Can you believe that the holiday season is in full swing? Halloween 2024 is in the history books, and now Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up fast. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. We all have a different “thankful bucket list” for what we are thankful for, and mine is basically the same every year, but this year I’ve added a few things—especially since I recently had a birthday and realized that there are more years behind me than in front of me.

So, with that in mind, here goes:

I’m thankful for all the years I had with Mr. B. It’s hard to believe that he’s been gone nearly a year. We had such a good life together, and so many memories that keep his spirit with me through the days.

I’m thankful for my family who have kept me sane this past year. Without them I’m not sure I would have survived each day—no, each hour.

I’m thankful for my health and prize each moment that I can say that.

I’m thankful for our family gatherings for the holidays. I have three children, fifteen grandchildren and twenty-seven great grands. Some of the grands we got with a marriage license instead of a birth certificate. The way I figure is that marriage licenses and birth certificates are all just paper. In my heart every one of them—even the ornery ones—is mine. Like a mama bear or a Nene bear in my case, I would fight for any of them because they belong to me.

I’m thankful for my readers and for the support and love they shower upon me. They are truly the wind beneath my writing wings and keep me in my office chair many hours of every day.
I’m thankful for each member of my publication teams that help with edits, covers and all that goes into a turning an idea into a book.

Most of all, I’m thankful for my faith in God. Without that, I wouldn’t have the strength to get through each day.

So, looking back over the year, what have you got to be thankful for? We are having a Month of Thankfulness on my social media pages starting November 4. Check out any of the following to join us for the month, have fun and win prizes.

Author’s Page: bit.ly/3m2TQxz
My Sassy Babe’s Group: bit.ly/3RphOnr
Or Instagram: bit.ly/3x1Cjy7

Until next time,

I read somewhere that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. I believe that time works the same way. Here it is the middle of April, and it seems like only yesterday that we brought 2024 into the picture.

Maybe the passage of time so quickly is in direct correlation to how busy a person is. Seems to be that way for me. I’ve finished two novels since the first of the year and am working on the first historical that I’ve written in many years. A prequel to Trouble in Paradise that covers two of the shady lady’s lives when the old brothel in Spanish Fort, Texas closed its doors for good. It’s an exciting project, and I’m glad Montlake will be publishing it, possibly sometime in 2025.

The kids and I took a research trip on the first of this month. And OMGoodness, what a trip it was. We packed so much into that five-day road trip. We went from southern Oklahoma to the Guymon, which is located in the panhandle. From there we traveled down to the northern part of the Texas panhandle so I could get the lay of the land for a cowboy series I plan to write sometime this year. The wind was blowing so hard that tumbleweeds were literally flying over barbed wire fences and chasing each other across the road. Fifty-mile winds kicked up a dust storm and at times we could scarcely see the next yellow line on the highway.

We went to a lovely museum in Spearman, Texas, where the cowboy series will be set, then traveled on down to Amarillo and Abilene, where I plan to set another contemporary. From there we were off to Palestine where the historical book I’m writing now is set. We made a quick stop in Hico, Texas to check out that town for a contemporary and saw the eclipse while we were there. On the way home from Palestine, we experienced hard, driving rain, and flood warning signs. So, all in all, I have lots of fodder for this years’ writing. Now, my office chair is calling my name to get all the stories written for my amazing and loyal readers.

My son, Charles Lemar Brown, and I will be signing books in Ardmore, Oklahoma on April 27. Then we’ll both be attending the Wild Deadwood Reads event in Deadwood, South Dakota, in June, and will be signing on Saturday, June 15. Follow my Facebook page for locations and times. Hope to see some of y’all there!

On a personal level, we got a brand-new great-grandson on April 3. His name is Theo Lemar Brown, and of course we all think he’s just the cutest little feller ever.

Once again, thank you to all my readers for your support and the love you show me!

Until next time,

I saw a robin this morning just sitting there on my back fence. I hope that he was bring the message that spring will be here soon. It’s hard to believe that January is now gone and we’re thinking about Valentine’s Day.

I’ve been looking back over 2023 and all the wonderful memories that we made. That will be the year that goes down as the best and worst of years. On a personal level, we had three book signings in which Mr. B, our son, Lemar, and I were so privileged to share.



We went to the last Book Lover’s Con in Houston as a family, came home for one day and ran the washing machine nonstop, and then were off to Cincinnati for Lori Fosters event, RAGT, where we won first place in the costume contest as Okie Rednecks.

A few weeks later, sixteen of the family went on an Alaskan Cruise. Then in October we road tripped again to Utah where I was the keynote speaker at the Utah Reader’s luncheon.



We made so many amazing memories that we will hang onto for the rest of our lives. Because on December 8 we lost Mr. B. He was my husband, the father of our three children and my best friend for 57 years. So, 2023 was really the best of years and the worst of years all rolled into one.

On a professional level, it was a very good year. Eight works of fiction and an audible original all hit the market. And Meadow Falls brought in the new year when it came out on January 9 and is Amazon’s #1 bestselling book in Sister’s Fiction at the time of this newsletter.


Here’s raising a glass to a wonderful year in 2024 for us all.


Until next time,