The Black Falls trilogy gets a new (wintry) look!

Okay, I know technically it’s still summer, but we’re stacking cordwood and getting our flowerbeds ready for winter. I can’t say w’ere ready for snow, ice and sub-freezing temps! In fiction, maybe? Along with some pretty pictures of winter in Vermont? 😉

I wrote Cold Pursuit, the first book in my New York Times and USA Today Black Falls trilogy, during a particularly snowy winter in Vermont. Research was easy enough: I just looked out the window or strapped on my snowshoes and headed into the woods. It’s on sale in eBook right now for just $2.49 (that could ch… Read More

Winding Irish Country Roads

Exploring country roads is one of my favorite activities on our visits to Ireland. We love seeing the sights–we’ve toured museums, distilleries, historic houses and castles–but there’s nothing quite like taking off down a twisting lane, wondering where it goes and what we’ll see along the way.

Maybe my love of twisting country roads goes back to my rural New England childhood. My folks would pile all seven of us kids into the car and go for a drive, often to the nearby Quabbin Reservoir. It’d be harder to pull off these days with so many people needing se… Read More

A lovely Vermont evening at Phoenix Books

Last night’s launch party for Rival’s Break was wonderful, such fun for me as an author. I had the best time chatting with readers (a packed house!) and wandering through Phoenix Books downtown Rutland, Vermont. If you’re in Vermont during our popular leaf-peeping season, I hope you’ll stop at any of the four Phoenix Books locations. Tell them I said hi. 🙂

Many thanks to all who made this memorable evening possible!

I got so caught up in chatting with everyone that I didn’t take many photos, but here are a few. It was a beautiful evening to drive along the pictures… Read More

For a perfect getaway…books!

I love to write on getaways to hotels, inns and cottages, but reading? A must, and a special pleasure. I always have a print book with me (as well as my e-reader) on the road, but what fun it is to discover books on my various stays. Bedside Reading pairs luxury hotels with up-and-coming books. Oh, my. How perfect! Rival’s Break is a featured novel this summer, and I couldn’t be more honored and thrilled. Here it is in the gorgeous Mandarin Oriental New York.Quite a reading spot! Thank you!

When signing at Turn the Page Bookstore in picturesque Boonsboro, MD, authors are invited to sig… Read More

The Many Looks of THE WATERFALL

The Waterfall has a new digital cover! It’s my favorite of the various covers this book has had since it debuted in 2000.

Here’s a bit about the story:

Three years after the sudden death of her husband, Lucy Blacker Swift has finally got things under control. Leaving behind the cutthroat world of Washington, Lucy and her two children move to a Vermont farmhouse and start to rebuild their lives. But a string of unexplained events-late-night hang-ups, a bullet through a window-threatens her new life.

Unwilling to turn to her powerful father-in-law, Senator Jack Swift, Lucy tracks … Read More

Visiting the English Cotswolds

Whatever time of year, rain or shine, Joe and I have enjoyed our visits to the Cotswolds west of London. Now we need to visit when it snows! Or just go again, anytime. The rolling hills of this beautiful part of the English countryside are crisscrossed with marked trails. I bought a big map–yes, paper–to guide us. We did go astray a few times, but that’s half the fun. Well. Except for that time when I got into nettle. I hadn’t done that since I was a kid and it stung. Our inn was very helpful in providing baking soda, not to mention a terrific gin-and-tonic, and I was back on th… Read More

Beautiful Scotland

Scotland captured my imagination long before I ever traveled there. We went back in June, for two wonderful weeks before the busy-ness of summer set in at home. We had some cool, showery days that would feel good right now!

That’s me below, in the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. The gardens are a fantastic place to walk off an overnight flight across the Atlantic. Joe and I had scones and tea overlooking the gardens. His brother and sister and their spouses arrived the next day and the six of us dived in to our Scotland adventures.

From Edinburgh we drove to Pitlochry, where we did the Lin of … Read More

Phoenix Books in Rutland on August 29!

Mark Your Calendar

I’m thrilled to be returning to Phoenix Books in Rutland on Thursday, August 29, for a launch party for Rival’s Break. We’ll chat, celebrate and have a great time! The fun starts at 6:30 PM. This is a great independent bookstore located in downtown Rutland, Vermont. There are many wonderful places to stay if you’re visiting the area for a few days.

See you then. I can’t wait!

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Summer in Boston

Does summer in the city appeal to you? I spent my first summer in Boston after my junior year in college and had a great time. Long walks in the evening, 4th of July fireworks, ice cream shops, harbor dinner cruises (well, one), Beacon Hill window boxes and countless other bonuses of a city summer. We love our hilltop house in Vermont and our excursions to Ireland and Maine, but our July, August and September visits to Boston are special, and not just because our grandchildren live there! Not something I thought much about that first summer in the city…

Some of my books set entirely or partiall… Read More

Happy Summer!

Happy summer! We’re in summer mode here on our hilltop. We’re just back from a couple of weeks in beautiful Scotland and long, long June days. We were joined by Joe’s brother and sister and their spouses for a fun get-together. Memorable walks, dinners, laughs and sightseeing. The weather was sometimes rainy, sometimes sunny (Scotland, right?) but we loved every minute. Below are photos of Isle of Skye.

 … Read More