January 21, 2026
Hello, Dear Readers!
My husband and I just got back from a cruise - our first experience! Admittedly, we were nervous. The stories of sickness outbreaks and watching Titanic one too many times had us second-guessing our decision to accompany our daughter, son-in-law and the grand girls for seven nights on board.
The first two days were not ideal. Choppy waters and sharing a small cabin room with our oldest son (another nervous 1st-time cruiser) had me feeling claustrophobic. But a shore excursion in Honduras on Day 4 brought welcome winds of change. Maybe it was feeling land underneath our feet again for a short respite. Or maybe it was sampling the local chocolate (more likely!).
Two more chances to get off the ship for half day excursions definitely convinced us that we'd like to try another cruise someday. We explored Mayan ruins and swam with dolphins, spent a half day at a pristine beach, and toured a wildlife sanctuary where I came within inches of a spider monkey "depositing" something on my shoulder as he taunted us from his perch above our heads. The best part of the week though was spending time with family. We made some fun memories.
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Did you know January 23rd is National Pie Day?
And apparently my characters eat a lot of pie! Just for laughs, last year I totaled the number of books I've written where eating pie is mentioned. Thirteen of my nineteen novels mention pie!
As the head cook at a retirement home, my grandma could bake more than twenty pies in a day. Her apple and strawberry rhubarb pies were A-MAZINGGG! I have her pie crust recipe but I've never been able to replicate the melt-in-my-mouth goodness of her flaky crust. Maybe that's why I've let my characters obsess over pie-making and eating. At least the bakers in my stories can make perfect crusts!
In Love, Lies and Lavender (Book #1 Blueberry Point Romance), widow Hilary half-heartedly tries to embrace her sister in law's idea to turn the family farm into a go-to destination for the public. Hilary's late husband wanted it too so she feels obligated to honor his memory. But meeting lavender farmer Dane at a conference makes her second guess everything, including a late-night chat with him over tea about her dreams and her mother's pie bible.
What is your favorite kind of pie?
If you haven't sampled the Blueberry Point series yet, now is the perfect time to whet your reading appetite with the Blueberry Point Collection! It's on sale for $2.99 through the weekend.
Inside the cover, you'll find four season-inspired novellas, each one a perfect entry point into the seven-book series of full-length novels.
In LILAC CRUSH, recently divorced Grace Callahan returns to her hometown where she’s always felt invisible—to everyone but Kendon Wright, her ex’s best friend and the man hired to renovate her rented carriage house at the inn.
Farra Hall thought her kiss with Trey Merrick marked a beginning, but then he never called. Now they’re together again during Blueberry Point Lodge’s opening weekend in LOVE, LIES and FIREFLIES.
PROMISE ME OCTOBER finds wedding photographer Kiley Byrne fighting her attraction to Bret Hanning, the man she’s worked with during North Shore events for the last three years. Will their last weekend together at Blueberry Point Lodge turn their professional relationship into one a little more personal?
Christmas in Hendricks finds flower shop employee Lucy Riggins decorating a sponsored Christmas tree for the Holly Days Tree Festival, competing with handsome investment banker Trec Kingston for top prize. Will Trec win Lucy’s heart too in HER NORTH SHORE CHRISTMAS?
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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT ~ Ginny Sterling
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 Ginny Sterling! She oversees her delightful Facebook community, Hold the Spice! This Group is Nice where I've often taken over the group during Christmas and throughout the year if I have a new release. She writes contemporary sweet romance, and today she's offering you her Avoiding the Billionaire FREE! (see below in the Book Recommendations section)
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While I cruised last week, I finished a fiction book called Sandwich which was okay. It followed a woman named Rachel on vacation for a week in Cape Cod with her adult children and her parents, and the secret that has affected her mental health for decades which she finally reveals to her family. I wouldn't recommend it if you're sensitive to salty language.
Now I'm reading a memoir by Irish writer Dara Waldron called A Sheepdog Named Oscar. I'm liking this much better than the last. Next up, I'll be back to reading a romance. One of my goals for 2026 is to read for at least fifteen minutes during the day besides at bed time. Waiting until the end of the day didn't work for me last year so it's time for a change.
What's your reading goal in 2026?
(Click on the Cover to go to the Sales Page)
The land of fire and ice
melted something unexpected—her heart.
Penelope Blake just wanted to be left alone to enjoy the wilds of Iceland. Dealing with some gorgeous guy that keeps appearing out of nowhere, is not exactly what she had in mind while writing her next travel blog.
Jon Leifsson wasn’t looking for love, but when he falls for the beautiful American that tells him to get lost—how can he resist when the pursuit is on?
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Port Chance Series (4 books)
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 (NEW RELEASE!)
Hearts in Hendricks series (4 books):
Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! See the series page here.
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.
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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