Hey there happy reader!

It’s officially pumpkin spice season and I’m so happy! I’ve pulled out my sweatshirts and sweaters and tucked away my bathing suits and cover-ups! I love making myself a cup of tea in the afternoon and just kicking back with a good book!

I’m a huge fan of apple-picking, apple cider donuts, apple crumble, and anything apple themed. 

Being in a fragrant orchard in the warm sunshine on my face is one of my favorite things…

Here’s my assistant #2 choosing his pumpkin! He’s inherited the love of autumn as well!

In other news, here’s a little insight into my author life… 

While I’m writing fiction, I tend to read non-fiction (I never want to inadvertently copy another writer’s style!)

I was excited to see that Shonda Rhimes – yes, the creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and Netflix’s “Bridgerton” has updated her popular memoir. 

I read the original version of this just at the point when I decided to try my hand at writing a novel, and the result was, “The Lyric of Memory.”

Shonda Rhimes’ book had a real impact on me. The concept of always saying “yes” instead of not taking a chance on something new and exciting was motivating – so much so that I wrote and published my first book!

I feel like I’ve come a long way from there, sitting at my kitchen table secretly writing a story about two people who can’t live together or live apart from one another. Best decision I ever made…

And as you know by now, I’ve joined the author list at Vinci Books. Here’s their updated cover of “The Lyric of Memory:”

I love it and I hope you do too! 

I think it captures the turbulent relationship exposed within its pages, with a wistful and romantic starry sky above. We’re creeping ever so slowly (it seems) toward Vinci’s publishing of all my titles… I can’t wait!

I hope that you’ll look at what Shonda Rhimes has to say and apply it to your own life. I can attest to the method she describes. Who knows? It just might change everything!

Hey there happy reader!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’ve become a “hybrid” author. Still an indie, my backlist has been acquired by Vinci Books. They’re a London-based publisher who plucked me out of a large pool of authors and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m still an indie author – I get to choose what I write, and I work at my own pace – but I now have the backing of a publishing house that can advertise in a bigger way than I ever could!

This wasn’t an easy decision for me. I am most definitely a type A personality. 

I like control, especially with my work. But when Jane Harris, the publisher of Vinci, explained that I could have full creative freedom plus the ability to contribute my thoughts on new cover art and their marketing plans, I jumped in — and I’m so glad that I did. (Check me out on their author page!)

Most of the new covers are there as well – I especially love the one for “The Lyric of Memory!” They’re still working on “The Woodcarver’s Secret” and “Question Everything,” but if those turn out as well as the ones you can currently see, I’ll be one happy author!

But even more than the new cover art, being with Vinci frees me from doing my own advertising – which I was never any good at! 

They are testing some Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon campaigns right now, so don’t be surprised if you find one coming across your feed. And from their end to mine, it’s all transparent – I can track my sales and pages read using an app called “Publisher Champ.”

I used to have to manually look at each platform to see the results of an ad campaign. Vinci has taken the grunt work upon themselves, allowing me to write more! I’m one very lucky author, and am deeply grateful for this new collaboration.

So, now even though I’m close to finishing “Below the Horizon,” I’m not in charge of getting a cover created for this thrilling book. However, once Vinci and I have the image we both feel represents this story best, I’ll post it here first…

And speaking of new images, I’m thinking about letting my hair go grey! This is an AI produced photo of what I might look like…(I guess AI has some uses after all, lol!). What do you think? Should I do it??

Hey there happy reader,

As you know, I’ve recently returned from a trip to Greece. Surrounded by antiquity and immersed in history, I couldn’t help but notice something else… a constant reminder of a not-so-distant past. Everywhere I went – from beach bars to hotel lobbies to fine dining restaurants – the soundtrack was always the same. It was a barrage of hits from the 1980’s!

You remember the ’80s, don’t you? 

The fashion was excessive – from bright colors to crazy quilted jackets, and the hair… there was not enough hairspray in a can to get me through the work week! But what I recall with the greatest affection was my early days working in book publishing in Manhattan.

I had my dream job – I was an editor for Harlequin Books, and I worked for a woman who would eventually create the Romance Writers of America.

Her name is Vivian Stephens, and she was a true pioneer of the genre. Vivian fought to keep “the bedroom door open” at a time when romance novels ended with a chaste kiss. She had her eye on the future and knew that women were looking for a more realistic approach to relationships in the books they read, not just a happily ever after.

She was supportive and nurturing, and I couldn’t have been more fortunate to have landed a job working alongside her and having a part in the creation of two new series, both groundbreaking for their time.

And true to the ‘80’s, everything we did surrounding these books was BIG! 

The lavish launch parties, the first-class travel, large expense accounts, and riding “The Love Train” from Chicago to New York City to attend a romance writer’s convention. It was absolutely wild…

Listening to all the old music on my trip had those memories flooding back. 

I’m not truly one for nostalgia, but when I think about how young I was — the heroines of our books were twenty-six years old. I was twenty-three!! — I can’t help but be grateful for how fortunate I was to be in a place where I could learn so much in such a short time. That experience has most definitely shaped who I am today. Without the big hair anymore, lol!

Hey there happy reader!

I’m writing this on the last leg of my journey, sitting in the lounge in Heathrow airport, waiting for my flight home. This trip all started in Carmel, California at a wedding. It hopefully ends tonight as I make my way back to New York.

At the start — a beautiful weekend in wine country. It was the first time I’d ever attended an Indian wedding, and the ceremony was beautiful. The bride wore red! Absolutely stunning…

From there, I was meant to fly to LA to connect in the airport with my son, daughter-in-law and grandson (often referred to as my assistant #1), but the airlines had other plans for me. My flight out of Monterey was greatly delayed, so I hopped into an Uber, made my way to San Francisco’s international airport and found a different flight through Toronto to Athens, Greece.

(More on Toronto in a later newsletter. I hadn’t been in that airport since the early 1980’s, when I spent one week a month in the home office of Harlequin Romance, back in the days when I worked for them as an editor.)

As luck would have it, my son’s connecting flight to Athens was delayed, so I landed there before he did! But once we all reunited, the real fun began.

Seeing the ancient ruins of the Acropolis was mind-blowing, and it was only the beginning of immersing myself in a time gone by.

Greece is old… it truly made me think about the people who lived there and built this ancient citadel. Much like the builders of Stonehenge, they had rudimentary tools, yet they crafted something that has stood the test of time. Truly stunning to see!

After Athens, we took the first of our ferry rides, this time to Milos.

The beaches are incredible! As you can see, assistant #1 took some “me” time by the water. It was hard to get him back to work after a day at the seaside, lol…

One more ferry ride, and we were in Santorini. Visually stunning, it didn’t disappoint.

But truly, the thing that struck me most was the winding stone streets and the vendor stalls. I could imagine that they were like the ones that surrounded Stonehenge at the time that “Below the Horizon” takes place.

In my mind, I replaced the modern shops with the types of merchandise a resident of Stonehenge might have found.

Simple leather sandals, spices of every color, and foods that filled the air with the smoky scent of meat cooked over an open fire. All in all, this trip refined some details that had been floating around in my mind. Travel always sparks my imagination…

Hey there happy reader!

Summer may be winding down, but my travel life is revving up! I’m on my way to Carmel, California for the wedding of my BFF from childhood’s son. It’s a whole weekend of festivities and I’m sure it will be absolutely beautiful – how could it not be with these vineyards as a setting!

And to top it off, there are two ceremonies, one Indian and one American. 

It’s a wonderful blending of cultures and I can’t wait to experience all of it!

The above picture is what I’m wearing to the Indian wedding – it’s a lehenga. 

I had so much fun shopping for this gorgeous outfit. Some of the lehengas I saw were studded with beads, rhinestones and sequins, and they were quite heavy and because I knew that I had to fly this across the country, I picked one as simple as possible.

It still has three wide can-cans, or stiff petticoats under the skirt, making it quite difficult to pack. Let’s just hope that my hotel room has a steamer to undo any damage to it from being squished in my luggage on a long flight…

Then, early Sunday morning, I’ll be heading to Greece! 

I’m very excited because I’ve never been there, and even more thrilled to be sharing the experience with our oldest son, our daughter-in-law, and their two-and-a-half-year-old.

My grandson is looking forward to swimming and eating olives and hummus (favorite foods of his.) I’m curious as to what he’ll take away from this trip. He’s been to New York, Boston, Oregon and Vermont, but has never taken a plane ride quite this long. Let’s hope the crayons and coloring books I’ve packed help keep him occupied. If not, there’s always the episodes of “Bluey” his dad has downloaded to the iPad for this eventuality.

My goal for this adventure is to write as much as I can. 

I’m pretty good about using my time on long haul flights for work. I just hope that the overnight ride to Athens is smooth and uneventful. If it is, I might just have an almost completed novel by the time I stand in the shadow of the Parthenon. Or at least, I sincerely hope so!!

There won’t be a newsletter next week because I’ll be island hopping in Greece. (I know. Tough work, but someone’s gotta do it!) I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures that I can share with you once I’m back in New York.