Hey there happy reader!

Well, we’re in it now. The dog days of summer. And if you’re like me, it’s the worst time of year.

I hate the heat and humidity that August brings. 

It’s like I’m stepping into a sauna as soon as I leave my garage. The sun is too hot, too bright, and not appealing; even a trip to the beach feels like a chore.

I end up sitting inside in the air conditioning behind my computer screen, cooking up story ideas, novels, and dreaming about pumpkin spice lattes!

Oh wait! That’s not a bad thing!

On one particularly hot day last week, as I was hard at work on my new novel, “The 48 Hour Rule,” a frosty beverage in hand, wearing my skimpiest summer dress, I had an “aha” moment.

This book wasn’t a standalone after all.

It was the first book in a new series!

Welcome to “The Brooklyn Bridge” series!

If you recall, the first book is about Brianna and Jack. After a fateful meeting in a coffeeshop one morning, their romance blossoms and they are well on their way to a happily ever after.

But wait! Jack has two roommates.

One is his stunt double who loves a challenge. His rival stunt actor is a woman who believes that she can do any trick he can, but better! As they try to outdo one another, a spark is ignited that cannot be ignored.

The other is a fellow actor who is filming a movie where he portrays a single dad. When he meets the child playing his baby, he falls for the little boy’s mother. She’s widowed and trying to survive raising an infant on her own. That book is up next!

Interested? I hope so!

I truly never expected to write another romance series, but this idea just won’t leave me alone. 

I’ll keep you posted on my progress as I navigate another book bible and this series’ intermingled characters. Fun times ahead!

I’m off next week to attend a wedding on the west coast, so there won’t be a newsletter. But once I’m back home, I’ll fill you in on all the ins and outs of writing a series. It’s not for the weak at heart…

Hey there happy reader!

I am so lucky to have one of the writers who I met on my trip to Guatemala stopping in New York to visit with me on her way to Kenya…

We’re spending some time catching up on each other’s lives and I’m helping her learn how to upload a manuscript to Amazon. 

I spent ten years as an indie writer, so I’m well versed in this process. While it seems daunting at first – choosing royalty rates and securing foreign rights – it’s really straight forward.

But what’s changed since I began my publishing journey is that today, Amazon asks this all-important question: “Was AI used in the creation of this manuscript?”

If the answer is yes, you need to check a box. 

If you check that box, Amazon will put a disclaimer on your copyright page disclosing this information. And don’t try to get around it because Amazon’s AI bots read every upload and spit out work that they think is questionable. Big brother is definitely watching…

Currently, an “author” is allowed to publish up to ten AI generated manuscripts PER DAY! 

And I’m not referring to writers that use ChatGPT or Claude to do research. I’m talking about having the computer WRITE THE DAMN BOOK!!! Ugh.

These AI generated books are crowding the marketplace. 

And they’re making it impossible for new authors to get a literary agent or have their work read by a traditional publisher.

I can promise you that I will never allow AI to tell my stories. I would rather stumble over every word before I enter a tag line and have my computer write the book for me. What fun is that, anyway??

I’ll get off my soapbox now… but thanks for letting me rant for a bit. 

I think I’ll head into my office and get back to my work-in-progress, “The 48 Hour Rule.” At least within those pages I can control most of what happens next…

Hey there happy reader!

I’m taking a break from writing another research-heavy historical novel and instead am working on a contemporary romance set right now in New York City.

Instead of spending hours in the library (yup, that’s right. I’m old-school that way!) I’m using a bit of a different process to create this work. I’m lucky enough to live near the setting of this novel, so I’m putting myself right in the middle of it all…

My new book, “The Forty-Eight Hour Rule,” takes place in trendy Brooklyn Heights. 

In case you’re not familiar with the neighborhood, it sits on the East River and has a lovely promenade where on a nice day, you’ll find tons of people outdoors taking a stroll.

This tony neighborhood is filled with coffee houses, high-end boutiques, and townhouses, many of them now divided into apartments.

While it is expensive to live there, its proximity to lower Manhattan makes it highly desirable for those who work in the financial district, a short subway ride away.

(My character’s apartment building)

My female protagonist is a speech therapist at a private school there, and she lives close enough to her job to be able to walk to work – an important detail because she is claustrophobic and won’t ride the subway. Her claustrophobia is well-earned, a trait that is revealed over the course of the story, but that’s information for another day…

Right now, to get myself in the proper mindset for writing a book about a thirty-something living and working in this city, I’m using music to help me understand my character.

I listen to these songs in my car or while I’m cooking dinner. It truly helps to put me in the mind of a much younger woman, one who is trying to find her footing in an ever-confusing world.

Interested in listening along? Here it is:

Every writer I know has a process, and that process matters. 

I find that expanding my horizons – whether it’s listening to music or looking at a painting or sculpture, helps to broaden my mind and think differently about what I’m putting on the page.

Sometimes we need to draw our energy from other areas of art; it often ignites the necessary spark that we can then to bring back to our own work.

What do you do to push the limits of your own imagination? Where do you get your creative ideas from? Whatever your outlet – gardening, knitting, or firing up the kiln – how do you put your mind in motion?

Hey there happy reader!

I’m not the only writer in the family. My daughter-in-law, Alix, is much more talented than me!

She’s written screenplays (her latest has been acquired by Jason Bateman’s production company) and a book of essays about women and their relationship with their fathers.

She also made quite the name for herself on TikTok during Covid when she recreated scenes from “Sex and the City” featuring her cat Fred playing the role of “Kim Catrall!” (The real actress reached out to say how much she loved seeing herself portrayed by this gentle giant of a furball, btw.)

Currently, Alix sits high atop Substack’s list of comedy writers… I’m not sure why they placed her there as her writing is often poignant and personal, but algorithms baffle me anyway!

Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough, she just received her master’s degree in clinical psychology. AMAZING! You should follow her…

Here’s this week’s piece about why she believes that my grandson may be psychic.

It’s guaranteed to brighten your day…

As for me, Vinci reached out this week to let me know that the first three books in my “The Seasons of Us” series have been bought by an audiobook production company and will be available as audio books by early next year!

It’s an incredible opportunity for me – to hear my characters come to life will be a thrill, I’m sure of it. Plus, they could have chosen from a broad range of Vinci titles, but they picked mine… I couldn’t be more excited if I tried!

I was lucky to be up on the Cape last week, the setting of my series.

The paperback version of this five-book series will be available on September 8th – the eBooks are already for sale on Amazon – and the covers look great.

In case you haven’t seen them yet, here they are:

Now I’m just waiting for the cover of “From Below the Horizon” to cross my desk. As soon as it does, I’ll post it here first!

I am anxious to get this book about the women of Stonehenge to you… it will be available for pre-order starting on September 23rd, with the eBook publication date set for October 7th. My advance readers are loving it. One even told me she teared up at the end!!! I think you’ll find that this title was worth the wait…

Summer is flying by. (Did anyone else see Halloween decorations at Costco?!?) It’s time to grab a book and get outside while the sun is shining.

Hey there happy reader!

Well, I was home for a bit… long enough to catch my breath (and do my laundry!) before heading out once more. I’ve spent the last few days at one of my most favorite spots on the planet – Cape Cod!!

If you’ve never been to this magical place, let me tell you why I love it so. 

As soon as you cross the Bourne Bridge and journey onto the Cape, you can feel all the tension in your body melt away. For me, it’s like stepping back in time to hallowed ground. There are lobster shacks, ice cream vendors, mini golf, and a drive-in movie theater!

Time slows down here… and if you’ve never been here, let me tell you that the National Seashore is a treasure!

It’s where the seed of the idea for “The Seasons of Us” was born. 

This Cape Cod series is available as an e-book now and is about to be re-issued in paperback with brand new covers.

Vinci is releasing these on September 8th, so for anyone who hasn’t read them before, consider picking them up now. They are perfect to tuck into your beach bag!

And here’s some more exciting news… 

I’ve already shared that “From Below the Horizon,” my novel about Stonehenge, will be released as an e-book on October 7th. Pre-order will be available on September 23rd.

But I’ve just been told that the paperback will be available WORLDWIDE on December 3rd, just in time for holiday gift-giving!

I’m not truly sure if I’m thrilled or terrified… 

I’ve been running my own show with my titles for more than ten years. Turning the job of marketing over to a publisher is very scary, but probably the very thing I needed to do a long time ago.

I love to write and create… but I hate to sell! I’ve always found the advertising/marketing aspects of publishing to be daunting. I know I’m in good hands with Vinci. I just have to let some of my control-freak nature go and breathe…

I still don’t have a cover image to share with you for “From Below the Horizon.” It’s in the works, though, and as soon as it’s available, you’ll be the first to see it.

I must say that I’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction to this title from my advance readers. This book steps a bit outside of my comfort zone… it’s a historical suspense with a love story weaved within, but it’s different than my other novels. I think you’re going to enjoy it as much as I do. It is truly a love letter to my lifelong girlfriends…

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…