Jessica McCarty, Author

With school starting in less than a month and the end of summer reading, it feels like summer is almost over. I'm slowly reading through my manuscript and taking notes (nine chapters to go!) & working on my garden, which is coming along nicely. The radishes have all been harvested. I don't have many carrots, but at least I haven't had any bunny problems so far. My tomato, zucchini, and cucumber plants are blossoming. Yesterday, I brought in my first zucchini and decided to keep track of how much my plants produce so I know how many to plant next year. I want to be more intentional about my gardening. I'd love to have enough to preserve, even if that's simply freezing some of it to cut down on grocery costs. Reading . . . My reading this month has been a little all over the place. I read a couple of romcoms, starting with Hearts in Circulation by Sarah Monzon. I love this series! It's just such a perfect balance of romance, humor, and heart. I also read The ...

 I've officially finished the first round of edits for My Sci-Fi Library Romance (& yes, that is the title😆)! This is a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romcom novella about two librarians who end up working together after eight years of silence, one of whom is a secret cosplayer. Next week, I'll begin reading through the manuscript to determine what changes need to be made before I move on to line edits. Stay tuned!! April & May reads . . . * Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The first Arthurian tale I've ever read. Surprisingly good. * The Enemy by Sarah Adams Re-read. * Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre * My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh I waited so long to be able to put this on hold. Half my enjoyment was just getting ahold of it.😂 * How to be More Tree An inspiring short and sweet little read. Did I mention it's about trees?😭🌳💚 * The Encyclopedia of Ugly Fashion by  Karolina Żebrowska By far my favorite read of them all! K...

 I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Ours was quite busy, visiting my family and then heading home to host Easter for the kids. It was a rainy day, but it let up enough for us to take the grandkids outside for an egg hunt. My new favorite thing is dinosaur jackets and tiny rain boots. Those boys were absolutely adorable in their little outfits! Last week, I had a staycation and got a few items checked off my to-do list. I began a new sewing project, weeded the yard, purged my closet, started an herbal hair oil infusion, read (of course!), watched the new SpongeBob movie, went for a walk or two, and edited three more chapters. I'm feeling very accomplished! Reading . . . * The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel * The Temporary Roomie by Sarah Adams This was a re-read for me. * Fallen City by Adrienne Young While good, fantasy just doesn't really hit for me anymore. I'm still deciding whether I want to read the second book or not. Listening to . . . *Irish Roar || The...

  Today, I finished editing chapter eleven. I'm so excited, because I was finally able to insert a detail I've been having a hard time finding a place for. I also included a flashback at the beginning of the chapter. It's a great feeling, because adding to a draft is so counterintuitive for me. Plus, I'm just really happy to add any length to this novella. My current goal is to complete three chapters a week, which means I could wrap up this first round of edits by mid- to late April. I'm planning on two more rounds of edits after that (one content edit and one line edit), but it depends on how the manuscript shapes up as I work on it. I always struggle with how much information to give readers at this stage of the process. For now, I'll just say that this little book contains the following: *romance💙 *librarians📖 *nerdy references😎 *an aspiring author💻 *a secret cosplayer🦸 *found family👪 *a sci-fi tv show🚀 Reading . . . I continued with last month'...

  Happy February, friends! It's absolutely frigid here in Indiana, which means it's a great time for me focus on my WIP. I started applying the notes I took for my first round of content edits and have made it through two chapters, tweaking and fleshing out my little book. Editing is always the most difficult part for me, but I do enjoy the depth and clarity that comes from it as I begin to more clearly see who the characters are and work on bringing out the heart of the story. I can't wait for you to meet Jasper and Larkin, and I hope you're all warm and cozied up with a great book, wherever you are! Reading . . . My sweet husband preordered the last book in the When in Rome series, In Your Dreams , as a Christmas present. As with her last few books, Sarah includes a content warning at the beginning so you can avoid certain chapters if you  prefer closed-door romance. While I always appreciate this, I must admit that her books are getting more graphic, and I don't...

It's a new year, and you know what that means! Time to share my favorite reads from 2025.  If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've already likely heard me rave about these books, so I'll get right to it. In no particular order, I'm starting with a series.  How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother by the amazing Jenny Proctor. A Christmas-themed Hawthorne book came out in November, and I need it right now . Next, Some Like it Scot  by Pepper Basham. Don't let the title fool you. This book is a nice, clean romcom with plenty of heart. (My reading journal has two whole pages dedicated to it.😉) Lastly, Double or Nothing  by Cindy Steel. This is book two in the Pride and Pranks series, and I would recommend them all! Writing update . . . My first draft is complete! I'm taking notes and plotting where to insert certain elements. This is working a bit backward for me. Considering this will be a shorter book, this will add some length. It'll also allow me to be mo...