New Year’s Eve, and the Amaryllis blossomed days ago. It’s looking a little worn out.

What a year it’s been! Sharing  All For the Cause with the folks at Camp Algona in April warmed my heart. What a great job they’ve done with the museum there. If you have a chance, you won’t regret paying them a visit in 2020.

The Until Then book launch at the Romeoville, IL public library allowed me to meet the rest of my heroine Dorothy’s family—I had no idea how much they’d wanted Dorothy’s incredible story published. I had met her son and daughter, but now I know everyone!

The second printing revised the SPECIAL THANKS page, so for those who bought books at that launch, it now reads: 

    A heartfelt thank-you to Sandra and Mark Worst, Dorothy’s daughter and son, who introduced me to their amazing mother and supplied me with more information than I could possibly use.

    Thank you to the faithful readers who spent countless hours ferreting out errors—you know who you are. Thank you, thank you.

    I’m also so very grateful to WordCrafts Press and to those who follow my work and encourage me with their reviews.

I’m delighted that Cindy and her husband are creating an audiobook—can’t wait to hear Dorothy in action!

What a legacy she left: a true World War II heroine with fortitude, tenacity, faith, and the capacity to find JOY in the midst her vocation, even in dire times. Thank you for sharing your intriguing mother/grandmother with me! 

As I mentioned, those who carefully pre-read manuscripts make an author’s life so much easier. Thank you Leslie, Irene, Nancy, Holly, Jean, Jill, Sonia, and J.D. . . . I’m pretty sure I’ve left someone out, which is why I don’t list names in the books. Please know that your kindness means so much. An author simply cannot rely solely on her own “editing eye.” 

Thanks also to the many library directors who allow me to share with their patrons. I love spreading the word about WWII heroes and heroines, many of them ordinary folks who sacrificed for the cause and made a quiet, but significant difference. 

There’s no way to thank these members of the Greatest Generation enough, but we can still do our best. Historical fiction provides one way to learn about and appreciate their careful attention to duty—and this is why the stories keep coming.

Most of all, I’m grateful for readers who encourage me all year long. Your reviews and personal notes help make the labor of writing worthwhile.

I’ll close with a quote from K.M. Weiland, an author I’ve met online. 

 “I don’t think there has been a moment in my entire life when I have not known in my heart that telling a story was vital, but the older I get, the more I consciously believe that telling a story—and telling it well—is one of the most tremendous contributions any human can make to the world.” 

How encouraging! Reading has been dear to me from childhood on, and I’ve always wanted to make a difference. It’s such a joy to be able to contribute.

And it’s time to regroup so this plant can blossom again. (:

Dorothy, Rupert, Twila and Stan, characters all, take their places in my Women of the Heartland stories: