Early signs of spring in Vermont and Ireland

Hi everyone!

Early spring here in Vermont means maple sugaring. I love seeing the traditional buckets to collect sap but tubing is more prevalent. Sugarhouse visits are a favorite activity this time of year, including in my hometown in western Massachusetts.

And I love, love visiting Ireland in spring. Bluebells! Lambs!

A number of my books are set this time of year. My work-in-progress Sharpe and Donovan novella is set in April. I can’t wait to get it into readers’ hands!

A memorable scene for me is when Olivia Frost and Dylan McCaffrey meet in Secrets of the Lost Summer on a not-gr… Read More

High atop Mt. Washington

The magnificent White Mountains in New Hampshire feature in a number of my books. I’ve hiked up various peaks and hope to do more this fall. The most spectacular (and difficult!) so far has been Mt. Washington. Our bright, sunny morning turned into dense, swirling fog and high winds by the time we reached the summit. Fortunately, unlike the other peaks in the Presidential Range (named after US Presidents), Mt. Washington has a cafe at the top.

Tech wizard and billionaire Noah Kendrick hikes Mt. Washington in That Night on Thistle Lane, the second book in my Swift River Valley series:

“I could pa… Read More

Wild Maine blueberries (recipe included!)

I just put a quart of wild Maine blueberries in the freezer. I know I’ll love having them when it’s frosty outside! They’re a family favorite, whether for pies, muffins, cobbler, pancakes or sprinkled fresh on yogurt or cereal. We love cultivated blueberries, too, but wild berries bring back many special memories. The photo below is of my granddaughter a few years ago in a coastal Maine wild blueberry patch.

My first memory of picking wild blueberries for the first time was a child, too, on a family picnic at Quabbin Reservoir with my parents and six brothers and sisters. Quabbin an… Read More

A recipe for hot chocolate

Winter’s getting an early start here in Vermont with chilly days and snow. Perfect for homemade hot chocolate! It’s a great way to incorporate hygge into these cold, dark winter days.

No better time to repost my recipe! It appears in my Swift River Valley Christmas novel, A Knights Bridge Christmas.

I use Dutch-processed Droste cocoa but here’s an interesting article on the different types of cocoa, from the King Arthur Baking Company. Their store and bakery (so good!) is just up the road from us. Worth a visit when you’re in the area.

HOT CHOCOLATE

Ingredients

1 cup c… Read More

Happy October!

September flew by for us. Writing, running, walking, planning, rain, more rain, visits with family. One Saturday “we” rebuilt the woodstove chimney at our family homestead on the western edge of Quabbin Reservoir (setting for my Swift River Valley books). I provided an apple pie. Joe could have passed for a chimney sweep. It was a great day with most of my siblings.

My granddaughter celebrated her birthday with a cake that involved a lot of sprinkles. Or you call them jimmies? It was fun and delicious. She’s gluten-free and we all love the King Arthur Baking GF mixes. SO good… Read More

A recipe for mulled wine

A pot of mulled wine simmering on our wood stove is such a treat!

Our wood stove came in handy this past weekend when a nor’easter hit Vermont hard with extensive power outages. We were out from Friday to Sunday evening. Other people are still without power but we see hardworking crews out there and appreciate their efforts. It was quite a storm.

Back to mulled wine…

Below is the recipe included in my Swift River Valley novella, “Christmas at Carriage Hill.” By the way, it’s just $1.99 in digital and now available in audio. And A Knights Bridge Christmas is on sale t… Read More

Christmas in…August!

≠Summer is flying by here. The holidays will be upon us before we know it.

Well, before I know it. This year I mean to break my habit of waiting until the last minute to shop for Christmas presents. I won’t buy everything because I love to shop when everything’s decorated and feeling festive, especially on Wassail Weekend here in Woodstock, Vermont.

For shoppers early and late, a fun gift for audio lovers (yourself included!) would be Christmas at Carriage Hill, a Swift River Valley romance novella. I’m delighted that it’s now available in audio. Reader-favorite Sus… Read More

A recipe for hot chocolate

When we were growing up in small-town New England, my six brothers and sisters and I would spend hours sledding on the hills behind our 18th-century house (a work-in-progress!). We’d come in pink-cheeked, usually with snow in our boots and cold, and inevitably our mother had a big pot of hot chocolate simmering on the wood stove. What a way to warm up!

I’ve made lots of hot chocolate since then, for adults as well as children. I’ve used mixes but prefer to make it from scratch. Since my father was Dutch, I’ve tended to use Droste cocoa. King Arthur Baking Company, its head… Read More

BOOK NEWS: First in two series now on sale

Do you like to read a series in order? I don’t always start a series at the beginning, but once I’m into the characters and their stories, I love going back and reading the books in order, especially starting with the first one. Now the first books in my Sharpe & Donovan suspense series and my Swift River Valley contemporary romance series are on sale for just $1.99.

Saint’s Gate

Two people, isolated by their pasts. An obsessive killer who will force them together. Welcome to the Sharpe & Donovan Series!

Secrets of the Lost Summer

Beneath the surface lie the greatest tr… Read More

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