There aren't any palm trees in the Midwest, nor beaches with rolling surf, but we have some lakes. Unfortunately, many are drying up due to the drought we're experiencing, which is frightening. Global warming is real, people. Instead of puttering outside, I've been inside reading and painting. Did you know I was a painter? It's been fun to reacquaint myself with art, color, light, and the quiet concentration of creating something on canvas. Portraits appeal the most, trying to capture the spark in the eyes of a mischievous child (or adult as the case may be). I've also experimented with night scenes, animals, and I'm painting my first seascape (thanks to some wonderful photography by my good friend, Nathan Hill). When I retired a few years ago I decided it was time to finish some projects that I had started decades before. A wonderful retired art teacher was introduced and she helped me get back into the craft of seeing light and color. It's been great fun, and challenging, too. I'm happy to say I've finished several paintings and I'm proud of them. It's never too late to create.

I thought when I retired I'd be bored. Well, that hasn't happened. I'm busier now than I was when I worked. Who knew? I'm sitting in my home office waiting on the rain. It's a beautiful cloudy Saturday. Storms are predicted for later, and we need the rain so badly. My dog doesn't like storms much. He used to be so brave, but nearly being struck by lightning made a permanent impression on him and fear took it's place. Poor fellow. The neighbors have their little ones out in the cul-de-sac riding their respective fisher price vehicles, while they can. I need to get my four legged buddy out for a quick walk as well. Soon. Very soon. By now you've heard that my seventh book has been published, FROM THE DARKNESS. It's exciting and the reviews are good ones. I think it's the best one yet. If you like a mystery with heart, I hope you'll give it a read. The second book in the feisty series, PATCHWORK FAMILY, is being narrated into an audio book as we speak. I'm not sure when, but that's the plan. FEISTY FAMILY & FRIENDS is already in audio book. We love to listen to books when we're driving, but it's also great for mundane chore completion, making it so much more fun. There's a painting I've been requested to paint, two actually. I'll probably get it done in a month or so then the oil paint needs to cure before it can be handled. It's more intricate than anything I've done so far, and will challenge me. The key is taking the time needed, no rushing a difficult creation. Painting a picture is very similar to writing a book. You sketch out the idea, then build on it. Sounds simple but every step requires concentration, an open mind, and patience. Creating is time consuming, whether it's a book, a painting, a garden, a sculpture, or a healthy body. The trick is to stick with it, even when it becomes difficult. The results will be worth it. Enjoy the journey, my friends.

Our ancestors passed down stories to educate and entertain. Stories make the world go around. Writing is difficult and I work very hard to tell a good story. I've been writing for publication for twenty-four years and it's been a wild ride. Joy, frustration, excitement, disappointment, rejection, acceptance, good reviews and bad, tears and fear. Having delved into a new genre a few years ago, romantic suspense, I realize that the really gritty stuff isn't my thing. I don't like wallowing in the muck, the blood, and the despair. Strong women characters and flawed but kind male characters move me. After recently submitting one of my books to a contest the review made me realize just how true these things are. I like a satisfying ending. Life rambles and so do the characters and plots of my books. Keeping in mind not everyone will like every novel, the judge made me feel like a novice and that broke my heart. I've never been a literary writer, although I admire the prose of many successful literary authors. They ROCK! But it's not who I am or what I write. I apologize to any of my readers who have been disappointed in my books. My heart felt thanks go to all those readers who enjoy my novels, have left a review, and tell others you think might also enjoy them. You are rock stars, every one of you! Bless you all in the new year, may it be filled with hope, good health, and joy!

Blessings and good wishes to all my readers. If you've enjoyed my books, please let people know - writing reviews on Goodreads, Amazon.com, BN.com, Audible, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Share the love. I'm nearing the end of the first draft of FROM THE DARKNESS, another Rachel McGill romantic suspense novel. This time the stakes are even higher, there is reason to believe her parents were murdered before the house burned to the ground. But who did it and why? It should be edited and published by spring, I hope. Stay tuned!

Hoffman brings the St. Thomas island community to life. Our main characters are Jews who have escaped to St. Thomas from Spain and Portugal in the 1800s. Rachel and her best friend, Jestine whose mother is the African cook for the Pomie family, roam the island at will.

There aren't too many beaches in Kansas, and when the temperatures stay at or over 90 degrees for months on end, it scorches everything. Even our brains. I spent the biggest share of my summer reading inside, and I loved it. Thanks to the book club I belong to many new authors came into my life. (All of them are reviewed on Goodreads.com . Here's a short list: Deborah Harkness, Andrew Mayne, Jim Butcher, Pam Genoff, Barbara Davis, Matt Haig, and many more. I also read more of my favorites: C. Hope Clark, J.D. Robb, Olive Bala, and so on. Good stuff! A new story is percolating in my mind, and beginning to grow on paper, but it's in the early stages. Life was very busy this summer. We lost two family members after illnesses. It's so hard to watch your loved ones pass, but in both their situations it was a blessing. Suffering is not something any of us should have to endure at the ends of our lives. Did you ever see the movie Logan's Run? The premise: if you're over thirty you should be recycled. Heck of a way to worship youth. Crazy. The whole cast was young and were convinced that the elderly had nothing to offer. They'd never even seen someone with gray hair before the ending when Logan discovers a way out of the domed city and into the world beyond and a very elderly man. Luckily the man didn't have dementia, which is destroying so many lives these days. If you haven't seen the film, I recommend it. Produced in 1976, when special effects were in their infancy, the domed society is clean and uncluttered. Outside the dome it is overgrown (like my garden), and messy. Not too many people survived out there, so when an old man is discovered, they are in shock. At different stages of our lives being old is relative to our ages. When you're six, twenty is old. When your sixteen, thirty is old. When you're fifty, sixty appears right around the corner and then what? Retirement, hopefully. Enough resources to live comfortably, and survive economic downturns. We all pray for good health. Medical costs are in the stratosphere like so much of the economy, but it will recover, hopefully before we run out of resources. (I must think positively here.) Some societies place a lot of respect and even reverence on the wisdom of their elderly. This country, not as much. Now that I am gray headed and slowing down, I wonder. Before mom died she asked us, "Is this all there is?" It broke our hearts, but we had no answers. From where we stood, for her, it appeared to be all. Bless you all.

The third Sunday of each month, from May through October, Historical Cowtown Museum admission is FREE. Local authors will be present in the large banquet room (beside the entrance). There's books available in many different genre's: science fiction, fantasy, family fiction, romantic suspense, historical fiction, Christian testimonials, children's books, and so much more. I hope you'll come and see us, enjoy the Historical Cowtown Museum, and find your next good book to read. Other vendors will be on the grounds to sell food, crafts, artwork, and jewelry. Best wishes to all!

Another romantic suspense novel is now available (FROM THE SHADOWS) and I hope you will enjoy it. This is a follow on story to FROM THE ASHES, with Rachel, Thomas, Casey, and Michael. These books have been so much fun to write. There's a bit of a twist at the end of SHADOWS that I'll spend some time addressing in the next book. Readers are asking me when the next one comes out, but you guys read them a whole lot faster than I can write them. It's quicker to turn a novel around since I've retired from my day job, but life has a way of inserting itself and disrupting our plans. Therefore, I don't really know when the next one will be coming out. Family health issues have reared their ugly heads and we're all busy helping each other, trying to get stronger, and hopefully improving. For one of the family, healing is not in the cards. A friend of mine once said, "We play the hand we're dealt." That is the honest truth, we have no other choice in the matter. Not when it comes to family and friends. We do what needs to be done. And there's still the specter of COVID lurking everywhere. It's better, thank you God, but it's not gone. It would be nice if everyone would be grown up and take the shot, wear the mask, socially distance, but... You all know what I'm talking about. Someone asked me the other day if I knew anyone who'd been vaccinated and NOT gotten COVID. Heck yes, my hubby and I, my brother and his wife, my best friend and her husband, my kids and their families, and many more that I can't think of at this moment in time. Okay, enough of that. I'm excited about the romantic suspense novels I've been writing. They are a blast to create. So far I don't have too many reviews on Good Reads or Amazon, but I've gotten messages on FB, Instagram, & Twitter from happy readers who said they were enjoyed. You know the value of reviews, right? It guides new readers to books others have liked and that's a good thing. Publishing in this day and age is very easy, but the market is flooded with millions of offers. The only way to know a good one is if it's been reviewed. SO, please review my books so others can find them. Those of you that have written reviews are ROCK-STARS! I'm so glad spring is here. All of the trees and flowers wearing their new buds and colors are stunning. There's one little drawback, though, allergies. "Heavy sigh." I try not to let it spoil the beauty of nature's awakening, but it is hard some days. I wish you all good health, joy, and safe travels. Don't forget to take a book along for down times. And be a rock star and leave a review, we authors really appreciate you readers. We need you!!! Best of all things to you.

I believe this is the first Melissa Bourbon mystery I've read and I really enjoyed it. Quirky characters and situations, a little murder and magic, what's not to like. Oh, and the hint of romance is always nice. Harlow Cassidy is rumored to be a descendant of Butch Cassidy, and the myth of an Argentinian blessing to all the female line appears to be true. Her great-grandmother had her "gift" and always seemed to get her way. (Don't know if that's always a good thing.) Her grandmother is a goat whisperer, which is a crack up. And her mother's emotions magically impact plants, flowers, and weeds especially. Crazy, but oh so much fun. Harlow doesn't appear to have received her "gift" yet, so she feels a bit cheated. She does, however, have a way with fashion design that complements the wearer. That's a gift, in my book. This was a lot of fun to read and I did have trouble putting it down. The murderer kept me guessing until the end. Enjoy the ride, this is a good one.