Good morning, dear Reader,

Can you believe we're already halfway through January? The days are just flying by! I hope the beginning of this new year has been everything you could wish for. I'm ending a long stretch of stress, after the upheaval of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Aside from sad news from two of my dearest friends, three of my family members came down with COVID-19, and I was the resident nursemaid. Thankfully, I have tested negative, and I feel fine, but traipsing up and down stairs to bring food and take away empty trays and plates, as well as getting them other things they needed while they isolated in their respective rooms is exhausting, let me tell you!

At least I was able to get in more steps each day, and once or twice, I even managed to close my move ring! There's always something to be thankful for, you know?

This newsletter will mostly be to share some images that inspire me as I get started on my newest WIPs. At the start of this letter is a quotation that speaks most poignantly to what I do as a writer of romance novels. At the heart of real romance, of real love, is honest communication, and I try to make that a hallmark of my work, so this quotation is a guiding light for me.

Sometimes, too, scenes catch my eye and I save them for when they'll be needed. This one, probably taken in Paris, gives me a visual for any story I may set in that city. it allows me to provide my readers with authentic views of the world I seek to create, even though I'm not necessarily there in person. And there's an added advantage to this scene ... I'm a Francophile. I love the French language and French culture, as well as the various settings in that country. I visited once for a month back when I was a French teacher in Jamaica, and that has been one of my most treasured experiences.

If there are images that you think I might find useful, please send them my way. That will be greatly appreciated. And if you live in foreign (to me ... I live in New York, USA) locations and have beautiful scenery where you are, I'd love to see those, as well. Who knows, maybe your setting will show up in a story I write, and you'll be acknowledged in the front matter. That would be fantastic!

Because of my duties as a nursemaid, I haven't been able to concentrate too much on my writing, but I've done some planning, started a book bible, and am working on a series bible for two new series that I'll be working on this year and next. In the meantime, The Surrogate came out on January 5, and Back At Last will be published on March 30. Both are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as on Kobo, Apple Books, and other retailers in Europe.

Of course, I appreciate your patronage and hope that you will not only purchase or pre-order each one but that you will write an honest review as soon as you've read them. Please leave your reviews on Goodreads (where they will be available immediately) and Amazon, and if you host a review blog, please let me know your site link so I can send other readers to see your review. And thank you for your support! I truly appreciate you all.

Finally, a cover reveal for Back At Last. I love every cover that my cover artist, Ron Perry of Ron Perry Graphic Design, has done for this series. He's a true gem. Please DO NOT share this cover anywhere. Thank you!

Until next time.

À bientôt,

K T