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Montana & Idaho Cedars
Inspiration behind Pack Saddle Ranch series Dear Reader,It’s wonderful to see so many of you enjoying the Pack River series! I wanted to share a little bit of the region’s history, as I’ve found that many readers of historical fiction, including historical romance, have a deep appreciation for history.The image above is me visiting Ross Creek Cedars in Monatana as I was writing the first book, The Rancher’s Healing. This grove is located about an hour from the Pack River Valley, but one of the last representations of what this area ones looked like before Humbird and other lumber companies came through and…
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A Thank You
Dear Reader,Today’s newsletter is about you as the reader. First, I want to say thank you for being here and supporting me. I had an amazing surprise this morning. I sat down with my laptop and my cup of coffee while the house was quiet, aside from the rooster crowing outside my French door. I opened my newsletter program and on my dashboard I saw the number of readers at 1,015. That’s you. You did that! So thank you for joining me and letting me ramble on twice per week and you’re still here.It may not seem like much, but…
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Pack Saddle Ranch – Book 4
Dear Reader,If you’ve been following me for the last few weeks, you know I’m working on book 4 of the Pack Saddle Ranch series. Here’s a concept image for the cover. It’s not final, but I like to do this about halfway through the first draft, once I’ve gotten far enough into the book to really imagine the scene.This also starts the book cover process, which I do so that by the time I’m done with the book — developmental editing, polishing, and the final draft — I’ll have a cover ready to go. It also gives me a mental…
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Amazing Review
Dear Reader,This made me melt. This was a review left on Goodreads for A Mother’s Last Gift.Don’t get me wrong. Even the constructive reviews are useful. I do read them, and I take them to heart. I’ve even gone back and edited books because of reviews that told me what was wrong, but this one is a feel good review that I just wanted to share.Please know that good or bad, reviews help authors. If you have left reviews for my books, thank you. It is always appreciated. If you have read any of my books and not left a…
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Eventful August coming!
Dear Reader,Well, I have some news I’m still a little giddy about.Fading Light has been chosen as the current read for the ISSDAR book club! If you know me at all, you know what that means to me. Captain Edward Beeson is my fourth great grandfather, and it was through him that I joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in the first place. Writing his story was my way of honoring him before America’s 250th anniversary. Now the very organization that connected me to him is reading his book. I couldn’t have dreamed that up if I tried.And it…
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America 250
Dear Reader,This is the last newsletter before America’s 250th, so I want to spend it on the ancestor who started all of this for me — the first patriot I was ever able to actually prove was mine.You know him already. Captain Edward Beeson, my fourth great grandfather, the patriot I wrote Fading Light for.With the 4th right on top of us, I keep going back to a few passages from that book. So today, instead of another round of research, I want to just sit with some of his story — and his family’s — for a minute. Here’s…
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Remember Our Heroes
Dear Reader,When you see this newsletter, it will be Memorial Day. I hope you’ll take a moment to stop and reflect on the men and women who have lost their lives in the service of our country — to protect the freedoms we all enjoy. As a Daughters of the American Revolution member, I feel very strongly about this. I’ll be spending part of my day at the local VFW serving our military men and women.Then it’s back home to the garden. My tomato, pepper, and okra plants are just exploding on the shelves right now. I know better than…
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Happy Mother’s Day
Dear Reader,I’m writing this to you on Mother’s Day, though you’ll be reading it tomorrow. I hope yesterday was a good one — whether you were celebrating or being celebrated, or simply missing someone.The Woman Who Created Mother’s DayHere’s something almost nobody knows: the woman who created Mother’s Day died broke, blind, and alone in a sanitarium because she spent every dollar she had trying to cancel the very holiday she built.Her name was Anna Jarvis. When her beloved mother, Ann died in May 1905, Anna made a promise at the graveside that the world would remember women like her.…