September 2021

Happy Fall, Readers!

It’s been a wonderful summer afloat in Puget Sound. Michael and I were aboard Polaris for 40 days this summer, in and around the San Juan Islands and down through Seattle and Tacoma to Olympia. The highlight of the trip (other than seeing grandkids, of course) was navigating Elliott Bay and docking at Bell Harbor Marina in downtown Seattle for an overnight, where we met our youngest son, John, devoured great heaps of seafood at iconic Ivar’s on the Seattle waterfront, rode The Great Wheel at sunset, and enjoyed coffee from the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market the next morning. We hope to get out a few weekends this fall before buttoning Polaris up for the season and heading to Tucson for the winter months.

Publishing News: Awards/New Title for Jericho/Publishing Date

Answer Creek has now won or placed in five awards:

• Winner, 2020 Arizona Authors Association Literary Award
• Winner, 2021 Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Mountain-West Novel
• Winner, 2021 Next Generation Indies Award for Best Second Novel
• Finalist, 2021 WILLA Literary Award for Historical Fiction
• Finalist, 2021 Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award

I’m deep into edits now on my third novel, which has a new title: Hardland. It’s set to release on September 13, 2022 from She Writes Press. It’s still Ruby Fortune and her life and adventures in Jericho, Arizona in 1905-1907, so stay tuned for cover reveal and other news on the publishing front over the next few months.

I’m also thrilled to announce that several nationally-recognized authors will be offering endorsements for Hardland, including Nancy E. Turner, Jan Cleere, and Susan Lang.

As for the direction of my fourth novel, I’ve got four ideas vying for attention so it’s a bit like playing eeney-meeney-miney-moe at this point, but I’ll keep you posted.

Audiobook Giveaway

The audiobook of Answer Creek is now live!

To win a copy of the audiobook, tell me a recent five-star read of yours. (Use my Contact page or email me at [email protected])

I’ll announce the winner next month and publish all the titles that come my way.

Five-Star Summer Reads

Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell

The Book of Longings, by Sue Monk Kidd

All Things Left Wild, by James Wade

The Exiles, by Christina Baker Kline

Last Train to London, by Meg Waite Clayton

Sugarbirds, by Cheryl Grey Bostrom

Until next month, Happy Reading!

Ashley