The Month of Love

Hi Friends and Family,

Happy Valentine’s Day! I wish you so much love today and everyday!

I love February. I love all the hearts. I love Galentine’s Day and celebrating wonderful friendships. And I love Valentine’s Day and spending time with family, including my silly tattooed husband and kiddos. Did you know that February is the shortest month of the year (except when leap year happens)? It just makes it that much more special to celebrate! What’s your favorite part about February?

This month, I’m so blessed to celebrate my first book signing at Heartbound Book Shop—where every page is a love story. Last Sunday, I met readers in person including a sweet reader who returned to the shop after purchasing The Stars of Scotland just two days prior and stayed up until the following morning finishing my book. Tears of joy were shed, lots of hugs were given, and my heart soared. Thank you, Ayesha, Jenika, and Cecilia for inviting me into your wonderful book shop! And thank you to all the new readers I had the pleasure of meeting. I hope The Stars of Scotland brings you so much joy and love this season.

My mom—my first reader and fan—and I at Heartbound Book Shop.

Since February is a month for gift giving, I co-hosted a Galentine’s Giveaway last week with my long-time friend, Annie Cathryn. We had over 300 participants across platforms. It was such an incredible giveaway with a signed copy of The Stars of Scotland, a travel for love necklace, and surprise book swag. If you missed this giveaway, I’ll be hosting another in late spring/early summer with a signed book and some special, surprise items from Scotland.

February is also the month my memoir is going to be completed (send me all the amazing editing vibes), so I can send it to beta readers and dive back into book 3 of my Scottish Stars Romance Series. If you’re new here, you may be wondering, ‘I thought Erica write’s romance?’ I do. I write love stories. And this love story is mine.

The Words Between Us is a narrative-driven memoir about resilience, second chances, faith, and most of all love. It’s is a glance into our life from the day of my husband’s near-death accident to a year later—our ten-year anniversary—including the struggles that almost severed our marriage. It’s about second chances and continuing to uphold our vows by saying ‘I will’ choose each other every day, then circling into an analysis of myself—how I lost myself while putting my husband and family first, the disintegration of our marriage, facing shadow loss and mental health issues, and questioning my vows. I share painful memories including my battle with anorexia and self-worth, as well as my fierce love for my children. What’s more, I share how we fought for our marriage, asked for support, and rediscovered love again. We didn’t plan on falling in love again, yet we did. And even though I don’t know if Charles will ever fully recover from his injuries, we continue to grasp our vows. Through this story, I hope to show others that it is possible to re-discover love after a life-altering accident with one heck of a fight—together—hand in hand. Above all, this memoir is a beacon for love.

This story is also the hardest project I’ve ever written. I’ve struggled. I’ve cried. I’ve even stopped working on it for weeks and thought, ‘Can I even finish this?’ 

The answer: yes.

Sometimes, the most difficult projects are the ones that will make the biggest difference (as my incredible book coach, Camille Pagan reminded me—thanks, Camille!).

I can do the work. I can write. I’m an incredibly hard worker. It’s just a matter of when, not if. This story needs to be told to inspire and give others hope. I can create an incredible story. It’s just taking longer than normal. Why you may ask? Because it’s personal, raw, and real.

Looking back at that incredibly difficult year, I didn’t know if I’d ever celebrate another Valentine’s Day with my husband. We’d grown apart, we fought regularly, we didn’t hug, we didn’t laugh, and we didn’t love. It broke my heart.

Now, we celebrate and give thanks every day for our blessings. He even gifted me some gorgeous pink roses early and made reservations at a local favorite Italian restaurant last Saturday night, so we could celebrate Valentine’s early together, while my kids had a Mimi sleepover. I love him so much.

The gorgeous roses for my husband. Fresh flowers always make editing better. xo

Whatever your plans this Valentine’s, I hope you feel loved today and every day.

Until next time, I send you lots of love.

xo

Erica Mae