Hello, Readers,

It’s finally summer here on Cinnamon Ridge! There were days when we wondered if it planned to skip us this year, but it arrived with a bang and temperatures are soaring toward the 90’s. Wildflowers are stretching skyward, visited often by squadrons of ecstatic bees, and the scent of pine trees surrounds us. Fat little pinecones are swelling and birds of every description are zipping through the branches, building nests and giving out little mating calls.

Toward late afternoon, the temperature drops just enough to create the perfect setup for a deck barbecue. We are doing that often, and eating beside the fire pit while twilight works its magic and the sky turns crimson and purple. I’d wish for summer to last all year, but I confess I’d miss snow at Christmas.

Great news! INDIGO BLUE is still on the Bookscan mass market romance list. Last week it moved back up to #35, and this week it has moved up to #22. This is an amazing ranking for a reissue that has been out for well over a month. I’m incredibly excited about this, and so grateful that the Comanche series is so beloved by so many of my readers. Thank you so much for making this possible.

I’m still taking entries for the June/July contest, so please send yours to me. This contest is a little different from anything I’ve done before, because this time it’s you readers who are doing the writing! Tell me which of my heroes is your favorite, and why. What about this particular guy captured your heart and makes you remember him in that special way? I’m not looking for a college essay here, just some heartfelt words. I’ve received some fantastic entries and am hoping for more. How about yours?

The prize is worth the effort: An at-home spa mini-vacation. You’ll receive an autographed book, a box of Godiva chocolates, a candle, and some bath goodies. Lock the bathroom door, pour in the bath goodies, light the candle, nibble some chocolates, and read. You deserve it. Please send your entries to CatherineDirect@aol.com. This is also the e-mail address to use if you wish to contact me privately.

The recipe swap is continuing, so please be sure to drop by the Bulletin Board and check out the fantastic submissions. Just thinking about them makes me want to head for the kitchen. What are your family favorites? Please take a minute to share them with us, and discover some of ours. Ask your friends and family who love to cook to share their recipes, too. They don’t have to be romance readers. Everyone can use some new ideas for fantastic meals, right? One of my readers, who is also a dear friend of longstanding, decided to compile a cookbook for her kids and extended family, using the handwritten family recipes she inherited from her grandmother and mother. To make it nostalgic with a touch of the past, she photocopied the actual recipes onto the page where she also typed the recipes. Isn’t that a fabulous way to share family treasures?

The winner of the Favorite Recipe contest for this month will receive an autographed copy of one of my books. This is voted on by all of you, so after you’ve checked out the submissions, send your nomination to me at CatherineDirect@aol.com. I’ll be announcing the winner next month. Every one of us will come away a winner, though, if we discover a new family favorite.

And here’s another surprise — a preview of the fabulous cover for HERE TO STAY! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it. I think this is the most beautiful cover I’ve ever had, and I can’t wait to actually see it on the shelves.

On the creative side, I’m going back and forth between finishing up the revisions for HERE TO STAY and working on David Paxton’s story. I have to be careful not to let myself take root at the computer, and also to not wear the letters off of my keyboard. David is well on his way to becoming one of my all time favorite heroes.

As a final little surprise, here’s a sneak preview of the new cover for the reissue of SUN KISSED, which will be a bonus edition, including Samantha and Tucker’s story as well as my historical novella, BEAUTIFUL GIFTS, which was originally published in the anthology called THE TRUE LOVE WEDDING DRESS.

I’m sending wishes for wonderful summer weather to all of you in our part of the world, and a cozy throw to snuggle with if you live where winter is heading your way. Thanks to all of you for your support, messages, and good wishes. I love hearing from you.

I am still having great fun online, making so many new friends and enjoying friends of longstanding as well. Please join us on Facebook, My Space, Twitter, and at my Bulletin Board! And for those of you who are interested in hearing about the more personal aspects of my life on Cinnamon Ridge, hop on over to the Welcome Letter so I can bore you with all the details.

And, of course, I’m wishing you many fabulous reads over the summer. I’m going to try to steal some time to do some reading myself!

All the best,

Catherine