Didn’t see this one coming, but I am NOT going to complain…
Legacy was my best-selling book over the weekend!

I moderated a panel at my local library over the weekend and while it wasn’t an event designed to sell books, and while most people in the audience thanked us and then left, a couple of us had sales. And I was lucky enough to encounter readers who needed the latest installment of the Tales from the Sheep Farm. Thanks, friends!

Writing: Over the weekend, the standalone got the most attention. I’m having to do more than tweaks but less than significant rewrites, but that’s why I delayed the release; I’d originally been hoping to have this book ready to put in readers’ hands at Books Books Books in September, but some books can’t be rushed. Either this one or the next Tale from the Sheep Farm will be out in April 2026. You read this here first.

Oh! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter! April is my birthday month, and that always means goodies for my newsletter subscribers!

Editing: Nothing to say. I’m still waiting on clients to send their manuscripts. This is the downside to telling authors to Send When Ready!

Book of the Day: Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

End of the month reminder if you use Hoopla or Libby! If you haven’t maxed out your borrows, check out an indie author’s book! Mine or someone else’s… it doesn’t matter. The point is to use your library to help give them circulation numbers, to expose yourself to something new and wonderful, and the reason you want an indie author’s book is because many of us get paid for each check-out. Everyone wins.

And, of course, if you’re jamming on the Book of the Day and these short updates and would like to say thanks but don’t need a book to read (WHAT???), my ko-fi remains open so you can buy me a (figurative) bottle of fountain pen ink. I’ll actually use it for operational expenses around here, in interests of full transparency. But also? I use my fountain pens (I’m up to 11) when I edit, so that ink is an operational expense!

I’m looking at my media files and WOW there’s a lot. I could add extra books of the day, just by recycling those old book covers. And that’s only the books I’m confident fit the criteria!

As I’m writing this, in advance, there’s nothing on my calendar. I might be settling in for a day of writing, but I’m definitely doing my accounting, since we sold books yesterday at the end of the panel discussion. Not gonna lie, I always wish I’d sold more, convinced more readers to give my books a try. Hopefully more will take advantage of Hoopla and Libby and do just that!

On to the catch-up list of Books of the Day!

Ali Hazelwood, Love, Theoretically

AJ Sass, Ana on the Edge

Walter Dean Myers, Street Love

Regina Sage, Ocean’s Embrace

Mariah Ankenman, Perfect Imperfections

There you go! There’s the next five!

Go forth and read! Remember that libraries are treasures that need to be used in order to keep their luster. There’s zero shame in not buying books and borrowing them instead — in fact, it’s good for you, it’s good for your library’s circulation numbers, and it’s good for your community.

It’s March 29, Saturday, and although I’m scheduling this post in advance, I can tell you that I’m at Northland Library, in the Pittsburgh area, today to moderate a panel with a bunch of writers. Our topic is Talking Flirty, and I’m leading the group through a discussion about how what we write — genre and category, both — affects the sexytimes we put in our books.

Now, to catch up on more Books of the Day from the past…

CK Chau, Good Fortune

Millie Belizaire, Black Girls are not Allowed to Kill Themselves

KJ Charles, An Unsuitable Heir

Grace Draven, Phoenix Unbound

Jessica Love, Julian is a Mermaid

Interesting list, huh? What I’m up to should be coming clearer… If not, holler and I’ll tell ya!

I got a call to restock copies of Maybe the Bird Will Rise at Blythe Books, the Pittsburgh-based used bookstore that also champions local authors.

I shouldn’t be so surprised. I wrote a really good book. One thing I’ve noticed at in-person events is the way the right readers gravitate toward my covers. It’s cool to watch.

In a way, it’s cooler to get restock messages. And one day, I will be in the store when someone gravitates toward the book and decides to buy it without talking to me about it first!

Editing: Still waiting on five edits. Five!
But at least this gives me the time today to run out to Blythe Books for the restock. Pittsburgh book lovers! Might I be leaving other titles too?

Writing: I got a lot done yesterday on the standalone. The storyline has changed subtly, so I’ve got to deal with that.
I’ve also been working on another typo check of Safe House, along with a reader’s group guide. Look for those when I can afford a website refresh. Another reason I hate waiting on manuscripts!

Book of the Day:
I know this is what you come here for, so here it is!
Darius the Great is Not Okay, by Adib Khorram

Having fun with the Book of the Day? Buy me a bottle of fountain pen ink!

I don’t know why, but Thursday is the hardest day of my week. I’m always draggy and content to eat leftovers from the freezer rather than cook.

Same for you? Let me know!

Writing: Before dinner, I worked on the short piece I’ve mentioned. It’ll be for sale in my online Payhip store ONLY once it’s done and ready. After dinner, I kept working on the standalone. I’m really pleased with it and how it’s coming together. It’s a complex story, with growth for both main characters, although very very differently.

Editing: STILL between edits. I’m climbing walls. I’m an editor, and I’m waiting on at least four manuscripts. But I want my clients to send their manuscripts when they are ready, not on some artificial schedule that they’ve rushed to meet. So it’s usually overindulge or famine over here.

Book of the Day: Nainai’s Mountain by Livia Blackburne and Joey Chou

Want to say thanks for this? Show some support? Buy my books or a bottle of fountain pen ink!

I truly hate being between edits. Y’all can fix that, I’m sure.

Writing: I had a meeting last night at the temple, so I only got a bit of writing in, but I worked on a short piece that’ll be available only at my direct store.

Book of the Day: Pardon my Frenchie by Farrah Rochon

That’s it! No real plans for the day — I need a good tea ball and some ice trays, so if you have recs, I’m all ears! — and am hoping for some serious writing today/tonight.

Last December — because construction takes twice as long as they promise it will — I started a massive construction project on my house. New siding, new roof, new deck. No pictures for privacy’s sake.

Today’s the second scheduled day of punch list items. The end is in sight!

By the way, they’d promised me 11 weeks, and last time I worked with this contractor, they’d come in ahead of schedule, so I’m not stressed about the delays. They’ve all been justified and I’ve been very taken care of.

Writing: I developed a horrific migraine around noon, so no writing happened. That’s not common.

Editing: I’m still between edits, gosh darn it. Whenever the economy slows and book sales tank, authors stop using editors — and sometimes stop writing entirely because they need that income.
I promise you, authors, you’ll be glad you coughed up the cost for an edit, and not just because you’re helping support someone else’s small business.

And since I know this is actually what you’re here for…
Book of the Day:
We Could be So Good, by Cat Sebastian

Like what you see? Instead of a subscription Patreon, just buy me a bottle of fountain pen ink.

WHAT a weekend event!

It was the first ever adult book fair at Lolev Brewery, brought to us by Eeeek Creative and what an awesome time. I hit a few milestones: I sold out of a title! (I’d only had three, so maybe this doesn’t count?)
It was my highest earning show, but the second-highest number of books sold. (That’s because I’m selling the Trevolution books cheap… be sure you get yours before they are gone! No more print copies!)

Planning a book fair? I work with a group of authors and am glad to connect you not only to myself, but to the group as well.

Writing:
I’m working on a couple different manuscripts right now, just kind of skipping from one to the next as I’m inspired. I need to pull up a short story I’d written and get it ready to be my 2026 newsletter magnet. (If you’re not on my author newsletter, why not? You get a free story that’s only available via my newsletter, and only for one calendar year.)

Editing:
I’m writing this Sunday afternoon and still waiting for manuscripts to land in my inbox. So I’m working on my To Do list instead.

Book of the Day:
Their Just Desserts by Alechia Dow and Tracy Badua

Having fun with this new series of posts? Instead of a Patreon or subscription, I invite you to buy me a bottle of ink.

I feel like I should be making notes about editing (I take weekends off) and writing (I’m probably doing some), but at the same time, I’m scheduling these out so I have no idea what I’m up to. Something writerly!

Here’s five more past Books of the Day for you:
CJ Sansom, Sovereign

Raquel V. Reyes, Mambo, Mayhem, and Murder

Marisa J. Taylor, Shari Last (Editor), Fernanda Monteiro (Illustrator), DIVERSITY to Me

Jennifer L Armentrout, From Blood and Ash

Robin Feiner and Beck Feiner, Clyde the Greyhound

The general intent is to take weekends off, since I like to sleep in on Saturdays, if I’m not at a book event, and just have down time on the weekends.
Speaking of book events! I’m at Lolev Brewery here in Pittsburgh today for an Adult Book Fair. Making new fans, networking with other authors, hanging out, and checking out the beer and other crafters. Gonna be a good time.

But I want to catch up on the Book of the Day that I’ve been posting up to now, since these books deserve more attention. So I’ll be listing them, oldest to newest, a few each weekend until we’re caught up. Check them out!

Jaye Wells, Dirty Magic

Susan Helene Gottfried (hey, that’s me!), ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes (Year 1)

Beverly Jenkins, To Catch a Raven

Charnelle Pinkney Barlow and Jodie Patterson, Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope

Poncho Bosque, Chronicles of Heroes

Let me know if you can figure out what all these books have in common, and if you have suggestions for future Books of the Day!

I’m trying to think of why we moved away from blogging and over to content sites like Substack and Medium and every other site that’s come before and will come after. And for me, I think it’s the STUFF that goes with it.

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Like everything else, we’ve enshittified blogging, this time in the name of visibility and making ourselves into influencers.

I’m over it. Because the kind of influencer that I want to be is the kind who influences through her books.

So I’m playing with this new idea. Just simple blog posts, usually daily. (I’m, as Brian Goulet says, unreliably committing to this idea, but I also think it’s worthwhile.) The book of the day, cross-posted from the West of Mars Fans page at FB, because I want to own my own content. A word about editing, a word about writing.

Kind of a daily journal, but… maybe not.

I don’t know. We’ll see how this goes.

So…

Today’s Book of the Day:
The Princess Protection Program by Alex London

Editing: I’m between edits and of course immediately bored. I’m waiting on four different manuscripts right now, so if you need me, better get in touch FAST, since I work first in-first out.
Writing: Cut 4k out of the standalone last night. (What? You haven’t heard I’m working on a standalone? Well, I am.) Still not sure if I can center it fully enough on the couple to make it a romance and not a love story.

And that’s it. Sunny but cold today, here at West of Mars.

Have a good one, and if you’ve got a Book of the Day for me, let me hear it.

Long story short, I was hanging out with a bunch of book fans — romance fans, in fact — yesterday and the subject of working-class people in books came up.

The person talking about how great it is to see working-class heroes who are also billionaires was super eloquent. She cut through my privilege with a well-sharpened sword, talking about how what makes these books so attractive is the idea that billionaire-level privilege will allow working-class people to never have to worry about being taken care of, financially, again.

And I get that. I do. It’s a lovely goal, one every single one of us should live as our personal truth. To be taking care of financially. Hard stop on that idea. Every single one of us deserves that. (Well, except for the fascists, of course. They can spend time experiencing what too many of us do.)

But I’m also going to argue that if you’re a billionaire, you’re not a working-class person. You’re a billionaire with a working-class job. And that  is something entirely different.

So once again — back to the point I’d made that she was responding to — we tend to not see true working-class heroes in the pages of romance. TRUE working-class heroes. People who are struggling to pay their bills and take care of themselves, their families, their friends, their communities. We don’t romanticize the people who get up in the morning and put on work clothes and do the hard labor.

And I argue that we should.

These people populate the world of my current fiction project, Tales from the Sheep Farm.

And I’m glad I made that choice.

The past two months — with another on the schedule yet — I’ve been having massive work done on my house. I can talk about the racial makeup of the various crews who’ve worked on the different parts, about how each group has been very different from the last, and more, but the one thing that has struck me, as Freya Cat and I have watched from inside the house as the exterior has been taken down to the studs and rebuilt (fun times in winter, let me tell you!), the one thing that has struck me through this all is how incredibly skilled these various men have been.

Even on the days when members of one crew are teaching members of another, or when the original demolition crew showed up and had never done this type of work before, so they took the time to figure it out and learn, what they were doing used skills I couldn’t even imagine.

There’s real craftsmanship in what they do. Yes, even the demolition! They’ve had to work around my existing landscaping, on a house built into a hillside, without doing damage to what’s underneath or to each other or to larger parts of my property.

And yet… that’s still not represented much in fiction. Oh, you’ll see it in literary fiction. I’ve seen it pretty often in mysteries (Liz Milliron‘s books are phenomenal for that), too.

But romance?

Nope.

I love the genre. I do. So c’mon romance friends. Enough of the billionaires with working class jobs. Let’s see working class people with honor and dignity.

I don’t write romance, either. But I see working class people, even though I’m not one of you. But I do respect you and I am in awe of your skills and your various expertise, and I’m well aware of how vital you are to a healthy economy and a healthy society.

Pick up some of the Tales from the Sheep Farm books and see what I mean. I’m striving to give honor and dignity to all of my characters, including those we’re set up to not initially like. (Oh, wait until you get your hands on Legacy… talk about a billionaire fall from grace!)

If you’d like to go right to the buy links, here you go: http://Books2Read.com/Susan-Helene-Gottfried

People are treasures too.

A client reached out to me a week or so ago. They are disabled, and they were reading a book in which the main character becomes disabled and then, this:

Thing that gets me: When the character can handle seemingly anything and can heal so quick.

The problem wasn’t suspension of disbelief but how that made them feel: diminished, incapable, weak by comparison.

And know what? My client wasn’t wrong. In fact, they had a very very valid point–which is why I’m writing about it today.

Here’s what I said to my client:

The problem here is the plot. It needs an able-bodied heroine instead if it being a plot built around the hero’s disabilities.

I almost heard the aha despite the miles between us.

This is something I think many of us — writers, editors, readers, and more — take for granted. That unless we live with a disability, we don’t know how hard it is. And maybe there’s a bit of naive hope and expectation that we’ll just… magically heal and stop being hurt or injured or… disabled.

(I ran into this attitude a lot after my bike injury, and certainly when each of my kids severed toxic relationships with their dad. “Oh, maybe one day they’ll reconcile.”)

I get it. It’s awkward and uncomfortable when the people we’re talking about — be them your friend’s kids (or the kids of an acquaintance) or a character in a book — aren’t at their best. Look at how much that message of being the best is wrapped into fiction (books, TV, and movies). Think about how the Chosen One is an entire plot line of its own, and how it is always always always a misfit who finds belonging by becoming The Chosen One. How they rise above and become the, if not perfect then able-bodied, savior.

We don’t want to see our characters struggle with something simple like their health. We want them to be perfect, the sort of hero/heroine/savior we would be in their place. We need them to be capable of everything that gets thrown at them… even when that “everything” is something only an able-bodied character can face.

So if you’re going to write a disabled character — or maybe more to the point with my client’s book, if you’re going to disable your character as part of the story — make sure that the plot adapts for their disability. Whatever that looks like.

Your disabled character deserves their happy ending and their love interest and their triumph, too. It just may not look like the triumph of an able-bodied person. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s great because it treats the disability as a disability and not a quick plot twist.

Authors, editors, this invites you to push yourself and your creativity. Find new ways for the hero/main character to triumph. Work with the character’s disability, be it existing before the book opens or something that happens along the way. Adapt the plot so the character doesn’t magically heal in ways that leave other disabled readers longing for the same thing to happen in their lives.

For many of us, there won’t be a magic bullet to restore our health. We can’t magically regrow limbs, we can’t have our eyesight restored, our pancreas doesn’t magically begin helping digest food, our blood pressure doesn’t mysteriously doing things that leave us suddenly unconscious, we aren’t bedridden for days with migraines.

If you’re going to put disabilities into your plots, be sure you’re going to alter the plot to make space for your character’s limitations.

Don’t write an able-bodied plot for a disabled character. Don’t magically heal them; it’s not the kind gesture you think it is when your reader would love nothing more than for that to happen to them, but then reality smacks them in the face.

Disabilities are important to show in fiction, of course. Which is why it’s also important to not magically heal the disability. Instead, change the plot.

You just might get a better book for it.

I’m in the middle of a huge house renovation. And I mean huge… new exterior, new roof, new deck, new skylights. It’s amazingly and heartbreakingly expensive, but it’s gotta get done.

So that got me thinking about houses and homes and what makes a great big box with a bunch of divider walls into first a house, and then a home. How weird is it to have our own bedrooms, our own home offices–and this, of course, gets me thinking about my (many) fantasy clients and how ubiquitous houses and bedrooms are. How privacy matters, no matter what the society… or does it? What sort of shared values across the current-day earth are we transporting into our fiction? How about expectations of the way we live? Fancy fireplaces and columns holding up the roof over our front entry, what kind of flooring we have in our kitchens, our bathrooms, our bedrooms…

These are the things I think about when I’m not editing. (It’s a darn good argument for keeping me busy, no?)

…and then LA caught on fire. And LA burned. And people lost homes they’ve lived in for generations. Generations!

That took on a new resonance. There’s a mention in Legacy, Tales from the Sheep Farm Book Five, that people who live in the historically working class neighborhood of Woolslayer pass their homes down through the generations and the stuff that accumulates through the decades and lifetimes, stuff that needs to be cleared out, but… yeah. Knowing that people (maybe even you) actually do live this way gives me a new perspective in the face of such loss.

What is it that defines how we live? Is it our sports memorabilia? Our couches, our various tables and desks, our good china? Is it the neighborhood, the size of the house, the approval of our neighbors, the landscaping, the length of your lawn?

Or is it something that transcends a physical structure? Is our home the people we let into our lives, the people we can trust and turn to for good and bad? Is it a feeling of belonging and nothing more? Is “home” our values and the way we live our lives and approach each day? Is it the memories we build in a place?

There’s even a cliche that goes “Home is where the heart is” — but try telling that to the people in LA who have lost their homes — and a piece of their hearts along with it. That argues pretty convincingly for memories and human connection and the feeling of safety and belonging, but is that all it is? I mean… it gets back to the fact that a house is nothing more than a box with a bunch of interior dividers.

What about the community? The people in LA and the people in West North Carolina (Hey, I still see you, friends! I haven’t forgotten you) would argue that’s absolutely part of what defines home. It explains why they are going to rebuild, why they may do it even without the financial assistance of an insurance industry that’s unable to keep up with the destruction of the planet, either through funding or through policy. “This is our home,” they say, and they don’t mean only the house.

What is the essence that defines home?

There are no right answers or wrong answers. I’m sure a sociologist or anthropologist or even an archeologist has tackled some of this, and of course I’d love to chat with someone who has and get their perspectives.

Just something to think about in your own fiction.

And if you’re so inclined to donate, reminder that the story I wrote for the Western North Carolina anthology is still available to you for a donation. $10 for each volume and $50 for the omnibus. My story, “In Search of Culinary Excellence” is in the Contemporary Fiction and LGBTQ volumes, because it features everyone’s favorite executive assistant, Taylor Alexander. And Sima Shaikovsky. Don’t forget her.

Don’t forget the people of LA and WNC, either. Or the others… people who’ve lost their homes and are struggling to live without permanent and safe housing.

I’m always glad to contribute to a charity anthology, to an auction, to whatever… just reach out. I’m always glad to help.

In the meantime, if you’ve got thoughts about home and what that word means, I’d love to hear them.

Oh, sure. You met Vassily in Populated. And… he was more than a bit of an ass.

So I had to play with him and find out why. After all, so many of my early (and post-release) readers have told me how much they like Meter and that he’s their new book boyfriend, so what’s such an awesome, nerdy dude doing with a brother like Vass?

And then wow, did he steal the show. He must have, because again, early word from my readers is that this book, Saving Sima, is the best of the Tales from the Sheep Farm. So far, anyway.

And now, you can reserve your copy of Saving Sima. It’ll be released on June 18, and of course preorders are only 99c.

Here’s what the story’s actually about:

This fourth installment in the Tales from the Sheep Farm series continues the story of Delia Ford and Meter Shaikovsky. Sort of. You should probably read Populated before this one.

The six Shaikovsky kids made a pact when they were young: If any of them used the code words, the others would come to the rescue, no questions asked.

Vassily, the second eldest, has always felt invisible, the family jerk and foil to his responsible older brother Dimitry, his fiery sister Anna, and the adorable, mischievous triplets. But when Sima calls for a rescue, it’s Vassily who big brother Meter turns to for backup.

The two brothers make an all-night drive to rescue Sima and bring her home, but their problems are only beginning. Sima is a physical and emotional wreck and, inexplicably, chooses Vass, not Meter, as her safe person. And when Vassily loses his home, he and Sima move into Meter and Delia’s small condo as he tries to regroup and figure out what his next move is.

As the four of them navigate the tight quarters and the demands of their close-knit family, and as the housing situation begins to resolve itself, Vassily comes to realize that maybe there’s a better role for him in the family after all.

Sima’s traumas may be triggering to those who’ve been in situations of physical abuse. While most remains off the page, the emotional and mental wounds and scars remain. Readers, take care of yourself if this will be upsetting to you.

So yeah, there’s a lot of Delia, Meter, and Sima in this book, too, but it’s all about Vassily. Don’t worry; Sima gets her own story later on, too.

Reserve your copy now. If you’re looking to reserve a print copy, those aren’t quite up for preorder yet, but keep checking back. They’ll be up before June 18. Sorry, but I can only discount them if you buy them directly from me, and yes, I will have copies as soon as I can!

Reminder that authors these days live and die by reviews… or lack of them. If you’ve read any of my books, I’d love it if you’d leave an online review for them, and I’ve made it easy for you to get review copies. You can ask me directly for one, or join my campaign(s) at BookSprout.

While 4 and 5-star reviews make the algorithms happy, your opinion matters and I’m not going to ask you to lie, to withhold your thoughts, or otherwise compromise yourself. In other words, if you want to one-star it, go ahead. I value you and your opinion; remember that people are treasures too.

Cover for Populated, written by Susan Helene Gottfried

What? More about Populated??? AGAIN????

Well, first of all, this might be my favorite book of the three published so far. MIGHT BE. I’m not going to swear one way or the other. Maybe the Bird Will Rise and Safe House hold huge chunks of my heart, as well. Don’t miss either one.

Secondly, read on and you’ll see why it’s our feature picture of the day.

You see, when I decided to return to publishing, my thought wasn’t far off from what it had been when I started with the Trevolution books: I’d put them out and not think too much about it.

Except in the decade since I put the Trevolution books out, publishing got expensive, yo. And at the same time, it also got a hell of a lot more fun, although maybe that’s just because I’m in a better mental place.

It’s also allowed me to meet a lot of neat people, and to develop friendships. It’s been a gift (again, my life is a lot like Delia Ford’s, so grab Populated and you can see what I mean. Reach out directly if you want an autographed print copy.)

When I got an email from my friend Mary Walsh that she was going to be in town, turning the Other Shadyside Arts Festival into a book show with fine art, I told her I’d go hang with her for a few hours. Somehow, that turned into “Hey, meet me at seven and we’ll set up” and then that turned into “Hey, clear off a corner of the table and throw your books on it.”

Let me tell you, it was a ton of fun to learn about Mary’s books and handsell them to people we (usually me; I can extrovert pretty well, but it does take a toll) enticed to come under Mary’s tent. It was fun to people watch in a neighborhood I used to hang out in and drop a ton of money in, almost always on clothing. (Sigh. I miss those days, I say as I look down at my sweatshirt and joggers. Or maybe not; I’m comfy.)

Now, one thing among the authors on the book show circuit that I’ve noticed is that we tend to talk about the success of the day based on whether or not we earn out our table fees. And for this show, the fees were STEEP.

It took work. Not gonna lie.

But we did it! We earned back Mary’s table fee! And let me tell you, I’m a fan of her books, not just her, now. She’s got a unique vision and puts in the hard work to bring her fictional visions to life. I know a bunch of my friends would love her books.

So… what’s this got to do with Populated?

Well, see up above, where I say that on Sunday, Mary encouraged me to set up the three Sheep Farm books? Populated was the day’s hit and top seller. I shouldn’t have been surprised. People really respond to, “When someone breaks into the Woolslayer Gallery and steals ALL and ONLY the art by street photographer Delia Ford…” A lot of times, that’s all it takes.

I’m thrilled. I’m over the moon, really. As you know, I’m so proud of this project and these books. I believe in the message I’m putting out into the world with them — People are treasures too.

So grab some books.

And if you’re in the Pittsburgh area, keep an eye out for me. I’m hoping to pop up in odd places with an impromptu book show, with authors and books and books and books. You’re going to want to keep an eye out for me.

Cover for Populated, written by Susan Helene Gottfried

No, this isn’t a post about Populated. I mean, well, it is. But it’s not.

A couple of years ago, a group of ten women met at one of our houses, intending to start a cookbook club. We were masked, we were mostly strangers to each other. I was new enough to our parent organization to think this would be a good way to meet people. And food was involved. How could it go wrong?

Well, sometimes the recipes we cook go sideways.

And sometimes, life works out in a way that would make Delia Ford, whose story is told in Populated, proud.

A year ago, the woman who’d organized us and opened her house to us for that first meeting — and many times thereafter — found a cookbook author who was new to most of us. And so we did what we usually do: we each picked a recipe and made it.

But then, our fearless (and highly creative) leader discovered more in the cookbook that made it unique. And much fun was had. As we always do, we came together at a dining room table, over food.

And THEN, our leader said, “Why don’t we host the author for a weekend?”

Yesterday was the culmination of a year’s plans.

It was a lot of work for the seven of us, but when I was sitting with author Jennifer Abadi and handling the in-person cookbook sales for her, I asked her how it felt. I’d noticed her taking pictures of all the tables, but hadn’t thought too much about it.

“You brought my book to life!” she told me in a hushed, exultant, wondering voice that was so full of emotion that I didn’t just get it, I thought this is something Delia Ford would do.

And that made me even prouder. That wasn’t something we’d set out to do, per se. We’d wanted to showcase some of the recipes Jennifer has archived, from countries around the world. We’d wanted to make it fun, so we’d mined the interviews she’d included. And we’d wanted to have some fun.

But we gave Jennifer a gift, a greater gift than I think any of us had expected.

Like Delia in her book (although, series spoiler: we do see her again in future books), I woke up Sunday morning and realized many things about the women in my cookbook club — and many of the women not in the club but who I’ve gotten to know over the years.

Like Delia, my world has become strangely populated with people who value me, who respect me, who enjoy my presence, who I like to be around.

So here’s to Jennifer Abadi, who so graciously came to my city and cooked and ate and sold cookbooks and met me and my friends and hopefully loved the hospitality Pittsburgh is actually famous for. Here’s to my cookbook club, who wound up giving Jennifer a gift, bringing her book to life.

And here’s to my friends, who are helping bring my own book to life in such very very different way.

Woo hoo! It’s here! It’s here! It’s here!

Yep, book three in the Tales from the Sheep Farm series, Safe House, releases TODAY. Thanks to everyone who bought it — and its two predecessors, Maybe the Bird Will Rise and Populated — at its presale pricing.

I don’t know what to tell you about this book. It continues the story of Mack and Tess and their hunt for the answers of the Mackenzie treasure and legacy. It’s my pandemic book, in its own way. And it’s a story of a person with a lot of baggage and secrets that simply cannot remain hidden any longer.

Of course, like the entire Sheep Farm project, there’s plenty of found family here.

Oh, heck. Here’s what the back cover says:

A deadly virus is bearing down on the world and Emerson Mackenzie, CEO of PharmaScience Technologies—now back in its ancestral home of Port Kenneth, Tennessee—opens up the historic Mackenzie house on the family’s defunct sheep farm to six people: himself, his wife Tess Cartieri, his house manager, two members of his board of directors, and his executive assistant, Taylor Alexander.

Taylor won’t abandon Emerson, but at the same time, they don’t want to be there. Taylor has secrets, a past and memories they cannot face, and they fear that being locked in a house with five others will be entirely too revealing.

Taylor’s passion is to be outside, hiking, in a world that makes sense to them, and Emerson harnesses that, asking Taylor to map the boundaries of the old sheep farm and maybe help discover secrets buried on the land. Taylor is glad to do so, although the secrets they help Emerson and Tess discover are immediately darker and more disturbing than any had expected.

As the virus rages, as tensions across the country simmer, as relationships within the house change, and as the land gives up its secrets, Taylor realizes time has grown short. Their secrets cannot remain hidden any longer.

When they spill, Taylor is exposed for all in the house to see.

And every person inside the house responds in ways Taylor never expected.

Like the first two books in the series — and the ones coming after — this was a ton of fun to write.

Pick up your copy. As always, my books are available at every retailer who’ll carry them, and via such library apps as Hoopa and Overdrive/Libby. Yes, I get paid if you read the book via the library! So if your book budget is thin, there’s a solution for you. (Granted, not all library systems play nice with Hoopla or Libby, and may not carry certain books. But go ahead and ask for ’em anyway. It’s good for them to hear what you’d like to read.)

A reminder for you Large Print lovers: All books in the Tales from the Sheep Farm series are available in Large Print. I recomment either B&N or Bookshop.org

As always, I am eager to know your thoughts. You’ve seen me say it over and over, but it’s so very true…
The best way to help an author is to buy a copy of a book for a friend.
The next best way is to tell a friend.
The third best way is to leave a review online. And in fact, if you’d like to join my reviewing team, drop me an email! I’d love to send you a free copy, and there’s no need to be all “I am afraid to leave a one-star review” in my world. Your opinion matters more than an algorithm.

People are treasures too. That includes you and your opinion of my books.

We’re leading with Maybe the Bird Will Rise today because Mack and Tess ended a week bookended with books. (Oh, my. If I wrote that into my fiction, I’d edit it on out. This, however, is not fiction, and so I will not.)

Last Sunday, authors Joyce Tremel/Joyce St. Anthony and Amanda Flower did a joint conversation and book signing, hosted by Pittsburgh-based Riverstone books. Best of all, they came to the McCandless store, which is closer for me than their city-based store. Although give me a reason to go to the city and I’ll usually grab it.

It was great fun, and I encourage you all to pick up Joyce and Amanda’s books. I had every opportunity to and… honestly? After ten years of having a rigid book budget of $0.00, I don’t want an overflowing bookshelf. (I actually have recently culled my shelves and have more than a few boxes to haul off to resell.)

And then I got word of a new bookstore opening in town. Reading Ready Pittsburgh, it’s called, and I am 100% behind this. Not only should we support an effort to get families and kids reading from the get-go, but those kids deserve to see themselves on the page, too. As do we adults!

On the editing front, since I was just doing a re-read this week, I knocked that out and surprised myself by getting it back to its author on Friday. But it was good, and interesting, the change from first person to third changed the book’s genre! How was that for a fascinating discovery?

This week, I’m tackling a debut romance from a new client. So yes! If you want to work with me, I may take you on! (I do not take on everyone, because you deserve the best client for you.)

And then I ended the week with another book event… my own! With seven others, but still. We did a panel discussion that was comfortable, relaxed, fun, and had total strangers riffing on each other in a good-natured way, and then we retreated to our tables and sold books. Not quite all the books, but enough to make me happy! One reader told me the plot of Populated was more interesting to her than the plot of the Bird, and that’s super! (also, not unexpected… it’s the art thief that gets everyone.)

So this is your reminder that you CAN read Populated first. Or you can even read only the odd-numbered books and only the even-numbered books in the Tales from the Sheep Farm series. And, of course, the ebook version of Populated is still on sale for $2.99 at your favorite retailers, including my own shop, if you too need a copy because what’s this about an art thief?

And, of course, Maybe the Bird Will Rise is 99c, and so is the preorder of Safe House and gosh darn it, but I forgot to plug Safe House’s presale yesterday… This is why I have a lot of signs on my table.

Grab a book — Hell, grab all the books — while the sale is on. And remember to leave reviews (I encourage you to leave HONEST reviews. A one-star review never killed an author and I won’t see it anyway.)!

If you’re an author who needs me, reach on out. I’m here, and the queue is starting to get a little thin.

There’s been a lot of chatter this week on socials about quick releasing books. I stand by the practice… IF the author can hold off on publishing until their books are the best possible, they’ve been through editing… in other words, don’t rush. Publishing is the long game, so it’s smart to make sure you’re playing to your best advantage.

That’s what I’ve done with the first four books in the Sheep Farm series. (I’m working on Book Five right now, in fact, and I do hope to have it out for you by the end of 2024.)

Which brings us to today’s subject matter: Safe House, Tales From the Sheep Farm #3 is up for preorder at all the usual retailers. And like always, it’s 99c

Here’s your universal book link.

I’ll have my amazing web person update the books page soon, but in the meantime, here’s the book description:

A deadly virus is bearing down on the world and Emerson Mackenzie, CEO of PharmaScience Technologies—now back in its ancestral home of Port Kenneth, Tennessee—opens up the historic Mackenzie house on the family’s defunct sheep farm to six people: himself, his wife Tess Cartieri, his house manager, two members of his board of directors, and his executive assistant, Taylor Alexander.

Taylor won’t abandon Emerson, but at the same time, they don’t want to be there. Taylor has secrets, a past and memories they cannot face, and they fear that being locked in a house with five others will be entirely too revealing.

Taylor’s passion is to be outside, hiking, in a world that makes sense to them, and Emerson harnesses that, asking Taylor to map the boundaries of the old sheep farm and maybe help discover secrets buried on the land. Taylor is glad to do so, although the secrets they help Emerson and Tess discover are immediately darker and more disturbing than any had expected.

As the virus rages, as tensions across the country simmer, as relationships within the house change, and as the land gives up its secrets, Taylor realizes time has grown short. Their secrets cannot remain hidden any longer.

When they spill, Taylor is exposed for all in the house to see.

And every person inside the house responds in ways Taylor never expected.

If you’ve read the first two books, or even just Maybe the Bird Will Rise, you’ve met Taylor. But now you get to really know them. So did I as I wrote this, and I really like who Taylor revealed themself to be.

If you need a copy of Maybe the Bird Will Rise or Populated, both are on sale right now to celebrate the release of Safe House.

And of course, if your library uses either Hoopla or Overdrive/Libby, look for me there. I get paid, the library gets circulation numbers, you get books within your budget… it’s a win-win-win for everyone.

On the editing front, I’m going to be finishing up one that’s taken me longer than I would have liked, but it needed a lot of attention and love. Next up in the editing queue is a genre switch by an established author. This is the second time I’ve gone over it for her (reminder that I charge half the original amount when you ask me to do this) and I’m anxious to see her improvements. This author, like all of my clients, is more than willing to do the hard work, and it shows. Watching her develop as a writer has been a pleasure and a privilege.

Next week (Feb. 3), I’ll be appearing with a few other authors at the Peters Township library here in the Pittsburgh region. If you’re nearby, come see me and my friends!

That’s it from this end. Expect more of these updates and let me know what you think of them!