Introducing My Friend Harlow Scott!

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Harlow Scott Books!

Friends, romance novels are a very. Good.Thing. Even better when your friend publishes three in one year, holy cow! And I got to read them all first!

Harlow Scott (nom de plume) and I met in the now defunct Shaneiaks Facebook group, an enthusiastic (and occasionally feral) fan group for Shane East (aka Steve West), my favorite naughty voice actor. We gushed about books, heroes, and Our Gentleman’s crazy amazing talent. I know The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe reigns close to the top of her list of favorite works, but she also loves vampires and various other delectable tropes and subgenres in romance. I recall her posting a lot about burning dinner while listening to smut, and melting into a gooey mass on the kitchen floor. I think I won her over when I offered to come over anytime with a loving tile scraper. At the time she lived in Denver so I was at least half serious–any excuse to visit home! We did meet in person on my next trip and subsequently, I have hung out with her in the Pacific Northwest where she now lives, and we even road tripped to St. Louis last year for the Mate Games convention.

Harlow’s writing history starts long before mine, having penned stories and even an entire novel (yet to be published) decades ago. She has published at least two professional books, offering her unique expertise to the world at the intersection of history and accessibility in public spaces. In 2023 (or was it 2024?) we agreed to support each other in our respective NaMo’s: Her in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and me in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). We committed to writing every day and holding each other up in the process. A great friendship was born!

Since then I have had the privilege and pleasure of witnessing and supporting HS on her prolific writing journey, watching the genius emerge and flourish, imagining her fingers fly at her laptop, giving form and phrase to ideas that just cannot get out fast enough. Her first two novels, Month to Maybe and Can You Hear Me Now?, were almost written in tandem–fun, easy, lighthearted reads that remind me so much of works by contemporary powerhouse authors Lauren Blakely and Louise Bay. The third, recently released, What If I Say Yes, required quite a bit more labor, if not more love. I am so proud of this particular release, her first male-male, bi-awakening love story. It called to her as soon as the the Pacific Hearts series took shape, and she incubated and cultivated it with unending dedication and care. She invested time, energy, and resources to make it the best it could be, and it has paid off. From the first draft that I read to the final edits, Eli and Marcus’s journey evolved deeply and readers have positively gushed at the outcome.

I always marvel at brains that can invent stories this engaging, let alone write them so articulately. And the spicy scenes, well… The woman’s got talent, I say! Good romance shows us our softest, most vulnerable humanity, our deepest desires both emotional and carnal. It helps us explore our most tender insides, reminds us how essentially we need deep connection, acceptance, understanding, and love. When these stories also represent those of us who feel marginalized, telling our love stories with compassion and fervor, validating our experiences and aspirations, the world is simply much better for it.

My friend does exactly this. From her bio:
“She chooses to write about love because she believes in its power to comfort, heal, and offer a place to escape.”
“Telling stories of love, laughter, and happily-ever-afters, one word at a time, where hearts ache, sparks fly, and love wins.”

Harlow Scott’s books can be found in ebook and paperback on Amazon, and you can get signed paperbacks on her website.

I know the stories in the pipeline, friends, and I can’t wait to share those with you all when they release. Meanwhile, check out Pacific Hearts. Love wins and it feels so good.

Staying In the Game

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The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek

You guys, it’s possible I can jump farther than I am tall!

I’m only 5’2″, so it’s really not that far, but I’m excited! I can make it from one end of the turf to the other at Ethos, Coach Mason and I estimate 30 feet, in about 5 jumps. Next week I will find a tape measure–OH that will be fun! I’ll see how far I can actually jump, and then have something to maybe work on in the coming year!

This block we are training deadlift again, and next week I will try for 200# x 4 on the trap bar. Friend Jerry the musician/filmmaker/NGO fundraiser and all around lovely human has been my workout buddy these last two weeks and we plan to achieve this goal together!

One movement I may stop pushing for a while is the back squat. My knees tell me they don’t want to lift more than my body weight from a very low position, and I’m okay with that. Glad they’re voicing their opposition. I am confident my coaches and I can find a modification that allows me to continue progressing and also prevent injury.

Simon Sinek wrote in Start With Why, “When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.” YES! His book The Infinite Game came to mind today as I considered my broad jump–how much better could I still get at this age? How much longer can I keep jumping like this? In finite games the goal is to win and end the game. Infinite games by definition never end; there is no ‘winner’. I’ve written about the book before as its tenets apply to organizations and leadership. But the idea of ‘staying in the game of life’ hit me today. He briefly discusses health practices such as diet and exercise in both SWW and TIG, using them as examples of actions (leading indicators) that stem from a commitment (our [just] cause) and reliably move us toward our ultimate goals.

So what is the goal, the objective, in the game of life or any infinite game, he asks? It is to stay in the game and keep playing as long as possible. To me this means maintaining and optimizing self-efficacy, autonomy, and vitality. It means fueling, training, resting, connecting, and thriving in a way that is stable, strong, flexible, agile, and resilient for as long as we can, with a mindset of allostasis (see Brad Stulberg’s books Master of Change and The Way of Excellence below).

Sinek’s book doesn’t discuss The Infinite Game in terms of individual health or longevity, but I think the concept still applies. What do we need to stay healthy and thrive with age?

from Reading Graphics

Can we translate this mindset from business to health? My health is a just cause when it’s not only for my own sake. I will be the best mom, doctor, daughter, spouse, and friend if I am well, body, mind, and spirit. I do it to maximize my contribution in this lifetime. It doesn’t matter how far anyone else jumps, or how much anyone else lifts. That’s none of my business. I just want to show up and be my best self as often as possible. I need to recognize real limitations when they occur and pivot when necessary, navigating ever forward, open always to novel paths. And when my friends want to do the same, I’m right there on their sidelines, cheering loud and proud for them, just as they do for me.

I’m also reminded of Brad Stulberg’s excellent work, which he shares generously on Instagram:

Focus on effort and cultivate curiosity. Get good help when we need it. Adapt to changing conditions, strive healthily and reasonably. I confess I have not yet listened to The Way of Excellence, but I feel confident recommending it because I know Brad’s work and he engages his audience with grace, humility, and generosity. Maybe I will finally listen this month, in time to dedicate an entire post to it!

I just love when concepts from multiple sources intersect and integrate, inflluencing and validating my own lived experience, encouraging me to keep looking, thinking, wondering, asking, and sharing.

How are you competing with yourself, striving to make healthy progress in meaningful ways to you? What concepts, practices, and people hold you up along the way?
What infinite games do you play?

NaBloPoMo 2026: All Things Books

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National Blog Posting Month, Year Twelve, friends!
30 posts in 30 days, let’s go.

I thought intially I’d write one book review a day, as I have hundreds to choose from (see the Books post in December every year since 2019), and more each week! But why limit myself? Why not write whatever emerges that has anything to do with books, no obligations or pressure? It’s so much more fun to leave things open and possible, no?

Some topics may include:
-Books in any media
-Authors–impressions, presence, engagement, relationships
-Audiobook stuff (voice actors, audiobook community, storytelling platforms including audio erotica)… also impressions, presence, engagement, relationships, intersections
-Social media and online/virtual communities
-Social activism in the book world, eg Audio In Color
-Role of literature, reading, and books in history, culture, society, especially the ones that get banned; emergence/proliferation of queer lit, art, and media; intersection/relationship with politics, family dynamics, global economy, personal development
-AI perspectives–writing tool, human labor theft, generative slop, making us more efficient and dumber, no going back, potential to make us net better or worse
-Economics of publishing

How has consumption of books evolved in our lifetime? In what domains and contexts has that evolution occurred? What/how can we anticipate the future of writing and reading, and the function, value, and risks of words?

Last year I was immersed in jar smiles, twelve a day for thirty days. I managed to gift all but three sets all over the country, which was fun. They were spontaneous, honest, and fun, if not at all my best writing by a long shot! This year’s commitment feels a bit more daunting, especially since I plan to continue my six hours a week in the pottery studio, work is still busy, I’m still getting to Ethos three to five times a week (at least a three hour event front to back), I’m starting some amazing inner work with a new coach, and still writing love letters to patients each week! Teeheeheeeee, life is full… And it’s all good!

Body, mind, spirit, relationships, organizations, and society… Always thinking of the nestings and intersections, my friends. We each have a role to play in all the spaces we occupy. Books in all forms give us information, education, and perspective, if we are open to receiving.
I need to read more things I disagree with.

What do you need from your books?