January 22, 2025
I feel like I'm truly hibernating.
After being sick to start the New Year and now these bitter, can't-catch-your-breath-outside temperatures over the last week, I've stayed inside more than I like. Our dog, who's still a rambunctious pup at three years old, misses his long walks. We've resorted to playing keep-away with his squeaky toys. At least he gets a workout a few times a day.
Staying indoors isn't all bad; there's plenty of room to look on the bright side. I've enjoyed extra time to finish Locked on Love's Landing before it heads to the editor. The house is extra clean since that's my excuse to get away from the computer at regular intervals. I've even had time to look at my seed catalog and dream about what flowers I'll plant in the spring.
I've also finally finalized my writing calendar. Books that you'll see this year from me are:
- Locked on Love's Landing (February, Port Chance #3)
- Novella set in the Port Chance world that I'll use for promoting the series (you'll get this as a complimentary gift sometime this spring)
- Christmas in Port Chance (October, Port Chance #4)
- Stand-Alone Christmas Book (December)
The first three projects are already in production. The December Christmas book will be a bonus if I stay on my writing schedule. Fingers crossed!
Locked on Love's Landing releases February 25th!
Kit Wendell, the fiercely independent third sister in the Wendell clan, meets her match (again) when her former best friend Holden Berne returns to Port Chance to spearhead a clean-up project on the river, which threatens to shut down her newly established Muddy Bottom Tours company. Here's a little snippet from the scene when Holden hints at his intentions:
Starting the morning off on the right foot was his priority. Holden didn’t want to break the news about what he’d really come back to Port Chance for until he had full control of the conversation. One wrong step, and BAM! Kit might go nuclear.
Kit plucked the trellis out of the ground and leaned it against the garage. She stepped through the opening and into his yard, walking a full circle around him, scrutinizing him from head to foot like she was shopping for a car.
She stopped circling and tipped her chin to look at him square. “I’m still not sure what you’re doing back in town anyway.”
“Oh, you know…work.”
“Right. So you’ve said. But what exactly?” She squinted, waiting.
The less she knew at this point, the better. Her directness almost lulled him into revealing more, though. It didn't seem that long ago that sharing anything with her was a natural part of his day.
“I own a…cleaning company.”
Her eyes popped as a little smile curved her lips. This news seemed to work in his favor.
“I never would have guessed,” she said, nodding like the idea took a little getting used to. “Holden Berne, Mr. Clean.”
“Right.”
She laughed, catching him off guard. He’d always loved her laugh. It was a cross between a trill and a guffaw, pure delight.
“A cleaning job wouldn’t have made my Top Fifty list if you asked me to guess what you did for a living.” Merriment flushed her complexion. Dazzling.
“I don’t do the cleaning. I’m the boss.” Time to move on.
Have you added Locked on Love's Landing to your Goodreads "To-Read" List yet?
For fans of clean fiction and small-town romance, discover the magic of a delightful river town and its inhabitants as this sweet, heartfelt love story of friendship and forgiveness unfolds in a new series by D.E. Malone.
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The holiday season is never long enough for me. I love the sense of anticipation as Christmas nears, then the next thing I know, the calendar has turned to the New Year. Part of what I love about the season is all of the Christmas romances to choose from. This festive collection knows no bounds in terms of the calendar! Check out the lovely covers and find the titles that will keep the Christmas spirit alive into February and beyond. There are over 80 romances to choose from here.
Thanks to everyone for filling out the reader survey that I sent in the newsletter after Christmas. It's always helpful for me as a writer to know what you're reading and wish to read. Also, Congratulations to the two gift card winners, Dana B. and Vivian G.
Here's a quick summary from the survey results:
- 45% like to receive this newsletter weekly
- Half of the respondents read e-books, the other half reads only paperbacks.
- 55% uses Goodreads to track their reading
- Almost 80% listed the small town romance trope (yay!) as their favorite followed by Christmas and second chance as an even split for second place.
- 65% of respondents have read FIVE or LESS of my books! This surprised me, since I have 17 out there.
- Mystery/suspense and women's fiction are the other favorite genres after romance.
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It sounds like most of the country is in a deep freeze at the moment, too. Our daughter came back from Florida today, and got snowed on as they drove through Georgia. Our youngest son in Austin also reported the city had snow there, although he's in Death Valley at the moment where it's 38 degrees. I have Brenda Nowak's book, The Seaside Library, on my nightstand now, which I'm going to dive into tonight, soaking up those warm beachy vibes.
Does the weather influence which books you choose to read?
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*NEW BOOK*
A Cafe Au Lait Kind of Love. Read this as a stand-alone romance or as part of the multi-author small-town Coffee Loft series featuring swoony romances set in charming coffee shop settings. They're in Kindle Unlimited, too!
Port Chance Series
New, small-town romance series! It's in Kindle Unlimited too.
That Woman on Thistledown Lane
Apple Blossom Dreams
Locked on Love's Landing (February 2025)
Hearts in Hendricks series (4 books):
Available on Amazon, and it just returned to Kindle Unlimited in September 2024 too! See the series page here.
Blueberry Point Romance series
More small-town romance in Hendricks, MN with Darcy and Sean Stetman's romantic inn as the backdrop. Seven books plus a season-inspired, four-novella collection. Find the series here.
Silver Leaf Falls series
Multi-author small-town romance series, all in Kindle Unlimited! Read my book as a stand alone or as part of the series. You can find A Forever Kiss in Silver Leaf Falls here as well as the rest of the Silver Leaf Falls books.
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