I have not started up the knitting project again. Yet. It being April and me having plenty of time to do it and also ... taxes. I will still be on my blog where I will talk about roses and my cat and possibly another attempt at croissants. And maybe eventually about writing.

I've really enjoyed my time here. It's been so much fun. (especially the readers. *g*)

I am so pleased my books brought you pleasure. Will I be able to write again? I honestly don't know. But the time I was able to give to the writing craft was wonderful and I'll miss it.

Time to just BE. You got it

These have been dark times lately. I imagine writers crouching in the underground, listening to the air raid sirens in the dark, taking turns telling stories. Maybe stories that make people laugh or give a happy sigh. Romance is really good at that.

Writers give to each other. In fact, that's what Word Wenches is all about. I figger every writing professional I meet is likely to be somebody whose books I'm going to love. Often enough, they are. We learn from each other and we support each other. Romancelandia is a good place.

Thank you. You will not know this, but my very first signing was for Berkley at one of the RWA conferences. You were at the next table, looking so cool and professional. I so enjoyed your books. There was a well-concealed fangirl moment.

Thank you very much. Nothing better than knowing some work I've done had brought somebody enjoyment.

You are so right. The future is a land of possibilities. I rather suspect many of the possibilities will involve baked goods, but some of them might lead me to story ...

I'm going to be looking firmly ahead. Not back. Here's hoping I see wonderful things.

Thank you for the kind wishes. One thing I'm looking forward to is going back and rereading many of the comfort books I've collected over the years. These are slow reads and I just haven[t had the time for them. Now I'll make the time.

I think I've nicely rounded off the book series. No dangling questions. No unfurfilled hopes. I hope. So in all ways, this is a good time to rest and reassess. Thanks so much for the kind words.

I'm glad you enjoyed the blog posts. Mostly they came out of research I was doing on a manuscript. I got multiple use out of them. I freed myself of the insidious, "I've done the research and now you, the reader, are going to durn well read it!" All the little bits and pieces that didn't fit in the story found a home. They were not wasted. And I hope folks found them fun. I had fun writing them.

Thank you so much. I'm being reminded of that good advice every day now.

It's hard for folks to connect to the Romance aspects of a character if they first meet him when he's older and "thoroughly married". And if he's presented again and again as in a completely non-sexy way. It's an argument for reading a series in order. I'm very, very fond of Doyle myself.

It's one of the things writers talk about a lot behind the scenes. Writing is both sedentary and exhausting. Not good for health. Wise writers take long walks and go to the gym. Some of them (jo says doubtfully) may even jog. I am not a wise writer. I have made all kinds of resolutions. We will see what comes of that.

I'm glad I had a chance to write Hawker's whole story, even if it did give The Black Hawk a complicated plot. I worried about that, so I'm always glad when folks say the book worked for them.

I think I'm already getting the benefits of ratcheting back the responsibilities and distractions. It's good to just sit still and think, y'know.

Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the books. I certainly enjoyed writing them.

That sounds exactly like Grey and Annique. Always something interesting down the road. Maybe they'll take off with the Gypsies.

(jo waves madly) Always something interesting going on at a Writers Conference. I'm surprised there aren't more books with that setting.

Hi Anita - I'm already feel more relaxed. I'm convinced this is the right move.

My To Be Read pile has been asking for an entire room of its own. I'm going to have to start reading them ...

They were most kind. (jo blushes and tries to find someplace inconspicuous to stand.) I've written a good bit of nonfiction over the years, though much of it doesn't have my name attached to it. I've always figured it doesn't HAVE to be boring.

My most "historical" of all the books is Forbidden Rose. I mean, I knew the historical weather hour-by-hour for a lot of that and all the minutia of who was patrolling the Paris streets. So, in some ways, all the others were easier to write.