Happy New Year!

Time to take down the tree and ring in the New Year.  We'll be celebrating at home this year.  Just the way I like it. A little hot cider by the fire.  May your New Years dreams all come true.

Your resolutions, too!

This year I will have four books on the stands, three new Bravo Royale stories and one fun Montana Maverick tale, all from Harlequin Special Edition.

In April, watch for Rhiannon Bravo-Calabretti's story, HER HIGHNESS AND THE BODYGUARD.

I have back cover copy for that one:

CALABRETTIS MARRY FOR DUTY-BUT BRAVO-CALABRETTIS MARRY FOR LOVE 

Marcus is the best man Rhia's ever known, and she's never gotten over their breakup. Now, he's practically strapped to her side. It's like a dream come true...or a nightmare. Because Marcus is as stubborn as ever: she's a Bravo-Calabretti, he's a lowly security guard, and they can never be equals. Ever.  

Then a breathless night that should have brought closure brings something else: a baby. Marcus insists that no child of his will grow up without its own mother and father. Well, Rhia has her own requirement: her child will be raised on love, not the dry bread of obligation. And Marcus has made it abundantly clear that his duty to Montedoro comes before everything-especially his own desires.

                                                                                                                       ***

Then, in July, the launch of an all-new Montana Mavericks series with STRANDED WITH THE MAVERICK.  And finally, in November and December, two more Bravo Royale books: HOW TO MARRY A PRINCESS and HOLIDAY ROYALE. 

HER HIGHNESS AND THE BODYGUARD  and STRANDED WITH THE MAVERICK are already written.  I'll be starting on HOW TO MARRY A PRINCESS the day after New Years.  Can't wait.

Here's to much success for everyone in 2012!

Happy Holidays, Everyone....

...and a Joyous New Year to you all!

Right now, I have a Christmas book, The Rancher's Christmas Princess, in stores.  I hope you'll give it a look.  On Kindle, it's currently available for $1.99!

Also, as it happens, I'm writing a proposal for next year's December release.  this will be book 5 in the Bravo Royales series, Prince Damien's story.  Damien is the player of the family, who will finally meet his match in sweet Lucy Cordell, the long-sheltered little sister of Noah Cordell, who will find his true love in How to Marry a Princess, which will be out in November of 2013!

I have a general idea of the direction of Damien and Lucy's story.  It's kind of a Pygmalion story, a My Fair Lady story.  Lucy needs Damien to teach her to be smart and sophisticated so she can win the heart of another man who won't give her the time of day because she's such an innocent.  Damien may be a player.  But he has a soft spot for sweet Lucy and has proved in the previous book that he's willing to help her get whatever she needs.  Or desires.

But you know how it goes.  Writing is a layering process.  And I'm seeing that there's a layer missing in this story.  Another element that will really make it work.  I'm thinking it's a child.  Because, after all, there's nothing like a precious child.  Especially at Christmas.....

Happy Independence Day!

It's sunny here today, in a lovely, cool way.  The heat, according to the Weather Channel, is finally coming to the Northwest in the next week.

No, it won't be really hot.  But in the mid-eighties.  For us, that's scorching.  It's so strange if you look at a temperature map of the Continental US these days.  Everything looks red-hot.  Except for this little plot of coolness up here in Northern California, Oregon and Washington.

I'm supposed to be working today.  Both the DH and I decided, since it was midweek and I needed to get pages written and he could get brownie points for showing up on the holiday at his job, we would both just treat it like a regular workday.

But you know, it's not.  I look out the window at my flag waving and spy on the neighbors getting ready for their barbecues and I feel a bit celebratory in spite of my intentions to keep my fingers moving over the keyboard, making strings of words appear on the screen.  Hey, it's the Fourth of July!

And tonight, there will be fireworks into the wee hours.  I'm kind of looking forward to lying awake, hearing them going off, nearby and in the distance.

Happy Birthday, America.  You are lookin' good!