Hey there happy reader,

File this under “be careful what you wish for!” I sent “From Below the Horizon” to my editor for her thoughts and suggestions for improving the overall quality of my storytelling, and boy oh boy – she didn’t disappoint me…

She got out her most favorite red pen and slashed my story to bits. 

But truly… that’s what I need her to do! She makes me think about every plot point and every creative decision I’ve made along the way. She questions my logic and reveals all the flaws in the narrative.

Plus, she finds those pesky grammatical mistakes I’m sure I’m not making (repeatedly) but I am. So, Sara, thank you. You’ve saved me from myself yet again!

So, for the foreseeable future I’ll be holed up in my office to work on this book. I’m not coming out until Sara and I are satisfied with the final result. It might take a minute.

Or longer…

Send snacks!!!

Of course, I’ll keep you posted…

But, in the meantime, if you’re looking for something good to read, here’s a blockbuster for you. It’s Kathryn Stockett’s new novel, “The Calamity Club.”

If the author’s name sounds familiar, it’s because she wrote “The Help,” a book about the women of the deep south in the 1960’s, both the housemaids and the housewives. (Did you see the movie? It’s terrific!)

Once again, this talented writer captures the spirit of what life was like in the south – in Oxford, Mississippi, to be exact — in the 1930’s, during the Depression. It tells the story of three women, their struggles and their relationship to one another, and I loved it!

Stockett really puts you in the middle of the life and times of these women. I highly recommend it. If you received a gift card this past Mother’s Day, spend it on a copy of this blockbuster novel. You won’t regret it!

It’s truly spring here in the northeast. 

The sun is shining and the pollen is everywhere! I try to get outside early each day before the air is thick with yellow powder falling from the trees… I’m allergic to both the budding flowers and the growing grass, but I can’t help but be tempted by the warmer weather and the cloudless skies.

Hey there happy reader,

As I await the revision letter for “From Below the Horizon” to arrive in my inbox, I’ve been thinking about my next novel, “The Flower Girls.”

As Anne Lamott famously points out, “thinking” about your writing counts! I’m inching closer to putting some words on paper – well, on my computer screen, lol – but for the next few days I’ve decided to give myself some “me” time.

One of the perks of living in suburban New York is the chance to ride the train into Manhattan and see a matinee. 

I was lucky enough to have grabbed a few friends and snagged tickets for “Fallen Angels” on Broadway.

This Noel Coward “comedy of manners” is a true delight! 

It stars Rose Byrne and Kelly O’Hara as two dear friends in love with the same man. It’s very proper and very British and very, very funny!

Both these women have now been nominated for the Tony Award, and all I can say is that it’s a well-deserved honor. Not only do they deliver the snappy dialogue with remarkable timing, but they both perform physical comedy as well. As they drink champagne and become incredibly inebriated, the play gets funnier and funnier.

It’s only here for a short run, but if you’re local, don’t miss the chance to see these two women try to make each other laugh out loud on stage. It’s most certainly worth the price of admission!

My other plan for my time spent “thinking about writing” is to finally clean out my closet! 

It’s the job we all hate to do, but I’ve reached the point where if I don’t get rid of some of my moth-eaten sweaters and old jeans, the hanging rod in my closet will snap in two!

Sometimes I can’t understand myself… why do I keep EVERYTHING??? I have clothing in multiple sizes even though I know that the skinny pants that I once wore will never fit me again. Ugh. It’s time to get rid of so much… that donation bin at the mall better be empty, because I’m about to fill it up.

I have clothing in my closet that could qualify as vintage! I’m about to head in there… if you don’t hear from me next week, call for help!

Hey there happy reader,

I’ve started the process of writing my next book, which means that when I drive around in my car, I let my imagination take hold. The working title (which will probably change as time goes on) is “The Flower Girls.”

It’s about two women who meet in elementary school and become fast friends. Poppie is determined to be a megastar, who, like Madonna or Cher, will be recognizable by just her first name. The other female protagonist is named Cassia, or, as she’ll be known – Cassie.

Poppie is outgoing and fun; Cassie is thoughtful and more private. As we all know, opposites attract, so their bond will run deep.

This is Cassia

Poppie is talented, with a singing voice that gets her recognized, first in school and later in karaoke bars all over New York City. 

But it’s Cassie who is the gifted songwriter, preferring to stay in the background and create the music that Poppie will go on to become famous for. And then, at the height of her success, Poppie betrays Cassie in the worst possible way.

They become estranged, until the day when Poppie is so burned out that she wants to leave her super successful career behind and walk away. But she needs help. And the only person who can do that for her is Cassie – will her oldest friend, the person who knows her best, forgive Poppie’s transgression? Will Cassie come and bail out the one person who broke her heart? And if she does, at what personal cost?

This is a contemporary novel, so there’s not a lot of historical research to do like in “Below the Horizon,” “The Woodcarver’s Secret,” or “The Wick and the Flame.”

However, this book will require some time spent with a magician, as well as a studio session with a musician! While not a romance or a full-out suspense novel, if I get this story right, it should keep you on the edge of your seat for about the last third of it… Sound intriguing? I sure hope so!

And speaking of romance, it’s wedding season! 

My husband and I are invited to a whopping six weddings between now and the fall. Four out of the six are destination events, starting with this weekend in Washington, DC. I do love a wedding… it always leaves me feeling hopeful for the future. I just wish it didn’t involve me packing high heels and Spanx!

I hope that you’re enjoying the beautiful spring skies and blooming flowers. The longer days give us more opportunity to find a shady spot under a tree to read, so give yourself the time to unwind with a book from your TBR list. You deserve it!

Hey there happy reader!

I participated in my first ever promotion with my publisher, Vinci Books, and this is what happened…

My book, “The Beginnings of Us,” skyrocketed to number one in the most crowded category in the Amazon store! 

I could never have imagined this happening, and I owe it all to you, my most loyal readers! Thank you from the bottom of my heart – I can now claim the title of “Amazon Bestseller!”

It’s a pretty big deal. 

I truly have never been able to figure out the algorithm that Amazon uses – quite honestly, I don’t think anyone understands it! But having a book chart so high helps my visibility on the platform and makes Amazon take notice. For now, I’m doing a happy dance!

Happily, my next book, “From Below the Horizon,” is on my editor’s desk (praised be!) and I’m waiting for what I am sure will be one very long revision letter. 

That leaves me time to think about what to write next. I offered up two ideas last week in my newsletter and heard back from so many of you!

There was a clear winner…

I might just write about a mega-popstar who wants to get out of the fast lane, but the people surrounding her – her managers, her publicists, her tour coordinators – don’t want to lose their payday, so they try their best to keep her going on what feels like a never ending, worldwide tour.

When all else fails, she must turn to the only person she can trust, her childhood best friend… the one person in her life who she once betrayed. It’s a work-in-progress, so stay tuned!

For now, I’m trying to catch up on my TBR list. 

I’m currently reading “Yesteryear,” by Caro Claire Burke. It’s the story of a woman, Natalie, who is a social media influencer, living on a farm in Idaho with her picture-perfect family.

She portrays herself as someone who bakes her own bread and tills her own soil, but nothing could be further from the truth. Behind the scenes, she has nannies, assistants, and farm workers making her life look as realistic as possible. Then the unthinkable happens.

She goes to sleep one night and wakes up in the 1800’s, where each day is a challenge and she really does need to learn how to survive. It’s sarcastic and funny, but it’s also a commentary on being careful what you wish for. That’s what I love about reading. There’s nothing better than have an author make you think about all the “what ifs” in life!

Hey there happy reader,

I’m so happy to share a free promotion with you!

From April 15th-19th, the first book of my “Seasons of Us” series, “The Beginning of Us,” is free!

This is the first giveaway I’m doing as a Vinci author, and I’m excited to have this relaunch begin. 

This story will get you thinking about the summer ahead. It’s set in a small-town on Cape Cod and is filled with wonderful and quirky characters who will make you want to head up to Bluff’s Cove and spend a day on the beach!

I know that many of you have already read this book – it was originally titled, “June” and was the first book of my “Gypsy Moth Chronicles” series. It’s been renamed, given a new cover and is in the midst of a relaunch, all courtesy of my publisher!

If you know someone who might like a fun, breezy, beach read, please do this author a solid and share the link with them!

Now that I’ve completed “From Below the Horizon” (or at least am waiting for what I’m sure will be a long and detailed revision letter from my editor!) I’ve started thinking about my next project. 

I’m torn between two different thoughts…

One – I was fascinated with the documentary about Taylor Swift’s Era tour. I like her music but am not a crazy fan, yet the massive production behind those shows was very interesting to me. I am impressed with the thought she puts into every single detail of whatever she does.

As I watched Taylor step out of her limo, fully costumed, and climb into a black box that took her underneath the stage to the lift that would magically bring her in front of the audience, I was struck by an idea: what if she got in the box, but wasn’t there by the time it reached her destination? What if a mega superstar had reached her limit and wanted to get out of the limelight, but didn’t know quite how to do it?

That’s the idea I’m playing with now… a suspense novel about a missing megastar. You would believe that someone SO recognizable would be hard to hide. Or maybe it’s easier than you think!

The other direction I could go? I could work on a sequel to “Question Everything.” So many readers have asked what happens to the baby in the story. Does she know who her father is? Is she safe living up on Cape Cod – are the people who were looking for her gone for good? Does the paparazzi leave her alone? Does Maeve open her own bakery???

Which idea interests you?

Hey there happy reader!

I hope you’ve had a pleasant holiday week! I’m back from California and very happy to have survived the travel woes that have plagued the airports in the last few weeks. My time on the west coast was beautiful – every day was both sunny and warm. Spring is in full bloom there!

This time, we took a quick trip to Lake Arrowhead. 

The thing I find so interesting about Los Angeles is that you can take a ride out of the city for ninety minutes and be fully immersed in nature.

Of course, I never seem to learn to ask, “how long” when my older son says, “let’s go for a hike.” 

Seven miles uphill is his idea of a short, easy walk. It was a pretty view, but sheesh! I’m going to try and remember this in a few months when the entire family will be hitting the road for a vacation…

And now I’m home for a bit. 

I’m about to send “From Below the Horizon” to my editor (finally!) and I’m excited to hear what she thinks. Of course, it’s your opinion that matters most!

I still have some slots available for beta readers. If you’re interested, contact me at hilari.mpp@gmail.com and I’ll fill you in on the details.

Of course, I’m already thinking about what comes next. This will be a very different publishing experience now that I’m represented by Vinci books. I’m excited to see what their cover concept will be… as soon as I have it, I’ll post it here first!

The end of the journey I’ve been on for the last four (!) years with “From Below the Horizon” is bittersweet. 

I’ve lived with this story and these characters for a long time. The women of this book are meaningful to me; they are very much alive in my mind and probably will be for quite a while.

That’s how this process works… I create people who then take shape and become very real to me. I hear their conversations with one another; I am privy to their thoughts. They don’t just disappear for me on that last page. It takes some time to quiet my mind again.

But I already have the outline for my next book ready and its very different… more to come about that very soon!

For now, I plan to take a little break and enjoy the warmer weather ahead. I have a very long list of books I’d like to read, too. It will be nice to let another author tell me their story!

Hey there happy reader!

I’m here to wish you all a joyous holiday… whatever you celebrate!

I’m taking some time to be with my family – you know – cook, clean repeat! I’ll be back with more book news next week!

Hey there happy reader,

As I’ve mentioned many times in this newsletter, every six weeks or so I spend about ten days in Los Angeles visiting our son, daughter-in-law, and oldest grandson.

I do love it when I’m there – I enjoy being the one to pick up our grandson from pre-school at the end of his day and the wide smile he gives me on my arrival, lazy breakfasts with my family and fun dinners.

But getting there from New York? That’s become another story.

On a good day, it’s a bit of a hassle to get from point A to point B in the airport. 

New York’s JFK is big, and somehow my gate is always the furthest point from the security checkpoint. I get my steps in, that’s for sure. But at a time when a partial government shutdown has basically crippled an already fragile system, it’s chaos.

Without getting political, I think we can all agree that the TSA workers are being unfairly punished. 

I don’t have to travel, I choose to travel, but they are showing up for work every day without a paycheck at the end of the week. These people are not the 1%. They live paycheck to paycheck, and this is wholly unfair.

I’ve written to my senators and congressmen, letting them know that I believe that they can do better and come up with a solution to this mess. And let’s be honest. The politicians get paid whether they end this crisis or not…

All of this leads me to where I got the original idea for “From Below the Horizon.” (Stick with me. This TED Talk takes a minute!) 

My husband and I made a side trip to England in 2022, after our older son and daughter-in-law’s wedding in France. On a whim, we went to Stonehenge for the day. I was so taken by the female energy I felt there that the basis for the story was born.

I theorized that there was a chance that the population living on Salisbury Plain, the people who put the stones in place, were led by a group of strong women. No one knows the truth, because the history of that civilization has been erased. Without a written account (these events pre-date the Rosetta Stone or any other formal recorded language) we might never know, and that’s why fiction can make this so interesting.

A writer (like me) can imagine what might have happened and spin a story around whatever she thinks transpired.

But I’ve also been influenced by current events. In the last four years I have been increasingly disappointed by the people we’ve elected to run this country. The men in charge are doing a lousy job – in my opinion – and I think that if women were at the helm, we wouldn’t be in this mess! I mean, we outnumber the male population, we’re smarter (who organizes your household?) we’re tougher (do you think a man could birth a ten-pound baby?) and we would think twice before sending our sons into battle. So why do we let the patriarchy have its way with us? I’m over it!!!

So, in response, in my new novel, I’ve created a world ruled by smart women.

They know the threat that the men pose to their society and are determined not to allow the male population to dominate them. They find a way to live in a matriarchy, and when you read this book, I hope you’ll find them as interesting as I did.

Last August, The New York Times ran a feature piece about a group of women in Texas who decided to retire together. They formed a community called “The Bird’s Nest.” They built tiny houses, pooled their shared skills, and came up with a way to happily live out their lives surrounded by supportive and interesting women. Since women generally outlive their husbands, it’s a way to maintain companionship—with a side of mahjong, canasta, sewing circles, book talks, and communal meals.

Sounds like a little slice of heaven to me… what do you think?

Hey there happy reader!

My work-in-progress, “From Below the Horizon,” is in what I like to call the “slash and burn” phase.

This is when I go back over the entire manuscript with a fine-tooth comb before sending it to my editor (and having her double over in laughter at all my mistakes!) 

It’s not an easy part of the process. I have to ask myself what stays and what goes… it’s a little bit like moving from a house you’ve lived in for thirty years. You don’t want to pack up your kids’ trophies from middle school as you downsize – they have their own homes already and your garage needs to be clutter-free! But a big part of you has trouble letting go.

I liken this to the five stages of grief for writing.

You start with “umm… I have an idea.”

You move on to “let me just put it all on the page.”

Once that’s done, you check the manuscript for extraneous words or phrases, plus, you delete all those pesky adverbs.

Then it’s the “why did I write this novel and think it was important” stage.

Finally, you throw your hands up in the air and ship the whole bulky thing off to your editor for her to deal with your mess. It’s not easy…

Luckily, I have my writing gurus, the people I look to for help. 

(After all, Mr. Rodgers’ advice is always true. When you find trouble, he said, “look for the helpers.”)

Some of my helpers I know personally, like the four members of my writer’s group – we’ve been together for over thirty-five years. I’d trust them with my life. Then I have my newly formed Guatemala Girlies – the women I met a year ago at Joyce Maynard’s workshop. They are all accomplished, thoughtful and wonderful writers who are generous with their time and their enthusiasm.

Finally, I have two women who I don’t know, but I faithfully follow their writing advice – Anna Quindlen and Anne Lamott. Both have books on the craft that I refer to repeatedly. As a matter of fact, Anne Lamott’s new title was published this week! (And I just love that Anne calls her co-writer and partner her “current husband.” Hysterical!)

Once this manuscript leaves my hands and digitally appears in my editor’s inbox, I’m going to be looking for beta readers. 

If you are interested in an advance copy of this title in exchange for a careful read-thru and a future review left on Amazon, I’d be happy to add you to my growing list.

You can email me at hilari.mpp@gmail.com.

I would so appreciate your honest opinion…

And like those sweet flowers poking up through the dead leaves, I have hope that this book will be worth the wait. 

It took me four years from concept to completion… in that same time both of our sons were married and we became grandparents — twice! I wish I could say I was distracted, but the truth is that I’m just a slow writer, lol.

In the coming weeks I’ll tell you about why I wrote “From Below the Horizon.” It’s interesting that this historical novel got its start in current events…

Hey there happy reader!

Last week I was able to share the first cover of my newly renamed series, The Seasons of Us. Now, I can show you the rest…

I love them! I love the new series name – The Seasons of Us – as well. 

I think the combination of the bright colors, the very “now” portrayal of the main protagonists, and the interconnected titles truly represent the stories inside. I am hopeful that these books (formerly named “The Gypsy Moth Chronicles”) will appeal to a whole new set of readers who may have passed over them before.

Weigh in. What do you think of these covers and titles? I’d be interested to know!

This is a big release week for one of my most favorite romance novelists, Lucy Score.

The second book in her Story Lake series, “Mistakes Were Made” is out now. 

I loved the first of the series, “The Story of My Life,” which was about a romance novelist with writer’s block. (Just a little bit meta, right?) The thing about Lucy is that she writes with such joy and irreverence, and I love that for her.

Plus, when I was starting to work on The Seasons of Us series, I wrote to her and asked for advice. At that point in her career, she was a mildly successful indie writer. She took the time to write back with constructive ideas on how I could improve my marketing and broaden my audience, and she was right. Lucy Score went on to become a New York Times bestselling author, now published and partners with EL James, the founder of Bloom Books.

And, we all can acknowledge how EL James changed romance novels forever with her wildly successful “Fifty Shades” franchise. Lucy and EL together are quite the blockbuster team. I’ve already downloaded Lucy’s new title to my kindle – I will always support her books as she helped me on my path when I truly needed someone to outstretch a hand…

And as I head into the homestretch of my current work-in-progress, “From Below the Horizon,” I am starting to imagine what that cover might look like. 

There are elements in the book, aside from the obvious stone circle, that figure prominently in the story. Perhaps the most important is an amulet, worn by Maya (the first woman leader of the tribe on Salisbury Plain) passed on to her daughter Marah, and which then disappears for centuries, only to turn up during World War II in a most unexpected way…

Here’s a description of it from the story:

Maya was preparing to give her daughter all her jewelry. Some of the pieces had been passed down from her grandmother, others from women who’d lived centuries before her; precious stones inlaid within silver bracelets, disc-shaped earrings with intricate etchings in their center and an amulet of pure gold, a large amethyst in the center, all sitting on a heavy, beaded chain. These special ornaments marked her daughter as the royalty that she already was and were befitting of the leader she would become. Maya had worn this jewelry with pride; she hoped that Marah would do the same.

The jewelry in this novel is an important piece of my imaginings of the mystery of Stonehenge. I think that when history leaves us unanswered questions, it’s the job of a novelist to fill in the blanks. I hope that when you read this book, you’ll agree!

For today, spring is truly hinting that she’s about to make her grand entrance. If you can, take a walk outside. I did and it made me feel so hopeful to see small, green shoots peeking up beneath the last remnants of our snowy winter. Can the daffodils be far behind? Treat yourself to a bit of sunshine!