I'm halfway through the first draft of Jennifer #7, DYING BEFORE "I DO". i've got a clear idea how all of this is going together. Now if I can just get it all down on paper. I'm excited about the plot. And the new characters. AND the progression of Jennifer and Sam's relationship. It's just putting in the work, and, for some inexplicable reason, that's the hard part. Just making myself do it. I'll find almost any excuse not to write, but once I'm sitting in front of my work in progress, I love writing. So that's what I need to do. Just sit. Just write. Just make it happen. I'll work on that. Right after lunch. :)

Just a quick update. Work is progressing on Jennifer #7. I'm between a quarter and a third of the way through. Please send good thoughts my way as I make it through this first draft. That's always the hardest part for me, watching the story unfold, sometimes pushing it to unfold. Writing is an amazing process and I'm feeling my imagination muscles flexing. Once all of the new characters are created and on page and the seeds for action have been planted, the story will get easier, at least I hope it will. But I have to admit it's great to be back writing about Jennifer and her crew. They are so much fun. :)

I must have been about 13 when I found a copy of The Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt at the library. Before that I hadn't been much of a reader. Reading was a chore I did for school, not for pleasure. I devoured it, that wonderful gothic romantic mystery full of intrigue and scary moments and, of course, a young, vulnerable heroine. I haven't read the book since, so I have no idea how I'd feel about it now. It borrows heavily from other great books like Jane Eyre (another of my favorites), but I hadn't read that one yet. Through my teenage years I went on to read many Victoria Holt books as well as Mary Stewart's wonderful works. My point is Holt had me hooked and pulled me right into the delights of fiction. So what book was it for you--the one that made you a reader? How old were you when you found it, and what was it about it that made you want to read, that made you a reader? I've often thought when people say, "I don't read fiction," it's because they never found THAT book, the one, whatever it would have been, that drew them into the wonderful world found only in the pages of a good book.

I've received emails from several of you asking for another Jennifer Marsh mystery.  It's in its infancy (by that, I mean, I've written a couple of chapters and am working on the concept for the main mystery). What I can tell you at this point is that Jennifer and Sam are planning to tie the knot in DYING BEFORE "I DO". Our favorite characters will all be back in this one. It's fun to be working with them again. But I ask for your patience. I'm not a fast writer, so it will take months for me to finish. Of course, in this book, as in all of the Jennifer books, things won't go quite as she plans. Murder always seems to interfere. Hope you're all having a great summer.

Hi, all,

My web site has been down for about two months, and I'm so glad to once again have it up and running. Now I can get on with the process of writing. I've got several projects in the early stages of creation and need to settle on one. I'm seriously considering writing a seventh Jennifer Marsh novel. I've missed her and her friends, and I'm sure those of you who like her books want to know what she's been up to since the last installment in the series. Her story is far from over.  Check in every now and again, and I'll let you know how I'm progressing.