I’m celebrating a tenth anniversary!

On July 22, 2013, my first book was published. Rosalyn’s Ring is a Christmas novella that never quite made it through the publishing labyrinth in time for Christmas. But thank heavens for Christmas in July!

This little story went on to win the coveted Book Buyer’s Best Contest in the novella category. Rosalyn and her Viscount have made minor appearances in several of my later stories, including my latest release, Flowers for His Lady.

Here’s a bit about the book:

With her true inheritance lost, Rosalyn Montagu has reluctantly fallen into her elderly cousin’s tidy London life of do-gooder spinster. But when a young woman from the district of Rosalyn’s childhood is put up for auction in a wife sale, Rosalyn seizes the chance to rescue her—and to recover a family heirloom.

She braves a precarious Christmas Eve coach ride in the company of a mysterious nobleman and soon finds she’s not the only determined buyer attending the sale. Her travel companion not only succeeds in thwarting her purchase—he reveals himself as the man who took everything that should have been hers. Everything, that is, except her father’s ring, which she recovers before being tossed out of the inn into the snowy night.

The newly anointed Viscount Cathmore has accepted there is no way to avoid living his father’s dream of nobility, but he’s drawn the line at marrying a blue-blooded miss—until he meets Rosalyn, a provoking beauty with an upper crust manner, a larcenous streak, and enough secrets to rouse even his jaded heart. And when more mysteries swirl around Rosalyn’s lost inheritance, Cathmore is just the man to help her uncover the truth.

And a buy link:

https://books2read.com/u/3kpnQW

The Publishing Journey

Though Rosalyn’s Ring was my first Regency-set endeavor, it wasn’t the first book I wrote. I have several contemporary romances “under the bed” that may or may not ever see the light of day. Two of those contemporary romances were considered by big publishers after contest wins, but it was Rosalyn’s story that went on to be accepted by a new independent publisher, Soulmate Publishing.

To date I’ve published nineteen more historical romances, with numbers twenty and twenty-one available for pre-order. For me, an achievement, because the last ten years have had some big ups and downs.

Ten years ago, as Rosalyn’s Ring was being released, our family was in the midst of a most horrible year with three beloved family members passing away from cancer. My husband and I tried to cram as much fun into our lives as possible, even as it took away from my writing time. And thank goodness, because five years ago, he became gravely ill, pulled through that crisis, and went on to another one that ended his life in 2021.

He was my great supporter, and the date of this post July 25th, would have been his birthday. Though grief has been tough on the muse, the encouragement of friends, readers, and, honestly, his encouragement from beyond the grave, keeps me going. I hope to bring you more stories of romance in the years to come!

Happy Christmas in July, and Happy Reading!