April 2026 Newsletter

Deb's Niche!

This is my April 2026 newsletter, which provides sneak peeks into what I'm doing and more personal information. I'm currently writing a prequel, 'Love's Perfect Foundation,' and writing book 2. Great things are coming in 2026!

Family Facts

Ever notice how half the people you know blow out candles in September? That's not a coincidence! It's holiday cheer with a nine-month delay. September is the "Christmas" of birth months—the gift that keeps on giving.

Do the math—it checks out. In our family of 21, we somehow only have three September birthdays. Honestly, it feels like a statistical miracle! Winter chills drive people indoors, and apparently into long-term commitments. This makes September, August, and July the top three birth months in the US.

The Middle Months

October, May, and March sit comfortably in the middle. Why October and May land there? No idea! Honestly, some mysteries should remain unsolved. But our family? We're clearly a June wedding statistic, and we have five March birthdays to prove it.

Then comes June, warming up like a headliner who knows September is about to steal the show. April and November quietly hunker down, hoping no one notices they're hovering near the bottom.

January comes in with big "new year, new baby" energy… and then quietly underperforms. Turns out April (its conception month) is more about taxes than romance. December? Now, if you're a planner, this is the month to avoid at all costs. Who wants to burden their precious bundle of joy with a birthday that competes with a major holiday? The stats agree. December ranks next to last. Maverick (our newest grandbaby) had other plans and arrived early, earning himself a December birthday. We'll do our best, sweetie!

February? Poor thing never stood a chance. Dead last. Fewer days, and fewer birthdays. It's the shortest kid on the playground asking for a fair shot.

Why Am I Writing About This?

Maybe it's curiosity. Maybe it's trivia. Or maybe it's the budget—we definitely had to raid the piggy bank for that "five birthday" month. I've always been fascinated by birth order, and it turns out birth trends aren't random either. They reflect how we live, celebrate, and, apparently… spend the holidays.

So next time you're at a packed September birthday party, just remember: the holidays didn't end—they just showed up with cake.

Quick Update on the Puppy Saga...

I am very encouraged by some major patches of hair regrowth. Poor baby looks bizarre right now, but maybe...? The hair is soft like when she was a puppy, so I don't know if it'll ever be like it was. I'd just like her to be covered. She hates the sweater.

From the front, you can barely tell.

📚 READER'S CORNER 📚

Progress on book two is holding steady while I work on two key things. After writing my first book, I didn't do much marketing. I wanted to wait until book two was released to capitalize on any momentum generated by marketing it. This was especially the case since book one has a cliffhanger.

Gearing up for that, I am writing a short novella, "Love's Perfect Foundation," to use as a reader magnet to attract readers to my newsletter and books. This novella will follow Dylan before he meets Brynnlee and give some background on why he isn't looking to get into another relationship. I'd love to have any or all of you who receive my newsletter be readers for that novella when I'm finished. If you are interested, please click below and fill out the quick form. I'll add you to my list of readers.

I've also wanted to get my book out as an audiobook. Current research shows that audiobooks are a growing market with listener needs that are currently underserved. Uploads of 'print' books to Amazon are nearing 350,000 per month. Discoverability is nearly impossible. The average monthly number of audiobooks supplied is far less than one percent of that. I am reviewing my book to clean and tighten up the editing. Once that is done, I will work on putting it on audio.

Author Struggles: Not Enough Hours in the Day

Obviously, with all that I explained above, my biggest struggle (other than social media, which continues to baffle me and be my biggest headache) is finding enough time in the day to get it all done, and still balance time with my husband and family. And the time change even stole an hour from me! I'm still holding a grudge.

What's Up Doc?

Weight loss update... I'm down 50 pounds from my highest weight and am about 10 pounds away from crossing a major milestone. After my birthday (May 18), I'll share some before-and-after pics and more about what I'm doing. It's been a game-changer.

For now, thanks so much for reading!

Totally Trivia

Book Facts:

I've already mentioned that my inspiration for the book's architectural theme was my son's profession. A close second to that is my love of cruising and the 'dream' of living on a cruise ship. I began years ago researching what that would look like and discovered that there are communities that live on the water full-time. This new'ish phenomenon is called Seasteading. This was the inspiration for making Pelagia the major project for the competitors in the book.

I suffer from motion sickness when traveling by car, train, or automobile, and it's no different when being on a ship. But my love of the ocean is more powerful than my dislike of pine-scented oil behind my ears. It's my Oasis!!!

I'll be posting trivia facts in each newsletter. You may want to remember them . . . it could mean a chance for one lucky winner to receive a free copy of Love's Perfect Match - book two!

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