October 5, 2022

While watching Netflix the other night, I kept hearing intermittent thunk thunks coming from somewhere in the house. My dog barked too which raised my alarm even more; he rarely makes a sound. With my husband traveling, it wasn't ideal. I'm acutely aware of sounds in our old house: creaking floors when the temperature changes in spring and fall, the hum of the boiler kicking on, and the dreaded dripping sound, signaling a pipe leak. So I got up to investigate.

The wind had picked up outside so finding the source of the noise was a challenge. I went upstairs, the dog at my heels (he stayed behind me, the wonderful guard dog that he is). I didn't hear it. Downstairs, the muffled noise was even farther away when I peeked into the rooms at the front of the house.

Totally confounded, I did what any person alone at night in an old house making inexplicable sounds would do: took the dog outside. The wind had picked up. My neighbors' chimes rang in a frenzy. Leaves skittered around our feet. Just then something pummeled my shoulder and dropped into the hostas. Another landed with a splat on the sidewalk. I looked down. Of course.

Our Granny Smith apple tree was unloading itself, thanks to the wind. On the sidewalk, in the yard. On our porch roof near the back door. They've never come down seemingly all at once. Apples literally covered the ground like fallen leaves the next morning. Mystery solved.

Thankfully, bookmaking these last few weeks has been a little less dramatic. I've started working steadily on the valentine book (Blueberry Point #6) now that edits are finished for SLEIGH RIDES. I hope the process for getting this next book ready will be more streamlined than the last. COVID finally caught up to my husband and me last month around Labor Day and I seriously worried I wouldn't get SLEIGH RIDES finished. But it's on its way to a Kindle near you within two weeks - YAY!

Here's a little excerpt from one of my favorite scenes:

A flash of blue caught Kade's eye through the window across the kitchen. A little compact car darted up the snowy lane toward the house, fishtailing a bit as it took the curve too fast. It stopped near his mother’s brick planter. The headlights blinked off when the door opened. Kade squinted to see if he recognized the visitor at the same time his mother took a mixing bowl to the sink, blocking his view.

“Expecting someone?”

Elaine looked up.

“There she is,” Elaine said, leaning back to look up at the clock hanging on the wall above her head. “She’s late, but it’s just as well. I wouldn’t have been able to leave the kitchen.” She wiped her hands on her apron before she slipped it over her head and wadded it into a ball she left on the island.

When his mother left the kitchen, Kade had a clear view once again. The woman walking up the path toward the front porch wore a red coat. Her dark hair danced around her face. Even squinting, the sharp angles of her face and her almond-shaped eyes were arresting. She looked very similar to—

“What’s she doing here?” 

Out of earshot, his mother had already scurried down the hallway to greet their guest.

Kade looked through the window again.

Same shoulder-skimming black hair.

Same no-nonsense tilt to her chin.

The woman scanned the front of the house until his mother opened the door then her face burst into a smile when Elaine greeted her. Whatever business she had here on the farm was a mystery, but it was clear this woman had become a fixture in his first full day back in Hendricks.

Admittedly, he was terrible at remembering names during first meetings. For some reason though, her name had cemented itself in his mind this time.

Fallon Gale.

LOVE, LIES and SLEIGH RIDES, book #5 in the Blueberry Point Romance series, releases October 21st! It will also be in the Kindle Unlimited program. I can't wait for you to read this sweet Christmas story between a holiday-averse heroine and the ex-Marine who has returned home in time for his hometown's Holly Days Festival.

Pre-order Today

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Thank you to everyone who voted for my daughter last week in the photography/essay contest. She ended up in second place, so her family earned a nice little discount if they choose to vacation in Stehekin, WA next summer.

I have one Sweet & Swoony recommendation for you today. Kay Correll's newest title from her Blue Heron Cottage series looks delightful! I've also updated my own books graphic below with my newest titles. I think it's a little easier to see how the two series line up now. Clicking on the graphic takes you right to my Amazon author page.

A SWEET & SWOONY TITLE

(click the cover to visit the sales page)

It's never too late for a new beginning, or is it?

"Love Kay Correll ‘s books! I can’t put them down. I enjoy immensely how she entwines her multiple series so you can follow the characters from series to series. It’s as if the story can go on moving from one character and location to another." - Amazon review

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Where to Find Me and My Books

Facebook Page * Instagram * Goodreads * Readers Group

(Clicking on the graphic below takes you to my Amazon author page)