Cover #20 is almost here! I’ve said many times that cover art is my favorite part of the publishing process & the framed art above showcases my favorites by my publisher, Revell. As David Pearson said, “The cover of a book is the beginning of a conversation between the author  & the reader.” When you spend a year and a half on a novel like I do, it’s so critical to get the face of it right. When it’s wrong, it can sink a solid story. I’m thankful to have had some of the best designers in the industry & a publisher committed to excellent cover art. I’m on pins & needles in the best way, hoping the next cover POPS off the shelf & into your hands, either physically or virtually. Personally, there’s nothing like a bonafide book to admire all those design details.

Back to share the cover reveal soon!

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I wish someone had told my seven year old self when I started writing stories that someday my words would travel around the world & I’d be a “paper missionary” as Janette Oke said of Christian writers not long ago. Now, grown up me is absolutely amazed & delighted when foreign language editions of my novels come into being. Aren’t these covers incredible?

Thank you to my Dutch & German publishers! Thank you to the ultimate Author of the writing gift!

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I’m honored to learn that The Belle of Chatham has been chosen for the KSDAR or Kentucky Society Daughters of the American Revolution’s reading list for my beautiful home state.

Thank you, thank you!

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Publishing milestones are fun things!

I’m so happy to share that Revell kept my working title for this next release once again. Titling a book can be tricky & many of my novels have simple names starting with my debut, The Frontiersman’s Daughter.

This portrait-like image above hints of the setting & shows the two character templates I had in mind while writing it. The letters of their first names are entwined in the wax seal at bottom right. But no spoilers for you!

Please watch for a cover reveal this summer, likely June, and details as to what this story of my heart is about…

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Book clubs are dear to my heart! Here’s a succinct guide for reading friends wanting to read & discuss The Belle of Chatham.

Of course, no book club would be fun without dessert, so why not try an authentic 18th-century recipe?

And last but not least, basic questions for discussion, though I’ve found book clubs are very good at coming up with their own!

Happy reading & meeting!

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Creativity is such a fascinating thing. One idea or research trail leads to another. Often novels birth more novels. As I wrote The Belle of Chatham, our hero’s sister, Bronwyn Harlow, materialized in my mind. Often these characters are unbidden & unplanned. They just appear in a scene & start talking or doing, especially if you’re not a novel planner but more of a wing-it-and-watch-what-happens like me. I found Bronwyn Harlow to be the most deserving of characters in the novel. She’d also suffered a grievous loss in the Battle of Great Bridge, December 1775, before the American Revolution officially began.

I’d written about that particular Virginia battle in The Lacemaker. I revisited it & remembered no Patriots died in that conflict. Only one was injured in the hand. The British had a death toll of one hundred or more in what was touted as a victory for the Americans, ridding Virginia of their last royal governor, Lord Dunmore, forever. So, Bronwyn’s loss may have not been as she’d been told yet she continued to mourn, thinking him gone, but there had been no body, no burial. This isn’t or wasn’t uncommon at that time. Truth really is stranger than fiction. I asked readers on my social media what they envision for Bronwyn. So many inspiring possibilities!

So, look for Bronwyn’s story down the road. It’s a bumpy one but has a hope-filled, happy ending!

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Another novel is on shelves!

This year is such a historic milestone. 1776-2026.

I’m so grateful to be American born that I wrote a book about it!

A tale of courtship & marriage, duty versus desire, faith & forgiveness.

In the spirit of 1776, happy reading!

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Thank you to PW for your review of

The Belle of Chatham! 

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I’m reading through the pages for Belle as I call this novel set in 1777. Dear to my heart, here’s the gist of it:

A tale of courtship & marriage, duty versus desire, faith & forgiveness.

We’re up to novel 17 now aside from my 2 novellas. It’s truly amazing that each book is a small universe or world of its own. I can’t count all the different worlds I’ve inhabited since childhood as a reader. And then quite a few as an author. So grateful! Reading is the gift that keeps on giving yet in the 18th-century, books were very expensive & literacy uncommon. Most were just trying to survive, our ancestors among them. They wouldn’t believe how much has changed should they be allowed a look at our 21st-century lives!

What do I love best about The Belle of Chatham? My heroine’s name, for one. My hero’s abilities & heritage. The theme of patriotism. A quaint New England village & then endless New York frontier & last but not least Virginia…

One of my editors said it was an impactful read for her, that she was moved when I went a different direction than she expected. Here’s hoping you feel the same. January 2026 is just round the bend!

BAKER BOOK HOUSE PREORDERSALE

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If I ever wanted to be a heroine in a book this would be the one. The romantic 18th-century cover echoes the story beautifully right down to her silk gown. Though Bleu Galant’s happily ever after is 220+ pages, I found myself wanting to make it a full length novel. It’s one of my favorites of the 18 I’ve written. The epilogue after his grand gesture is one I return to again & again. Here’s hoping he wins your heart & not just our heroine’s.

Happy reading!

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