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It has been a while since I updated this blurb. Truthfully, I have spent more time traveling, one of my big pleasures, than writing. Still, the last of the Longleigh Chronicles, number ten of those listed below, The Benedict's Bride, did come out belatedly on July first. It will soon go out of print sometime early this year along with all the other in the series since that publisher is closing. I have been unable to find another press to take them even with full rights to the editing and covers. I suppose I must slowly and laboriously try to self-print them if I want to bother. Since I had begun another in a second series, The Longleigh Chronicles: Another Generation, entitled Two Blind, Two See, I will try to finish but it might never see the light of day.
Our first trip involved going Wisconsin for our granddaughter's first birthday-which she was too ill to attend, but I do love a three day road trip. We followed that with a ramble through New Jersey, upstate New York, and Pennsylvania visiting old friends and and my favorite editor, ending in the Reading area for a sixtieth class reunion. Always fun to see friends from high school after so many years.
Our summer family get-together took place in Memphis in August. I enjoyed teaching my grandkids about Elvis with a tour of Graceland and Sun Records with the Peabody duck walk for the smallest one. We had dinner at B.B. King's, barbecue of course, and strutted down Beale Street. More solemnly, we visted the Sultana Museum across the river which commemorates those lost in a steamboat accident at the end of the Civil War. My husband had a relative who died in the explosion. It is good to know family history.
Last but far from least, we flew to Rome in November. Beautiful weather, friendly people, and good food, but oh, the cobblestones, cracked sidewalks, uneven slates, and crazy motorcycles and taxis almost did me in. But we had some wonderful happenings: seeing the Sistine Chapel at night, just our group, the Colleseum, a fun golf cart tour of the the city, and many spectacular art museums as well as the pope's summer home in Gandalfo. Then on to Florence by train. I have to say I much preferred the smaller city where we saw the David, visited the Pitti Palace once owned by the Medici, and visited an olive grove in the lovely Tuscan countryside where we learned about olive oil and had a meal with bread to dip into it.
We stayed home for Christmas which I did not like very much as I prefer to be with family, but during a Zoom call with all of them, we got the great news of a baby grandson on way in late May. Must put a mark on the calendar for a trip to Minnesota to see him. Second to that, we will be taking a cruise around Japan.
Ah, forgot to add that I joined the class action suit against Anthropic for using twenty-three of my pirated books to train AI to write. I don't imagine I will get much out of it, but wanted to make a point. Meanwhile AI written books under various pseudomyns are flooding the market. Since the author does not exist, the money goes right to the AI companies. Please do not buy these books. If you want to be sure it is AI written, search for the author's name, and if you find they have no presence online, they are most likely fake. These companies can roll out a book similar to mine in a week when it takes me months to craft one.
Sad to say, I think 2026 will be a rocky year for most of us. Hang in there as best you can and be sure to vote in the midterms if you want things to change.
| THE LONGLEIGH CHRONICLES |
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Perfection (71,000 words): Lady Thalia Longleigh is know to be perfection personified. Unfortunately, the only man she finds intriguing in the scar-faced Earl of Danelagh who finds perfection oh so boring. With the help of her mother, Thalia seeks to capture his attention - literally. But once she masters him, Thalia decides she might value another year of freedom from marriage more. It is up to Danelagh to convince her otherwise. Another of the Longleigh Chronicles. SOLD!
Daughter of the Rainbow (72,000 words): Iris Longleigh, shy second daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bellevue, wants nothing more than to left in seclusion to paint. Amateur portrait artist, Lord Valls, is summoned to paint her prior to her coming out. If only Valls weren't arrogant and uninterested in women, he would be her perfect match. When he paints a scandalous picture of Iris unbeknownst to her, the Duke will see they marry no matter what the young man's excuses. Iris gets more in a husband than she could ever foresee. Another Longleigh Chronicle Regency.SOLD!
The Greatest Prize (70,000 words): Joshua Longleigh jilts the woman he has long been expected to marry by telling her she cannot compete with the women of London, one of whom he is courting, the nonpareil of The Season. Instead of bursting into tears, Kate Morely bets him that she can land the greatest male prize, Viscount Astin. And the game begins. Just as Astin is about to offer for Kate, she vanishes, the victim of a rival. Joshua will not accept that Kate is dead and he might have lost the woman who is truly the greatest prize.SOLD!
Lion in the Heather (85,800 words). Enthralled by Scottish lore after reading Waverley, Lady Euphemia Longleigh, the Duke of Bellevue's most biddable daughter, leaps into the arms of a Highland laird who seems to have stepped from the pages of the book. With her father and brother in hot pursuit, Phemie aids her abductor in her own kidnapping until she can convince him they must be wed. Another humorous Longleigh Chronicle.SOLD!
Of Turtles and Doves (97,310 words): In Regency England, Jason Longleigh, third son of the Duke and Duchess of Bellevue craves turtle soup. When he attempts to get some, he is waylaid by a young American woman crusading against the killing of turtles. Despite her crazy notions, he is smitten. Unfortunately, little Miranda comes with a venal father and an easily insulted brother. Nevertheless, he takes the Clary family and two rescued Galapagos tortoises home to meet his own very eccentric family, including his sharp-tongued sister, Pandora. When the young couple appears to elope, a chase across England and over the ocean to America ensues. Sense and Sensibility with a touch of The Tempest.SOLD!
Lady Flora's Rescue (107,000 words): Last of the Mohicans with a humorous twist. Lady Flora will follow the man she adores anywhere to gain his regard-across the ocean and into the wilderness. Pearce Longleigh, Viscount Laughlin, resists knowing he cannot take this seemingly fragile woman to live among the Shawnee as he flees his responsibilities as a lord in order to return to his mother's people. The opening saga of the Longleigh Chronicles. SOLD!
The Earl’s Ugly Mistress (89,000 words): Blinded at Waterloo, the Earl of Edgemont takes out his bitterness on those around him. When he insults a spinster he has been stuck with for the evening, she insults him back and insists he can learn to live normally again. He dares her to show him how—and she does, falling in love with the handsome earl as she gives him lessons. But will he still love her when his sight returns, and he sees how very plain she is? The match-making Duchess of Bellevue is determined to bring them together. Part of the Longleigh Chronicles above. SOLD!
The Double Dilemma (65,185 words): The Duchess of Bellevue's twin daughters insist they must marry twins presenting a difficult dilemma for the matchmaking Lady Flora. Her son, James, provides a solution having encountered a mysterious pair who live in a secluded castle. Devotees of gothic novels, the twins are thrilled and ready to take on the adventure of meeting the men of their dreams. Another lively and humorous Longleigh Chronicle.SOLD!
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