A warm welcome goes out to all the new Readers' Club members who joined through BookSweeps! I'm glad you signed up. 

In my newsletters, you'll find a mix of farm news, book reviews, novel excerpts, writing tidbits, and other exclusive content. I hope you find something that resonates with you.

And to my long-time subscribers, a big thank you for your continued support and friendship. I really enjoy hearing from you and do my best to reply personally to your messages.

Sadie (our Maremma Sheepdog - a type of livestock guardian dog) must've sensed something outside last night because her barking was quite persistent disturbing everyone's sleep.

Our usual deer visitors seem to be hunkered down while hunting season is in full swing. I'm sure they'll be happy when it's over.

We've also been getting regular visits from a sharp-shinned hawk who enjoys perching in the branches of our dogwood tree.

The goats weren't too wild about the wet weather this week, so they've been spending an inordinate amount of time in the barn making a mess for Farmer Joe to clean up. We're expecting snow tomorrow, but little to no accumulation, so it looks like the wet weather will continue.

Most of you probably have Holly's Noel downloaded on your devices since you get a complementary copy of it alongside Shadowing Stella when you join my newsletter. But how many of you have actually read it, I wonder? 

I, personally, have a tendency to download books I don't have time to read. My TBR pile of purchased books is so long that I feel guilty when I read a free book instead of one I paid money for. I know it's kind of crazy, but it is what it is. 

So, with that in mind, I'm sharing excerpt from Holly's Noel. It's a romantic comedy with a serious side. I had a lot of fun writing it. Maybe one day, I'll write more lighthearted books like this one. But, at this point, my focus remains on romantic suspense. And in that vein, you can look forward to Grave Consequences coming out in April 2024. It's available to preorder.

couldn’t be more perfect. Holly finished up the dishes from her baking, wiped them dry and stacked them back in the cabinet. Noel would arrive any moment and the smell of fresh baked cookies would greet her.

The doorbell rang. Holly hurried to the door to meet her tenant.

“May I help you?” she asked the scruffy-looking man staring down at her. He moved closer filling the doorway. Spicy cologne assaulted her senses, so she took a step back.

“I’m Noel. Are you Holly?” He scratched at day-old stubble.

“Wait. What? You can’t be. I was expecting Noel, like Christmas, not a null, like null and void.”

“No. It’s not like ‘null,’ Noel rhymes with coal, but it is spelled n-o-e-l.”

Joe and I went to Benton's Winter Fest on Saturday and enjoyed seeing the local crafts and visiting the antique shops. I'd like to find an old typewriter to set up in my office and while we came across three of them, none of them seemed like the right one, so I'll keep looking.

My new Kindle Scribe came, so I can take handwritten notes on it and turn them into typing. I expect this will be a great tool for plotting and brainstorming.

captivating, making the reader feel engrossed in the world Basham has crafted. While there were no huge twists or surprises in the plot, I loved watching the hero and heroine figure things out for themselves.

This book would be an excellent choice for a cozy reading session any time of the year.

God in the midst of her sin. 

Sadly, many of us make the same mistake by waiting to clean up our act rather than approaching God in our broken state and allowing Him to cleanse us, we avoid Him when we need Him most. It is by humbling ourselves and admitting that we need Him, that we can experience God's mercy and His abundant grace.