[Waving weakly from my quicksand pit where I'm comfortably up to my chin.]

No, really, it's fine. Everything is fine.

Quick catch-up session: When I accepted the BFF's offer to come spend about 6 weeks chillaxing at her South Lake Tahoe home, I had grand expectations of taking afternoon walks by the lake and soaking up the high elevation, Sierra Nevada mountain landscape to inspire me while I got the next 2-- TWO!-- Moonshine Ridge books written and published.

Spoiler alert: that did not happen.

Mom's health took a turn for the worse over the summer and there has been much chaos and stress involved with that.

I needed to spend part of my Tahoe chillaxing time traveling back to the hometown instead.

Now that I've taken care of as much as I reasonably can, it's time to continue my nomad travels-- and get out of Tahoe before it starts snowing! I'm not doing another winter like last year up here!

I'll be starting my next season of travels with a trip to get a view of the annular solar eclipse on October 14th. I got my eclipse glasses and a filter for the big camera! Now the only challenge will be making sure I'm awake to see the eclipse at 9 in the morning.

Really! Who schedules major astronomical events for such unreasonable hours? Is there someone I can complain to about this? I want to talk to the manager! (I am NOT a morning person-- I'm barely even a day person.)

The next family of Moonshine Ridge mountain men is back on track! Yay! And I'm already starting to make plans for the 2024 writing schedule. (I love making plans...I also love deviating from them.)

Here are some screenshots from the front porch security camera the other night-- that is one of our neighborhood bears being way too curious about our front door for my comfort!

While I get my act back together, here's a free book for October and a chance to discover another new author:

Maggie

I’ve been obsessed with Gabe Marchionni since I was eleven years old.

And it’s high time I got my man.

Never mind the fact he froze up like an ice sculpture when I kissed him on my eighteenth birthday.

I don’t care that he’s older, completely out of my league, and more forbidden than the apple hanging on the tree in Eden.

I’m going to make him mine or die trying.

Gabe

What a difference three years makes.

Maggie Guthrie was little more than a kid when she blindsided me with that kiss, but she’s all grown up now…

And as off-limits as ever.

She’s my brother’s sister-in-law, and he’s made it clear. I’m to keep my hands off. While I’ve always considered myself a rule-breaker, as the next capo of the Marchionni family, my brother’s word is law.

The question is, how can I resist her when she keeps putting herself in my way?

Better question, how can I give in when loving her could cost us everything?

GET YOUR FREEBIE

One more picture from the personal life album:

I stayed with a friend while I was back in the hometown and she's fostering these two little monsters. I'm guessing they are about 7 weeks old and if you know anything about kittens, you know they are tiny, purring balls of fur, claws, and mayhem.

Still so much safer to pet than the bears!

Next time I check in, I will have actual writerly, book-related updates, not just pictures of cute critters and sunsets...but also probably more of those too.

~Rocklyn