Happy Easter

We have 420 plastic eggs stuffed with candy and miniature toys, plus another dozen that will be used strictly for the scavenger hunt, ready to be hid Sunday morning. A fair amount of the wonderful—not—12 inches of snow we received on Wednesday is still covering the ground, so the egg hiding may all take place in Papa’s shop. He’s such a good grandpa and doesn’t mind his tool boxes and storage cabinets being used as hiding spots. The scavenger hunt will take place in there as well. Each egg contains a clue as to where to find the next egg until they find their final prize—the golden egg. It promises to be a fun time for sure! 

I send you all Easter Blessings, and hope amongst the eggs, bunnies, elaborate dinners, and family gatherings you have the opportunity to rejoice in the miracle the holiday is based upon. 

My agent from the Japan UNI agency sent me a lovely email this morning. The publisher who purchased the Japanese comic adaptation rights for Mail Order Husband has almost completed the Magna version. It will be so fun to see! I can only imagine how much work it takes to turn a complete novel into a comic. Some people are so very talented. I can barely draw a stick person.

The May first release date for Never Tempt a Lawman is just around the corner. Right now I’m working on the final revisions for the third roaring twenties story. The fourth story is coming along nicely, too. I’m going to miss these sisters when their stories are all done. 

I have many things to complete today, so must get off the computer and head to the grocery store. 

Happy Easter everyone, you are each a miracle and a blessing.

And it's off...

The third book in my roaring twenties story has been sent off for others to read and give me their feedback! The heroine, Twyla, had some serious decisions to make, but in the end, she found her happily ever after. One more story/sister to go—that’s Josie’s. She’s arrested in Twyla’s story, and I’m excited to discover exactly why. This entire series will be released the summer of 2015. 

Next up will be Never Tempt a Lawman, May 1^st. 

Steady, wealthy and oh-so-safe—that's the kind of husband Bess Trundale wants. Someone like the local banker's son. Someone unlike Sheriff Kirk Landers. The lawman's confident swagger gets right under her skin…and into her fantasies. And though she's tried to ignore the chemistry surging between them, one night is about to change everything.

Kirk isn't planning on being anyone's husband ever again. But months of living under the same boardinghouse roof as quick-witted, feisty Bess have stirred desires he can't ignore. Together they could put their pasts to rest and claim a bold, passionate future—if he can tempt her to break all the rules with him….

Life around the home front is marching on…as in March is already on its way out. 

Our youngest son had his 28^th birthday last week and I shared with him the weekend before he was born, we raked our yard—not so this year. We still have snow piled high. 

We have had a couple above zero days, and all that melting snow gave us plenty of mud. That also happened to be the day that my old washing machine gave up the ghost. She’d served me well over the years—three teenage boys aren’t easy on anything—so it was to no fault of her own. The new set couldn’t be delivered for ten days, and I swear, those were the longest ten days of my life.  We bought the stackable ones to give us more room in the laundry room, and they arrived yesterday! Oh, yes, they were busy washing and drying until I went to bed. 

Today was a fun day. Papa had made a date with Hayley to watch Frozen—he didn’t go to the movie theatre with the rest of us—and I had a date with Karlee to get manicures. So after we both had our nails painted we came home in time to have lunch and then all four of us, Papa, Hayley, Karlee and I watched the movie. (Isabelle had a birthday party for one of her friends and Connor is just a little too young to care about Disney cartoons.) The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon playing together as best-friends cousins do. 

After catching up on a few blogs this evening, I plan to work on my paranormal set in Cody, Wyoming. 

Until next time, be good to yourself and kind to others. We’re all in this together.

ACHOO...

Yep, that’s what has been going on around here. So far DH hasn’t caught it, and I hope he doesn’t. The cold weather has kept his shop doors opening and closing. I on the other hand, had to finally and most reluctantly, take to my bed last week. It was one of those nasty bugs that drags a person down. Even Bear, granddog extraordinaire, felt sorry for me and crawled up on the bed to snuggle. Bless his yellow-lab heart. I’m happy to say I’m on the mend, and therefore, running behind. Although I’m making good progress on the third roaring twenties story, where Twyla and Forrest are having a blast flying around in his 1920’s airplane, I have some catching up to do. Thanks goes out to my darling brother Norman for answering a few antique plane questions the other day when I barely had a voice to ask them!

So, a few things have happened during my down-under-the covers-days…

Chapters have continued to be released for The Stolen Kiss on Harlequin’s website. There’s an online discussion happening if you’re interested in joining in. 

The Major’s Wife was released on Saturday, and continues to hang around at the number one slot for Harlequin Historicals at Amazon. Thank you all for being such wonderful and dedicated readers! I so appreciate each and every one of you!

The Wild Rose Press has released The Quinter Bride Series in a boxed set! Now you can get all five stories at once for one low price! I still get emails, got one just today, asking if there will be more books in this story. People want to know about Ma. I can’t say yeah or nay right now, but maybe someday. 

I received the cover art for my May 1^st released, Never Tempt a Lawman. No blurb yet, but I will post it when I get it. 

Other happenings around here include me, on ONE of the coldest days of the year (we’ve had so many below zero days they’ve merged together to form at least a month I’m sure) I managed to lock myself out of my car—while it was running! There I was with fifty pounds of dog food in my arms, and no extra set of keys in my purse. Thank goodness for our wonderful local police department! 

We also had a surprise visit from one of my nieces and her lovely family on Saturday. Bear was ecstatic to have BOYS to throw the ball for him and ran until he collapsed on his doggie bed in pure satisfaction. (He’s been missing his master and number one human who is in North Carolina for work right now.)  And we had a super bowl party with lots of food to capture our attention far more than the game did. I will add the Budweiser puppy/horse commercial won my heart.

Now that I no longer need to have a tissue in one hand at all times, I’m back to writing, which I better get back to.

Have a wonderful week, and rejoice in the little things, some day you’ll remember them as very big moments.

Brrr.....

We are in the deep freeze here in Minnesota, which isn’t all that unusual, but the wind chills have made being outdoors dangerous, therefore schools and several businesses are closed. It also means my hubby is busier than ever. Cars do not want to start when it’s this cold, and the phone is ringing off the hook with people asking him to make house calls. Poor guy. The good thing is—it won’t last long. The weather man is predicting a January thaw this weekend. 

My family is now enjoying all the wonderful gifts they each received for the holidays. One of my sons got the Ancestry software and is really having a ball with it. He’s discovered one of my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (I think that’s right) grandmothers involved in the Salem Witch Trials. She wasn’t prosecuted and lived for another thirty years or so afterwards. Another son is spending every spare moment in his fish house ice fishing, and the third son has already spent the ‘cash’ he received on tickets for his family to fly to Florida later this month. The granddaughters are loving their Doc McStuffins Check-up Centers and the numerous other toys and gadgets they received. One of my favorite gifts was a new fuzzy and warm throw that matches my overstuffed ‘writing’ chair, and Bear, the ultimate granddog, is greatly enjoying the old quilt I used to snuggle under. (His doggie bed is next to my chair and he waits for me to toss the quilt over the top of him after he lies down.)

I received some great feedback from my critique partner on my latest work in progress this weekend and am enjoying getting to know Beth and Rance, the heroine and hero of this story set in Cody, Wyoming. 

The first chapter of The Stolen Kiss will be released on January 27 on Harlequin’s website. The Major’s Wife will be released in print on February first, and e-book later that month, and Never Tempt a Lawman will be released on May first. 

In the mean time, stay warm, keep smiling, and make 2014 all you dream it can be!   

Here Comes 2014

The fast and furious pre and post Christmas days are now but memories, wonderful memories, as we now focus on the coming of the New Year. I sincerely hope your celebrations were, and continue to be, fantastic. 

Our fun times continued through the weekend. After going to see Frozen on Friday—an amazing movie with utterly spectacular music—all three girls spent the night. I’m questioning what I was thinking when I purchased the futon for the playroom. Snuggling to watch a movie is one thing, sleeping all night with three little girls is a completely different thing. However, come morning, after stretching out the kinks, I realized these days are few and precious. Time goes so fast there soon will be a day when the three of them will want to sleep alone, sharing secrets and giggles without grandma, so until then I’ll cherish the moments, stiff muscles and all. 

Getting back into a writing routine is a must for me now. I’ve started the next roaring twenties story, however, I’ve also started the story that came on strong while we were in Wyoming last fall. Those characters have been very impatient so I had to start getting things ‘down on paper.’ I like working on two stories at the same time. When one comes to a fork in the road that needs a bit of pondering, I can work on the second one. 

Mid January is when Harlequin will put up the free read, The Stolen Kiss, and The Major’s Wife, will be released in February. Next up will be Never Tempt a Lawman, release date to be determined.

Enjoy your final days of 2013! It was a year to remember, as they all are.