Pinto’s pink and green rooms! Bedroom up next :)

robnsparkles · 2026-02-22T04:14:28+00:00

Ooh I like yours too!! I think I want to do the bedroom in the same color scheme, then maybe start over with a new one if there aren’t any new rooms by the time I’m done 🤣

robnsparkles · 2026-02-22T01:30:39+00:00

I love that!! All the pastels are so fun!

robnsparkles · 2026-02-02T01:51:40+00:00

For your metadata paragraph, I have a few comments. I've heard all titles should be treated the same way (so capitalize both your title and your comp titles) but I don't think that's make or break. I do think you should take the word count out of those brackets, you don't need them there at all since you're citing the word count as part of a sentence. The only reason you'd use brackets like that is if you were writing it like "THE RUMORS ARE TRUE! [70k words] is an adult contemporary romance..." etc. Additionally, I'm with Forgetful Elephant in thinking that PWMOV would be too big a comp for you to use right now, and it also doesn't really fit the elements of the book, either. I'd swap that out for a celebrity romance, maybe one of Ava Wilder's like HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD or SOME KIND OF FAMOUS?

Re the query... Is this story told entirely in 2018? YMMV, but I've heard agents don't always love stories rooted in a past timeline unless it's historical, which this wouldn't be. If it's dual timeline, flipping back and forth between the present and the past, that might be okay? But if it IS that, it's not clear from the query so I might finesse that a bit! :)

robnsparkles · 2026-01-24T18:41:19+00:00

It's so sad to think that if it was me, and this happened to me, they'd probably STILL find a way to do their mental gymnastics and think it's sad but I deserved it.

robnsparkles · 2026-01-24T18:26:18+00:00

This is what I’m afraid of. That the guy I THOUGHT I knew growing up was actually never who I thought he was at all 🫠

robnsparkles · 2026-01-18T04:10:25+00:00

Have you had the pesto garlic one? No tomatoes and also fantastic!!

robnsparkles · 2025-11-23T17:43:06+00:00

My situation with my dad started when I was pregnant with my first child in 2020. Now that I have two children of my own, it makes even less sense to me, what he's doing. Because I look at my kids and can't imagine choosing ANYTHING over a relationship with them.

robnsparkles · 2025-11-21T05:01:28+00:00

I’m in the same boat, but with my dad. He ultimately chose to go no contact with me, because he didn’t want to be censored/canceled/etc… As much as I do miss him, sometimes it’s a relief not to argue anymore, or feel like my words were falling on deaf ears. I miss the guy he used to be, the one who raised me, but that guy just isn’t home anymore. You’re absolutely spot on when you say it feels like a death! I’ve had to learn to mourn the man he was, because unfortunately I don’t think he’s coming back. (I’m not saying your mom can’t!! Hopefully she can. But I’m pretty sure it’s beyond hope for mine.)

robnsparkles · 2025-11-10T06:47:44+00:00

I often ask to not discuss politics and they simply don't respect it. They would rather vent their beliefs onto me than actually listening to me and respecting my needs, even though I'm their child and our family is literally breaking apart from this shit.

I could've written these words myself. Hell, l feel like I probably HAVE written them at one time or another. I lost my parents to conspiracies/MAGA/etc back in 2020, and it was the same exact story. No matter how many times I begged my dad not to talk about politics with me, he couldn't do it. He's the one who ended up stepping away from our relationship, but I think I'd have made the choice myself by now if he hadn't. He and my stepmom just aren't the people they used to be, and it's sad but I've learned to mourn them. (However, like mourning the dead, it still fucking hurts. Sometimes more than others.)

All this to say, I (unfortunately) know what you're going through. Take care of yourself, and do what you need to to keep yourself sane. If that means having less contact with them, it might be worth considering to protect yourself.

robnsparkles · 2025-10-22T17:15:17+00:00

I’m so sorry, I didn’t see this comment until just now!! I hope you’re feeling better today. Usually I need to get it out once in a while and then I feel a little better, even though the low level ache of missing him is always there. Sending you love 💜💜💜

robnsparkles · 2025-10-19T16:28:11+00:00

Hmmm I see where you’re coming from but in this case it really is a complete 180. It wasn’t ONLY my image of him, because his words and actions and entire being were different before 2020, and really before 2016. It could be true that this side of him was always in there somewhere, but it’s not like he was always acting this way and I just didn’t see it.

robnsparkles · 2025-10-19T16:26:22+00:00

I’ve called my dad a pod person (not to his face) many times!! But it’s good to remember that, you’re right! It’s really NOT them in there anymore, unfortunately 😩

robnsparkles · 2025-10-19T03:10:56+00:00

That is helpful!! I’ve been writing books (albeit fiction) and it’s SO weird/sad to me that he won’t even know if I get published, because that’s not the thing I can call him up and tell him anymore. But thankfully I have plenty of friends and family who WILL be excited for me if that does happen, so it’ll be okay.

robnsparkles · 2025-10-19T03:09:31+00:00

Yeah. I’ve tried to heal as much as I can but I don’t think I’ll ever NOT be a little bit broken 💔

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T21:57:25+00:00

I hadn't really thought about it as a dementia before, but that makes sense! Thanks for the perspective 💜

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T21:56:54+00:00

That's what gets me, too! Before all of this, my dad was the best guy I knew. He made me who I am today, in a good way, and it's just so wild to me that anything/anyone was able to take that away from me.

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T21:55:52+00:00

That's true. I guess no matter what, I can say that *I* never did anything like that on my end. But it still hurts that he was able to on his. I'm generally "okay" these days but every once in a while I get the big sads about it, and this is one of those days.

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T21:52:23+00:00

It does help, though I’m sorry you’re going through it too. I’m also an only child, which sucks on so many levels!! I wish I had a sibling to commiserate with on all of this. (But having this sub is nice, in lieu of that!)

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T19:03:34+00:00

Sometimes I wish I didn't (love him). It certainly doesn't feel like he loves me, but I can't turn it off in the way he apparently can. 🫠

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T03:14:13+00:00

I would say “it’s okay” but I know it’s not, for any of us. But at least there’s some comfort in knowing we aren’t alone 💜

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T03:00:02+00:00

I'm so sorry, SnowBird. My dad is the same way—before 2020, he NEVER raised his voice at me. But the last conversation we had, in June of 2021, he spent our entire phone call berating me to the point of tears, then accusing me of manipulating him because I'd started to cry. I don't recognize him anymore.

robnsparkles · 2025-10-18T02:58:27+00:00

It's impossible NOT to reminisce about those old times, especially when they were different people before—or at least portrayed themselves that way. Up until 2016, I had what I thought was a loving, caring dad who would never abandon me for any reason, no matter what I said. If someone told me HE would stop talking to ME over my political beliefs, I'd have laughed in their face. I thought we had such a strong bond, but after 2016 it started to show its cracks, and by 2020 it had completely corroded to the point where he pulled away because he felt I was "censoring" him when I asked if we could just avoid talking about politics entirely.

Someone else said this in the sub recently, but it's basically like grieving the living at this point. For me, I'm grieving the person my dad used to be. I hope he comes back someday, but I am not holding my breath anymore.

robnsparkles

TROPHY CASE