March 18, 2026
Spring is supposedly "just around the corner," and I would have agreed two weeks ago, but it's been a wild month so far with sixty-degree temperature swings, blizzards, tornadoes, 70-mph winds, etc. Thank goodness we're not anywhere near water or we'd probably add a hurricane to the forecast, too.
In between the weather's mood swings, my hubby and I have started walking again in the private preserve we like so much. It's a great place to think about my latest book while last fall's leaves crunch under our boots and eagles skim the treetops above the river.
Buuttt, I discovered a hitchhiker on the back of my leg yesterday⎻a tick! In March, a day after a snowstorm! My hubby pulled it off and put it in a plastic baggie for my visit to PromptCare. I figured I'd need proof since no one would believe I picked up the little bugger this early in the year. After twenty minutes in the doctor's office and a prescription for doxycycline, I was good to go.
What you'll find in today's newsletter:
- meet Rory Hilt from Hearts and Homecomings
- an invitation to follow me on Goodreads
- a new romance collection
- author spotlight on Tia Marlee and her free novella
Two years ago, I took a glass-blowing class at the local university. Actually, it was more like a demonstration with a hands-on element. The instructor stood a few feet away, guiding my every move. Understandable, given that glass blowing involves fire and sharp, pointy tools. Add an inexperienced (but enthusiastic!) student to the mix and all bets were on that I might've left class with an injury.
I didn't burn my fingers or catch my clothing on fire that day, thank goodness. But I didn't leave class with a display-worthy piece of art, either. My attempt at making a Christmas tree looked more like a sad, skinny cucumber. No matter. The experience fed my inspiration a little more when I dreamed up Rory Hilt, the heroine in the upcoming Hearts and Homecomings. She's a stained glass artist and owns Blue Door Glass Studio in Port Chance. In the opening scene, she's busy in her studio, crafting her signature hand-blown hearts on Valentine's Day which is her way of honoring her late husband.
Rory is widow, but also a nurturing mom to a teen daughter; a close friend of the Wendell family; and an active member of Port Chance's business community. She's smart, compassionate, resourceful, witty, and more outgoing than reserved. She also loves the little heaven on earth she's maintained on the banks of the Mississippi River, her studio/home where she welcomes customers and curiosity seekers to enjoy her glass creations.
I can't wait for you to meet Rory when Hearts and Homecomings releases this spring. Here's the link to the first four books in the Port Chance series. They're in Kindle Unlimited, too!
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Do You Follow Me on Goodreads?
If you regularly read to the end of my newsletters, you already know I love to share what I'm reading before I sign off. Goodreads is where I keep track of what I'm reading, books I want to read, and how I'm progressing on my reading challenge for the year. It's also where you can add my books to YOUR reading list!
Of course, if you've read my books, Goodreads is also a place to leave a review. Authors lovvvve reviews. They help us understand how readers connect with our books and keep us visible by way of those pesky algorithms. I hope you'll find me on Goodreads!
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Spring is in the air by the looks of the covers in this romance collection! So many pretty covers to choose from ~ more than 130 in all! Every one of these kisses only/closed door romances are in Kindle Unlimited too! See the collection here.
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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
This year I'm featuring a new author in each newsletter with a free novella to sample, too.
Today I'm thrilled to shine the spotlight on Tia Marlee. In case you haven't met her before, here's more about this sweet romance author from her bio on Amazon:
Tia Marlee enjoys delivering swoon worthy HEA's in her clean and wholesome romance novels. A small-town girl at heart, Tia's stories have that small-town, Hallmark charm with a dash of real life, and a laugh thrown in for good measure.
Tia is the author of the Piney Book Wishes series featuring unexpected love stories based in small-town Piney Brook, Arkansas. She is also proud to be part of the multi-author romcom series The Coffee Loft season one and two.
Tia resides in Texas with her husband and three teenaged children. When she's not writing or reading, you can find her standing barefoot in her front yard, loving on her 80 pound lap dog, or hauling kids from one activity to the next.
She's offering The Cottage Next Door to readers for FREE below. It's a great lead-in to her Piney Brook Wishes series. Visit her website to see all of her books here, and don't forget to download her FREE novella, below in the Book Recommendations area.
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I'm finishing up the non-fiction book about kids and phones/social media, so I started a memoir called Off the Leash, about dog parks and the characters (both two- and four-legged) that populate them. I've liked the first few chapters, but it's not a page-turner so far. We'll see if I end up finishing it because I have a romance called Overdue next in the cue and it sounds really cute.
(Click on the Cover to go to the Download Page)
Coming home was the easy part.
Trusting her heart again?
That’s the real renovation.
A sweet, small-town romance about coming home, hidden treasures, and finding the courage to start again.
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Facebook Page
Goodreads
Readers Group
Port Chance Series (4 books & counting!)
New, small-town romance series! It's in Kindle Unlimited too.
That Woman on Thistledown Lane
Apple Blossom Dreams
Locked on Love's Landing
Christmas in Port Chance
Hearts and Homecomings (Spring 2026)
Hearts in Hendricks series (4 books):
Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!
Love Like Water
Love Like Fire
Love Like Air
Love Like Forever
Blueberry Point Romance series (7 books)
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.
Love, Lies and Lavender
Love, Lies and Mistletoe
Love, Lies and Lullabies
Love, Lies and Lemon Pie
Love, Lies and Sleigh Rides
Love, Lies and Valentines
Love, Lies and Literature
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!
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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