I don’t have much time these days. I stay pretty busy with my commute to/from work, actual work, family life, and college. (Somewhere in there, I eat, shower, and sleep– REPEAT!) I am beyond exhausted. Life decided I didn’t have enough to worry about so it gave me issues with my middle son’s group home. We are back to ground zero and sh*t has hit the fan…again! I am so tired of group homes and the heartache and disappointment that come with each one. I’ve been covered in stress hives off & on for the past two weeks and I have been fighting back the tears for just as long. It’s hard to be Wonder Woman when you’ve been filling the role for decades. I’m tired and need someone to rescue me. #MentalHealthSystemIsBroken #FixIt
Luckily, this week I am in an office where everyone has been SUPER nice and when I leave work I am actually in a good mood. It makes life a little easier! #JarrellCrewRocks
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Well, hello there. We meet again. *Giggle* Where has the time gone? I can’t believe I haven’t posted since January! Shame on me. But in my defense, I started a new job and spend most of my time in my car commuting, at work, doing homework, being a mom, or sleeping. (Somewhere in there I shower, do laundry, and eat.) I’m running myself ragged and I can feel my autoimmune disorder starting to flare up… I’ll slow down either on my own or my body will shut down again. Hopefully, it’s the first one. 🙂
FUN FACT
“Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia refers to the phobia or fear of long words. Feelings of shame or fear of ridicule for mispronouncing long words may cause distress or anxiety.”
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I jumped on the bandwagon a few weeks ago but never really promoted my link. I wasn’t sure how to go about doing it or what content to post. Idea???
Hey! Hey! Remember me? The crazy old lady of social media! I’m back… hoping to be back for a while this time. Life keeps getting away from me. (eye roll) I woke up on the New Year and couldn’t move… literally. My back flared up (from an Army injury) and I was paralyzed. So I spent a good hour crying in self-pity. Finally, texted my youngest son, who came to my rescue. (he was downstairs)
Hmm… what else is new? I returned to college in October and accepted a new job with the government this month. I drive 40 miles to work one way, so I spend a bit of time in my car. Good thing I LOVE my car. (Ha! Ha!) I have great co-workers and a great boss so the job has been going well. I help out at another facility on Sundays… maaaaaaan. Sundays kick my butt. I racked up six-plus miles this past Sunday! (I was so sore)
How are all of you liking this winter storm that struck? It dropped to 15 degrees here in Texas AND we got a light snow-dusting! Yes, you read that right. Texas got snow! Go big or go home!
Hello, Lovelies! Hard to believe the big day is almost here. It feels surreal. A vacation without kiddos!?! (Pick yourself up off the floor because I’m sure you fell out of your chair. *giggle*) I wouldn’t be going on this vacation if it wasn’t for my lovely mother and the universe finally aligning.
When was the last time you had a true vacation that focused on self-care and resetting your soul? I haven’t had a true vacation like this in almost a decade! Self-care is so important and I can honestly say that I neglect myself. I’m not proud of that fact; however, I always try to keep things real with all of you.
I’m working on my mental health and finding ME. I have spent years trying to please others. It came at a toll. A heavy toll. That is why I have finally woken up and made the decision to do things for myself. The first step is this cruise which leaves Sunday. And then, once I am back, I will get a traditional job save up a bit (I already have an income but want some cushion *SMILE*), and then plan to move abroad with my youngest son to Costa Rica for a few months, at the end of January.
Have you been to Costa Rica? Have any suggestions of where to visit or avoid? Or maybe you have a suggestion for the second country my son and I should visit after our Costa Rica adventure? Either way would love to hear your thoughts.
As many of you know, I had to make the tough decision to pull most of my books off of Kindle Unlimited because of piracy. There are a few still left on KU because of obligations; however, a few of these will be leaving KU soon too. If you have KU and would like to read them, now is the time. (SMILE)
Today only, I’ve teamed up with some of your favorite instalove authors to bring you 100+ books for only 99¢, including steamy contemporary, sci-fi, sweet & clean, LBGTQ+, fantasy historical, and more!
SURPRISE… AGAIN! Josette Reuel & I have struck again. Part of our standalone series. The books can be read in any order if you’d like. Book One is A Djinn’s Love.
SURPRISE… AGAIN! Josette Reuel & I have lots of books lined up and already have 20+ co-writes out in the world. Webs We Weave is part of our dark paranormal reverse harem romance series ‘Tutela Brotherhood’
My son moved back in with me a few months ago because the group home he was in was NOT a good fit. With him being there, it was giving me more gray hair and killing my mental health; however, searching for a new group home has had the same effect. My mental health plummeted drastically. I was not in a good place for a while. I felt like the world was caving in on me. Thankfully, I pulled myself out.
Today, I received a call from a group home near Dallas and they would LOVE for my son to join them! I nearly cried. After contacting over 50 group homes, I finally had good news. This group home was actually my top pick but I hadn’t heard from them so I gave up. The universe decided to shine some light down on my darkened path and I couldn’t be happier!
Fitness Journey
I am happy to announce that I am under 250! Wow. Did I just say that out loud to a bunch of people I don’t know? Yes. Yes, I did! No shame in my game. I am super proud of myself. I have been counting calories and doing 60-minute cardio three times a week. I couldn’t lift because of an arm injury but I recently learned substitute exercises that are helping tone the flabby chicken wings! Super excited about that.
As you see in the pictures, the elliptical machine and my protein/slim fast shake have become my best friends. On occasion, I do growl & hiss at them. (ha!) No pain, no gain… in theory.
College
Did you miss the post about me returning to college? Yes. You read that right. My old behind took the plunge. It has always been my dream to be able to say “I have a bachelor’s degree”. I had to stop years ago for personal reasons but decided to go for it again. I most likely won’t use it… or maybe I will. Time will tell. For right now, I am just enjoying being able to say “I’m a college student!”
My first class was supposed to be Statistics which sounded like Snooze-Fest. Thankfully, it is Composition II! Right up my alley! (insert happy dance)
By the way, my major is… (drum roll)… psychology. So, maybe one day I’ll be able to charge you guys for the advice I give! (Ha! just kidding. XoXo)
Dating
How’s my dating life going? I’m just going to leave these screenshots of things I posted on social media right here (sums it up)…
Moving
In case you don’t follow me on social media or missed one of my last blogs, I have decided to move abroad with my youngest (13) son. We were going to move to China or Korea; however, we are now going to head to Costa Rica for a few months. This may change but for now, it is Costa Rica. Low cost of living, great reviews from family and friends, and is rich in culture which is something I really want my youngest to experience.
I have been studying Spanish for 60+ days straight. I was feeling pretty confident until the Spanish radio station I listen to almost every day had a talking segment this morning and… I only caught a few words here and there. I’m just going to carry a notebook and pen with me and have people write down what they’re saying. I read Spanish better than I do listening & understanding it. Ha. Ha.
Travel
Only 11 more days until I go on my first cruise with my bestie A.K.A. my beautiful mother. (fun fact: eleven is one of my lucky numbers!) We are sooooo ready to set sail. I haven’t had a real vacation without the kids in years. Feels like a lifetime.
I am super excited. Originally, I was nervous because I didn’t feel ‘pretty enough’ to go on a cruise but I decided to let those feelings go. I am way too hard on myself. I keep comparing myself to others and I need to stop doing that & just enjoy life. 🙂
NEW RELEASES FROM ME
(Click each cover to learn more and/or buy a copy.)
Happy Tuesday. I hope you’re having an amazing day. Mine is a bit of Crap, but it has become the norm. That’s what happens when you deal with your own mental health disorders and have a child who has even more mental health disorders. #SingleMomProblems
On a happier note, A Djinn’s Love is doing very well in ebook stores. Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy. This book was a lot of fun to write. It was nice to have a setting in Egypt and a paranormal being that isn’t common in PNR these days– a Djinn!
I am very happy to be writing with Josette Reuel again. However, I do think we have a writing problem… no, like a legit writing problem. We had five books in progress, were talking, made a joke, and now we have book six in the works! ha!
Another co-writer who keeps me on my toes is J. Truesdell. She and I had lots of fun writing our dark mafia romance book Dangerous Affair. We are looking forward to writing book 2!
Releasing in a few days is my book Doomed. It is a Zom-Com. Yep. You read that right. It is a Zombie-Comedy. A Zomedy! (I’m going to copyright this word.) There’s horror too but my life has enough horror in it so I needed some laughs.
I have lots of new books coming soon to my newsletter and not just my own books. Lots of books from authors you may or may not have heard of. (Whispers, “Lots of FREEBIES too!”)
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Sign up and get a free mafia romance read. (Book One of my Romano Sisters.)
Hey, Lovelies! Happy Sunday. I hope your weekend was amazing and that tomorrow will be even better for you. Below you’ll find my mafia romance reads (all but one). If you click the “blue lettering” (hyperlink), it will take you to the respective page.
XoXo,
S.E. Isaac
P.S. As always, sharing is caring so feel free to share my blog and/or book(s) links.
Both of my books are on Kindle Unlimited and are fast-paced mafia romance reads. Come to think of it ALL of my mafia romance books are quick reads. I don’t like to drag things out. Even in my dark romance mafia reads, which I’ll mention below, they are the same way.
“Dangerous Affair” was a fun co-write with my dear friend J. Truesdell. I always love it when I’m able to write dark with lots of bad guys and a sexy mob boss (Marco). This book is in Kindle Unlimited, but not for long. It leaves KU on October 28th.
“Vanished in Vegas” is the book that started my love for writing mafia romances. It is part of the standalone series Vanished, which was coordinated with my beautiful friend Alana Winters. Who wouldn’t want to be kidnapped by a sexy mob boss & get their happily ever after?
“The Made Daughter” was the second mafia romance book I published. It is literally the sister book to “Vanished in Vegas”. The middle sister’s book is “Vanished in Vegas” and the older sister’s story is “The Made Daughter”.
But, we can’t have The Romano Sisters without the baby sister and her story– “The Hitman’s Rose“. This book is part of the standalone series Flower of the Month, which apparently is no longer an official series because when I went to grab the link, the series was gone from Amazon. I guess the coordinator pulled it? Guess I should remove the series from my Amazon page. (HA!)
If you prefer to read buy one book with all three sister books in it, “The Romano Sisters” is available for purchase. 🙂
Here lately, I have been doing a lot of research on living abroad. Specifically, living abroad as an American and with a teenager. I feel like there’s smoke coming out of my ears from all of the wheels turning. (ha!)
Places I am considering:
China
South Korea
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Spain
Each country has its pros and cons. Some countries are easier to visit while others require a doctor’s note, literally. (I won’t say which one, but I’m sure you can put two and two together.) I really want to dive into the culture wherever we move. I loved Korea when I visited there many years ago and my mother worked in Korea for the US government for several years. Spain has come to mind recently after all of my research but it is not at the top of my list for a few reasons. My mother and I have always joked around about packing up and moving to Costa Rica, and I think that’s why that country is on my list of possibilities. (The cost of living really is cheap and I found a lot of pros to living there.) Nicaragua hit my list recently due to a friend who lives there. After the suggestion of me moving there with my son, I did some research and Nicaragua would be beneficial as far as slowing life down and the cost of living being reasonable.
There is so much more but I’m trying to keep this short and sweet. Have you lived abroad? If so, which country? What were the pros and cons? I’d love to hear from you even if the country you lived in wasn’t mentioned above.
Instalove 99¢ Book Blast Alert! 
Part of our standalone series. The books can be read in any order if you’d like. Book One is 
Josette Reuel & I have lots of books lined up and already have 20+ co-writes out in the world. 
Webs We Weave is part of our dark paranormal reverse harem romance series ‘Tutela Brotherhood’
Monster in the Cookie Jar 