June 2024
June 1, 2024
I am SO ready for summer . . .
In true me fashion, I started off the summer on Memorial Day weekend with a sunburn. Yes, I applied sunscreen. More than once. While my husband and I celebrate the weekend with our friends in Wisconsin, we are also celebrating those who have given their lives for this country as Memorial Day was intended. You can celebrate the weekend and honor those, both at the same time. And we do.
Originally, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day and was observed on May 30. The start of this began in 1868, which incidentally is the time frame of my fourth novel, The Aristocrat's Wife. It changed to the last Monday in May in 1971.
My paternal grandfather, Edmund Zieba, served in the U.S. Army as a World War II gunner, and my maternal grandfather, Herbert Halverson, served in the U.S. Navy. I honor them both, along with many others.
My summer is getting full with show bookings, I can hardly take time out for myself! While I kept June mostly open for graduation parties, almost all fell on the same day, so I've scheduled quite a few things. I've kept my July mostly open, though. I'm going to need this time for myself. My goal is to finish writing The Aristocrat's Wife by the end of June (fingers crossed) and start getting it edited and to my beta readers by the end of July. It's putting me a little behind schedule, but I'm still looking at a fall/winter release.
Welcome new friends who have joined my emailing list! Whether you signed up via my website or by stopping in to see me at a craft show or event, I'm happy to have you!
Stay tuned, and happy reading!
Upcoming Happenings
I have added several events to the coming months!
- Prairie Days Craft Show in Downtown Long Prairie, MN on Saturday, June 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Oblivion Author Fest in St. Cloud on Friday, June 14 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Five authors in one place and terrific, out-of-this-world coffee enjoyed in a Victorian-themed atmosphere. There is so much to see in Oblivion Coffee Bar! It's so cool!
- Summer Celebration Market with Granite City Bizarre Bazaar in Pantown Park, St. Cloud on Saturday, June 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Artists, makers, and talent of the alternative kind.
- Maple Lake Library Book Signing on Sunday, June 23 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Stop into the Maple Lake Library in downtown Maple Lake during the Growers and Makers Market.
- Manitou Days Artisan & Vendor Fair at the Hippodrome Ice Arena in White Bear Lake on Saturday, June 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Find more than 100 handmade crafters and vendors selling a variety of wares with handcrafted home, seasonal, and cabin decor; skillfully crafted woodwork; delicious handmade chocolate treats, candies, salsas, jams and jellies; laser engraved wood and metal pieces; kids and adult personalized items like mugs, adorable pet apparel and treats; shirts, pillows and much more. Food trucks will also be on-site. I'll be booth sharing with author E.H. Drake!
Signed copies of my books are available at all events for $18.00 (includes tax).
Exclusive first look at The Aristocrat's Wife . . .
The longest journey starts with a single step . . .
Georgie St. John is the darling of aristocratic New York society, taking upper-class society by storm with her captivating smile and passion. Having led a pampered and protected life, Georgie is content with married life. Until now. When she's accused of something she didn't do, something she would never do, Georgie has no other choice but to leave the posh, aristocratic society of New York, and her husband, behind.
With a country still rebuilding after the American Civil War, Georgie goes in search of her long-lost brother, but she must do so safely and without leaving a trail for anyone to follow. Anthony is the only one who can help her now, but she hasn't heard from him in several years. The only way to find him, a woman alone, is to disguise herself as someone she isn't.
But traveling across a ravaged country in disguise has its drawbacks, and after many troubles along the way, Georgie meets a group heading for Texas, the very place where she might find her brother. She doesn't anticipate how much more danger she'll face or how many times brooding cowboy Rooke Preston will need to save her. As the wife of an aristocrat, even if estranged, she has no business losing her heart to another. But days upon days on the trail push her closer to Rooke until she can no longer deny her feelings for him.
The further her sheltered life gets behind her, the more Georgie realizes she will never return to that life again. But will she find her brother? And can she find happiness along the way?