Dear Friends,

Did you miss me?

I know it’s been a while since I’ve sent this newsletter. To be honest, I’ve been taking some time off from writing & publishing. I’ve been doing this for a long time, life can be hard, and sometimes you need to take a break, breathe, recharge. In particular, I’ve neglected this newsletter because—again, to be honest—I was unsure anyone wanted to read it anymore.

But here I am again, and I’m asking for your help. Specifically—what kind of content do you enjoy in an author newsletter? How frequently do you want to get one? It can be years between books for most authors, and while we want to stay in touch with our readers, we do kind of run out of things to say. Both here, and on social media. I mean, how many pictures of my cats do people really want to see??

But it’s more important than ever, these crazy days in publishing, to stay in touch, and to be able to reach our readers ourselves. So I’m going to give it the old college try and resurrect this thing—but again, with your input. I really would appreciate it!

What have I been up to these past several months? Well, not a whole lot! Mainly taking long walks—this has been the Winter that Wasn’t in Chicago. Which I hate! I love snow and cold! But at least I’ve been able to be outside more often, in warm weather, so that’s a good thing.

So I walk a lot along Lake Michigan, the Lakefront trail, which is just across the busy Lake Shore Drive from our condo. I’ve watched a lot of British television, for some reason! All Creatures Great and Small, The Durrells in Corfu, Funny Lady. I’ve read nonfiction, mostly; I’m reading Margot at War by Anne De Courcy right now, about Margot Asquith, the wife of the British PM during WWI. And Bogie and Bacall by William J. Mann, which was good—I love everything old Hollywood!

We’re getting ready to leave for a vacation in sunny Scottsdale, AZ, where my youngest son lives. We’ll get to see a couple of Cubs spring training games! And you know I love my Cubs.

And—finally—a little surprise. I have a new short story available on Amazon called TUNE IN TOMORROW! It’s part of a collection of short stories by amazing female authors like Maggie Shipstead, Marie Benedict, Sadeqa Johnson & more. You can purchase the collection or the individual stories here.

Please do email me with any suggestions you might have regarding this newsletter! And stay tuned for more soon!

Love,

Melanie

Read about my books!

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