I get a lot of comfort from keeping track of my last / current / next stacks. I don’t know if it’s the multiple of three, the convergence of past-present-future, or what, exactly, compels me. But I do like that it’s like a reading log plus a tiny self-portrait of a moment in time: the book I’ve just finished living in, the one I’m focused on now, and where I’m planning to go next. This morning, I was feeling extra-inspired by that idea, so I decided to make a mood/color palette board for each, and I have totally fallen in love with them!

Here’s what the current stack looks like:

See what I mean?? So pretty!

The first two are purely reader-life choices. The third is reader-life and author-life, because I’m deep into drafting Book 7 of The Black Wolf Series.

It’s been several years since I published Brave Wolf. In the meantime, I’ve grown as a writer. My rhythm has sharpened, my instincts have changed, and my taste has evolved. All good things – except when you’re writing a long series that needs to feel like it’s got a voice with a continuous thread. So I’m juggling not wanting to freeze my voice in time with making sure the voice readers get from me now is cohesive with the one they got from me back then. My goal is to give my readers the same world and the same emotional vibes, while also allowing the storytelling to get stronger.

So this reread is kinda like a calibration. I’m paying particular attention to how the writing feels. The cadence of the sentences, the way the humor shows up, how quickly scenes change, how the emotional intensity ramps, the shape of the dialogue. I’m noting all the recurring motifs – the little repeated details that make this series feel like home: how the pack dynamics are expressed, how tenderness sneaks in, even underneath the escalating danger.

It’s been really comforting for me. It does feel like coming home, and I’m hoping to bottle up as much of that feeling as I can to distill it for my readers. Because what I’m feeling is the same sense I get when I visit a familiar place after a time away. I’m noticing what’s changed in me, but the streets are still the same. The landmarks are still there. The emotional promises are still intact, just waiting to be fulfilled. When I say I’m trying to ensure the voice is aligned, that’s what I mean. I want Book 7 to feel like it belongs – like it’s always been part of the same shelf.

This approach also fits the way I’m trying to show up online – cozy, curious, authentic. I’m sharing what I’m reading and what I’m working on because it’s part of the creative life I’m rebuilding, and I want my readers to feel like they’re orbiting alongside me.

So, I’m curious about you! Are you a rereader who enjoys revisiting favorites like you’re checking in with old friends? Or are you forward-only, always chasing the next story?

And what’s your last / current / next stack looking like right now?