Good afternoon, dear Reader,

Let me begin with apologies for sending out this newsletter later than normal. Life has a way of hitting you with a one-two punch when you're least expecting it, and like death and taxes, there's nothing you can do to avoid it. On Monday, July 11, my father-in-law passed away in Jamaica. He was 88 years old. My husband and I are making arrangements for his funeral and planning to get back home to say goodbye to him.

His death made me think about how we as human beings react and respond to death. In the last almost three years I have lost four people from my immediate family, including my own parents, five months apart. Death is very humbling, in addition to being a crushing blow to the spirit if you and the deceased were close. Some days, I'm fine. Other days, my heart breaks as though they have only just died. And when others whom I care about, whom I have grown close to, also pass on, the wound is reopened and the pain redoubled.

However, as a writer, I am aware that "in the midst of life, we are in death", as the saying goes, and I don't shy away from it in my own work. I use my writing as therapy, and I strive to make my stories engaging to you, my readers, because you can see something of yourself or someone you know, someone like a character in my books. I strive for authenticity...it is my ultimate goal in every story I write. It is who I am as a writer.

If you'd like to see how I handle the issue of death and dying in a romance without killing the vibe, you should try A Catered Affair, in which Johanna Butler loses her dad while the story is ongoing. How she reacts, and how the man she grows to love supports her before and after his death, are part and parcel of what makes this story one of my favorites. Click on the title to find it on Amazon.

As you may recall, I've also just released the second book in the "Serendipity" series. Back To Love came out on July 4. You can find it on your favorite digital platform by clicking on the title. I appreciate all the love you'll give it, and any reviews that you choose to leave, whether for this novel or for A Catered Affair.

I do hope that if you have suffered the loss of a loved one you will find healing and a way to move forward without constant hurt. How do you cope when the hurt is overwhelming?

I wish you all, whether grieving or not, much happiness and the joy of knowing that you are loved. Stay safe and take care!

À bientôt,

K. T.