Summer’s officially here, Reader! (Ok, maybe not ~officially~ but who waits for the solstice anymore?)

Whether your plan is to step back a bit & soak up the sun…or you’re prepping to juggle a busier-than-usual publishing schedule …

I highly encourage mapping out a few ways to make the most of the Summer email season, SO...

OPTION 1 - Your Bucket List For Your Emails: I’ve got you covered.

Here’s 5 email marketing takes on your standard summer bucket list—and yep, they’re totally doable (even if your calendar’s already looking wild).

Summer Bucket List: Email Edition

1. Try Something New: Whether it’s sending a super short email, writing an email from a character's POV or recording a video for email, shake things up! Break out of your comfort zone and give yourself a chance to PLAY! Don’t forget that not being perfect at something is part of learning & growing.
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2. Take it Outside: Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need—and when Mother Nature is literally offering you her solar power, it’s worth recharging your batteries. Try walking with the goal of writing an email while you walk in your brain. Or like me, head to a coffee shop to write your email. Or get outside and for an entire day, log what you do then write a Day In The Life email.
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3. Celebrate—anything: Summer means the days are long, for better or for worse. So why not pour a glass of something bubbly (and yes, sparkling water counts. It's all I drink these days.) and invite the question “what are we celebrating?” Why not celebrate: writing an email after not writing one for a while. Writing that super short email. Taking a complete day off of work. Letting go of those subscribers who aren't engaged. Earning your first $1 from emails. Or just celebrate getting out of bed today. Mental health is a huge part of my life and some days, just getting out of bed is a massive win.
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4. Unplug (Just a Little): Take a mini break to recharge—whether that’s reading a hard copy of a book with your phone on silent and in a drawer. Or timing yourself for 5 minutes of ZERO tech. Going for that walk without your phone. (I know. I hate that one, but someone once told me it forces your brain to fill in the silence and you can ideate your next story. It works. Sometimes I just work through a problem and sometimes I create, but gosh darn it, it works.)
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5. Set a Summer Goal: Make it simple and fun! Maybe it’s trying to learn a new email skill — or maybe it’s writing 2 emails from a character's POV so you can repurpose that into a bonus epilogue or writing a day in the life email more than once with the confidence your life is very relatable AND interesting…have fun with it. This goal has to make you smile!

The point? Summer doesn’t have to be all hustle—or all downtime. It’s about balance, fun, and making memories that stick. So, tell me: what’s on your list?

OPTION 2 - Your Bucket List for Yourself: I’ll go first.

Here are 5 things I’d love to check off my list this summer—and yep, I’m sharing them here in case one sounds like a fit for you and to stay accountable. Every time I check one off, I'll let you know!

Summer Bucket List: Holly Darling's Edition

1. My Summer-Is-My-Chance Moment - I'm kayaking on my local waterway. I've always wanted to, but never made the time. This summer, time is precious to me and I'll never get it back when I just waste it away working all the time. My dad's illness has taught me never to take time for granted.
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2. My Uber Specific Idea that SOMEONE might also like or feel compelled to help me with - I had a flood in my house in February and I'm in the process of renovating. I'm painting my spare room, which saw the most damage and was stripped to the bones and rebuilt. I'm thinking I'm going to paint it an unexpected colour. I don't know what that colour is, but I'm thinking writing room...and I'm open to suggestions! Design genes totally missed me. I have zero sense of style.
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3. My Throwback/Thing I’ve been missing - I'm a single mom who is also her parents' main caregiver. I have said no enough times to my friends that they don't ask anymore. But this summer, no matter how tired or busy I am, I'm going out with friends at least 4 times over the summer. I miss friends. Maybe one of them will kayak with me!
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4. My New Capability - I'm learning how to do something new I've never done before that isn't kayaking LOL. I'm going to write something in a genre I've never written in. No plan. No expectations. No nothing. I write rom com. So, I'm thinking...poetry? Ugh, that's likely not it, but also maybe? Non-fiction. Literary fiction? Who knows. I'm not even going to determine that until I sit down and start. My writing has hit a brick wall. It needs a shake-up.
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5. The Big-Hairy-Audacious Goal - A total rebrand—we’re talking top-to-bottom, stem-to-stern, wipe-the slate-clean all the new, new, new. I registered a new domain for a new pen name and I have two sub-genre options I'm considering. The above project is meant to jolt one of them loose so that it's the obvious front runner. And I've never pursued the traditional process so I think that's something I'd like to learn how to do. Not at all caring what the result is, I'd like to learn to query. And reinvent myself. Why not this summer?

The point? Sometimes the only way you get to do those things you’ve been wanting to do is by telling people you want to do them.

If one of those ideas I listed above sounds like a fit for YOU—hit reply to this email and tell me about your project! There is safety in numbers! And I don't give a flying fig if you get 0 of these goals accomplished. There's a large chance I won't either. But this is step one to finding my way out of a year of anxiety and frustration. Join me!

Fall will be here before we know it. And don't hate on me...I LOVE winter so I'm moving into my least favourite season. That's why I've decided to create 5 personal goals for summer to force me to leave the 60-degree air con temp and try something new.

Happy Emailing,

Holly

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