Happy Fourth of July to our members in the US! Hopefully, you’ll be able to squeeze some reading in around the festivities. What are you reading? I’m reading our group read, On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. It’s 1950s historical fiction about a trio of Black singing sisters.

We do have a rule against self-promotion in this community. (Thank you, everyone, for sticking to it and helping to make this community great. It's much appreciated!) But I thought we could have the *occasional* post where members can share their stuff, whatever it may be. So have at it! Comment on this post (and only on this post!) and share your website, social media, Skool community, links to your books, Substack, etc... whatever you like! It doesn't have to be HF-related. Two requirements: (1) Tell people what to expect. So if you post your Substack newsletter or your IG or your Skool community, tell us what it's about. Don't expect people to have to go look at your link to find out. Let them know if they might be interested. If it's about cooking, writing memoir, travel, makeup, business, photography, reviewing horror novels, whatever... tell us what it's about. (2) Don't just drop a comment and run. Check out other people's stuff. Read through the other comments, like them, and — if you're interested in the description — check out their links. Enjoy 😊

I’m reading American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. In other plans, I’m having coffee with the local writers I recently did a 30 day writing sprint with. AND my daughter comes home from Paris 🎉 (My son comes home from the UK on Friday. It’ll be so good to have them both home again!🥰) Photo is my daughter wearing Winnie the Pooh ears at Paris Disneyland.

I've almost finished The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott, and I'm really enjoying it! I've intended to read Doctor Zhivago for years — it's been sitting on my shelf for quite a few — and this book has moved it up the TBR. I didn't actually know it was politically so important. Here's the publisher's description of Prescott's novel: At the height of the Cold War, Irina, a young Russian-American secretary, is plucked from the CIA typing pool and given the assignment of a lifetime. Her mission: to help smuggle Doctor Zhivago into the USSR, where it is banned, and enable Boris Pasternak’s magnum opus to make its way into print around the world. Mentoring Irina is the glamorous Sally Forrester: a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit, using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Under Sally’s tutelage, Irina learns how to invisibly ferry classified documents—and discovers deeply buried truths about herself. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/603995/the-secrets-we-kept-reeses-book-club-by-lara-prescott/ What about you? What do you have on tap this weekend? (And have you read Doctor Zhivago?)

I'm reading Amity by Nathan Harris for my main squeeze fiction. For nonfiction, I'm reading Donnie Brasco, which is written by an FBI agent, Joe Pistone, who worked undercover with the Mafia for 6 years in the 70s. It's amazing he managed that long without getting "whacked" by a "wiseguy" 😂 (I know all the lingo now 😉)