Chris Keniston's Blog
November 23, 2025
Thanksgiving Week
The week is upon us and the Kenistons have SO much to be grateful for.
I had pretty much resigned myself years ago that I would have to buy a house in Houston to be able to spend more time with my grands. I also accepted that I would only have two grandchildren. After all, I only had two children. Most of my friends only had one or two. But this has been a great year for my family. As anyone who follows this blog knows, not only is my daughter's family back in town, tomorrow they will be signing the final papers on a house around the corner from us. I'm beyond thrilled. And to make Thanksgiving even more special, my whole family will be here. My two cousins and their clan, even my niece and her husband and his mother visiting from Spain. There will be seventeen adults and six children at our table(s) this Thursday--a little like the Farradays and Sweets I think!
Then, this week, we took my mother to her neurologist for her six month check up. This time, though, mom is off all her meds, both memory and blood pressure. My uncle has stabilized her BP to below 120 with daily doses of organic Beet root powder. Who knew controlling BP could be that easy. But she went from being on two meds for BP to none. Crazy. Same with her mind. No more sugar, no more wheat, which means, no pizza, no crackers, no bread, no cola, cakes etc. After six months, mom is way more aware and alert - the other day she walked into the room, stopped, my uncle said what is it, and she responded, I forgot what I was going to say - holy moly, for her to realize she's forgotten something is huge. Now that comes and goes. Some days she remembers a smidge longer, and some days not so much. She most definitely still has dementia, but she's more herself now than the woman who would stare off into space with nothing in her eyes. So. At the doctors. We told her -- no meds of any kind. So often that at one point I wanted to say to the PA, what part of NONE are you missing? But, I was night and just kept repeating, no none, every time she asked if mom was taking one med or another. Then her doctor came in and did the regular tests they do to see if she's digressing. Well, her score was exactly the same this year as last year, yay! We fought awfully hard for years to keep her from digressing, but this time when they asked mom to remember three words, and asked her those words several minutes later, though she had no clue what they were --- which has been standard for years now, when the doctor gave her hints, she remembered two of the three. Now, that has not been the case for years. For years, even with prompting, she'd draw a blank. So this shows that what we're saying is spot on. She still has dementia, but some days she remembers things a little longer than others so she can participate in life without annoying people with the immediate repetition of the same question. Like I said, we have much to be thankful for! Oh, and did I mention, Mom turned 90 this year!
Tomorrow is release day for Sweet Tomorrows - that's the book my editor loved so much, I barely had any revisions to make, and usually, I have a lot! LOL. Then Sweet Redemption is out with the review team waiting for proofreads, and that one will probably release about two weeks early on my webstore if you don't want to wait till after Christmas!
Lastly on the book front, I'm working on Sweet Rescue. This is a shift in the Honeysuckle series. We're still at the Sweet ranch, and we still have the whole family, and the town, but now instead of an Happy ever after for the siblings, now we're going to work with the military K9 rescues that Alice fosters. I hope y'all love it as much as the sibling's books. I'm so fond of dogs and especially German Shepherds who are crazy smart. We had a GSD named Rabb, a big guy, over 100 pounds and he wasn't fat, but he was so smart, the trainer thought he had to have a German blood line. Then after Rabb, we got Gunny. He was a sweet dog. And smart for a regular dog, but pretty dumb for a German Shepherd Dog. LOL. Of course, we won't have any dumb dogs in Honeysuckle!
All right. that's it for me!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I had pretty much resigned myself years ago that I would have to buy a house in Houston to be able to spend more time with my grands. I also accepted that I would only have two grandchildren. After all, I only had two children. Most of my friends only had one or two. But this has been a great year for my family. As anyone who follows this blog knows, not only is my daughter's family back in town, tomorrow they will be signing the final papers on a house around the corner from us. I'm beyond thrilled. And to make Thanksgiving even more special, my whole family will be here. My two cousins and their clan, even my niece and her husband and his mother visiting from Spain. There will be seventeen adults and six children at our table(s) this Thursday--a little like the Farradays and Sweets I think!
Then, this week, we took my mother to her neurologist for her six month check up. This time, though, mom is off all her meds, both memory and blood pressure. My uncle has stabilized her BP to below 120 with daily doses of organic Beet root powder. Who knew controlling BP could be that easy. But she went from being on two meds for BP to none. Crazy. Same with her mind. No more sugar, no more wheat, which means, no pizza, no crackers, no bread, no cola, cakes etc. After six months, mom is way more aware and alert - the other day she walked into the room, stopped, my uncle said what is it, and she responded, I forgot what I was going to say - holy moly, for her to realize she's forgotten something is huge. Now that comes and goes. Some days she remembers a smidge longer, and some days not so much. She most definitely still has dementia, but she's more herself now than the woman who would stare off into space with nothing in her eyes. So. At the doctors. We told her -- no meds of any kind. So often that at one point I wanted to say to the PA, what part of NONE are you missing? But, I was night and just kept repeating, no none, every time she asked if mom was taking one med or another. Then her doctor came in and did the regular tests they do to see if she's digressing. Well, her score was exactly the same this year as last year, yay! We fought awfully hard for years to keep her from digressing, but this time when they asked mom to remember three words, and asked her those words several minutes later, though she had no clue what they were --- which has been standard for years now, when the doctor gave her hints, she remembered two of the three. Now, that has not been the case for years. For years, even with prompting, she'd draw a blank. So this shows that what we're saying is spot on. She still has dementia, but some days she remembers things a little longer than others so she can participate in life without annoying people with the immediate repetition of the same question. Like I said, we have much to be thankful for! Oh, and did I mention, Mom turned 90 this year!
Tomorrow is release day for Sweet Tomorrows - that's the book my editor loved so much, I barely had any revisions to make, and usually, I have a lot! LOL. Then Sweet Redemption is out with the review team waiting for proofreads, and that one will probably release about two weeks early on my webstore if you don't want to wait till after Christmas!
Lastly on the book front, I'm working on Sweet Rescue. This is a shift in the Honeysuckle series. We're still at the Sweet ranch, and we still have the whole family, and the town, but now instead of an Happy ever after for the siblings, now we're going to work with the military K9 rescues that Alice fosters. I hope y'all love it as much as the sibling's books. I'm so fond of dogs and especially German Shepherds who are crazy smart. We had a GSD named Rabb, a big guy, over 100 pounds and he wasn't fat, but he was so smart, the trainer thought he had to have a German blood line. Then after Rabb, we got Gunny. He was a sweet dog. And smart for a regular dog, but pretty dumb for a German Shepherd Dog. LOL. Of course, we won't have any dumb dogs in Honeysuckle!
All right. that's it for me!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
November 17, 2025
Let's talk Honey!
I remember reading somewhere ages ago that Honey is the one food on the planet that will never go bad. You can store it in your pantry for a decade and it will still be edible. It may need a little softening up - but it won't go bad.
well, eight years ago when my daughter got married, we had a very big open house party the night before the wedding at our house for all the guests, out of town guests, and acquaintances who weren't invited (like some of our neighbors) and others who were invited but couldn't attend the actual wedding. Since we had so much family coming from out of town it made sense to celebrate more than a few hours on the big day. What we didn't expect was the coldest December day in pretty much Texas history - so - friends of ours loaned us outdoor heaters for the back porch. All was well- until we realized the pit bull had accidentally (I presume) stuck the tip of his tail in the heater - sigh - it was a pretty nasty burn. What the vet decided to do to treat it was - Honey. I was shocked. A special raw honey was coated on the tail and then the tail was wrapped - it actually did help the dang thing heal- though the dog was not at all happy with having his tail wrapped, but that's another story for another day.
Fast forward to recently and my husband has occasional challenges with skin rashes thanks to exzema. Well, his shins - yep both of them - broke out in a rash and nothing he was doing was helping. I happened to read that honey helps with eczema. Really? How about that. So, since we have a massive jar of raw honey that a friend of ours gave us from their beehive, we tried it. At night I'd put it on his rash and then I wrapped it in nonstick gauze pad before bed. We did this every night for a week or so. Then we did it whenever it flared up over the next several weeks. At the end of a couple of months, the rash was gone and hasn't flared up again. Now, I have no idea what causes eczema to flair on occassion, but the honey brought instant relief to the itch and slowly but surely did the trick.
Now we fast forward to a couple of weeks ago - I developed an odd itch on my wrist. No redness, no obvious rash, but if you rubbed your finger across where it itched it felt a little rough, almost scaly, maybe just dry, but basically not normal. When I went to my doctor for an authorization to travel in January, I asked about the wrist and she glanced at it and said, eczema just buy an over the counter steroid. Well, the first thing I thought was how odd - in all my decades, I've never had trouble with rashes, or eczema but, okay. What I didn't have was time to go shopping for some cream - so - what's good for the gander is good for the goose (lol - literary license to flip that old saying) and I tried the honey. Like with hubby, I'd spread it on at night, but since it's on the upper side of my wrist, I didn't bother wrapping it - just let it dry. And I'm happy to report that it's really helped with the itching. In the day time I use coconut oil if it itches so I'm not sticky against things, but it's been a week since I put anything on and only yesterday did is start to itch a smidge, so today I've put honey on again. As long as I'm not going anywhere, it works just fine!
I truly love old fashioned remedies. There aren't a whole lot of them in my family, but the ones that I remember growing up are- rice water for diarrhea , you cook rice in twice or three times as much water for the regular amount of time - then drain the excess water into a glass and drink it. Works really well. I remember once, there was a nasty stomach virus going around that had everyone spending a week or more close to the potty (lol) - when the bug caught a friend of ours family, she thanked me at church the next week. Mentioned she remembered what I'd said about rice water and she'd made it for the whole family. I said, that's for something you ate, probably won't work for a virus and she happily reported that it did indeed help- everyone else had the virus for a week or more and her family was over it in just two or three days. She was very happy and I wrote it off as one of my grandmother's remedies never to forget.
The other one, that I haven't used in decades, is apple peel tea. One of my kids was having belly aches. She peeled an apple, boiled the peels and served the water as warm tea. Worked like a charm.
I'm betting she had a lot more home remedies, but sadly, I don't remember them, if I ever knew them.
What I wish I could stumble across is a good remedy for coughs. Not from a cold, or flu, but that annoying allergy cough that won't go away after allergy season is gone. My doctor calls them bronchial spasms. Basically, it's an irritated cough. My lungs are irritated from coughing so I cough more, then the cough makes the lungs more irritated. Same with talking, more talking makes the lungs more irritated and more irritated lungs cough - vicious cycle. I've tried pineapple juice - which is tough because I'm on heart meds. I've tried elderberry syrup, which works sort of well. I've swallowed a teaspoon of honey, which kind of helps too, but I may need to try it warm, that's what an aunt says.
Do you have any home remedies you swear by?
well, eight years ago when my daughter got married, we had a very big open house party the night before the wedding at our house for all the guests, out of town guests, and acquaintances who weren't invited (like some of our neighbors) and others who were invited but couldn't attend the actual wedding. Since we had so much family coming from out of town it made sense to celebrate more than a few hours on the big day. What we didn't expect was the coldest December day in pretty much Texas history - so - friends of ours loaned us outdoor heaters for the back porch. All was well- until we realized the pit bull had accidentally (I presume) stuck the tip of his tail in the heater - sigh - it was a pretty nasty burn. What the vet decided to do to treat it was - Honey. I was shocked. A special raw honey was coated on the tail and then the tail was wrapped - it actually did help the dang thing heal- though the dog was not at all happy with having his tail wrapped, but that's another story for another day.
Fast forward to recently and my husband has occasional challenges with skin rashes thanks to exzema. Well, his shins - yep both of them - broke out in a rash and nothing he was doing was helping. I happened to read that honey helps with eczema. Really? How about that. So, since we have a massive jar of raw honey that a friend of ours gave us from their beehive, we tried it. At night I'd put it on his rash and then I wrapped it in nonstick gauze pad before bed. We did this every night for a week or so. Then we did it whenever it flared up over the next several weeks. At the end of a couple of months, the rash was gone and hasn't flared up again. Now, I have no idea what causes eczema to flair on occassion, but the honey brought instant relief to the itch and slowly but surely did the trick.
Now we fast forward to a couple of weeks ago - I developed an odd itch on my wrist. No redness, no obvious rash, but if you rubbed your finger across where it itched it felt a little rough, almost scaly, maybe just dry, but basically not normal. When I went to my doctor for an authorization to travel in January, I asked about the wrist and she glanced at it and said, eczema just buy an over the counter steroid. Well, the first thing I thought was how odd - in all my decades, I've never had trouble with rashes, or eczema but, okay. What I didn't have was time to go shopping for some cream - so - what's good for the gander is good for the goose (lol - literary license to flip that old saying) and I tried the honey. Like with hubby, I'd spread it on at night, but since it's on the upper side of my wrist, I didn't bother wrapping it - just let it dry. And I'm happy to report that it's really helped with the itching. In the day time I use coconut oil if it itches so I'm not sticky against things, but it's been a week since I put anything on and only yesterday did is start to itch a smidge, so today I've put honey on again. As long as I'm not going anywhere, it works just fine!
I truly love old fashioned remedies. There aren't a whole lot of them in my family, but the ones that I remember growing up are- rice water for diarrhea , you cook rice in twice or three times as much water for the regular amount of time - then drain the excess water into a glass and drink it. Works really well. I remember once, there was a nasty stomach virus going around that had everyone spending a week or more close to the potty (lol) - when the bug caught a friend of ours family, she thanked me at church the next week. Mentioned she remembered what I'd said about rice water and she'd made it for the whole family. I said, that's for something you ate, probably won't work for a virus and she happily reported that it did indeed help- everyone else had the virus for a week or more and her family was over it in just two or three days. She was very happy and I wrote it off as one of my grandmother's remedies never to forget.
The other one, that I haven't used in decades, is apple peel tea. One of my kids was having belly aches. She peeled an apple, boiled the peels and served the water as warm tea. Worked like a charm.
I'm betting she had a lot more home remedies, but sadly, I don't remember them, if I ever knew them.
What I wish I could stumble across is a good remedy for coughs. Not from a cold, or flu, but that annoying allergy cough that won't go away after allergy season is gone. My doctor calls them bronchial spasms. Basically, it's an irritated cough. My lungs are irritated from coughing so I cough more, then the cough makes the lungs more irritated. Same with talking, more talking makes the lungs more irritated and more irritated lungs cough - vicious cycle. I've tried pineapple juice - which is tough because I'm on heart meds. I've tried elderberry syrup, which works sort of well. I've swallowed a teaspoon of honey, which kind of helps too, but I may need to try it warm, that's what an aunt says.
Do you have any home remedies you swear by?
November 10, 2025
Another Monday
Well, today didn't go as expected. I woke up with a sore chest. At first I thought I must have slept very funny. Then I coughed and I realized after months of bronchial spasms (irritated cough) thanks to allergy seasons back to back - my chest is just revolting!
So - I'm taking cough syrup, and ibuprofin. Hopefully it will go away soon because it makes me feel like not doing a blessed thing. sigh.
Then, my uncle and mom stopped by unexpectedly- yeah that took three hours out of my afternoon - now, don't get me wrong - the fact that my mom has improved enough to interact with all of us and not be totally annoying, though she has forgotten Erica is pregnant (mom has dementia) once we reminded her, she remembered for the entire three hour visit. It's just when you are not feeling your best, and have a packed day, stopping for three hours to entertain can be a challenge.
So the blog is late, my words aren't written, but I spent time with my mom-- in the long run, that's more important. I just wish I felt better.
Obviously, there hasn't been too much happening in only a week, but I got Sweet Tomorrows to the proof readers, and I Sweet Redemption is at with the editor so YAY! AND - the beginning of the next Sweet book has started - I'm not sure what the title will be yet. We're leaning toward Sweet Rescue.
This is a seriously super rough draft of Josh and the Sweets, you'll meet him in Sweet Redemption, but y'all seem to like those so here it goes:
Josh Coleman tightened the chin strap on his tactical helmet and checked his vest seals. Sweat slid down his spine, but his focus stayed locked on the six-vehicle convoy lined up for inspection.
"Transport three's thermal reading is climbing faster than the others," he reported, clipping the handheld scanner to his tactical vest. Responsible for convoy security, these routine checks had become second nature during his years of service.
Kade Sweet, his longtime friend and the Military Working Dog handler assigned to their team, approached with Rambo, the Belgian Malinois, trotting attentively at his side. Fitted to his muscular frame, the dog's tactical vest matched their own. “All set?”
“Right about now, I’d kill for some of your mother’s strawberry lemonade.”
“Tell me about it.” Kade chuckled. No doubt his buddy’s thoughts were taking a detour to the Sweet family ranch, quiet evenings, soft breezes, and his mother’s lemonade. A quick blink and he was all business again. "Rambo already cleared the first two vehicles. No alerts for explosives. What's the issue with transport three?"
"Coolant leak, looks like." Josh gestured toward the heavy truck carrying fuel reserves for the joint training exercise. "I'm not taking chances with that much combustible material on board."
As convoy security commander for this mission, Josh had final say on safety protocols. The chain of command was clear—he made the decisions, his team executed them, and everyone got home safe. The straightforward nature of this assignment should have made it routine: escort training ordnance and fuel supplies to the far range where a joint exercise was scheduled to begin tomorrow morning. Simple enough on paper.
The transport driver approached, wiping sweat from his brow. "Problem, Staff Sergeant?"
"Need to check your engine compartment." Josh's tone was professional but left no room for debate. "Pop the hood."
The driver complied, releasing the hood latch with a metallic click. Josh leaned in carefully, avoiding the scorching metal components. His training had taught him to trust his instincts, and something about this situation felt off. A small puddle of green liquid had formed beneath the radiator, and the coolant reservoir showed a hairline crack along one side.
"Losing coolant fast," Josh stepped back. "This vehicle isn't going anywhere until it's replaced." He turned to Specialist Boglioli, his communications operator. "Radio base. We need a replacement transport before we continue the mission."
"But we're already behind schedule," the driver protested. "Can't we just add more coolant and keep an eye on it?"
Josh fixed the driver with a steady gaze. "Not with what you're hauling. One spark near a fuel leak and this whole convoy lights up like the Fourth of July."
Moving closer, Kade kept Rambo on a short lead. "Listen to the man," his easy Texas drawl masked the authority in his voice. "Staff Sergeant Coleman's been running convoy security since before you could shave."
The driver's shoulders stiffened under the rebuke. "Yes, Staff Sergeant."
Josh nodded to Kade as the driver walked away. "Thanks for the backup."
"No problem." Kade crouched to check Rambo's tactical vest, adjusting a strap that had loosened. "Dog's been acting antsy since we stopped. He’s flagging something. Not heat.”
Scanning the sparse landscape around them, Josh frowned. Training grounds stretched for miles in every direction, mostly scrubby terrain broken by the occasional patch of mesquite trees and dirt roads. Nothing but heat waves shimmered on the horizon. "Think the heat getting to Rambo?"
Kade shook his head. "He's desert-trained. This is nothing for him."
Kade gave a quick hand signal toward the front of the line. “I’ll finish clearing the lead trucks,” he called over his shoulder, Rambo trotting beside him. Josh waved acknowledgment, turning his attention back to the idling transports.
They hadn’t gone ten yards when Rambo suddenly stopped mid-stride, muscles going rigid, his head snapping back toward the rear of the convoy. A low growl rumbled from deep in his chest, sharp and warning.
Kade froze, hand hovering near his sidearm. “What is it, boy?” He followed the dog’s focus toward the fuel trucks behind them.
Josh’s pulse spiked. Rambo wasn’t one to false-alert—something back there wasn’t right.
The radio on Josh's shoulder crackled to life. "Base confirms replacement transport ETA forty minutes, Staff Sergeant," Boglioli reported.
"Roger that," Josh’s attention was now fixed on Rambo's behavior. Military working dogs had saved their lives more than once during previous deployments by detecting threats before human senses could. Josh would trust a well-trained K9 before humans any day of the week. Something sharp and chemical tainted the air—too faint for his nose, but dogs didn’t false-flag.
"Check the rear vehicles again. Full inspection."
"On it," Kade nodded, already moving with Rambo toward the back of the convoy.
Josh followed, signaling for two more team members to join them. If Rambo sensed something wrong, there was a reason. Whatever was wrong up front wasn’t what had Rambo spooked. Different truck, different threat.
They approached the rear transport—another fuel truck—where Rambo's behavior intensified. The dog strained against his lead, hackles raised, growling more loudly now.
"Something's definitely got him worked up," Kade’s voice dropped to a near whisper as he maintained control of his partner.
Josh gestured for the driver to step away from the vehicle. "When's the last time you checked your engine temperature?"
"Just before we left base, Staff Sergeant. Everything was normal."
About to take a reading, Josh reached for his scanner when a sharp metallic crack echoed from somewhere beneath the truck. The sound wasn't loud—barely audible over the idling engines—but Josh's combat-honed instincts registered it instantly. It wasn’t a mechanical pop; that hollow metallic snap had the signature of something man-made under tension, about to give.
Adrenaline shot through his system. "Clear the area!" Moving at full speed, he waved his arms, directing his team to a safe distance. "Everybody back now!"
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Josh sprinted toward the front of the convoy, shouting orders as he moved. "Boglioli! Get the lead vehicles moving!”
Having just finished checking the forward vehicles, Kade and Rambo were at the front of the convoy. Josh could see him turning at the commotion.
"Possible detonation! Clear out!" Josh bellowed, urging nearby soldiers to move faster. Two men were still too close to the suspect vehicle, frozen in momentary confusion. Damn it. He changed direction, rushing toward them. “Move!” Josh shoved the nearest soldier forward.
The blast hit before he cleared the path, followed instantly by another detonation. The shockwave caught Josh and the two soldiers in the open, lifting them off their feet. Josh felt himself hurled through the air, a blinding flash searing his vision as the pounding force crushed against his chest, slamming him to the ground. Beside him one soldier wasn't moving, the other lay several feet away, unnaturally still. His chest burned, his side screamed.
Through the ringing in his ears, he caught a flash of Kade dragging Rambo behind the lead truck—both safe. Relief flickered, even as darkness closed in.
His only clear thought—what an unholy mess.
And - rereading it as I posted - I found a slew of continuity errors - SO - thank y'all for helping!
Now, I'm going back to work - let me know what you think?
So - I'm taking cough syrup, and ibuprofin. Hopefully it will go away soon because it makes me feel like not doing a blessed thing. sigh.
Then, my uncle and mom stopped by unexpectedly- yeah that took three hours out of my afternoon - now, don't get me wrong - the fact that my mom has improved enough to interact with all of us and not be totally annoying, though she has forgotten Erica is pregnant (mom has dementia) once we reminded her, she remembered for the entire three hour visit. It's just when you are not feeling your best, and have a packed day, stopping for three hours to entertain can be a challenge.
So the blog is late, my words aren't written, but I spent time with my mom-- in the long run, that's more important. I just wish I felt better.
Obviously, there hasn't been too much happening in only a week, but I got Sweet Tomorrows to the proof readers, and I Sweet Redemption is at with the editor so YAY! AND - the beginning of the next Sweet book has started - I'm not sure what the title will be yet. We're leaning toward Sweet Rescue.
This is a seriously super rough draft of Josh and the Sweets, you'll meet him in Sweet Redemption, but y'all seem to like those so here it goes:
Josh Coleman tightened the chin strap on his tactical helmet and checked his vest seals. Sweat slid down his spine, but his focus stayed locked on the six-vehicle convoy lined up for inspection.
"Transport three's thermal reading is climbing faster than the others," he reported, clipping the handheld scanner to his tactical vest. Responsible for convoy security, these routine checks had become second nature during his years of service.
Kade Sweet, his longtime friend and the Military Working Dog handler assigned to their team, approached with Rambo, the Belgian Malinois, trotting attentively at his side. Fitted to his muscular frame, the dog's tactical vest matched their own. “All set?”
“Right about now, I’d kill for some of your mother’s strawberry lemonade.”
“Tell me about it.” Kade chuckled. No doubt his buddy’s thoughts were taking a detour to the Sweet family ranch, quiet evenings, soft breezes, and his mother’s lemonade. A quick blink and he was all business again. "Rambo already cleared the first two vehicles. No alerts for explosives. What's the issue with transport three?"
"Coolant leak, looks like." Josh gestured toward the heavy truck carrying fuel reserves for the joint training exercise. "I'm not taking chances with that much combustible material on board."
As convoy security commander for this mission, Josh had final say on safety protocols. The chain of command was clear—he made the decisions, his team executed them, and everyone got home safe. The straightforward nature of this assignment should have made it routine: escort training ordnance and fuel supplies to the far range where a joint exercise was scheduled to begin tomorrow morning. Simple enough on paper.
The transport driver approached, wiping sweat from his brow. "Problem, Staff Sergeant?"
"Need to check your engine compartment." Josh's tone was professional but left no room for debate. "Pop the hood."
The driver complied, releasing the hood latch with a metallic click. Josh leaned in carefully, avoiding the scorching metal components. His training had taught him to trust his instincts, and something about this situation felt off. A small puddle of green liquid had formed beneath the radiator, and the coolant reservoir showed a hairline crack along one side.
"Losing coolant fast," Josh stepped back. "This vehicle isn't going anywhere until it's replaced." He turned to Specialist Boglioli, his communications operator. "Radio base. We need a replacement transport before we continue the mission."
"But we're already behind schedule," the driver protested. "Can't we just add more coolant and keep an eye on it?"
Josh fixed the driver with a steady gaze. "Not with what you're hauling. One spark near a fuel leak and this whole convoy lights up like the Fourth of July."
Moving closer, Kade kept Rambo on a short lead. "Listen to the man," his easy Texas drawl masked the authority in his voice. "Staff Sergeant Coleman's been running convoy security since before you could shave."
The driver's shoulders stiffened under the rebuke. "Yes, Staff Sergeant."
Josh nodded to Kade as the driver walked away. "Thanks for the backup."
"No problem." Kade crouched to check Rambo's tactical vest, adjusting a strap that had loosened. "Dog's been acting antsy since we stopped. He’s flagging something. Not heat.”
Scanning the sparse landscape around them, Josh frowned. Training grounds stretched for miles in every direction, mostly scrubby terrain broken by the occasional patch of mesquite trees and dirt roads. Nothing but heat waves shimmered on the horizon. "Think the heat getting to Rambo?"
Kade shook his head. "He's desert-trained. This is nothing for him."
Kade gave a quick hand signal toward the front of the line. “I’ll finish clearing the lead trucks,” he called over his shoulder, Rambo trotting beside him. Josh waved acknowledgment, turning his attention back to the idling transports.
They hadn’t gone ten yards when Rambo suddenly stopped mid-stride, muscles going rigid, his head snapping back toward the rear of the convoy. A low growl rumbled from deep in his chest, sharp and warning.
Kade froze, hand hovering near his sidearm. “What is it, boy?” He followed the dog’s focus toward the fuel trucks behind them.
Josh’s pulse spiked. Rambo wasn’t one to false-alert—something back there wasn’t right.
The radio on Josh's shoulder crackled to life. "Base confirms replacement transport ETA forty minutes, Staff Sergeant," Boglioli reported.
"Roger that," Josh’s attention was now fixed on Rambo's behavior. Military working dogs had saved their lives more than once during previous deployments by detecting threats before human senses could. Josh would trust a well-trained K9 before humans any day of the week. Something sharp and chemical tainted the air—too faint for his nose, but dogs didn’t false-flag.
"Check the rear vehicles again. Full inspection."
"On it," Kade nodded, already moving with Rambo toward the back of the convoy.
Josh followed, signaling for two more team members to join them. If Rambo sensed something wrong, there was a reason. Whatever was wrong up front wasn’t what had Rambo spooked. Different truck, different threat.
They approached the rear transport—another fuel truck—where Rambo's behavior intensified. The dog strained against his lead, hackles raised, growling more loudly now.
"Something's definitely got him worked up," Kade’s voice dropped to a near whisper as he maintained control of his partner.
Josh gestured for the driver to step away from the vehicle. "When's the last time you checked your engine temperature?"
"Just before we left base, Staff Sergeant. Everything was normal."
About to take a reading, Josh reached for his scanner when a sharp metallic crack echoed from somewhere beneath the truck. The sound wasn't loud—barely audible over the idling engines—but Josh's combat-honed instincts registered it instantly. It wasn’t a mechanical pop; that hollow metallic snap had the signature of something man-made under tension, about to give.
Adrenaline shot through his system. "Clear the area!" Moving at full speed, he waved his arms, directing his team to a safe distance. "Everybody back now!"
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Josh sprinted toward the front of the convoy, shouting orders as he moved. "Boglioli! Get the lead vehicles moving!”
Having just finished checking the forward vehicles, Kade and Rambo were at the front of the convoy. Josh could see him turning at the commotion.
"Possible detonation! Clear out!" Josh bellowed, urging nearby soldiers to move faster. Two men were still too close to the suspect vehicle, frozen in momentary confusion. Damn it. He changed direction, rushing toward them. “Move!” Josh shoved the nearest soldier forward.
The blast hit before he cleared the path, followed instantly by another detonation. The shockwave caught Josh and the two soldiers in the open, lifting them off their feet. Josh felt himself hurled through the air, a blinding flash searing his vision as the pounding force crushed against his chest, slamming him to the ground. Beside him one soldier wasn't moving, the other lay several feet away, unnaturally still. His chest burned, his side screamed.
Through the ringing in his ears, he caught a flash of Kade dragging Rambo behind the lead truck—both safe. Relief flickered, even as darkness closed in.
His only clear thought—what an unholy mess.
And - rereading it as I posted - I found a slew of continuity errors - SO - thank y'all for helping!
Now, I'm going back to work - let me know what you think?
November 3, 2025
Did You Change Your Clocks?
I am still very confused as to why we even have daylight savings time. We don't need children to help farm crops anymore, we don't need to conserve energy like the oil crisis of the 1970s, so why? I personally am in favor of keeping standard time. Most of the states or countries in that do not observe daylight savings use Standard time. As much as I enjoy being outdoors at 8:30 in the summer while it's still bright - I don't think the sun setting at 8pm would be all that horrific. I mean, it would certainly make getting little kids into bed at night easier if the sun isn't still shining. And it would mean those same little kids wouldn't have to walk to school in the pitch black of daylight savings time mornings. I don't hear anyone in Arizona or Hawaii complaining that the sun sets at 8pm instead of 9pm in the summer. Though I will admit, living in the south, it doesn't get dark during standard time until after five pm when everyone is on their way home from work. When I first moved to Texas I was shocked that I would leave the office at 5pm in December and it wasn't pitch black. By 5:30pm it would be dark, but I liked that much better than NY where dusk struck at 4:30 and when you left the office at 5pm it was just plain dark. Still - I'd rather deal with a 4:30 dark than sending my eight year old off to school in the dark. At least, with fall back, no one is late for church! Wouldn't it be nice to avoid Spring forward where everyone shows up late all day Sunday?
okay, on to book news. I am delighted to say that Sweet Redemption is now at the editors. So you're december release is secure! And I have a blurb:
Widow Alice Sweet has weathered devastating loss, cruel betrayal, and a ranch teetering on the edge of ruin. Ex-con Clint came to the Sweet Ranch looking for honest work and a fresh start—not a family, and certainly not feelings for his strong-willed boss. Working side by side to mend broken fences and face new challenges, can two wounded hearts learn that a second chance at love may be the sweetest redemption of all?
Did I mention that the last book was Alice's story? Well, now you know! And it's available for preorder at all your vendors - and there may or may not be a list for preorder notification on my website from my store. Unfortunately, my website doesn't have the capabilities for preorders but if you sign up on the list, you'll be notified when it's available for early release at my store and when it's available for preorder at all vendors. Easy peasy!
And... from the looks of it, we'll be writing at least a few more books in the Honeysuckle series with a bit of a twist. And at the same time, I'll be plotting out the books for the New Firefighter series so you won't have to wait too long.
Now... now comes Thanksgiving prep. I will be serving dinner for 16 adults and 6 children. Deep cleaning of the dining/living room begins, with furniture getting moved around and extra tables brought down from the attic. Easy Peasy LOL. It's a lot of work, but it's my favorite holiday- all the family comes and I don't have to shop for presents and keep lists. I love it!
Okay- that's it for today - the grands are keeping us SO busy. Can't believe they've been here over two months, but we still have two months to go!
okay, on to book news. I am delighted to say that Sweet Redemption is now at the editors. So you're december release is secure! And I have a blurb:
Widow Alice Sweet has weathered devastating loss, cruel betrayal, and a ranch teetering on the edge of ruin. Ex-con Clint came to the Sweet Ranch looking for honest work and a fresh start—not a family, and certainly not feelings for his strong-willed boss. Working side by side to mend broken fences and face new challenges, can two wounded hearts learn that a second chance at love may be the sweetest redemption of all?
Did I mention that the last book was Alice's story? Well, now you know! And it's available for preorder at all your vendors - and there may or may not be a list for preorder notification on my website from my store. Unfortunately, my website doesn't have the capabilities for preorders but if you sign up on the list, you'll be notified when it's available for early release at my store and when it's available for preorder at all vendors. Easy peasy!
And... from the looks of it, we'll be writing at least a few more books in the Honeysuckle series with a bit of a twist. And at the same time, I'll be plotting out the books for the New Firefighter series so you won't have to wait too long.
Now... now comes Thanksgiving prep. I will be serving dinner for 16 adults and 6 children. Deep cleaning of the dining/living room begins, with furniture getting moved around and extra tables brought down from the attic. Easy Peasy LOL. It's a lot of work, but it's my favorite holiday- all the family comes and I don't have to shop for presents and keep lists. I love it!
Okay- that's it for today - the grands are keeping us SO busy. Can't believe they've been here over two months, but we still have two months to go!
October 27, 2025
Decisions Decisions
So much going on in my world and slowly but surely decisions are being made
Today I am leaning toward continuing the Sweet series - Obviously, there are no more siblings to marry off - but the ranch and the family are proving well received. Originally, my concept for this series was one of military heroes and K9s saving each other - It's how Brady became a part of the family and why Sara Sue was a non profit worker placing displaced service dogs that need rehab to be rehomed.
Obviously, that's now how the series worked out. It sort of took off in a direction all its own. So now I needed to decide if I move on with the series or move onto a new series.
Frankly, I was leaning heavily towarding writing the fire fighter heroes from book two of the Hart Land series. And I still plan to do that - but for now - I am leaning toward continuing with the Sweets as well. So the question will be - how well can I juggle! Especially with a new grandbaby arriving in the Spring. Y'all are going to have to keep me in your prayers. My mind is not fully made up - but I'm close!
And speaking of Sweets - Tomorrow is the release day for Sweet Tomorrows which is available NOW on my store if you don't want to wait!
Now - the update on house hunting. I am delighted to announce that my daughter and her family have an executed contract on a house - ready for this - around the corner from me! Can you think of anything more fun for a grandmother? I sure can't. I'm still not sure I believe they are no longer going to be a four hour drive from me! But here's the funny part. Do y'all remember my posting a video on my youtube page about the halloween house around the corner? Those folks go into massive decoration mode - well - that's the house my kids are buying. Of course, the neighborhood is going to be grossly disappointed next year when all they get for decorations is a few pumpkins on the front porch, but I find it terribly amusing. Go ahead and pop over to my youtube page and see :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHR_8O6vxwI&list=PL6l_TXWcJ1-jEhnc8SqIDhcuHrMFTD9vi&index=6
So - no more house hunting - yay! just work work work LOL - of course, they won't be moving in until the first of the year, but that's okay, more time for me with the grands ! LOL
That's it for today as I have lots of chapters to write!
take care,
Today I am leaning toward continuing the Sweet series - Obviously, there are no more siblings to marry off - but the ranch and the family are proving well received. Originally, my concept for this series was one of military heroes and K9s saving each other - It's how Brady became a part of the family and why Sara Sue was a non profit worker placing displaced service dogs that need rehab to be rehomed.
Obviously, that's now how the series worked out. It sort of took off in a direction all its own. So now I needed to decide if I move on with the series or move onto a new series.
Frankly, I was leaning heavily towarding writing the fire fighter heroes from book two of the Hart Land series. And I still plan to do that - but for now - I am leaning toward continuing with the Sweets as well. So the question will be - how well can I juggle! Especially with a new grandbaby arriving in the Spring. Y'all are going to have to keep me in your prayers. My mind is not fully made up - but I'm close!
And speaking of Sweets - Tomorrow is the release day for Sweet Tomorrows which is available NOW on my store if you don't want to wait!
Now - the update on house hunting. I am delighted to announce that my daughter and her family have an executed contract on a house - ready for this - around the corner from me! Can you think of anything more fun for a grandmother? I sure can't. I'm still not sure I believe they are no longer going to be a four hour drive from me! But here's the funny part. Do y'all remember my posting a video on my youtube page about the halloween house around the corner? Those folks go into massive decoration mode - well - that's the house my kids are buying. Of course, the neighborhood is going to be grossly disappointed next year when all they get for decorations is a few pumpkins on the front porch, but I find it terribly amusing. Go ahead and pop over to my youtube page and see :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHR_8O6vxwI&list=PL6l_TXWcJ1-jEhnc8SqIDhcuHrMFTD9vi&index=6
So - no more house hunting - yay! just work work work LOL - of course, they won't be moving in until the first of the year, but that's okay, more time for me with the grands ! LOL
That's it for today as I have lots of chapters to write!
take care,
October 20, 2025
What happens when the internet breaks
I'm not a huge fan of Amazon for a lot of reasons. But when they have a problem with their AWS cloud system and most of the internet doesn't work all day - I can't help but shake my head.
I really hate that if I want to go out and physically buy something - like a bedspread or new towels - My only choice is walmart because all the linen and bath stores are gone - and all the mom and pop specialty stores are gone. And I blame Amazon for that. So now, with this new glitch, I couldn't pay half my bills today. It's insane that one company has so much control over our daily lives.
Last year we drove through a town in Montana. I LOVED it. There was no walmart in town, only small stores. I wished we'd had more time to wander about and shop. I feel like things are becoming more and more difficult in this big crazy world.
Today was so stressful, I can't even remember all that went right or wrong! lol. I'm still working on Sweet Redemption, but haven't really gotten any words on the page because I've been so busy fighting with the internet! Grrr - I mean look how late I'm getting this newsletter out because I couldn't get the dumb page to load! I know I'm grumbling and complaining and I'm mostly sorry about that - but we really have to stop giving so much power to any one company - we just have to. Don't ask me how, but we have to figure something out.
For those of you following the pool saga - well - it's not getting any better. They're going to dive the pool again this Wednesday, hopefully, this time they'll figure out the problem. It would be really nice to have a properly functioning pool that doesn't cause such high summer water bills!
Now something totally trivial, as I'm writing this a rerun of Dick Van Dyke is on television. Am I the only one who wonders why Rob and Laura only had one child? I mean, think about it, in the sixties, big families were much more common than today. And even today, that 2.3 children seems to be a steady statistic. So what was the comedy reason for only one kid? Most of the time the kid isn't on the episodes so how hard would it have been to not have two brothers on the episode? I'm just asking :)
Now lets move on to Boston Blue - Yeah, I'm on a rant mode today LOL - Anyone else think they tried a little too hard to carbon copy Blue Bloods. And while I'm on the two kids thing - anyone else think that Danny leaving his family in NY for his Boston son is a bit out of character? Anyone think that if BOTH Danny's boys were in Boston it would make more sense for him to move? And while I'm at it - anyone else think that if they could find a new actor to play Sean, they could have hired a new actor to play Jack and then having danny leave his new love (don't like that part either) in NY for Boston would make more sense? I just loved the sense of loyalty, and family values that BlueBloods had and so much seems out of character for the whole family - I mean, really, this is a family who had thanksgiving dinner at the hospital rather than miss family dinner, and yet, only Erin showed up in Boston. Gradpa is retired, he could have gone. And what about Eddie? SHe's a patrol officer, surely she could have gotten time off. Boston is a five hour drive from Manhattan- you don't think Frank would have driven up after work, hung out for at least a day, before going home? I really disliked the disservice they did to the Blue Bloods legacy - oh well. 'm hoping they find their footing because I would love a new friday night show to watch!
Okay, I think I've rambled on enough. Y'all take care and I'll see you next week!
Oh and don't forget to tell all your friends to preorder Fake Dating the SEAL - it releases next week!
I really hate that if I want to go out and physically buy something - like a bedspread or new towels - My only choice is walmart because all the linen and bath stores are gone - and all the mom and pop specialty stores are gone. And I blame Amazon for that. So now, with this new glitch, I couldn't pay half my bills today. It's insane that one company has so much control over our daily lives.
Last year we drove through a town in Montana. I LOVED it. There was no walmart in town, only small stores. I wished we'd had more time to wander about and shop. I feel like things are becoming more and more difficult in this big crazy world.
Today was so stressful, I can't even remember all that went right or wrong! lol. I'm still working on Sweet Redemption, but haven't really gotten any words on the page because I've been so busy fighting with the internet! Grrr - I mean look how late I'm getting this newsletter out because I couldn't get the dumb page to load! I know I'm grumbling and complaining and I'm mostly sorry about that - but we really have to stop giving so much power to any one company - we just have to. Don't ask me how, but we have to figure something out.
For those of you following the pool saga - well - it's not getting any better. They're going to dive the pool again this Wednesday, hopefully, this time they'll figure out the problem. It would be really nice to have a properly functioning pool that doesn't cause such high summer water bills!
Now something totally trivial, as I'm writing this a rerun of Dick Van Dyke is on television. Am I the only one who wonders why Rob and Laura only had one child? I mean, think about it, in the sixties, big families were much more common than today. And even today, that 2.3 children seems to be a steady statistic. So what was the comedy reason for only one kid? Most of the time the kid isn't on the episodes so how hard would it have been to not have two brothers on the episode? I'm just asking :)
Now lets move on to Boston Blue - Yeah, I'm on a rant mode today LOL - Anyone else think they tried a little too hard to carbon copy Blue Bloods. And while I'm on the two kids thing - anyone else think that Danny leaving his family in NY for his Boston son is a bit out of character? Anyone think that if BOTH Danny's boys were in Boston it would make more sense for him to move? And while I'm at it - anyone else think that if they could find a new actor to play Sean, they could have hired a new actor to play Jack and then having danny leave his new love (don't like that part either) in NY for Boston would make more sense? I just loved the sense of loyalty, and family values that BlueBloods had and so much seems out of character for the whole family - I mean, really, this is a family who had thanksgiving dinner at the hospital rather than miss family dinner, and yet, only Erin showed up in Boston. Gradpa is retired, he could have gone. And what about Eddie? SHe's a patrol officer, surely she could have gotten time off. Boston is a five hour drive from Manhattan- you don't think Frank would have driven up after work, hung out for at least a day, before going home? I really disliked the disservice they did to the Blue Bloods legacy - oh well. 'm hoping they find their footing because I would love a new friday night show to watch!
Okay, I think I've rambled on enough. Y'all take care and I'll see you next week!
Oh and don't forget to tell all your friends to preorder Fake Dating the SEAL - it releases next week!
October 13, 2025
October 13th, 2025
It's funny how professionals don't listen to non professionals. I don't know about you guys, but when I tell a doctor something like, I never get sleepy in allergy meds, or ordinary amoxocillin doesn't work on me - they don't believe us - they have to learn the hard way that we know what we're talking about
so far - I'm the only person not surprised the pool is leaking - I told the first leak guy who said pool isn't leaking go ahead and replaster - I told them - it's been leaking so it has to be somewhere - no no no - they came short of saying little lady! So here we are - letting the pool drain and it's still draining - pretty soon there won't be any water at all in the shallow end - yep, it's that bad!
they're trying something new today - plugged the main drain - hmm where did they hear that before lol - yeah - we'll see.
We are still hunting for a good home for my kids - the scope is widening and the prices are getting higher - a tight squeeze for their comfort zone but they are ready to move! It's a bit chaotic, but nice having the kids around daily, they're just more at home with us. we're no longer treated like guests!
On the book front - the aloha holiday story releases later this month - it should be available by next week in my store for those who like to get it early. AND - i'm delighted to report that Sweet Tomorrows the next honeysuckle book is at the editors - so excited to be almost back on schedule, today I started on sweet redemption!
We're still deciding what to do next and I am definitely leaning toward the New England Firehouse - after I'm done writing Alice's book for Sweet Redemption, I'm going to re-read Lily and see if the guys still make me want to write about them!
If you have any thoughts on what you want to read next - now is the time to speak up!
so far - I'm the only person not surprised the pool is leaking - I told the first leak guy who said pool isn't leaking go ahead and replaster - I told them - it's been leaking so it has to be somewhere - no no no - they came short of saying little lady! So here we are - letting the pool drain and it's still draining - pretty soon there won't be any water at all in the shallow end - yep, it's that bad!
they're trying something new today - plugged the main drain - hmm where did they hear that before lol - yeah - we'll see.
We are still hunting for a good home for my kids - the scope is widening and the prices are getting higher - a tight squeeze for their comfort zone but they are ready to move! It's a bit chaotic, but nice having the kids around daily, they're just more at home with us. we're no longer treated like guests!
On the book front - the aloha holiday story releases later this month - it should be available by next week in my store for those who like to get it early. AND - i'm delighted to report that Sweet Tomorrows the next honeysuckle book is at the editors - so excited to be almost back on schedule, today I started on sweet redemption!
We're still deciding what to do next and I am definitely leaning toward the New England Firehouse - after I'm done writing Alice's book for Sweet Redemption, I'm going to re-read Lily and see if the guys still make me want to write about them!
If you have any thoughts on what you want to read next - now is the time to speak up!
October 6, 2025
Monday Monday
We'll start with the househunt for my daughter - still no glory. This time of year is never the best for folks to put their houses on the market and with today's higher interest rates, few people want to give up their lower mortgages for a different house. So we keep hunting, and I keep knocking on neighbor's doors while I'm at it!
Then we go on to the drama with the swimming pool - no surprise - it's still leaking - we strongly suspect it's so low, below the steps, below the lights, below the returns, that the only place left it can leak from has to be the main drain. I see unpleasant construction and expense in my future.
Which brings me to the writing part of my life. Thankfully, Sweet Tomorrows is staying on track. It's even going faster than expected. I seem to have found a rhythm for working with a house full of grandchildren. And I also seem to have less trouble writing small town ranch country than beach country Hawaii. The thing is, Sweet Tomorrow is book six in the Honeysuckle series and I have one more book to write - Sweet Redemption and this series - at least for now- will come to an end, and I need to decide what to do next.
If any of you remember the Hart Land Lakeside Inn series - in book two I had a slew of firefighters and I always thought it might be fun to write a series set at their firehouse - but most of my fans do seem to prefer series set in Texas. Do you have a preference? I can't help but wonder if anyone wants to return to New England.
As for the grands, it's always fun having them around. I am thankful for this chance to create memories with them - though at only three it's unlikely my granddaughter will remember a whole lot, but my older grandson should! I think many of my memories of my grandparents were from when I was around four or five - so we'll see!
Lastly, since I went ahead and spoiled that Sweet Tomorrows goes to Vegas, I'm going to share the complete raw and unedited draft of the first chapter with you!
* * * *
The familiar scent of old leather, paper, and their father’s cologne should have felt like coming home. Instead, leaning against the doorframe of the study, to Kade Sweet it felt like visiting a museum of a life that was no longer his. The chaotic, sprawling family of his youth had now settled into smaller, tighter pairings of two. Carson’s hand rested on Jess’s knee, an easy, possessive gesture. Across the room, Preston murmured something to Sarah Sue, and the private smile they shared was a conversation all its own. Garret and Jackie sat on the floor, their easy affection a comfortable fixture in the room now. Even Rachel and Jim, his free-spirited sister and her childhood-friend-turned-husband, seemed to share a quiet, solid understanding. And then there was Jillian, his youngest sister, radiating a new, confident happiness as she leaned against the rock star who had somehow become her husband.
Kade felt relegated to little more than an observer. A low, contented sigh from his side was his only anchor. Kade looked down at Brady, the big German Shepherd’s head resting on his boot. The dog, at least, was a constant.
“All right,” Preston’s voice cut through the low chatter, pulling Kade’s attention from his thoughts to the laptop open on their father’s desk. “Time for the state of the union.”
A collective settling fell over the room. This was the new normal—the family pow-wow, the mission briefing for the ongoing campaign to save the Sweet Ranch.
“Good news first,” Preston continued, a rare, unforced smile touching his lips. “Thanks to the initial payments and everyone’s hard work, we’re holding the line. The operating budget is stable, if not exactly comfortable. We’re meeting the monthly payments.”
A collective, quiet sigh of relief went through the room. It wasn’t a victory, not yet, but it was a far sight better than the desperate freefall they’d been in when he’d first heard of their not so trusted foreman’s thievery.
“The real light at the end of the tunnel is still the anniversary payouts,” Carson added, his voice steady. “Only several more months to go and the first anniversary stipend will hit. From there, we can easily pay off the biggest of Dad’s loans. Give us some real breathing room.”
“In other words, by the time they all roll in, we’ll be in the clear?” Garret squeezed his wife’s hand.
The plan was working. The insane, beautiful, ridiculous plan had actually worked. Kade felt a surge of pride for his siblings, for the incredible new spouses who had stepped up to join their fight. For the homes they’d created.
Preston lifted his chin to his older brother. “You, brother Kade, may very well be off the hook. We should be able to hold the fort down until the big payments start rolling in.
It was Jillian who turned her gaze on him, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes that he remembered all too well from their childhood. “Of course,” she said, her voice laced with theatrical innocence, “Now that Blake and I are moving into our own place, the master bedroom will be free again so… if you happened to fall in love in the next few months, it certainly wouldn’t hurt the budget.”
The room erupted in easy laughter. Kade felt the corner of his own mouth twitch. “Noted,” he held back a chuckle, shaking his head. Though lord knows why he was laughing. Perhaps because, for everyone, the guillotine of foreclosure was no longer hanging over their necks.
As the conversation shifted to a brief, if uneventful update on the still-missing Ray and the two hands caught in Wyoming, Kade’s mind drifted again. He looked at his brothers, men who were now husbands and fathers, their lives intricately woven into the fabric of this land. He had always defined himself by his service, his duty to his country. It was a clear, honorable path. But for the first time, watching the life his family was building, a life of shared burdens and quiet joys, he questioned his own future. Was a career spent thousands of miles away truly the best thing for him, or for them? What was his legacy beyond a distinguished service record?
The sharp ring of his phone cut through his thoughts, a jarring intrusion from the outside world. He glanced at the caller ID—Sully, his best friend from his unit. Frowning, he pushed off the doorframe. “Excuse me a second.”
He stepped into the hallway, the murmur of his family’s voices fading behind him. “Sully. What’s up?”
"Hey, I was hoping I'd catch you."
Kade smiled despite his exhaustion. Dan “Sully” Sullivan had been in his unit three deployments ago, a solid soldier and an even better friend. “What’s all that racket? Where the heck are you?”
"Vegas. That's uh actually why I'm calling." Sully's laugh sounded forced. "I'm getting married. Tomorrow night. I know it's short notice, but I need a best man, and you're the only guy I trust not to let me do something completely stupid."
"Tomorrow night? Sully, what the hell—"
"I know how it sounds. But Kade, she's the one. I met her six months ago when I was passing through on leave, and I haven't been able to get her out of my head since. She's got orders for Germany next month. It's now or we wait two years, and I can't wait two years."
Kade closed his eyes, already knowing what his answer would be. Sully had saved his ass more times than he could count. If his friend needed him, he'd be there.
"What time do you need me?"
"Are you serious?" The relief in Danny's voice was palpable. "Man, I owe you big time. Ceremony's at eight. Nothing fancy, just a quick thing at one of the chapels, then we'll hit the town to celebrate."
"Text me the details. And Sullivan—you sure about this?"
"Never been more sure of anything in my life."
A moment later, he walked back into the study, the phone now silent in his hand. Every eye in the room on him.
He ran a hand over his face, a slow grin spreading across his lips. “Well, change of plans. I’m hopping a flight in the morning.”
“What’s going on?” Jillian’s brow furrowed with concern.
Kade shook his head, the absurdity of it all hitting him. “Sully’s getting married. In Vegas. And apparently, I’m the best man.”
* * * *
Well, I hope y'all like the start - and if you want to go ahead and preorder go for it - hopefully Amazon won't muck it up like they did with Sweet Obsession there are still over 400 people who had preordered and we are unable to find them to let them know the book is live and for sale everywhere they buy ebooks. Hopefully it's available at the local libraries too! At least it should be.
And on this - I leave you till next week!
Then we go on to the drama with the swimming pool - no surprise - it's still leaking - we strongly suspect it's so low, below the steps, below the lights, below the returns, that the only place left it can leak from has to be the main drain. I see unpleasant construction and expense in my future.
Which brings me to the writing part of my life. Thankfully, Sweet Tomorrows is staying on track. It's even going faster than expected. I seem to have found a rhythm for working with a house full of grandchildren. And I also seem to have less trouble writing small town ranch country than beach country Hawaii. The thing is, Sweet Tomorrow is book six in the Honeysuckle series and I have one more book to write - Sweet Redemption and this series - at least for now- will come to an end, and I need to decide what to do next. If any of you remember the Hart Land Lakeside Inn series - in book two I had a slew of firefighters and I always thought it might be fun to write a series set at their firehouse - but most of my fans do seem to prefer series set in Texas. Do you have a preference? I can't help but wonder if anyone wants to return to New England.
As for the grands, it's always fun having them around. I am thankful for this chance to create memories with them - though at only three it's unlikely my granddaughter will remember a whole lot, but my older grandson should! I think many of my memories of my grandparents were from when I was around four or five - so we'll see!
Lastly, since I went ahead and spoiled that Sweet Tomorrows goes to Vegas, I'm going to share the complete raw and unedited draft of the first chapter with you!
* * * *
The familiar scent of old leather, paper, and their father’s cologne should have felt like coming home. Instead, leaning against the doorframe of the study, to Kade Sweet it felt like visiting a museum of a life that was no longer his. The chaotic, sprawling family of his youth had now settled into smaller, tighter pairings of two. Carson’s hand rested on Jess’s knee, an easy, possessive gesture. Across the room, Preston murmured something to Sarah Sue, and the private smile they shared was a conversation all its own. Garret and Jackie sat on the floor, their easy affection a comfortable fixture in the room now. Even Rachel and Jim, his free-spirited sister and her childhood-friend-turned-husband, seemed to share a quiet, solid understanding. And then there was Jillian, his youngest sister, radiating a new, confident happiness as she leaned against the rock star who had somehow become her husband.
Kade felt relegated to little more than an observer. A low, contented sigh from his side was his only anchor. Kade looked down at Brady, the big German Shepherd’s head resting on his boot. The dog, at least, was a constant.
“All right,” Preston’s voice cut through the low chatter, pulling Kade’s attention from his thoughts to the laptop open on their father’s desk. “Time for the state of the union.”
A collective settling fell over the room. This was the new normal—the family pow-wow, the mission briefing for the ongoing campaign to save the Sweet Ranch.
“Good news first,” Preston continued, a rare, unforced smile touching his lips. “Thanks to the initial payments and everyone’s hard work, we’re holding the line. The operating budget is stable, if not exactly comfortable. We’re meeting the monthly payments.”
A collective, quiet sigh of relief went through the room. It wasn’t a victory, not yet, but it was a far sight better than the desperate freefall they’d been in when he’d first heard of their not so trusted foreman’s thievery.
“The real light at the end of the tunnel is still the anniversary payouts,” Carson added, his voice steady. “Only several more months to go and the first anniversary stipend will hit. From there, we can easily pay off the biggest of Dad’s loans. Give us some real breathing room.”
“In other words, by the time they all roll in, we’ll be in the clear?” Garret squeezed his wife’s hand.
The plan was working. The insane, beautiful, ridiculous plan had actually worked. Kade felt a surge of pride for his siblings, for the incredible new spouses who had stepped up to join their fight. For the homes they’d created.
Preston lifted his chin to his older brother. “You, brother Kade, may very well be off the hook. We should be able to hold the fort down until the big payments start rolling in.
It was Jillian who turned her gaze on him, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes that he remembered all too well from their childhood. “Of course,” she said, her voice laced with theatrical innocence, “Now that Blake and I are moving into our own place, the master bedroom will be free again so… if you happened to fall in love in the next few months, it certainly wouldn’t hurt the budget.”
The room erupted in easy laughter. Kade felt the corner of his own mouth twitch. “Noted,” he held back a chuckle, shaking his head. Though lord knows why he was laughing. Perhaps because, for everyone, the guillotine of foreclosure was no longer hanging over their necks.
As the conversation shifted to a brief, if uneventful update on the still-missing Ray and the two hands caught in Wyoming, Kade’s mind drifted again. He looked at his brothers, men who were now husbands and fathers, their lives intricately woven into the fabric of this land. He had always defined himself by his service, his duty to his country. It was a clear, honorable path. But for the first time, watching the life his family was building, a life of shared burdens and quiet joys, he questioned his own future. Was a career spent thousands of miles away truly the best thing for him, or for them? What was his legacy beyond a distinguished service record?
The sharp ring of his phone cut through his thoughts, a jarring intrusion from the outside world. He glanced at the caller ID—Sully, his best friend from his unit. Frowning, he pushed off the doorframe. “Excuse me a second.”
He stepped into the hallway, the murmur of his family’s voices fading behind him. “Sully. What’s up?”
"Hey, I was hoping I'd catch you."
Kade smiled despite his exhaustion. Dan “Sully” Sullivan had been in his unit three deployments ago, a solid soldier and an even better friend. “What’s all that racket? Where the heck are you?”
"Vegas. That's uh actually why I'm calling." Sully's laugh sounded forced. "I'm getting married. Tomorrow night. I know it's short notice, but I need a best man, and you're the only guy I trust not to let me do something completely stupid."
"Tomorrow night? Sully, what the hell—"
"I know how it sounds. But Kade, she's the one. I met her six months ago when I was passing through on leave, and I haven't been able to get her out of my head since. She's got orders for Germany next month. It's now or we wait two years, and I can't wait two years."
Kade closed his eyes, already knowing what his answer would be. Sully had saved his ass more times than he could count. If his friend needed him, he'd be there.
"What time do you need me?"
"Are you serious?" The relief in Danny's voice was palpable. "Man, I owe you big time. Ceremony's at eight. Nothing fancy, just a quick thing at one of the chapels, then we'll hit the town to celebrate."
"Text me the details. And Sullivan—you sure about this?"
"Never been more sure of anything in my life."
A moment later, he walked back into the study, the phone now silent in his hand. Every eye in the room on him.
He ran a hand over his face, a slow grin spreading across his lips. “Well, change of plans. I’m hopping a flight in the morning.”
“What’s going on?” Jillian’s brow furrowed with concern.
Kade shook his head, the absurdity of it all hitting him. “Sully’s getting married. In Vegas. And apparently, I’m the best man.”
* * * *
Well, I hope y'all like the start - and if you want to go ahead and preorder go for it - hopefully Amazon won't muck it up like they did with Sweet Obsession there are still over 400 people who had preordered and we are unable to find them to let them know the book is live and for sale everywhere they buy ebooks. Hopefully it's available at the local libraries too! At least it should be.
And on this - I leave you till next week!
September 29, 2025
So, how was your week???
Mine has been plenty busy and borderline crazy. I have no idea how much of my real world y'all want to hear - but I'm sharing anyhow LOL.
As we left for our dream trip to Ireland this summer, we'd also contracted to have the pool replastered. We've lived here for thirty years and it was never replastered - to say it was beyond time was probably an understatement. The challenge is this pool has leaked for years. Okay, maybe decades. Every year we patch the cracks and try to find the source and in recent years the water bills have become astronomical. This year we bit the bullet to replaster - explained in great detail about the leak problem to the contractors - was assured they would find any issues and repair before plastering - including chiseling away at loose plaster and existing cracks - Long and short - Pool was finished over two months ago - and yep - still leaking!
I have stopped filling it because I'd have to sell a library to pay for the 1000 dollar a month water bills if I kept it full. Here's a couple of photos of where it's at now. We're just letting it run on the main drain only to see how far will it go - I'm darn curious to be honest. It seems to be worse than in years past -
So this is an ongoing issue - say your prayers that it's resolved or it's going to be a very low fill summer!
then we move on to the Aloha Holiday book. I stayed in Houston until it was FINISHED! Yay!! of course it was so late my editor had to push it back as well, but we should still meet the late october release date so go ahead and get your preorders in if you remember the ALoha series - if you've never read it - pick up Mai Tai Marriage for free and meet the team from the Big Island Dive shop!
Now I'm working on the next Honeysuckle book. Sweet Tomorrows. It's coming way easier than the Aloha book did, hopefully it will keep up - I'm so thankful for friends who have been to Vegas more often than me! So y'all are the first to hear that Sweet Tomorrows starts out in... Las Vegas! So now you know :) - but don't worry - Most of the book will be in Honeysuckle! With plenty of bling and cowboys :)
This brings me to the rest of the chaos in my life - My spare guest room stank of golden retriever - the culprit - besides the dog - the rug. That room is the only room in the entire house with wall to wall carpet - it now has vinyl plank flooring. The problem, it's not sticking well (it was glue down to match the hall not click connect like my kitchen) soo - I've been in there every day literally dancing on the floor and moving weights, books, and gallons of paint around to make the stupid floor stick. Other than not sticking, it's looking pretty good!
But the biggest block of our time--and exhaustion--has been thanks to the grands. My daughter and son in law spent the weekend doing final clean up and touch up on their house to put it on the market, and hubby and I had the kids. Let me tell you, there is a reason people are designed to have children young! There needs to be a word for exhaustedly exhausted LOL. Keeping up with a three and six year is tough on these old bones! This morning I slept in till ten and my husband till noon. I suspect we'll be needing DAYS to recover LOL.
I'm still wanting folks to tell me what you want to read - my daily grind, my book process, snippets as I go - more pictures- just let me know! In the comments though so I can find them!
Thanks much for hanging out with me!
As we left for our dream trip to Ireland this summer, we'd also contracted to have the pool replastered. We've lived here for thirty years and it was never replastered - to say it was beyond time was probably an understatement. The challenge is this pool has leaked for years. Okay, maybe decades. Every year we patch the cracks and try to find the source and in recent years the water bills have become astronomical. This year we bit the bullet to replaster - explained in great detail about the leak problem to the contractors - was assured they would find any issues and repair before plastering - including chiseling away at loose plaster and existing cracks - Long and short - Pool was finished over two months ago - and yep - still leaking!
I have stopped filling it because I'd have to sell a library to pay for the 1000 dollar a month water bills if I kept it full. Here's a couple of photos of where it's at now. We're just letting it run on the main drain only to see how far will it go - I'm darn curious to be honest. It seems to be worse than in years past -
So this is an ongoing issue - say your prayers that it's resolved or it's going to be a very low fill summer! then we move on to the Aloha Holiday book. I stayed in Houston until it was FINISHED! Yay!! of course it was so late my editor had to push it back as well, but we should still meet the late october release date so go ahead and get your preorders in if you remember the ALoha series - if you've never read it - pick up Mai Tai Marriage for free and meet the team from the Big Island Dive shop!
Now I'm working on the next Honeysuckle book. Sweet Tomorrows. It's coming way easier than the Aloha book did, hopefully it will keep up - I'm so thankful for friends who have been to Vegas more often than me! So y'all are the first to hear that Sweet Tomorrows starts out in... Las Vegas! So now you know :) - but don't worry - Most of the book will be in Honeysuckle! With plenty of bling and cowboys :)
This brings me to the rest of the chaos in my life - My spare guest room stank of golden retriever - the culprit - besides the dog - the rug. That room is the only room in the entire house with wall to wall carpet - it now has vinyl plank flooring. The problem, it's not sticking well (it was glue down to match the hall not click connect like my kitchen) soo - I've been in there every day literally dancing on the floor and moving weights, books, and gallons of paint around to make the stupid floor stick. Other than not sticking, it's looking pretty good!
But the biggest block of our time--and exhaustion--has been thanks to the grands. My daughter and son in law spent the weekend doing final clean up and touch up on their house to put it on the market, and hubby and I had the kids. Let me tell you, there is a reason people are designed to have children young! There needs to be a word for exhaustedly exhausted LOL. Keeping up with a three and six year is tough on these old bones! This morning I slept in till ten and my husband till noon. I suspect we'll be needing DAYS to recover LOL.
I'm still wanting folks to tell me what you want to read - my daily grind, my book process, snippets as I go - more pictures- just let me know! In the comments though so I can find them!
Thanks much for hanging out with me!
September 22, 2025
What a Fiasco
As most of you know - tomorrow is release day for Sweet Obsession - well - not so at Amazon. The lovely vendor screwed up. They claim they didn't have the file in time - then they said yes they did but it wasn't finalized. Bottom line - they cancelled ALL the preorders. Trying to find the folks who preorder is almost impossible. So few people follow our social media or sign up for newsletters. I've tried to let folks know via my facebook page - but of course that's not reaching many people.
then of course, I have been struggling like you wouldn't believe with the new Aloha Christmas story - I honestly think pulling teeth would be easier! Doesn't help that when you have to do a lot of typing, after a while, hands start to hurt. I usually use magnets for that, but don't have them with me here in Houston. I am getting closer, so close I can almost smell it, but it's been ions since I've been to Hawaii or been around divers. And then I keep forgetting this is a holiday story - those are never my strength. But I'm hoping with my editors help, it will all come together.
And for anyone who has dark wood floors with lots of scratches - sharpies work to hide them. I have been roaming around my daughter's house filling in scratch marks with sharpie markers. Then I rub the excess off the good floor and only the darkened scratch remains. It probably works better on dark floors than light ones, but thank heavens it's working. Next project is patching the carpets where the cats scratched. That one may be a bit tougher - but I'm going to try!
Next on the list - starting on Sweet Tomorrows. I knew where I was going with it when I stopped working on the series to put out a christmas book - I just hope it turns out easier to write than this one has. I will do my best to release it on time, but I suspect Sweet Redemption is going to have to be pushed back a few weeks, I can only do so much and my brain is rebelling!
Okay, I have a lot of work ahead of me still! I'm going to make this one short - and please - if you read this - comment here and let me know what kind of things you like reading about and I can focus more on those!
Happy week
then of course, I have been struggling like you wouldn't believe with the new Aloha Christmas story - I honestly think pulling teeth would be easier! Doesn't help that when you have to do a lot of typing, after a while, hands start to hurt. I usually use magnets for that, but don't have them with me here in Houston. I am getting closer, so close I can almost smell it, but it's been ions since I've been to Hawaii or been around divers. And then I keep forgetting this is a holiday story - those are never my strength. But I'm hoping with my editors help, it will all come together.
And for anyone who has dark wood floors with lots of scratches - sharpies work to hide them. I have been roaming around my daughter's house filling in scratch marks with sharpie markers. Then I rub the excess off the good floor and only the darkened scratch remains. It probably works better on dark floors than light ones, but thank heavens it's working. Next project is patching the carpets where the cats scratched. That one may be a bit tougher - but I'm going to try!
Next on the list - starting on Sweet Tomorrows. I knew where I was going with it when I stopped working on the series to put out a christmas book - I just hope it turns out easier to write than this one has. I will do my best to release it on time, but I suspect Sweet Redemption is going to have to be pushed back a few weeks, I can only do so much and my brain is rebelling!
Okay, I have a lot of work ahead of me still! I'm going to make this one short - and please - if you read this - comment here and let me know what kind of things you like reading about and I can focus more on those!
Happy week
