My favorite morning
My favorite kind of morning is one just like I’m having, right now.
The temperature has dropped to a chilly 47°F. The sun is lazily rising, brightening the sky first in gradients of grey and black, and then ultimately reds and yellows and blues. The air feels crisp and alive, like it’s trying to remind you to be content with and appreciative of your own skin.
I have my cup of coffee, and I have my window. A gentle turn of my head, just to my left, gives me a view of the valley below our hilltop home. Miles of trees and houses, signs of commerce and activity in the distance. And the sky—ripples and fragments of clouds stretch like muscle fiber toward the horizon, like the sky is waking up and getting warmed up for the day.
“My favorite kind of morning is one just like I’m having, right now.”
I have music, a wordless lofi beat that encourages me to focus on the screen in front of me. I have my keyboard—a lifelong companion that partners with me to tell the world what’s in my head and soul. I have this office space, perched like a nest at the top of our home, decorated with inspirations and memories to help ease me into the creative world I occupy throughout the day.
Another sip of coffee, another glance out of my window, another moment of reflection.
And then there is you. Without you, reading this, what’s the point, really? I can write for myself just fine, and even enjoy it. But how much better is it, to have you here?
If you like this post, there’s a blog full of this kind of stuff. And Side Notes is basically an extension of my Note at the End, which you’ll find in all of my novels. And you can find those by clicking here. Share this post with your friends, if you found it helpful. And buy my books if you’d like to support me and my work!
LATEST RELEASES
ISOLATED. MURDERED. GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE.
Book Five of the Quake Runner: Alex Kayne Thrillers
ALEX Kayne has spent years running from the law.
Now she’s running toward a killer.
When a young freelancer’s body is discovered hundreds of miles from home, the case looks like another tragedy destined to go cold. But Alex sees the pattern no one else can. Remote workers. Isolated lives. Digital identities that keep moving, keep speaking, keep earning—long after the real person is dead.
Someone is murdering the invisible and leaving echoes behind.
With QuIEK, her quantum-based AI, Kayne can slip through any system, unlock any secret, and vanish from nearly any trap. But this time, the enemy runs in the same virtual terrain. The killer lives in the shadows between real life and online existence, turning lonely people into puppets, trophies, and ghosts in the machine.
To stop them, Kayne must return to the life she thought she’d left behind: disguises, dead drops, stolen cars, false identities, and the constant pulse-pounding pressure of being hunted from every direction.
And somewhere in Seattle, the next victim is already being erased.
ECHO is a high-velocity techno-thriller about identity, obsession, justice, and the terrifying question of what remains of us when the world only knows our digital shadow. Fast, moody, razor-edged, and relentless, this is Alex Kayne at her most dangerous—and her most vulnerable.
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