Love Note from the Lake January 2024

Welcome, January 2024!

The New Year has landed, people, and for us, that means COLD, with snow in the forecast, no surprise. Because it’s too cold to spend much time outdoors, I’m getting lots done inside and this year, that means….. yes, new books! But it also means another special surprise. (Read on, dear reader!)

But first… let me introduce the latest little man to steal my heart! My grandson Archer was born just before Christmas, making his parents and big sister very happy, and thrilling the rest of the family, too. Isn’t he simply perfect?

Coming February 13, 2024

DNA doesn’t lie. But people do. THE RANCHER’S LOST BRIDE, the second book in my Lost Malones of Grand, Montana series launches February 13, continuing the story of a mother’s love and loss… and a family finding its way back together. This contemporary reunion romance is ultimately about what defines family… and how it might not look the same for everyone.

Leila Monahan is creating her dream family, but when her fiancé gets cold feet, she sends him packing. A sperm bank would be easier but first, she’ll take a DNA test. She doesn’t care about finding her birth parents, but her future children might. The surprising results are nothing to the shock of seeing her first true love back in town, with an eight-year-old daughter.

Sawyer Lafferty loved Leila, but her desire to get married—at nineteen!—sent him running. Before settling down, he wanted an education and opportunities. But those, and any future with Leila, vanished with the unexpected arrival of his baby girl. Now a single dad with full custody, he’s come home to manage Grand’s new therapeutic riding stable and rebuild his life.

Leila is gutted to learn that Sawyer wanted a family after all—just not with her. But little Piper quickly captures her heart, and when Sawyer shares the circumstances of his marriage, the spark they once had flares back to life, but is it enough to sustain them? Or will the secrets and lies surrounding them douse it forever?

Cover Reveal!

Book Three in my Lost Malones of Grand, Montana series is called THE MAVERICK’S SURPRISE FAMILY. Set on a therapeutic horseback riding ranch, this book features a hero with a disability, something I haven’t done for a while. I’m in the final stage of revisions now and I’m excited about how this story is continuing the series. MAVERICK launches in August, 2024

He’s a loner….

Outdoor adventure guide LUCAS LANDRY is happiest leading bucket-list wilderness trail rides, because on horseback, he doesn’t need his despised cane. But he returns to civilization when potential biological relatives contact him. He’s never sought the birth family that abandoned him, but curiosity overcomes suspicion, and he finds himself in Grand, Montana, where he hears an origin story unlike anything he expected. An emotional reunion with siblings he didn’t know existed leaves him shaken and vulnerable.

She’s done with passion…

Therapeutic riding stable owner and widow BAYLEIGH SUTHERLAND is floored by her attraction to the man renting a cabin on her ranch. He’s tough, hurting, too young, and all wrong for a single mom with a teen son. But the spark between them is undeniable. As is the positive pregnancy test several weeks later.

Who will compromise?

Bayleigh wants her miracle baby, but she won’t rob Lucas of the footloose lifestyle that sustains him.

When Lucas learns Bayleigh’s secret, he has a decision—return to the safety of the wilderness, or step into a life he never knew he could have.

And now… a SURPRISE!

I have some exciting news – my friend Ruth and I have launched a podcast – Happy Hour with Ruth & Roxy.

Here’s a brief history: we met when we became next-door neighbours in our small gated community near Cultus Lake, BC. It was the first year of COVID-19, but nevertheless, friendship blossomed immediately.

On paper we should not work as friends. Ruth is from downtown Toronto, while I’m from small town Saskatchewan. I grew up in (and left) a conservative religious community, while Ruth might have gone to church once. Ruth is up at 4 a.m. I get my best sleep between 6 and 8. I’m a mother and grandmother… Ruth finds infants slightly terrifying.

Yet, as different as we are, we have much in common. The dealbreakers first: dogs and wine. Then we learned that we both work with words for our careers, me as a USA Today best-selling author and content editor, Ruth as a journalist, communications professional and content creator. Quickly we realized the most important thing: our values align. That matters. A lot. 

The backyard Happy Hours started naturally, on one deck or the other, distanced, under electric blankets during the cold months, or on the patio in the summer. We met by video, when necessary. We discussed what’s on our minds, from serious to ridiculous, fun or quirky, political or random. We talk about travel, food, cooking, baking, books, ideas, dreams, challenges and adventures. It’s always interesting and often hilarious – sometimes even on purpose!

Those Happy Hours saved our sanity during those difficult years and they’ve continued. One day, it hit us: what if there are others out there who feel disconnected or lonely or just want a couple of gal pals to hang out with at Happy Hour? And boom: Happy Hour with Ruth & Roxy was born.

In figuring out what our Happy Hour podcast would be, we thought about what we want in life. It boils down to this: More Happy Hours… Less Bullshit. If we’re honest with ourselves – it’s what we all want out of life – especially these days.

The goal of Happy Hour with Ruth & Roxy is to share a podcast episode every two weeks, with blog posts covering the no-podcast weeks.

Naturally, I’ll talk books, because I gotta be me… but it’ll be a meandering conversation about stories of all kinds. We’re not experts; we won’t be solving anyone’s lives; you probably won’t learn much from us. But we hope you’ll feel like you’ve been part of a fun conversation, that you feel heard and accepted.

Take a look. See what you think. Welcome.