Hope Engel 📚

@hopeengel

Reader, writer, cat mom, baseball fan, based in NY. Debut novel "At Your Pace" is out now! (She/her)

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Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· 26d

Okay friends I have decided it's the last day of the launch ebook sale Raising my eBook price to $4.99 like a lot of other indies to help assert our value :) But want it to be accessible, so snag it for $2.99 today if you would like! www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXYD77J THANKS BYE #booksky #writesky

background image is purple clouds. text says Last Chance (for now) and has an image of the cover of the novel At Your Pace enclosed in an ipad or ereader. There is a little price tag with $2.99 on it

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· 26d

I should probably switch to a WIP but here is a little snippet from At Your Pace because promo:

“She’s so easy to talk to and joke with, but with less of the bite that Iris can deliver. I lose track of time with her, oblivious to the buzzing of my watch, and the other students around.
I think she’s having a good time too. It doesn’t seem like she’s rushing to get out of here, but I don’t want to look into it too much.”

Excerpt From
At Your Pace
Hope Engel
This material may be protected by copyright.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· 27d

past voice dictation me really said "figure that shit out later" Got 450 words written this evening and I am 21% done with a first draft of this short story! #amwriting

screenshot of a google doc file.

“What type of nurse do you do, Paloma?” I ask

“Hospital”

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· 29d

Gym bookshelf day 8? 9? AT YOUR PACE was taken!!!!! It was here yesterday and I forgot to post so it was taken in the last day!

Photo of a small wall mounted bookshelf with three shelves, more than half filled with a variety of books

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· 29d

When his best friend gives him an ultimatum, college athlete Emerson has one shot to prove he’s ready for love. For Emerson, wanting something is the easy part. Keeping it is where everything could fall apart. Read now: www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXYD77J #BluePit📖 #NA #R #P #BluePit

3x3 grid of images from top left: brick university building, orange background that says "At Your Pace", baseball and bat on a dirt field, a bookshelf, a young couple cuddling in bed, a sunset in a forest, a line of string lights, orange background white text that says 'Available now', a classroom with individual desks and a green chalkboard

orange background, white text: When his best friend gives him an ultimatum, college athlete Emerson has one shot to prove he’s ready for love. For Emerson, wanting something is the easy part. Keeping it is where everything could fall apart.

orange background. text says: comps. image of the novels night shift by annie crown and wilefire by hannah grace.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 12

Emerson and Valeria celebrate one year together in Where We Land:

“I’m sorry I ruined our anniversary,” she mumbles as we get to a spot where we can hear ourselves.

I rub my thumb over her hand. “What? No, Ler. You didn’t ruin it.”

She pouts. “You suggested somewhere normal and I picked the weird place with the bad music. And the wrong drinks. And we didn't even get to eat the ham cheesy potato appetizer thing you wanted. It was objectively kind of a failure.”

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 12

As of last night my Amazon ranking for At Your Pace broke the top 750 for "friends to lovers romance" !!! it's down to #889 now but honestly being in the top 1000 for a debut author with not a huge social following still feels like an achievement :)

Screenshot of Amazon listing for the book At Your Pace.

Image text says:

Book 1 of 1 ‏ : ‎ Hudson Valley State
Best Sellers Rank: #314,495 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
#889 in Friends to Lovers Romance (Books)
#1,287 in Friends to Lovers Romance (Kindle Store)
#3,834 in Sports Romance (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars (4)

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 11

Emerson is a simple creature. Friends and pizza and watching football together is his happy place. anyway sorry for the self promo again but you can go read this book now if you want and the ebook is on sale for a few more days ~~ www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXYD77J

“It’s just a Sunday watching football, but I get a sense like I’m living through a really poignant moment in my life that I should savor. I look up from my reading and really look around the room. My two closest friends and Valeria—I don’t know exactly what we are yet, but I like her a lot—all hanging out, sitting together comfortably, eating together, in our long-standing weekend plans. It’s touching, all of them happily obliging me and my choice of entertainment. Iris was right. This is good, and it’s all because of them.”

Excerpt From
At Your Pace
Hope Engel
This material may be protected by copyright.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 10

From the first chapter of my WIP Sequel, "Where We Land" - a little family moment :)

“Did you all have fun at the brewery last night?” Mom asks as she starts another pot of coffee.

“Yep. Rob and Hailey might have grilled Valeria more than you did, believe it or not.”

Their questions were a lot more fun, but I don't need to say that aloud. A few beers deep, Hailey started her favorite game, asking "would you rather" between the most insane hypothetical scenarios. Rob culminated the game with a difficult one: “If you had to delete football or baseball from existence which would you choose and why?” This caused both Valeria and me to contemplate, and my super-smart girlfriend found a loophole by saying football because we could just take up an interest in rugby as a substitute.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 9

Gym bookshelf day 4 report: At Your Pace is still there but once again has been moved!

Photo of a three shelf bookshelf with about 20 books and 2 books on CD on it messily arranged

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 9

From chapter 1 of my romance sequel WIP:

“So, Valeria mentioned she’s applying to Ph.D. programs this fall,” my dad chimes in.

“Yep.”

“Do you know where?” Mom asks in that artificially casual tone, keeping her eyes down on her coffee.

I shrug. “I think she’s still narrowing down the list.”

I haven’t asked. It's over a year away.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 9

A snippet from the first chapter we see in Iris's POV in my WIP, Where We Land:

So, I put a little more effort into what I wore yesterday morning. I cuffed my jeans (partially a necessity for my height, but also thankfully trendy queer-coded fashion), picked a cute little button-up shirt I thrifted over the summer, and laced up my fresh sneakers for the school year. It’s been a little too warm for flannels and boots just yet. Which sucks. I need the extra height.

And I put on one swipe of liquid black eyeliner. Big change for senior year. Hair? Still purple, freshly touched up yesterday. Still short, qualifies as a pixie, but I had the stylist keep the top be a little longer.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 8

At Your Pace is out now :) This book wouldn't be here without the support from the Bluesky community - motivation, hype on snips, beta and ARC readers. I hope you all love Emerson and Valeria as much as I do. It would mean a ton if you checked it out: www.amazon.com/Your-Pace-Hu...

up close photo of a paperback of the novel At Your Pace against a baseball stadium background

A stack of 17 paperback copies of the novel At Your Pace with one upright on a dining table

screenshot of the goodreads listing of At Your Pace by Hope Engel showing 4.55 stars with 11 ratings and 12 reviews on a purple cloud image

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 7

At Your Pace is out TOMORROW!!! Enjoy some cozy hangout vibes:

“Valeria once again joins us for Football Homework. She made use of the freshly picked apples from her outing in an apple crisp that is so good, I eat three normal-sized bites from her plate.
“It’s supposed to have ice cream on top, but since it doesn’t, it’s basically oatmeal,” she says.
It’s not, but I’ll delude myself into thinking the sweetness is entirely from the apples for a Sunday treat. Between the four of us, it’s gone by the end of the first quarter of the first game.”

Excerpt From
At Your Pace
Hope Engel
This material may be protected by copyright.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 6

Gym library/free bookshelf report: day 1 At Your Pace is still there after being dropped off yesterday, but it was moved! I moved it back to the eye level shelf, next to a copy of New Moon that has been there for weeks The gym is overrun with dudes today so not exactly target demographic

Image of 3 shelves of a bookshelf, mostly empty, containing a mix of hardback and paperback books, including new moon by stepehenie Meyer and at your pace

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 6

As a treat, have a deleted scene from "At Your Pace" - as fun as this scene is, it really just slowed down the action from happening. In the final draft, I just have Emerson reference that they are going to the game. PRE ORDER REMINDER SORRY: www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXYD77J

We could hear the roar of the stadium before we could see it. The deep booming of the drum lines echoed across campus, bouncing off the tall academic and dorm buildings at the center of campus. Well, Iris and I could. Asher had his earplugs in, but at least he agreed to join.
The stadium’s student section was a sea of red and white. The band played the familiar “We Will Rock You” as we walked in. The lion mascot waved a flag, hyping up the crowd.
The first game of the season - men’s soccer - was about to start. Soccer wasn’t quite my thing, but I loved the environment of any kind of sports match. Going to the first game of the season was a ritual to kick off the new school year.
I also knew the energy that came from playing a game with a big crowd. It amped me up to bring home the win, but made me a little nervous too. The soccer guys were more popular than our baseball crowd, but I still liked showing up for them.
I spotted some spots on the bleachers at the back and we made our way up there. Iris stood on the seat to be able to see over the crowd.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 5

Oh yeah so my author copies came in just in time ⚾

Image of a white hand holding a paperback copy of the novel At Your Pace in front of a baseball stadium from home plate on an afternoon with a blue sky

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 4

At my first minor league game at the stadium I reference in my book and this is way more chill than Yankee stadium and I can actually see what’s happening???? I’m converted

Photo of heritage financial park a minor league baseball stadium from behind home plate on a cloudy evening

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 4

I hit 10 reviews on Goodreads today!!!

At Your Pace

Hope Engel
Not yet published Expected 8 Jul 26
4.50
10 ratings11 reviews

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 4

Simp boy Emerson goes to a pilates class with the girl he likes: At Your Pace comes out in less than a week!!!!! Get hyped: www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXYD77J

“As you lower down to your mat, let’s take a moment to stretch,” Maya coos into the microphone again, and I internally rejoice. “Come up into a tabletop position, then slowly push your hips back and head down into puppy pose.”
As I turn my head back to my mat, I can’t help but notice the plentiful curves of Valeria’s ass pushed into the air directly in front of me. I instantly push my head down to the mat and take some deep breaths. I do not want her thinking I’m staring.
After our quick stretch break, it’s back to another round of the core and leg moves. My abs are starting to protest. Normally in my workouts, I follow my lifting routine or drills in practice without complaint or too much clock-watching. But here, I’m out of my element.”

Excerpt From
At Your Pace
Hope Engel
This material may be protected by copyright.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 4

I write contemporary romance and no battle scenes of the sort so we're going with the monumental vibes :) from At Your Pace which comes out July 8th!

“One final down, four to go.
We walk hand in hand through the main quad, gingerly making our way back to my car. The cold, crisp air fills my lungs and helps me feel a little less queasy. The light snow had continued to fall. The campus is starting to get blanketed in little white fluffs, snow piling on the ground and tree branches. Students take a break to frolic in the snow on the grass.
The only good thing about feeling so weak from the food poisoning and subsequent inability to eat much is that I don’t have the extra mental energy to overthink things. It’s all about getting through the moment, doing just what I need to. I have no extra processing power available for any sort of spiral of second-guessing.
All of a sudden, I need to tell Valeria what I’ve been feeling for weeks, right now. The presentation is behind us. I don’t have any more good excuses to delay it.”

Excerpt From
At Your Pace
Hope Engel
This material may be protected by copyright.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 2

I know I say I love editing all the time but having to go fill in the placeholders is also the worst #amwriting #amediting

I give her a little squeeze.

"

[happiness, celebration]

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 2

no context for this sorry guess you'll just need to read it yourself :)

chapter thirteen. The sun is almost set and casts long shadows over Valeria’s street as I approach her house. Should I knock? Ring the doorbell? Text her? I knock, feeling my hands get a little sweaty. I try to subtly wipe them on my jeans before she opens the door.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jul 1

June reading! I didn’t read 9 books, 2 were novellas and 1 was half a novel beta read but I wanted the page count. My average time to finish is inflated from that beta read but I’m not going to let that annoy me!!!! (Can you tell it does)

Sasquatchmom june 2026 wrap up: 9 books read, 2262 pages, average rating 4.0. Highest rated reads father material by Alexis hall, happy place by Emily Henry, you made a fool of death with your beauty, 100% fiction read. 29% more books than May and 1% more pages

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jun 30

Emerson and his bestie go find some halloween costumes:

If we’re going to do Halloween with Valeria, Iris insists we need costumes. On Saturday, with Asher at an e-sports tournament downtown and set with his costume, Iris and I hit up the nearest thrift store.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jun 29

First date conversation topics in the romance novel At Your Pace. If you thought I was annoying about ARCs, we're now in pre-order territory, hehehehe: www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXYD77J

“What’s your favorite color?” she asks.
“Hmm. Probably green?”
“What shade of green?”
I ponder this. “A dark green. Like the forest. How about you?”
“Oh, it changes all the time. But I’ve always liked turquoise. Like the water in the ocean.”
“That’s pretty.” I think of what to ask her.”

Excerpt From
At Your Pace
Hope Engel
This material may be protected by copyright.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jun 28

Just filmed and edited my self interview for my book hehehe that was fun Maybe I’ll do a reading of the first chapter or something if I get bored one weekend

Image of a laptop propped up on a laptop stand, a bowl with paper folded up in it, and a paperback copy of the novel At Your Pace on a windowsill overlooking a small parking lot

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jun 27

A snip I know I have not shared! Professor shipping the couple all along:

“Did you know each other before this class?” she continues.
“Nope.”
“Finally!” she says, and Valeria laughs. “Do you know how many project pairs I root for?”
I don’t know what’s going on with Elijah and McKenzie, but she might have a second matchmake she can take credit for.

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jun 25

I feel like this also fits the vibe for #unhingedpit Pitch: At Your Pace is the story of a boy overcoming mommy issues to finally get laid I'm calling it, end of today is the cutoff for ARCs. Can we get to 100? Grab it here: forms.gle/eCci6Vn9vghW... #CS #R #NA

white background. humorous image. center is the cover of the romance novel at your pace featuring a latina female and white male college student on encased in an ipad. around it are two red banners that say "last chance" and "arcs" and images of a free sale tag, an hourglass, a stopwatch, 2 people running, a dollar sign with a cross over it, a yellow megaphone, a circle that says "just in time" in red text" and "take action" with a checkmark in yellow pink and green

Hope Engel 📚@hopeengel· Jun 24

Chapter one of At Your Pace - Emerson learns he'll be grouped up for a final project in his intercultural communications class. I'll spare you all the annoying call to action about ARCs today. You're welcome.