I'm back! After a few months away, I'm back in the closet with a mic, some iced coffee, and a lot to get into. In this episode I catch up on my May TBR, I talk about the 12 Lives Challenge,   about my Hallmark mystery obsession and what it has to do with writing romance, I break down the release plan for Standard of Care, and get into event season.Beverage Break: Iced coffee. It was 11 a.m.  Book Report2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge: 53 of 150 books — 35% toward goal, 4 books ahead of schedule.What I want to get read in May: These Heathens: A Novel — Mia McKenzie (listening on audio)Ms. Lorraine's Late-in-Life Love — T.L. Martin | A reverse age-gap novella set in the world of The Black Wife Effect in the Cinnamon Grove neighborhood. 1 Read it in one night. Delightful — especially if you're 40+ and into romance.L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood — Anne Soon Choi | The next 12 Lives Challenge read.Mist and Malice (Haven #2) — Rachel Howzell HallThe Drowning Season — Debra Webb | ALC from NetGalley. Releases approximately May 12th.Sunset Over Napa Valley — Monica Garner | ARC that is no longer an ARC — released April 28th. Getting to it.The 12 Lives ChallengeHosted by Dr. Raymond Williams (@rtwilliams16). The goal: read 12 biographies in 2026. The rule: biographies only! No memoirs, no autobiographies. It has to be a book about someone, written by someone else.  Join in and use the hashtag #the12liveschallenge.DL's progress — 4 of 12:The Smartest Guys in the Room — Bethany McLean & Peter Elkind (the fall of Enron)The Wizard of Lies — Diana B. Henriques (Bernie Madoff)The Butler: A Witness to History — Wil HaygoodG-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century — Beverly GageWhat I'm StreamingGarage Sale Mysteries — amateur sleuth, small town, cozy stakes, killer always gets caughtHaley Dean MysteriesMystery 101Occasional free mystery movies on Hulu and YouTubeWhy it connects to writing: Romance and cozy mystery run on the same contract with the reader: the outcome is known going in. The satisfying ending is guaranteed.  The work is in stacking complications, near-misses, and tension so the reader stays engaged even when they know where it's going. That is the exact problem a romance writer solves every time they sit down.Low stakes, familiar structure, no emotional tax after months of finishing a book is  not a guilty pleasure, it is maintenance and self care. Writing & Publishing UpdateCrime Writers of Color PodcastI sat down with Robert Justice on the Crime Writers of Col Support the showStay connected:Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.comJoin my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletterFollow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction SubstackBuy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shopSupport this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.