Love, drama, and luxury yachts?

JUNE 5, 2026

INSIDE: Tiny Habits, Midwestern Love, and Drama at Sea.

TODAY I WILL:

Take things one step at a time.

We’re protecting our peace, our attention spans, and apparently our dogs’ lifespans.

• The longevity craze is coming for our dogs, too.

• Do you know the history of gossip? 

• The battle for our attention is putting books at risk.

• Mandy Moore is opening up about the realities of IVF.

• Your skin may know you're stressed before you do.

Ten Minutes to a Better You

When life feels busy, it's easy to assume self-improvement requires a complete routine overhaul. In reality, some of the most impactful habits take less time than scrolling social media. A 10-minute walk after a meal, a quick tidy of your living space, a few pages of a book before bed, or even stepping outside for fresh air can have an outsized effect on your mood, focus, and energy levels.

The appeal of these micro-habits is that they're easy to repeat. You don't need an hour-long workout or a perfectly optimized morning routine to feel better. Small actions done consistently tend to create more lasting change than ambitious plans that are difficult to maintain.

Try this today: Set a timer for 10 minutes and do one thing your future self will thank you for. Take a walk, clear off your nightstand, prep tomorrow's coffee, stretch, or finally send that email you've been avoiding. Ten minutes may not seem like much, but it's often enough to create momentum.

This Midwestern Getaway is for the Gals… and for Healing Your Inner Child

A city of hidden gems, Fort Wayne, Indiana, sits at the meeting point of three rivers, blending outdoor adventure and accessibility with vibrant murals and a thriving foodie scene. Fort Wayne is all about connection, whether that’s to your ancestral roots, your creativity, or your inner child. Feed gorgeous giraffes at the zoo, cover yourself in butterflies at the botanical conservatory, and uncover your family history at the country’s largest public genealogy center.

Stay:

• Vera Bradley’s signature vibrant patterns come to life at The Bradley, a boutique hotel in the heart of downtown designed by the iconic brand’s co-founder, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard. Pack your favorite tote and head up to their rooftop bar offering sunset views, creative cocktails, and even some karaoke if you’d like.

Eat & Drink:

• Brunch: Enjoy patatas bravas and strong coffee at the lively, Latin-inspired Proximo.

• Lunch: Go for the queso at Mercado, stay for the downtown energy at The Landing.

• A Little Treat: Lean into the charm (and carbs) at the Friendly Fox, then grab fresh goods next door at Antonuccio’s Italian Market.

• Dinner: Indulge in elevated comfort food at Rune with a chef-driven menu worth planning around.

See & Do:

• Fair warning: You may cry while discovering old family photos and your heritage at the country’s largest public genealogy center.

• Trust us, wear florals to the Botanical Conservatory… you’ll be covered in butterflies in no time.

• Pet stingrays, feed giraffes, brush goats, and stay after dark when the Fort Wayne Zoo transforms into a glowing, immersive light experience.

• Create meaningful souvenirs at a printmaking workshop with local artist Julie Wall and her one-of-a-kind vintage presses.

• Bike along the greenway trails, local landmarks, and scenic riverfronts with a local guide from Fort Wayne Outfitters.

If your ideal summer read includes second chances, unresolved tension, and enough emotional chaos to keep you turning pages well past bedtime, you're going to want to meet Kandi Steiner.

The bestselling author has built a devoted fanbase thanks to her ability to craft love stories that are equal parts heart-wrenching and hopeful. With more than 35 novels under her belt, Kandi has become a go-to author for readers who love romances that make them feel everything.

We caught up with Kandi to chat about the inspiration behind her latest release, Love Overboard, the BookTok community, her dream romance tropes, and the signature cocktail she'd serve aboard the Love Overboard yacht.

Love Overboard is inspired by Below Deck—what was the moment you realized luxury yachts + romance + emotional chaos would make the perfect combination? 

I’ve been obsessed with Below Deck for years, and one day while watching yet another crew hookup spiral into disaster, I had this moment of, “Wait… this is basically the perfect romance novel setup.” You’ve got forced proximity, long work hours, glamorous locations, class dynamics, secrets, exhaustion, temptation… it practically begged to become a book. Add in that my husband used to work on yachts and regaled me with all the juicy drama on our second date, and you could say the idea had been percolating for years. 

What kind of emotional journey were you most excited to take readers on in this story?

The emotional journey was the part I was most excited about. At its core, Love Overboard is about two people who never truly got over each other, trying to navigate unresolved feelings while trapped together in an environment designed to expose every crack. I wanted readers to feel the tension and chemistry, of course, but also the ache of loving someone at the wrong time and wondering if maybe this time could be different. There’s a lot of emotional vulnerability beneath the glamour and chaos.

Did any real Below Deck moments or archetypes inspire your characters? 

Oh, absolutely. I think any Below Deck fan will recognize little nods to the archetypes we all secretly love watching—the hyper-competent chief stew trying to hold everything together, the charming but emotionally messy chef, the deckhands stirring up drama, the guests from hell. I definitely drew inspiration from the show's energy and dynamics, though the characters became their own people once I started writing. The fun was taking those familiar reality TV tensions and digging deeper emotionally than television really has time to do.

You’ve built such a loyal BookTok following. What’s been the most surreal or rewarding part of watching readers react to your stories online? 

Ever since I started writing as a young girl, I only had one dream: for other people to read my words and connect with them. Seeing that happen on such a large scale truly melts my heart. There are still moments where I’ll see someone crying from one of my books or screaming about a character like they’re a real person, and it completely floors me. The most rewarding part is seeing readers connect emotionally to stories I wrote during really vulnerable seasons of my own life. BookTok has created this incredible sense of community where readers don’t just consume stories—they experience them together, and getting to witness that in real time is something I never take for granted.

If Love Overboard had a signature cocktail, what would it be called—and what’s in it?

Ha! Perhaps... The Mutiny? It’d be spicy, a little messy, deceptively pretty, and strong enough to ruin your decisions for the night—which feels very on brand for this book. Probably tequila-based with passionfruit, jalapeño, lime, and a dark rum float on top. Sweet at first sip, dangerous by the end.

What’s your ideal reading setup when you’re off-duty and reading someone else’s romance novel? 

Peak reading vibes for me include a cozy oversized sweater, hot coffee in my favorite mug, my fur babies curled up around me, and the sound of a crackling fire. Major bonus points if it's snowing or raining outside. But usually, I’m on my back porch enjoying whatever Tennessee weather is in store for me that day or clicking the remote-control page flipper to my Kindle in bed next to my husband, promising myself I’ll read “just one more chapter.” (I never keep that promise.) 

Finally, what book trope do you think is underrated and deserves a major comeback? 

I desperately want true angst-heavy second-chance romance to make a massive comeback. Give me unresolved tension. Give me real people making questionable decisions because they can't resist each other. Give me years of history, and bad timing, and longing and emotional devastation. I love fun, flirty romance as much as anyone, but there’s something so powerful about two people finding their way back to each other after life has wrecked them a little first. Those stories stay with me forever.

EYEING:  This tropical-scented sunscreen, this summer-ready dress, and an innovative skin rehydrating gel.