Letters to Nobody

Letters to Nobody is here!

Letters to Nobody is one of those books that took the long way round. It feels like it’s been to the sun and back, with a detour past a few planets, lost in a black hole, and shot back out, crashing into the earth’s crust. Landing in the middle of nowhere. Then I needed to locate it using only a compass. That kind of detour. But it’s here at last! And I’m not sure why the outer space analogy, but my family loves astronomy…

The story began its journey in 2019, and got waylaid by many factors through the years, but finally found its home on a bookshelf near you!

Inspiration took root during the early years of me sitting on my town’s library board of trustees (I’m still a board member, 6 years later). I learned a lot about smalltown government in those early days. So, I thought, “Why not write a book about saving a library?” Our board still to this day is working hard to keep our beloved town staple open.

Oh, and throw in a mysterious letter writer and struggling author who fall in love… now I had a story. It’s got all the vibes of You’ve Got Mail meets Message in a Bottle (classic book/movies).

The concept of mysterious/anonymous letters came from my aunt. She was working through grief and decided to write some letters to her deceased loved one (my grandmother) and drop them in the mail. I was like, hmm. Interesting. Then I did research on the “dead letter office” (now called the Mail Recovery Center). And from that came my story about the letters.

What happens to those kind of letters?

What if Helen, my librarian protagonist, writes her own letters to work through some painful losses in her life, and they don’t get destroyed with the undeliverables. What if Gabe, my struggling author with a background in investigative journalism, finds them, and is inspired by this mysterious muse, so he writes a novel about her? And of course, he needs to find her because he is smitten and inspired by her perseverance. Meanwhile, Helen is fighting to keep her library afloat and needs an ally to help her find something to prevent it from being bulldozed…

So what does happen? You need to read Letters to Nobody to find out!

Welcome to the world, Letters to Nobody!

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Welcome to the world, Letters to Nobody! 〰️

And here it is! I appreciate your support in sharing, purchasing, and reviewing!

This amazing cover art is by the talented artist and graphic designer Angela Westerman: www.akorganicabstracts.com

Silent Creek is silent no longer... It's here!

When authors say it takes five years to get a book out, I have always wondered why. Now I know why. Life gets lifey! Bumps and detours happen. This book’s fruition began in 2020 after I got a hacked email from a literary agent…and malware that screwed up my laptop. I was livid! And became paranoid about everything tech. I am already a Luddite so that says something. Insert a new idea for a book.

I wrote, I edited, I got peer input and revised, and I queried for two years. The query trenches are not for everyone, and despite my relentless efforts over twenty years and multiple books, it has gotten me nowhere. Ghosted is an understatement in the industry. So, I am full-on indie/self-pub now! I took my revisions further and got feedback from my amazing developmental/copy editor, and revised yet again. And, whew, after what feels like an eternity, Silent Creek is here! And I love it. Did I mention I also dove deep into research, reading, and interviews and even some off-the-grid experiences for that authenticity I aim for in all books? I do love research!

Silent Creek is here!

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Silent Creek is here! 〰️

And here it is! I appreciate your support in sharing, purchasing, and reviewing! Stay tuned for two more books this year (one of them also lived on the struggle bus for longer than Silent Creek!).

This amazing cover art is by the talented artist and graphic designer Angela Westerman: www.akorganicabstracts.com

Soul of the Storm: Releases March 20th! (Cover reveal & excerpt...)

Friends (and strangers, doctors, people I bump into…) keep asking me why I’m having three books come out this spring back-to-back? Because I am crazy? LOL. That’s a long story and I will explain it in a future blog post. :) But for now, hey look, a new cover! A release date! And an excerpt! And of course, a bit more about Soul of the Storm, too:

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Charlotte MacGregor lost the thrill of conquering mountains five years ago when her sister disappeared on a hiking adventure without her. Still guilt-ridden, Charlotte heads for a vacation to rustic Vermont with a friend—where she's surrounded by reminders of her devastating loss and plagued with unanswered questions.

Matiu Christiansen is an outdoors buff. He works multiple jobs to save for his dream of owning an outfitter in New Zealand. He's never quite felt at home in the United States and he yearns for his Maori roots, but his attraction to Charlotte puts a kink in his plans to move home later this year.

Thrown together by coincidence, Charlotte and Matiu form a kindred bond through their shared love of the outdoors. Can Charlotte surmount her demons to assist Matiu on a rescue when a late-season snowstorm hits? And can Matiu help Charlotte heal from the pain of the past?

Soul of the Storm is part of the new Deerbourne Inn series by The Wild Rose Press. With an idea already brewing for a healing story set in my native region of New England, I jumped on board with this series of shorter stories/novellas that take place in the quaint fictional town of Willow Springs, Vermont. It’s hypothetical location is near the town of Warren, VT, so after doing some research in the Mad River Valley (would you expect less from this traveler?), I got writing! This was one of my favorite stories to write to date.

And now for a teaser…

She went to feel her ring on her finger with her thumb…but the ring wasn’t there. That old habit would not die even years later.

A dog bark intruded. The man crossed to the back door. “Reka, sweet girl, take your nap. Only a few hours here and then home, okay?” He spoke to her like a father to a toddler. The dog barked again. “A swim and walk this morning weren’t enough for you?”

He approached the dog, petted it, and whispered affections.

Charlotte made a soundless “Aww” and kept perusing.

The man returned, nearer. Residual sweat traced his brow. He pointed to a selection of books in the middle. “These are the best. Depends on what you’re looking for. Honest reviews or glorified fantasies?”

“Honest reviews, always.”

He stroked a hand through his neck-length black hair, the longer top layer falling over his forehead. He squatted and withdrew a few books from the lower shelf. “You could go with the popular or famous names, sure, but I like these authors.” He handed her one.

A book on South America sat in her hands. She muttered, “Thanks. Don’t need that one.”

“Oh, already been there, eh? All good, all good.” He took it and shoved it back on the shelf. “Where do your dreams lie then?”

She swallowed. No, I wasn’t there in that way. I was supposed to have been there. Five years ago. Instead she said, “Well, Vermont for now.”

“You’re in luck. I’m from Willow Springs.”

Soul of the Storm releases on March 20th! Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ GooglePlay ~ Walmart

Soul of the Storm releases on March 20th! Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ GooglePlay ~ Walmart