Dear Reader,

It’s December and like many of you I’m feeling the joy and excitement of the holiday. Besides all the holiday shopping and cards and decorating and parties and football (Go Tebow!) and family get-togethers, I’m also finishing up book two in the Mail-Order Bride series, WYOMING BRIDE. I love the Wentworth family (four sisters and two brothers) I’ve introduced in this series and I hope you will, too. These books are all be connected to characters in my previous novels. For instance, Cricket Creed’s eldest son, Jake, is the hero of the first book in the series, TEXAS BRIDE, which will be out in April 2012 (The publisher moved it to a “better” –but later–spot).

I’m having a great time experiencing the holidays through the eyes of my two grandchildren. I host a family dinner every Monday night for my daughter, son-in-law and their kids, and I take advantage of the opportunity to set a table with placemats and candles and flowers and to cook something (like lamb shanks) that takes for more time than my daughter would be able to spend cooking after a hard day at work. The grandkids help with cooking and decorating the table, which is fun for them and for me. This year I’m excited that my son will be arriving from Seattle so the whole family will be together to celebrate the New Year. He’s a Miami Dolphins fan, so we’re trekking to Miami to see the game on January 1. Look for me waving in the stands!

You can click on Coming Soon for a sneak peek at the cover of TEXAS BRIDE. The book will include an excerpt from the next book in the series, WYOMING BRIDE. Besides featuring Cricket Creed (from my Sisters of the Lone Star series), TEXAS BRIDE also introduces Alexander Blackthorne, the first Blackthorne in Texas, and therefore is also a prequel to my Bitter Creek series.

December mail also brought cover flats for a re-issue of COLTER’S WIFE. coming in May 2012. For a special treat, THE TEXAN will be in Sam’s Club in August. I’ll also be posting a short story connected to OUTCAST, from my Benedict Brothers series, as an e-book in 2012. I’ll let you know when it’s available.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a fabulous 2012!

Best,

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