Hi Reader!

Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in my office (upstairs) and hear a crash (downstairs).

I look around.

The cat is here. ✅

My partner is in his office. ✅

😰 What caused that crash?!

When I walk downstairs, the first thing I notice is the smell. ♨️ (Sugar, strong.)

And the carpet is drenched. 💦 (But not from any source that makes sense.)

After about 5 minutes of investigation, I realize that this 👇 is the culprit...

The cork had exploded from the bottle, and the noise I heard was the bottle recoiling against the wall in its rack. I'm really glad no one was down there when it happened...

And the resulting mead spray reached across the entire room. 20+ feet and it still hit the wall!

❌😩 This was not the kind of stain you can fix with hand treatments and spot bots.

I needed a full-on carpet cleaner, and I needed it now.

💬✨ So I messaged my magical neighborhood.

(Yes, for real. We actually have a 20-something person chat thread.)

And within 5 minutes, I had three offers to borrow a full-sized carpet cleaner.

Minutes after that, it was in my basement (and I spent the next 5 hours washing mead out of half the room's carpet).

⚡👭👬💝

Community is essential.

I needed a fix now.

Not tomorrow, not 2 hours from now, right now.

(Or I was going to have to replace the carpet in that entire room.)

And because I've cultivated such a warm, reciprocal relationship with my neighbors, multiple people raised their hands when I reached out.

💥 That is the power of community.

We cannot live our lives in isolation. Not personally, and definitely not professionally.

Yes, there are things we can (and should) do on our own.

🤝 But sometimes we need a community of like-minded peers to lean on. 🥰

And that ☝️ can be really hard to find as a romance writer.

📆✨

Next week, I'm sharing an exciting opportunity.

A community for us: the romance writers who struggle to feel seen, understood, and accepted in the publishing industry.

❣️ What you do is important, and it is essential.

And there is a community of working romance writers (just like you) waiting to welcome you with open arms.

(I'd tell you about it now, but it's not ready yet. 😅)

💌 I can't wait to tell you all about your perfect-fit romance-writing community and open the doors so you can join us. 🥰

<3 Sue Brown-Moore Story Revision Coach for writers of character-driven fiction ​Website | Instagram | Facebook​

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PS - I'm back from vacation and feeling refreshed! Can't wait to help you get back on track with your writing as we go into the fall months. 🍂✍️😍