come up with nothing.

Elizabeth - Wanna rent a dog? Cheap. It's a good thing he's sweet :)

Liza - I'm still thinking about that book!

H.R. - Trying to make sure I include something like this each month. Not easy for me, so stretching my muscles.

Diane - Gracie has a spa appointment in a few weeks to get ready for the big day... unless Jackson calls.

Murees - I'm always ready for spring and fall to arrive and for summer and winter to be done. Not fond of the extremes our temperatures reach. I love our doggies :)

EC - I have a love/hate relationship with research. Mostly I love it, but when I can't find anything close to what I'm searching for after an hour or two, it makes me want to scream.

Mark - Embrace the pink! :)



Mason Canyon said…
It's so easy to get lost in research and all the fascinating places it takes you. It's always good to spread a little happiness and Valentine's Day is a good time for it. Wishing you and yours a very Happy Valentine's Day!
Research can be so interesting
Jan Christensen said…
Love those cards! I'm sure the kids will, too. Research sounds fun, and interesting, also. Looking forward to the next Gracie adventure. Have a great February!
Natalie Aguirre said…
Those are sweet treats for your niece and nephew. Glad you've had a productive month and a good week with your dogs.
Carol Kilgore said…
Mason - Mostly I do enjoy research. Thanks for the V-Day wishes. You, too!

Jo-Anne - Yes... even when it's stinky :)

Jan - You have a great February, too. Gracie's getting nervous :)

Natalie - They often make it difficult to be productive. But they're sweet :)
cleemckenzie said…
I still haven't read The Alice Network, but you've given me another nudge. Guess I'll do that soon.

Christine Rains said…
Research is one of my favorite things to do, but I'm often falling down into the hole of it where one link connects to another, and I just want to know more! I got my son a stuffed Garfield for Valentines Day this year. He says he's "hooked in" to Garfield now! *LOL*
Melissa said…
Oh, I bet the kids will LOVE those. I used to love getting things in the mail when I was young. Too many bills anymore. LOL

I have mixed feelings... woudn't mind a little more winter before the scorching Texas heat comes back around. I'm also not ready for the springtime allergies.
Jemi Fraser said…
Those are great cards!
Looking forward to more Gracie!! :)
We're looking to spring too, but that won't show up for a couple of months yet :P
I've heard a lot of good things about "The Alice Network," so it's definitely on my TBR list now. Thanks for the recommendation!

Looking forward to your next Gracie book. :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Lee - It's good.

Christine - "Hooked in"... that's funny! I fall down the rabbit hole a lot.

Melissa - I wonder how long it will be before email and texts go the way of postal mail.....

Jemi - Cold is arriving here tomorrow for a few days. Sigh.

Susan - You're welcome. Gracie's bugging me about a lot of stuff now :)
Gotta love doing research! Some of the crazy things I've learned!!
And grats on the third Gracie book!
Carol Kilgore said…
Lynda - So true about learning crazy things! Hardly a day goes by that I don't say something like 'I didn't know that' or 'That's weird' or 'No way!". Gracie says thanks :)
Gina Gao said…
The Alice Network sounds interesting. Thank you for sharing!

www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com
Carol Kilgore said…
Gina - Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll enjoy The Alice Network. I hope you'll visit again :)
DMS said…
Sounds like you have been doing some fascinating research! :)

I have been wanting to read THE ALICE NETWORK. I will definitely have to get to it this year. Loved hearing your thoughts.
~Jess
Carol Kilgore said…
Jess - We all like different things, but I think almost everything will like at least something about THE ALICE NETWORK, even if they don't love it as much as I did. I still think about the story and those characters.
Mark said…
My kids made Valentine's Day decorations...now my house looks pink...
Carol Kilgore said…
Mark - It's that time of year :)

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