My craft goal this month (and probably next month, etc.) is to create a Puzzle Purse. What is a puzzle purse? So glad you asked!

Here is a link to my Pinterest page that has some lovely examples: https://www.pinterest.com/paytonharlie/crafty/

To say this is an ambitious project is an understatement. There are a LOT of little sections to decorate. And the folding! The photo above is of early experiments–the struggle is real. But I fell in love with the idea after seeing one on social media and went to Pinterest to find out more.

While browsing all the amazing pins, I realized that although I’ve let my account languish, Pinterest is probably my favorite of all the social media platforms.

So I plan to spend some time learning how to do more with Pinterest. Maybe even create a few of my own pins which I had wanted to do YEARS ago.

On the writing front, I’ve been making good progress on Jake’s story which will be Book Three of the Barbed Sols series. Still tentatively titled Never Too Late, the full draft is about eighty percent complete. There is a good bit of work to be done, but I’m at the point where I believe the book will happen!

Happy February!

The universe has been busy trying to teach me lessons for the past several years, and I tend to get dark and moody about that quite often. However, a couple of days ago I did a recap of 2024 at the end of my planner. The list of things I’d gone through and handled in 2024 brought a sliver of enlightenment. A LOT of stuff has gone on. And I dealt with all of it.

In the midst of all the chaos, I finished and published Long Way Home, and Home Delivery. I also made time to go to two mixed media workshops and one journal making workshop which was the best thing ever for my mental health.

So what does any of that mean for 2025?

Possibly nothing. 🙂

But my takeaway today is to remember to give myself GRACE in this new year.

The big news is my debut novel is published! Love, Ezra is the first book in the Barbed Sols novel series. So who are the Barbed Sols?

Barbed Sols was a band formed in the late 1980s by four childhood friends: 

Jake Taghart, founder of the band, on drums

Michael Taghart, brother of Jake, on lead guitar

Wade Duncan, best friend of Jake, as frontman

Ezra Goldman, best friend of Michael, on bass

The boys began playing in their small Florida hometown of Solito, then began traveling once they graduated high school. The band gained fame with their southern grungy sound, but then quickly dissolved just as their popularity peaked.

The four men are now in their fifties, each having taken a different life path after the band’s breakup. 

The first book of the Barbed Sols series kicks off with Ezra and Lili Goldman, and a marriage in trouble.

Buy Love, Ezra on Amazon.com.

I am so excited to share the big news!

Love, Ezra is available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited and for sale on Amazon.com.

is coming in December!

One night changed everything…

Ezra

I spent my life building a reputation as one of the best bass players in the music industry, and my wife Lili was my rock every step of the way. But it only took one night, and one very bad decision, for me to lose my career, destroy my marriage of twenty-six years, and gain a son. Now after too many months of separation, I’m home with my child to beg Lili’s forgiveness for the unforgivable and be the husband she’s always deserved.

Lili

I was determined to celebrate turning fifty. I had a sexy new dress, an unsigned set of divorce papers, and a dependable new lover. My birthday dinner was a success until my estranged husband chose to show up with an unexpected package—his newborn son. Now Ezra wants me to let the two of them move back into our house. Fabulous.

Lucy Caldwell may be stuck in quarantine, but she has her priorities straight. Once she’s out of lockdown, she isn’t taking any chances. Dating is fun, but safety comes first, and Lucy has a plan.

Pandemic Parter with Benefits

Check out my new FREE mini story Pandemic Partner with Benefits on DelilahsCollections.com The Love in Lockdown collection is a group of mini stories by various authors exploring romance in the new pandemic normal world. You can also download the very short story from here.