BackStage Pass-July Notes

I’m drafting this post before a drive to a glass-walled treehouse tucked away but close enough to everything. The getaway pulls triple duty: much needed R&R; final 364 First Dates edits in the morning, luxury-glamping field notes each afternoon. If you’d like a peek at the treetop desk—or watch me wage war on a stubborn French press—swing by TikTok for quick clips.

While the pines sway, my second novel keeps evolving. The airport-karaoke manuscript now answers to Duet @ Gate 68. Does the new title sing, or should I keep brainstorming? Drop a thought by reply or on TikTok; your early reactions really do shape the work.

Christian Karaoke Live continues to grow. One highlight: during the chorus of “Holy Spirit, come flood this place,” a summer storm kicked up, our always-latched door blew wide, and rain washed across the floor—an unforgettable moment of worship. Earlier that evening a photographer had been roaming, shooting a promo for the restaurant. I had no idea a camera was rolling, so I just smiled and kept singing. (Nervous—me or Emma? Never, lol.) We might end up in a commercial, and I’m strangely great with that.

I also squeezed in some sawdust-scented journalism: flip to page 28 of National Hardwood Magazine’s July 2025 issue to read my newest flooring feature. Romance by morning, white-oak specs by night—balance!

If still water and frog song sound better than crowd noise, go to page 52 of this quarter OTLGolf.com for my piece on Green Frog Pond Cabin—a cedar-framed hideaway where sunrise coffee steams over mirror-calm water, fireflies rim the shoreline each night, and cell service politely excuses itself at the gate. It’s the reset I didn’t know I needed—and you might, too.

Independence Day is almost here, and I am right in the middle of gratitude. Freedom—to write, to sing, to chase one wild story after another—is a gift I never take lightly. Thank you for traveling this road with me.

More soon—pre-order news, karaoke dates, and maybe a few treehouse thunderstorms.

Blessings, and God bless America.

— Michelle