Back in the "old days," I was an avid letter writer. There was no such thing as email or texting back in the 70's when I was in high school and college. I had a few pen pals (one in England, one in Maine) and it was the highlight of my day when I'd receive a HANDWRITTEN letter from one of them. Equally, I delighted in writing letters back to them.

In college, away from home for the first time, I loved getting "real" letters on pretty stationary from family and friends. Writing letters in return was both a pleasure and an expressive outlet.

Over the years, this passion for letter writing faded as email and then texting came into vogue. Don't get me wrong. I love my email accounts; my business wouldn't be as healthy and growing as it is without access to emailing book vendors, podcast hosts, workshop participants, and of course... all of YOU!

In early 2021, a friend told me about a volunteer organization called Soldiers Angels, and I immediately felt excited! Now, several times a month, I write REAL letters on REAL stationery to various deployed members of our Armed Forces. All I know is the person's name and military address. I don't know exactly where they are going and we don't expect responses, but over the last few years, I have heard back from men and women deployed in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Germany, and more.

The experience has been so rewarding that in my latest novel, Feathers in the Sand, I included a character who decides to join the Army and go through Basic Training. His mother and sister are left behind, bereft, and begin to write him "real" letters (as well as email and Facetime sessions).

I really enjoy spreading the word about the lost art of Letter Writing.

What about you? Do you write "real" letters any more? If you were to write a letter to someone this month, who would you write to and what would you say?

Wouldn't it be great to get something in the mail that isn't invoices or marketing flyers? Well, I've got something great for YOU.

Email me your name and snail mail address, and I will send you a lovely bookmark with the famous Emily Dickinson quote (Hope is the thing with feathers...) on it.

I'll even sign it on the back, along with a recipe card (both sides) for Glory's Whoopie Pies! (Glory is a character from Feathers in the Sand.)

Just send a reply to this email. I'm looking forward to hearing from you and sending you these goodies.

P.S. The mailing address that you give me is JUST for this one mailing. I'm not creating a mailing list so I can pepper you with junk mail!

If you love reading women's fiction with a splash of magic, check out this new

give-away. There are 11 books there ready for you to download and enjoy!

Don't worry, you don't need to download all 11. Just browse through and take the ones you want. (If you want all 11, they're yours!)

My very own Dragonflies at Night (More Than a Love Story) is there for you to take also. It's a story about how those we love who die never really leave us. And what do dragonflies have to do with it? Read it and see!

 🏆 November Give-Away Winners 🏆

a paperback copy of my latest release Feathers in the Sand.

Jennifer M. from Arkansas

Brenda C. from Maine

Vonnie G. from Tennessee

This month I'm giving away THREE paperback copies of The Miraculous, by Jess Redman. Don't let the cover fool you! This is marketed as a YA novel BUT.... I found it incredibly wise and compelling and full of meaning and wisdom for adults as well.

Eleven-year-old Wunder Ellis is a miracologist. In a journal he calls The Miraculous, he records stories of the inexplicable and the extraordinary. And he believes every single one. But then his newborn sister dies, at only eight days old. If that can happen, then miracles can’t exist. So Wunder gets rid of The Miraculous. He stops believing.

Then he meets Faye―a cape-wearing, outspoken girl with losses of her own. Together, they find an abandoned house by the cemetery and a mysterious old woman who just might be a witch. The old woman asks them for their help. She asks them to believe. And they go on a journey that leads to friendship, to adventure, to healing―and to miracles.

To enter, just fill out the short form here and I'll do a random drawing THIS SUNDAY DECEMBER 18. I'll send you an email notice that you've won on Monday, and I'll 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 reading my author newsletter. This is me with our oldest granddaughter Tori several years ago (she's 16 now!) on our way to see A Christmas Carol, one of my favorite holiday traditions.

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