Happy New Year Everyone!

Author

Bethany Monaco Smith
January 01, 2023

In this email...

  • A note from me & New Year's goals

  • What's new in the newsletter this year

  • A sneak peek at Running Back to You

  • Behind the scenes of what I'm working on right now

New year, new challenges!

Can you believe it's 2023?! I swear 2008 was like five years ago. 2022 was quite a year for me. I released 12(!) books and drove myself to the brink of insanity--but I had a lot of fun along the way!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Mine was more low-key than I thought it would be, and I ended 2022 with eggnog, rye bread dip, and Hot Fuzz--one of my all-time favorite movies.

I'm currently trying to tiptoe quietly into 2023. Let's be quiet and not scare it because we could all use a peaceful year.

I'm not much for resolutions, but I do like to set goals, and I try to make them achievable. What are your goals (or resolutions) for 2023? You can reply to this email & tell me, I read them all! As for me, my goals are pretty simple in theory, though maybe tougher in execution: I'd like to focus more on my mental and physical health, read more because I got so caught up in writing last year, and continue to grow my business as an author. Here's hoping I can achieve those things or at least make a dent. Whatever your goals are, I hope you achieve yours, too!

New year, new newsletter!

I'm going to be adding lots of new fun content this year!

  • First, I'm going to be starting a real life romance feature. Each month, I'll be sharing a real life swoonyworthy romance. The best part? You can submit your real life love stories! Starting next week, I'll have a form for submissions and the first real life romance to fall in love with!

  • MORE FREEBIES. I'm super excited about this! I can't promise exactly how often you'll get them, but I'm planning to offer a free short story or novella quarterly at the very least. You can expect your first one in February, but I'm not giving any hints! It's a surprise, but I think y'all will love it!

  • Polls and questionnaires! Okay, those may not necessarily sound fun, but they're meant to help you get a say in what you want to see! Whether it's help picking a character's name or giving feedback on what you want more of in my newsletter, you'll get a chance to let me know what you're thinking (of course, you can also respond to this newsletter at any time and tell me as well!)

What happens when your ex shows up at your door... but she's still your wife?

Mike & Steph's story is coming in just a few weeks! Excited? Grab your copy now at the pre-sale discount! And keep scrolling for a teaser of one of my favorite moments!

“I—I have to go home for a wedding next Thursday. It’s my sister’s third wedding and my mom guilt tripped me into it. And…” She swallows hard as my brow furrows. I have never met a single member of her family. No one has, except Kaila, and that’s only because they went to college together and Steph’s parents visited a couple of times. “It’s four days, and I don’t want to go alone. You—” She sniffs and looks up.

Holy shit. Is she crying? She’s hardly ever cried in the two years I’ve known her.

“My family isn’t easy to deal with. And I know you’ll have my back. If you’re willing to go.”

How could I possibly deny her? That primal instinct takes over again.

“Do they know we’re married?”

She nods. “That’s how I scored the plus-one. I’m sorry, but they’re probably going to grill us.”

I take that in. Am I just the easiest person to take or does she truly want me there?

“You don’t have to answer right now. I know I’m putting you on the spot. I can go…”

She turns toward the door, but I grab her arm and shake my head. “Don’t. I just need a minute to think.”

My mind rolls over what I know about her family. She hates going home. Never talks about her parents. She has three sisters she doesn’t get along with. Her brothers are the oldest and youngest in her family. She gets along okay with her oldest one, and she has a very big soft spot for her younger brother Jeremy. Her grandparents are what she talks about the most from home, but they’ve both passed. I’ve also gotten the sense that something pretty shitty happened to her before she left home, in addition to a not-so-great childhood, though she’s never talked about any of it. Ever. But she’s here right now at her most vulnerable, willing to let me in, and I don’t think it’s because it’s convenient.

Then I think back to what Sam said. I need to be honest with her about what I want. Maybe this is a way to get there.

My chest tightens… this might push her too far, but I have a chance. And a chance is all I’ve wanted since the beginning. And now with the farmhouse being ready? I have to go for it.

“I’ll go, but I have a condition.”

“Okay.”

I take her hand, brushing my fingertips over her bare ring finger. “You want me to be your husband? I need you to be my wife. And I don’t mean for the weekend. If you want me to go, you have to promise me you’ll give us a shot. A real shot. Not whatever our relationship was before. Our marriage.”

Behind the scenes with me

Want to know what I'm working on right now? Listening to? Reading? What's rumbling around in my head? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway!

  • Currently working on: Mike & Steph's bonus scene, some final RBTY edits, and editing on Together Like This

  • Currently distracting me from those things: My next planned series after Friends Like This (so not till like 2025 at least lol) which is set at a college and will feature several different romances from (what else?) a tight knit friend group. The most fun part? This miiiight just include my first ever MMF romance. Feel free to reply to this with your thoughts about that!

  • Currently reading: I am about to start Taste by Melanie Harlow

  • Currently listening to: I'm deep in a Jordan Davis hole and don't think I'll be leaving any time soon

If you want more fun behind the scenes info, make sure you join my FB reader group! It's where we talk about books, romance, my characters & their love stories, and where I share random unedited snippets of what I'm working on and other fun teases! And this year there might be an exclusive giveaway or two as well!

Again, happy new year, everyone! I hope you have a wonderful start to 2023 (remember, tiptoe quietly), and until next time, take care and happy reading!