Happy Holidays

Here in New England we’ve ridden a winter roller coaster, from arctic temperatures to something vaguely like spring. We’ve had snow at an untimely time as well as the dreaded icy mix and torrential downpours. We’ll probably go through another series of ups and downs before too long. It’s been good weather for staying in and reading, maybe thinking about characters and what to do with them.

I’m not sure that weather is a good excuse for my lack of communication with you. While in London, all I had to do was go places and share them. Then I came home to real life. That slowed my pace, which eventually came to a standstill as the holiday season seemed to rush in out of nowhere. But there’s a lot more to share from the London visit, along with news, and I plan to do better as the New Year gets rolling. As to the YouTube Channel: I’m definitely resolved to get that filled with, you know, YouTube things.

Thank you for taking the appearances and disappearances in stride, and for all the comments and messages. You’ve made me laugh and cry and grow a head several sizes too large. For better or worse, you’ve encouraged me to continue during difficult times. I’m one very fortunate author.

May yours be truly happy holidays, in exactly the form you like best: quiet and tranquil, lively and noisy, in crowds, in small groups, or peacefully solitary.

An eBook Deal & a New Italian Edition

Yesterday brought some nice holiday surprises. One came to my doorstep (in a downpour) and one to my email via Bookperk.

First off, we have a limited time only eBook deal on My Inconvenient Duke. From now until 2 January, it’s on sale for $1.99 in the U.S. and Canada. Since publishers don’t always let me know when deals are coming up, and it’s impractical to haunt the various bookstores daily to find out, sometimes my news does not come as far in advance as I’d like. But there’s time! If you haven’t yet read the third Difficult Dukes book, here’s a chance to do so and save a few bucks. Or maybe you’ve a friend who might enjoy Blackwood and Lady Alice’s story.

The second item was Il Duca Libertino, the Italian edition of A Duke in Shining Armor. The copies were a little damp, having landed on the stairs instead of the porch, but they survived near drowning. (It was quite a storm.) And they would be readable if only I could. But the Italian I learned in repeated lessons has for the most part either evaporated on gone into deep hiding in my brain. Also, the vocabulary I did learn was limited to beginner level. Italian is not easy for an American, believe me, especially one of very mature years. All those articles and pronouns. But it’s so beautiful that I find myself opening pages and trying to comprehend. And no, I don’t comprehend much, except insofar as I wrote the book and know how it goes. But I think we can all appreciate the cover design. It’s always interesting to see the way other countries do it—how they dress the characters, what scenes they choose, the poses, etc.

Chirp audio deal for "My Inconvenient Duke"

“My Inconvenient Duke” audio edition cover

We’ve got another audio deal for My Inconvenient Duke, this time for the U.S. and Canada.

Via Chirp’s free subscription service, the book is $6.99. This deal ends on 1 December 2025.

And while you’re on the site, you might want to take note of some other romance offerings for November, including historical romance author Joanna Shupe’s The Bride Goes Rogue and two contemporary romances by Sonali Dev: Incense and Sensibility and The Emma Project.