Our darling granddaughter, Daisy, graduates from high school this week. I’m so proud of her and delighted to celebrate her awards and accomplishments. We’re excited to see what happens in the next chapter of her life, which begins this fall at Merced College.

I’m also happy to acknowledge and cheer the milestones of two great-nieces, Maddie and Parker Knutson, who just graduated from UC Santa Barbara. 

We were fortunate to have these two sisters as neighbors for much of their childhood. So, it seems fitting that I share this adorable pic of Maddie and Daisy. I totally teared up when I spotted it on Facebook.

We have other extended family grads in Idaho (Alyssa) and Missouri (Manon) and wish them all the best!

(Photo credit Madison Arnold)

Daisy also has a birthday milestone (#18) coming up and one recent gift is named Nellie.😉

She’s a Queensland Heeler puppy and she has stolen all of our hearts. (Same breed as our late, beloved Jessie.)

She sleeps a lot, but Daisy is making sure she gets socialized, too. Below, she’s enjoying her first Starbuck’s Pup Cup.

Here’s a video that might make you smile. I was puppy-sitting for Daisy when Kelly’s Boston dropped by for a visit. Naturally, Brea wasn’t amused to see the puppy on her blanket at Grandma’s house. But not giving an inch meant warding off the needle-sharp teeth of baby Nellie. Brea’s restraint and patience were sorely taxed.😉

Book News!!!

I finally have the TITLE and tagline for my next romance series: 

SECONDHAND HEARTS—Your head says, “So not gonna happen;”
but your heart says, “If not now, when?”

Here’s a mockup of a future bookmark. 

I’ll have more information to share in coming newsletters—my newsletter readers will always be the first to know: titles, covers, blurbs, and release dates. Right now, I’m shooting for consecutive releases in early September, October, and November…with future stories coming in 2026.

Pre-orders should be available by my next newsletter. Eventually, I will have a few review copies for anyone interested. (I apologize profusely to everyone who was part of my original “street team.” Between the Covid pandemic and Paul’s knee surgeries and subsequent retirement, my writing got shoved to the back burner with the heat turned off.😉 But I’m determined to re-learn how to make a successful book launch. I love these stories and I think/hope you will, too.

Happy reading,
Deb