Good afternoon, dear Reader,

Welcome to April! Apologies for being 5 days late with this month's newsletter, but as my headline suggests, April can be a doozy of a month. That's a quotation from The Wasteland by T. S. Eliot (forgive my English-teacher ways). Here are the first 4 lines ... can you relate?

April is the cruelest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Still, while April is a bittersweet month for me--for example, yesterday was one of two sad anniversaries, this month--there are happy memories and the anticipation of new joys.

This newsletter will be a quickie because I'm busy trying to finish an overdue story, working on my Kindle Vella--yes, that's the second thing I'm trying this year per my 'word of the year'--and I'm prepping my swag for this year's Interracial Romance Authors Expo in Jacksonville, Florida, at the end of the month.

First off, here's the working blurb for The Pilot's Wife, the Vella story that begins on April 15. The final blurb will be ready by the first episode.

Eliana Taylor and Spencer Thorne first met two years ago, weeks before her husband's last fatal assignment. Since then, each has carried a secret guilt --- their instant, unexpected, and unwelcome mutual attraction. In addition, Spence believes he caused his friend's tragic death. When Ellie and Spence meet again, their conflicted feelings threaten to devastate them. And Ellie is also now a single mom. How badly do they want to be together and how far will they go to get there?

And here's the cover image, though only the woman and a bit of the image in teal will appear on Vella. No link is available yet, but you should be able to find it on my Amazon author page on the 15th.

Now for the rest of the fun. Here are the things that will be in my swag bag for IRAE. The theme of this year's event is the 70s, so I tried to include popular items that first appeared in that decade. Which of these do you like? Slinkies and six-color ink pens are so cool!

I'm looking forward to the rewind to my teenage years and to wearing flower-patterned bell bottoms, peasant tops, and wedge-heeled shoes. Maybe I'll even buy an Afro wig! In the meantime, don't forget to click on my author page link on the 15th to begin reading Ellie's and Spence's. And remember, the first 10 episodes are free!

Enjoy April, despite its curmudgeonly ways!

À bientôt,

KT