I don’t often write this sort of post. Perhaps I should do so more frequently. As we are all sheltering in our own little pockets around the world, it is more important that ever to reach out to each other just to say hello. So this is my Hello!

On a personal note, we are all doing well. It’s a rather busy house these days, but we somehow manage not to always be in each other’s hair. My son is working at his summer job from my den, my husband is doing his job from my dining room table, my daughter is doing summer school to get ahead for next year from the basement, and I am writing wherever I can find a comfortable chair. Sometimes that chair is out on the front deck! With my wifi connection, my laptop, and a tall iced tea in hand, I’m very happy there.

We have been using this together-time to explore some new cookbooks we bought. So while the decor gets a bit tired, being the same from day to day, the Covid Cafe is serving some excellent and very interesting food!

I have been keeping busy writing as well. During April’s Camp NaNoWriMo I finished the first draft of The Soldier’s Tale, where our intrepid hero Colonel Fitzwilliam takes centre stage and finds his own Happily Ever After. I hope to start editing that in August, with a projected release date early in 2021.

During July’s Camp NaNo, I’ve been writing the fourth in my Miss Mary Investigates series. This story takes place in the world of Sense and Sensibility. I discovered that Mary Bennet and Elinor Dashwood have a great deal in common, although Mary finds Marianne a little dramatic for her tastes. Furthermore, it seems there is a great deal of rapport between Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Jennings. In just one meeting they became great friends. Soon enough, though, a man is killed and somebody contests his will, and that is when my investigator Alexander Lyons appears, much to Mary’s dismay – and delight!

There is more good news in the world of Miss Mary Investigates! I am starting the very final edits for the first book in the series, Death of a Clergyman, and hope to release it by the end of August. My cover artist is doing a terrific job on the cover, and she has not strangled me yet with all the tweaks I keep asking for. Keep an eye open for updates!

I would love to hear from you. How have you been managing these last few months? I hope everybody is keeping safe and keeping well. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be kind.