How to Extend Your Summer and Embrace the Fall
Guest Post by author Annabeth Albert
Greetings! I hope you’ve been enjoying the amazing authors and books that were a part of this summer blog tour! As the final stop of the tour, I thought it would be fun to talk about why I LOVE the end of summer and the back-to-school season. First, I’m a parent, and this week will mark the return of my kids to school, but more than just the typical “I can’t wait to get my routine back” parental anticipation, I love this time of year, have ever since I was a student myself. I think I love September for the same reason I love January—it symbolizes fresh starts and fresh potential and it’s a chance to recommit to goals, start new plans, and try new things.
If you’re feeling down about the end of summer, thinking about Fall in this way can really help. It’s not the end of everything fun. It’s the beginning of a new season in your life, one that will bring fresh opportunities for you. Celebrate this! As you pack away the swimsuits and sunscreen, allow yourself to indulge in the best parts of this new season.
To that end, whether your budget is tiny or indulgent, treat yourself to something new. There’s a reason kids love back-to-school—all the new school supplies, backpacks, and clothes are very exciting. As an adult, you can recapture some of that same excitement. I like to start September with some bargain office supplies—even a few new pens and a fancy new notebook can lift my spirits. I love watching for planner sales around this time too, and sitting down with the academic calendar and transferring it to my new planner has become a ritual for me.
Kids get new backpacks and shoes to get them off on the right foot, and you can follow this example as well. Clean out that purse or bag, maybe treat yourself to a new-to-you one. No budget for new bags and clothes? Organize a clothing and accessory swap with friends! Everyone brings a snack to share and a bag of clothes, purses, or accessories to swap. Everyone goes home with something new and new friendships are often born this way. Even on your own, cleaning out your closet and doing a donation run can do wonders for your spirits even when you can’t shop!
With your shiny new office supplies and perhaps a new accessory or two, you’re ready for my favorite part of this season: making new goals and plans! Take that blank notebook and let yourself visualize where you’d like to be by the holidays. Make realistic goals that you can meet in small increments—i.e. a daily habit of 500 words written, 15 minutes of walking, 2 extra vegetable servings, etc. Mark the day after Labor Day as your personal start date for your new plan and embrace the clean slate.
This is a time to let go of goals you didn’t meet, guilt you feel over how past plans have went, and negative self-talk. Instead, embrace the fresh start you have been given! Leave behind negativity. This is a shiny new month, and you can seize it and all its potential. What is your favorite part of the back-to-school season? Do you have any personal rituals like new pens or new goals? Want to set some fall goals? Talk to us in the comments! And if you’d like to read about two best friends who have been given a second chance to work out their complicated feelings for each other, please check out my “summer read,” ON POINT, which is a m/m contemporary military romance.
Title: On Point by Annabeth Albert
Out of Uniform Series Book Three
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Romance
Word Count: 78,000
Summary:
Never fall for your best friend…
Pushing thirty, with his reenlistment looming, decorated navy sniper Maddox Horvat is taking a long look at what he really wants in life. And what he wants is Ben Tovey. It isn’t smart, falling for his best friend and fellow SEAL, but ten years with Ben has forged a bond so intimate Maddox can’t ignore it. He needs Ben by his side forever—heart and soul.
Ben admits he likes what he’s seen—his friend’s full lower lip and the perfect muscles of his ass have proved distracting more than once. But Ben’s still reeling from a relationship gone to hell, and he’s not about to screw up his friendship with Maddox, too.
Until their next mission throws Ben and Maddox closer together than ever before, with only each other to depend on.
Now, in the lonely, desperate hours awaiting rescue, the real challenge—confronting themselves, their future and their desires—begins. Man to man, friend to friend, lover to lover.
This is book three in the Out of Uniform series. Don’t miss the first two books:
Book 1: Off Base
Book 2: At Attention
This book is approximately 78,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
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Purchase Links: Carina Press * Harlequin * Amazon * B&N * Google Play * iTunes * Kobo
Author Bio
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children.
Author Links: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Newsletter * Annabeth’s Angels * Goodreads
Giveaway
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Follow the rest of the tour HERE.
Great suggestions! My end of summer ritual is getting a new item of clothing that will take me into fall/winter. I also like to clean out my closet and donate items to my local charity shop. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Thanks for being a part of the tour!