What on Earth is a
Seahaven Sunrise?

The sun will rise and set regardless.
What we choose to do with the light
while it’s here is up to us.
Journey wisely.

- Alexandra Elle

The theme of new beginnings is prominent in my upcoming women's novel, currently titled Feathers in the Sand. Tess Gilmore and her 11-year-old daughter, Eva, are forced to make a new beginning in Seahaven, Maine. Tess's son, Micah, is making a new beginning elsewhere. There's a new job, new town, new friends, new community, new school, new love interest, new . . . everything!

Tess's Aunt Kit, a lifetime native of Maine, has a personal commitment to rising early and watching the sunrise as many mornings as she can. Kit's dedication to the sunrise began after the death of her fiancé Ollie at the tender age of 20. Ollie's mom had a lot to do with how Kit was able to carry and move through that particularly difficult grief. Throughout the course of the novel, she and Tess (and Tess and Eva) find solace and wisdom in sharing the sunrise together, and in deciding what to do with the light that is given each day.

In fact, Feathers in the Sand is the first in a series of several books that will take place in Seahaven, Maine. It is the beginning of the Seahaven Sunrise series! Each novel will have the power and magic of sunrises woven into it in some way. Stay tuned to this monthly newsletter for publication dates and how you can read the next book ahead of time and leave a review! Tentative date is May or June 2022, just in time for summer!

The photo above was taken at sunrise at my favorite seaside town of Wells, Maine, where I often spend four days writing and dreaming and walking the beach. (I also love to spend time in Ogunquit and York Beach.) I never got up early enough to watch the sunrise when I was younger, but now I'm a big fan as it seems that the older I get, the easier it is to wake up early!
🏆 October Give-Away Winners 🏆

Congratulations to our October readers who received
a paperback copy of Glendy Vanderah's Where the Forest Meets the Stars:

Nadica from North Macedonia, Europe
Sharon from Ohio

Didn't win? Not to worry, you can try again right now . . .

November Fiction
Give-Away
and Recommended
Stories That Stir the Soul

This month I'm giving away TWO paperback copies of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald.

I must admit, I’m a sucker for a book with books on the cover! This juicy, entertaining, heartwarming novel is one of my favorites.

Meet Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds Amy's funeral guests just leaving. The residents of the midwest town of Broken Wheel are happy to look after their bewildered visitor because there's not much else to do in a dying small town that's almost beyond repair.

To repay their kindness, Sara opens a book store of sorts. What happens next is life-changing for several Broken Wheel residents, including Sara, and of course there’s a lovely little (big) romance thrown in for good measure. This charming story spoke to me in huge ways of the power of community to heal, inspire, and affect change.

If you want to enter, just fill out the short form here and I'll do a random drawing THIS SUNDAY November 14. I'll send you an email notice that you've won, and I'll just ask for your snail mail address after that! (NOTE: I use the random generator at random.org to choose the winners.)
Greetings! Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter and for your commitment to reading Stories That Stir the Soul. That's me to the right, about a year ago, in our living room (probably watching the real Gilmore Girls for the 99th time!). On my lap is Seymour, my best beloved feline companion who left us in May. He loved to sleep nestled right up against my heart like that and I miss him dearly.

You may not know this, but there's at least one cat in all of my women's novels! In Dragonflies at Night, Savannah has two cats, named Chandler and Bing (get it?). In the 2022 release of Feathers in the Sand (current title), Eva has a big gray cat named Jasper. Do YOU have a special cat in your life? Let me know! I'm always happy to hear from you via email (just click "reply" and say hello :) I gladly reply to all questions and comments!

In between newsletters, I'll be posting more often on Instagram, my blog, and/or my Facebook Author page, so please visit me there too.

Stay as grateful as you can,