I am sitting at my desk in my home office, looking out the window and admiring the flowers planted along the fence line—on Scott and SeAnne’s side of the property. I think of them as my daughter-in-law’s flowers and appreciate that SeAnne planted them in a place where I can enjoy them while I work. Scott probably helped with the planting. They also planted the blueberry bushes along the fence, on our side of the yard. Young, ripening blueberries already fill the bushes.
We’ve made a lot of changes to this property since we moved to Oregon almost five years ago. (It will be five years in September.) One of those changes, we installed a larger window over my desk, and I think it’s probably one of my favorite home improvements.
They told us it rains a lot in Oregon. They were right. Surprisingly, I don’t mind those rainy days because I have a cozy place to write, and even a rainy view is beautiful here. And when I hear about water shortages—especially now with data centers popping up around the country—I am grateful for the rain, and even more grateful for what it does to our landscape.
This morning we woke up to sunshine, not rain clouds. I spent the morning opening the greenhouse, watering the garden and plants in the greenhouse, and pruning the rose on the arch in our backyard. The roses went insane this year. Don and I call them Doris’s roses. Don’s mother, Doris, absolutely loved roses.
Don just finished mowing the front yard, and I can hear him driving the riding mower back to the shop. Next door, Scott and SeAnne are working on projects in their yard—they have the week off.
But now I am back at my desk, checking off items from my to-do list regarding my most recent release, The Ghost and Family Secrets, which comes out Saturday in eBook and print formats.
Earlier this week, I sent the document file off to my agent, who will send it to Tantor Media, so they can proceed with making the audiobook. I don’t have that release date yet, but when I do, I’ll pass it on. But for now, I am finishing up what I need to do on my end with The Ghost and Family Secrets, and when June arrives, I will turn my attention to new projects.
One publishing project for 2026 involves releasing all 38 books (and future books) in the Haunting Danielle series in hardback format. We’ve already finished Book 1 in the series, The Ghost of Marlow House, although we haven’t yet offered it for sale. It was basically a trial run to see how we liked the printer. It will be a couple of months before we can complete that project.
One reason we won’t be working on the hardback books in June—my cover designer will be making a major move—from California to Alaska, during this time. As many know, my daughter, Elizabeth, who is a talented professional cover designer, does all my book covers. Her husband is in the Coast Guard, and they are being sent back to Alaska. This will be their third tour in Alaska. When she is settled in their new home, we can proceed with the project.
We have a busy June scheduled. My daughter’s family will stay with us for a little over a week, as they stop for a visit on their way up to Alaska. June is also Don’s and my 50th wedding anniversary. For the last couple of years, Don and I tossed around ideas about what we should do for our 50th anniversary—once considering a party, and another time a Hawaiian cruise. But life had other ideas, so for now, we will enjoy a quiet dinner with just the two of us and do something special later when things settle down.
One thing I plan to do in June is enjoy the sunshine and work in the garden. I will also wrap up Write On, An Author’s Journey, which I started writing in December. It’s a memoir of sorts—both an autobiography and reflections on my writing journey, while sharing with aspiring authors lessons I’ve learned along the way.
It’s tentatively scheduled to be released late summer, and it will be available in eBook, print, and audiobook. No, I won’t be narrating it myself. I’ve had a chronic cough I’ve been dealing with for almost five years, and narrating a book is not in my wheelhouse.
Come fall, I will work on the next Haunting Danielle book, The Ghost and Déjà Vu, Book 39, which is slated for release in late December 2026.
I suppose I’d better get back to my to-do-list. When I’m finished at the computer, I’m heading to the kitchen. Time for some baking.