Hey there happy reader!

Did you ever notice just how quickly your vacation days fly by? After countless hours of planning and coordinating, you go and come home in a flash! It’s all good, though. I had a great time with my family in Costa Rica…

We had a ton of beach time, pool time, and together time…

And at the end of the day, we were treated to spectacular sunsets…

But of course, then it’s back to reality. 

However, for me, reality also feels like a dream because…

I have big news!

The publication date for “From Below the Horizon” will be October 7th, with a pre-order date of September 23rd!

The cover is being created right now and as soon as I have it, I’ll post the image here first…

As you well know, this book took me a long time to write and research. 

I think it’s a bit different than my prior novels, but in a good way. I’m calling it an historical romantic suspense. It travels back and forth through time and ultimately goes a bit into the future as well. I can’t wait to put this title into your hands!

This book will be published by Vinci. 

They’ve already re-issued my Cape Cod series, now titled, “The Seasons of Us”, but this is the first work of new fiction that we’ve worked on together.

It will be available as an e-book first; the paperback version will come out later and as soon as I have that date, I’ll let you know. It’s both exciting and terrifying to have a publisher behind me. I’m so used to controlling every aspect of a new title release that letting someone else take the wheel on this feels strange. I have to believe that these market experts have all the right moves. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me!

For now, I’m going down to my office to work on my next novel, “The 48 Hour Rule.” This book is writing itself…

Hey there happy reader!

I don’t know about you, but I hold my female friendships close to my heart. I love my husband with my whole being – we’re married for forty-four years – but my women friends are among the most important relationships in my life.

I mean, who else would you rob a bank with? 

Plan a revenge scheme with? Confide in? Ask for advice? It’s the women in our lives that enrich us, support us, and embrace us when we need it most. And that matters.

It’s why I’ve dedicated my newest book, “From Below the Horizon” to my dearest girlfriends. 

It’s a book about my imaginings of what happened to the civilization that built Stonehenge, but really, the deeper message is all about what women are willing to do for women.

We support each other throughout the life cycle. We help raise each other’s children; we talk each other through problems with health and relationships. We stand up for and stand by our friends when they are low.

We are a strong and powerful force, and I’m here for it!

When I see the stones, I think of all the resilient women who I’m fortunate enough to count on as friends. 

Mostly, I’m grateful!

The book is now in my publisher’s hands. As soon as we have a cover, you’ll see it here first. And as soon as there’s a publication date, I’ll share it with you… I can’t wait to launch this one into the world!

Oh, and one more thing. My beta readers (thank you, ladies!) are giving me great feedback about this book. 

Apparently, this novel will keep you turning the pages late into the night!

It seems appropriate that this is the point in time when I get to go on a family vacation! One book is put to bed; another has its solid first draft almost completed. There won’t be a newsletter next week as I spend some quality time on the beach with those two sweet grandsons of ours. I can’t wait to tell them stories as they fall asleep each night…

I hope that you’re reading something great. Lots of good fiction out there right now. Don’t miss Ann Pachett’s newest novel “Whistler.” It’s beautiful!!

Hey there happy reader!

You don’t need to be a tried-and-true basketball fan to appreciate what the New York Knicks did this past weekend – they ended a fifty-three year-long drought and were crowned NBA champions.

Today they’ll be celebrated in a ticker tape parade down the “Canyon of Heroes” in lower Manhattan and be given the key to the city.

Bet’cha don’t know why the route is called the “Canyon of Heroes”?

Turns out, there are over two hundred black granite plaques embedded in the sidewalks from Battery Park to City Hall, all commemorating the parades that have celebrated a great event.

The very first “ticker tape” parade happened in 1886, to mark the opening of the Statue of Liberty. Back then, shredded telegraph paper was used, generated by the “tickers” that counted the ups and downs of the stock market.

Today, the paper is biodegradable – but it’s still a massive clean-up for the sanitation department when the event is over! 

(I’m just a crypt-keeper for the very interesting history of New York City. I have a whole file left over from when I wrote “The Woodcarver’s Secret,” LOL)

I will happily watch this parade from my home. I’m not fond of large crowds, and this celebration is predicted to bring out a million people. Yipes! Not my idea of a good time…

What is my idea of a good time?

Every now and then, I remember that I live on an island and am surrounded by water. 

This was my view at lunchtime earlier this week. The weather was picture perfect and I was lucky enough to meet some friends outdoors. It’s the best way I know to clear my mind and recharge. I highly recommend it…

I am back at my desk, working on my next novel, “The Forty-Eight Hour Rule.” 

(I can’t decide if it will be “The 48 Hour Rule” or if I should spell the words out. Feel free to weigh in on this one.

I’m also just about to hit send to put “From Below the Horizon” into the hands of my advance readers. If you’re interested in participating and giving me your feedback, send me a message.

Hey there happy reader!

Spring has flown by! First, it was freezing cold, then it rained every single weekend making it impossible for me to get my flowerpots filled. I finally had the chance this past Sunday to dig in the dirt, and I’m pleased with the results…

I don’t know about you, but I do enjoy turning the soil over and getting my hands dirty as I choose where to place the different colored plants. 

There’s something meditative about it, a sense of renewal, and an appreciation for the beauty of nature. Did you have a chance to set up your garden? Are you a vegetable or flower person? (At our house, I handle the flowers, my husband plants vegetables. It works out for both of us!)

I think that writing a book is like planting a garden, only the seeds are words! 

If you string enough of them together in your imagination, you can create a story to share with others.

Speaking of stories, I’m excited to share my next book, “From Below the Horizon” with my advance readers – it will be going out shortly. My editor made some extremely valuable suggestions; it has been copyedited and proofread. Now I’m almost ready to put it into your hands.

When you work on a project for so long – it took me four years to complete this book – it’s somewhat scary to put it out into the universe. 

I hope you like it and that you will share it with your book clubs and your friends. I think it’s a valuable story with an interesting message about civilizations long past and the future that lies ahead. As soon as my publisher has the cover ready, I’ll share it here first!

Now I’m busy with my next book.

It’s a fun contemporary rom-com and I’m LOVING it. I shared the first chapter here a couple of weeks ago and the response was overwhelmingly positive (thanks to all who took the time to encourage me!)

Sometimes a story just tells itself, as this one seems to be doing.

I’m calling it “The 48 Hour Rule.” Why that title? Because the male protagonist thinks he has to wait that length of time to decide if he should call the female protagonist again after their first meeting. Needless to say, there’s a lot of humor on these pages…

Hey there happy reader!

With the warmer months ahead, my calendar is filled with plans for travel! I feel like I’m always on a plane to Los Angeles to visit our older grandson, so of course I’m penciled in for some time there, but I’ll also be hopping around the globe for a bit…

My first stop will be in Northern California to visit my bestie. 

We’re having a bit of a girls’ trip to catch up and chill… after that I head to LA for my daughter-in-law’s graduation from graduate school. We’re so proud of her and the hard work that she’s done to accomplish this goal with a baby/then toddler at home!

From there, we all fly to Costa Rica for a larger gathering. 

It’s our annual family vacation, and for once we’re headed to the beach. I have loaded up my Kindle and can’t wait to park myself in a lounge chair and read! Of course, there will be some sandcastle building involved because both of our grandsons will be there with us.

After that I’ll be back up at the Cape to take some time with a different close friend and visit the local indie bookstores. 

“The Seasons of Us,” my Cape Cod series, will be out in paperback on September 8th, and I want to let the booksellers know to look for it.

But keep the engine running. 

I head to Seattle in August for a wedding and back to Los Angeles after that. After I short break I’m off to London for one more trip out to Stonehenge. I’ll be taking some promotional photographs to use when “From Below the Horizon” is published, visiting Oxford University where a good portion of this book takes place, and stopping in some charming Cotswold towns, all in the name of publicity… when I return home around Halloween, I will officially put my suitcase down for a bit!

It’s exhausting to travel. Planes get delayed, weather causes disruption and often a reorganization of plans, but I’m looking forward to all of it. I do love an adventure. And when it’s done, I’ll return home and (hopefully) begin a home renovation project that will keep me on my toes.

Oh, and yes. In the midst of all of it, I’ll be writing.

My work-in-progress, the one I shared last week, formerly titled “The Star” is now called “The 48 Hour Rule.” 

The response I received from the first chapter I posted last week was overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to everyone who dropped me a note to say that they can’t wait for more! I promise another sneak peek soon.