Hello friends! Where did October go? However you spent it, I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy.  After careful consideration, we made the decision to travel to Ireland to visit our girl. We were COVID tested before we left and followed every guideline and protocol to keep both ourselves and those around us safe during our travels…and it was all wonderful! Our timing couldn’t have been better, as Ireland went into full Stage 5 lockdown (all non-essential businesses closed and residents confined to a 5 kilometer radius of their home) just two days after we returned home. 

But while we were there, we did beach walks and forest walks and meadow walks and I thought maybe you would like to come along with me and see beautiful Ireland, especially now when travel is so restricted.

We stayed close to the town of Sligo, situated on the west coast just below Donegal and not too far from the border of Northern Ireland. The landscape here is magnificent, with breathtaking cliffs and crashing surf and mountains that seem to pop up out of nowhere. Here we are on Lissadell Strand (beach), not far from where W.B. Yeats is buried. You can see beautiful Benbulben in the background.

We also did a forest walk beneath Benbulben. This rock formation always takes my breath away.

Ireland has so many legends of fae folk or fairy folk, and one afternoon we took a drive along  a very remote dirt road. We parked the car on the side of the road and made our way through a narrow, wooded path that was overgrown and muddy. I couldn’t imagine where our daughter was taking us until suddenly, an enormous clearing appeared in front of us…it was a deep gorge, hemmed in on either side by towering, ivy-covered walls and blanketed by a floor of fallen leaves. A row of massive trees marched down the center of the gorge and the entire site was as silent as a tomb. I can’t express how eerie and oppressive this place felt, and I had a strong sensation of being watched the entire time we were there. I was actually glad to leave this fairy glen and retrace our steps back to the main road! 

On our last day, we visited Carrowmore, a passage tomb within a stone circle, built in the Neolithic era. Surrounding the tomb were ancient  standing stones and ring forts, scattered across acres and acres of sun-drenched fields. Here is John in the passage tomb.

This was the largest of the standing stones. 

On our last full day, we drove out to Strand Hill, a coastal resort although everything was now closed up tight. Swimming is forbidden at this beach due to the violence of the surf, but we happily sat on the rock wall above the water and watched the sun set over the horizon. 

I hope you enjoyed this little trip through County Sligo! Until next time, and hopefully it won’t be another year until we can visit again. Stay safe, my friends!

I hope everyone is staying safe and well! New England winters are long enough without the need to stay indoors for an additional 1-2 months! But I hope you are still managing to get outside, breathe in some fresh air and stretch your legs–maintaining safe social distance, of course. If you are unable to do that, I hope you can curl up inside with a good book. Here at the river house, we have been working from home (my husband, my daughter, and myself) since early March. We have a routine where we retreat to our respective corners of the house during the work day, and come together for meals and to spend the evenings watching television or reading. Or in my case–writing! And I’ve been writing so much.

Here is my view on this sunny–but cold–April day!

Inside, I am warm and cozy and taking a much-needed break to read A Fine Romance, by Susan Branch. The perfect antidote for cabin fever! Also, watching my kitty, Pippin, play with the ribbon bookmark has been very entertaining!

The first book in The Riverrun Ranch series, Swipe Right for a Cowboy, came out on March 19th…have you read it yet? The second book comes out in May and I just turned in the third book, which will be released in June! The series follows the Claiborne brothers of Last Stand, TX. Here is a peek at the covers:

Writing has been challenging these past few months, as I’ve found it difficult to focus with everything going on in the world right now. But now the books are safely in the hands of my wonderful publisher, Tule Publishing I can take a little break and recharge my batteries. But not for too long–I have so many more stories to tell! And I am hopeful that Spring will bring an end to our confinement and soon we can all come outdoors again and life will resume some normalcy!

Stay safe, take care of yourself, and be well!!

Wow, looks like it’s been a while since I’ve posted, and how I’ve missed you! I’d love to catch you up on everything that has happened since last summer, but that would take way too long. Suffice to say, summertime saw our Irish girl come home for two weeks and then John and I flew to Ireland and visited her and HER John, whom we call JD, in Sligo for two weeks in September!

Then my younger daughter, Brenna, graduated from the University of Vermont, with a perfect 4.0 for her final semester! We spent the afternoon Christmas shopping on Church Street and watching the street performers, who did not seem perturbed by the cold!

Finally, John and I were so happy to have Caitlin and JD join us for Christmas this year! My heart was so happy, and our Christmas couldn’t have been merrier. JD’s parents, Caroline and Gerry, joined us two days later, and our house was filled with beautiful, lilting words like grand and lovely and notions and we drank lots of tea!

There were so many wonderful fun-filled moments that it would be impossible to capture them all. We spent two nights in Bethel, Maine, eating delicious food and playing dominos and laughing and learning Irish insults, and why “your man” isn’t actually your man!

I was so sad to see these LOVELY people return to Ireland, but that just means I get to plan our next trip! I can’t wait to see what other wonderful things await us in 2019!

I love the fictional town of Glacier Creek, Montana, first revealed in the Firefighters of Montana series, as part of Tule Publishing’s Montana Born imprint. Back then, the town consisted of little more than the Glacier Creek Smokejumpers and Firefighting base, and a local pub called The Drop Zone.  Since then, this sweet little mountain town, nestled on the shores of Flathead Lake, has really expanded. There’s Main Street, with its collection of boutique shops, restaurants, and businesses–like Adrenaline Adventures, owned and operated by three devil-may-care childhood friends: Jamie, Dylan, and Lucas.

Within the town of Glacier Creek, there’s Red’s Diner, where the locals go for home-cooked, comfort food, and The Ginger Snap Bakery, where Dana Marshall whips up decadent desserts. The town dock extends out over the lake, and is a popular destination for lovers to watch the sun set over the mountains. The Snapdragon Inn, situated on a knoll overlooking the lake, is a Gilded Age mansion lovingly restored to a gracious bed and breakfast.  The owner, Mia Davies, has hosted more than her share of weddings here, because of the Inn’s romantic setting.  Here are some of the local businesses and tourist attractions you’ll see in town:

I hope you’ll choose to visit Glacier Creek soon! A Hummingbird Christmas features the town during its annual holiday festival, while A Hot Montana Summer introduces you to some of the summer attractions.

Come home to romance… Come home to Glacier Creek!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year!

I am so excited to share the projects I am working on for 2018 with my readers! If you’ve read the Firefighters of Montana series, or A Hummingbird Christmas, then you already know about the sweet little town of Glacier Creek, Montana.  Not only is this quaint town, nestled on the edge of Flathead Lake and surrounded by mountains, home to some of the hottest firefighters around, but it’s also home to three very good friends who own and operate an extreme adventure company.

There’s Jamie, the Marine who is back home, recuperating from a combat injury and who has always had a thing for the girl across the street.  There’s Dylan, a former smokejumper and  adrenaline junkie, who must help a woman and her two young nephews escape a wildfire…even when he suspects they may be the cause of the blaze. Then there’s Lucas…an Army Ranger and multi-millionaire, whose return to Glacier Creek may have more to do with a woman who betrayed his family, than it does with the extreme adventure business.

Book 1:

A Hot Montana Summer

Jamie Colter is a combat-hardened Marine who’s back in Glacier Creek recuperating from a mortar attack that left him with a busted leg and a serious case of cabin fever.  He just wants to get back on his feet and rejoin his unit, until the one woman he’s never been able to forget walks back into his life.  The last time she saw him, he was a scrawny teenager.  Now he has just two weeks to make her see him as the only man who is perfect for her.

With her marriage in ruins, Rachel McCafferty returns to Glacier Creek to nurse her wounds and make a fresh start—one that doesn’t involve someone who will eventually abandon her, the way her ex-husband did. When Rachel catches sight of Jamie, she’s dumbstruck by his good looks and brash confidence. He’s no longer a boy—he’s a man, and when he makes it clear he’s hers for the taking, she finds herself rethinking all her rules about younger guys.

I’m so excited about this book, and I love the hero–he’s such an interesting blend of confident swagger and tenderness!

This book is an April 2018 release, followed by Books 2 and 3 in (I think) May and June 2018.  I’ll post more details about Dylan and Lucas’ stories as I get more information.

Thanks for stopping by!