No Place Like Home...

It's good to be home.

September was a month away from our writing desks, and one we'll remember for a long time. We started in Connecticut, volunteering for a week with Little Pink Houses of Hope. Little Pink gives families affected by breast cancer something that becomes scarce during treatment: time together to rest, laugh, and just be a family. We served meals, played games, and listened to stories. We came away inspired by the strength and humor of every family we met...and our fellow volunteers.

From there we traveled to San Francisco for the International Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Symposium. Researchers, doctors, and patient advocates from around the world gathered to work on a cancer that too few people know about. We were honored to work with other LBCA members in a round-table session and to co-moderate a session on advanced imaging and artificial intelligence, work that could change how lobular breast cancer is found.

By the way, LBCA's Awareness Bus is on the road right now, traveling across the country through October 15, Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day. It's stopping at leading cancer centers and community events in more than ten cities. If it comes through your city, please stop by and say hello.

Something every woman should know...

Most people think of breast cancer as a lump. Lobular breast cancer often doesn't form one. Its cells tend to grow in thin, single-file lines through breast tissue, so it can be hard to feel and can be missed on a mammogram, especially in dense breasts.

That doesn't mean you should be afraid. It means you should know your body, notice changes such as thickening, fullness, or a change in the shape of your breast, and speak up if something feels different. You can learn more at LBCA.

Please share this with the women you love. Awareness does save lives.

And some book news...

Now, we're back at our desks, full of ideas and eager to write. But every writer knows the truth: when we're not writing, the stories stall and so does the business. So October is our month to catch up, get the momentum back, and fill your bookshelves while we're at it.

SO WE’RE RUNNING A BOOK SALE FOR A GOOD CAUSE! 

Every book in our bookstore is 50% off, all October long

Highland romance, Regency, cozy fantasy, Westerns, thrillers: all half price through October 31.

Where to start...

Shop the sale through the Book Store Collections Page →

Not sure what to pick? Here are a few more ideas.

For a Highland escape: Start the first book in one of our Scottish series and read (or re-read) the whole series at half price: 

Medieval and Scottish Ebooks

Medieval and Scottish Print Books

Regency Period Ebooks

Regency Period Print Books

For cozy autumn evenings: Our Harbor View cozy fantasy series is the literary equivalent of a warm blanket and a cup of tea. 

Cozy Fantasy and Contemporary Ebooks

Cozy Fantasy and Contemporary Print Books

For Western lovers: Ride along with Caleb Marlowe and Henry Jordan in our Nik James Westerns. They'll put you in the mood for the auction (see below!). 

American Western Romance and Traditional Westerns - Ebooks & Print

For readers who like to stay up too late: Our Jan Coffey thrillers.

All Jan Coffey Books - Thrillers included

For young adult readers: a fantasy, a beach-read, and a sweet slow-burn time-travel adventure.

Young Adult Ebooks

AND... for every book you buy directly from our bookstore,

we'll donate $1 to the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA).

LBCA funds research and raises awareness for invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), which accounts for about 15% of diagnosed breast cancers. 

One small request...purchases through Amazon and other retailers don't count toward the donation. If you'd like your book to help, please buy it from our bookstore.

AND... watch for a Western auction...

This October, Little Pink Houses of Hope is holding a Western-themed auction, and we've donated to it. We'll send you the details as soon as bidding opens.

What's next...

Once the laundry’s done and the dust settles, we’re going back to work on Third Street, the next installment of the Harbor View Cozy Fantasy series. We know from your emails that you’re enjoying your time with Skye and Ocean, Arthur and Caleb...as well as our resident 1920s ghosts, Jo and Henry. They’ll all be back...with more startling activity in their little seaside village.

That's it. Thank you for reading with us, for sharing our books, and for being part of something bigger this month. We're grateful for every one of you.

P.S. Don’t forget, the sale ends October 31, and $1 from every book bought in our bookstore goes to LBCA.

Shop now →

I Had No Idea… (They Actually Surprised Me!)

Hello dear friends—

     They surprised me!

  And if you know me at all, you know that’s nearly impossible.

   Jim always says I can read his mind (and it’s true). So planning anything behind my back? Nearly impossible.

   But my suddenly very sneaky husband somehow did it. With the help of two of our friends, he did it. For weeks, Jim apparently walked around the house saying “la-la-la” in his head whenever I tried to mind-read him.

   When I entered the room that night and saw everyone, I had to walk right back out. Tears. Overwhelmed. Grateful beyond words.

   Have you ever been truly surprised like that? 

Over the years, we’ve tried to surprise you too.

  Not with parties…. but with our stories.

   Somehow, over three decades, we’ve written in just about every genre imaginable:

✨ Young Adult
✨ Fantasy & Time Travel

✨ Pirates
✨ Cozy Ghost Stories
✨ Scottish Historical Romance
✨ Contemporary Fiction
✨ Thrillers

✨ Warriors
✨ Lawyers

   There’s something here for practically everyone.

   If you haven’t explored our backlist in a while, this might be the time.
   We’ve included a 25% off coupon in this newsletter — and if you’d like to share it with a friend, that would mean the world to us.

   (Word of mouth is always magic.)

On the health front…

I had another stent replacement last week. I try to put up a brave, positive face — but I won’t pretend each surgery isn’t getting harder to recover from. Next week I begin radiation. We’re hopeful it helps with the bone pain.

   As I travel this cancer road, people often ask, “What can we do? How can we help?” Jim and I are deeply moved every time.

   In December, a young author friend of ours, Elizabeth Briggs, died of colon cancer at just 45. Her family shared words that struck straight through us:

   “If you would like to support Elizabeth’s family, please honor her by buying her books… Some part of her will always be alive as long as her stories have readers.”

   Cancer robs us of so much — our energy, our plans, sometimes our identities. It takes from families emotionally and financially. It interrupts the work we love.

   So I’ll say this gently, while I’m still kicking around (slower, but still kicking):

   If you’re an author, maybe one day there’ll be a ‘Nikoo’ character in your book.

   If you’re a reader, maybe you'll recommend one of our stories to a friend or share this newsletter.

   If you're looking for a book for yourself or a friend, you'll use the coupon at our bookstore.

          Here's the 25% off coupon code…    THJVU9Y9I0  

   And you'll keep reading our stories…   

That’s how a writer will always remain alive. 

Thanks!

A Thousand Lives...

Before we ever became writers, Jim and I were readers. We remain devoted readers to this day, enjoying books across every genre. But how do we choose which books to read and authors to try?
 
We rely on recommendations from friends and family who share our taste in books and titles that our book club chooses each month. We also pay attention to a book's reviews and the author's personal story, particularly those who have overcome struggles like illness, loss, or life-changing events. These books, for us, are more about the "heart" behind the story.
 
At the end of each of our novels, we ask our readers to please leave a review and recommend our book to a friend, and we’d encourage you to do the same for any book you enjoy.
 
According to the National Endowment for the Arts, total book reading has declined significantly over the past 20 years. We understand that we all lead busy lives, but we believe that reading is worth the investment of time. Books introduce us to people and places we may not otherwise know, help us communicate better, and create empathy.
 
Reading also supports people like Jim and me, who have dedicated ourselves to storytelling for the love of words and to bring you hours of entertainment.
 
So, friends, we know we’re ‘preaching to the choir’, but we encourage you to continue reading, reading, reading, and to share your love of books with others. As George R.R. Martin said, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."
 
And thank you, sincerely, for supporting us!