Ciji's Friend Comments

A RACE TO SPLENDOR was listed among the top 3 books for the prestigious WILLA (Cather) Literary Award in the Historical Fiction category, announced at the end of 2012! This novel told the story of the aftermath of the cataclysmic 1906 San Francisco earthquake and firestorm that left 250,000 homless and living in the park for two and a half years--and the true-life efforts of some women architects to get the fabled Fairmont Hotel restored by the first anniversary of the quake. AND there's a love story!

Getting ready to launch THAT SUMMER IN CORNWALL Feb. 1, a stand-along contemporary sequel to A COTTAGE BY THE SEA! Even though it's fiction, there was a lot of fact-checking to be done since the back story deals with search and rescue dogs. My background as a working reporter for 25 years comes in handy...and I love doing interviews as part of my research. When I was in Cornwall in October, I tracked down the Dog Unit Manager at the Devon and Cornwall Police, who was hugely helpful. Now I have to re-read everything one more time before finally letting itout of my hands...

I had some good news today, August 30: MIDNIGHT ON JULIA STREET landed at #54 on the USA TODAY Bestsellers list and was a Nook Daily Find last week. Wahoo!