Dear Reader,

I can't believe American Thanksgiving is a week away. I'm not ready. I'm hosting a small gathering chez moi, but so far other than ordering my turkey I am burying my head in the sand.

When I was a child, Thanksgiving was a big deal. In addition to the dinner (I only really liked the pumpkin pie), it marked the day after which we were allowed to mention Christmas, and spend hours leafing through the Sears Christmas catalogue.

My family celebrated Thanksgiving at my grandparents' little bungalow in North Tonawanda, New York. There were eleven grandchildren at that time, so while the women hung out with Grandma to do the cooking, the men and the kids went bowling.

Yes, bowling. On Thanksgiving. It was actually pretty fun, although I was never very good at it—being a scrawny nerd.

No bowling for me this Thanksgiving however. I hope to have some time for writing. Trying to finish the manuscript of Book 5 in the series by the end of the year.

Before that, though, I have to do all my promotion for Book 4—an absolute necessity for working authors. And that includes a few special offers on my other books. First up, The Soprano's Daring Duke.

This is NOT a Black Friday deal

I always planned to make the Kindle edition of The Soprano's Daring Duke—which involves the same family as The Falconer's Lost Baron—free for a few days before Falconer comes out. I just didn't think about the fact that three days before December 1 is Black Friday. Sigh.

Be that as it may, Soprano will be free (on Kindle) for 11/28, 11/29, and 11/30. A great chance to snag it and read before the next book—if it doesn't get lost amid all the big Black Friday deals.

Before that, though, from November 25-28, you can get the Kindle edition of Miss Pauline's Perfect Present free. This holiday novella is a great little escape from the pressures of the holiday season. Load it on your Kindle so it's there when you need some escapist cheer!

Pretty things

I don't know about you, but I love hardcover books. Reading them somehow feels different. Perhaps it's a generational thing. I was brought up to revere them, to treat them well (no turned-down corners, broken spines, markings, etc.)

Of course, eBooks are wonderful for different reasons—I just discovered that I have 703 of them in my Kindle library, and there's no way I'd fit that many volumes on my already overcrowded shelves. Not to mention audiobooks (for me, that's another 194 titles—some of them duplicates), which I rely on more and more as my reading time gets eaten up with writing.

So here's a quick poll for you:

For me, clearly, it's a combination. But now I'm very picky about the physical books I buy (you know, space). So I couldn't resist the temptation to create special hardcover editions of some of my books—only available directly on my website.

This includes one very special copy of The Dressmaker's Secret Earl. It has all the bells and whistles—a larger size, sprayed edges, endpapers, foil-stamped dust jacket, a ribbon to hold your place (so you're not tempted to turn down a corner)—and it also includes the complete novella of Miss Pauline's Perfect Present—which follows on from the story in Dressmaker. (Please note: this order takes time to fulfill, so if you want your copy before the holidays, I recommend acting soon.)

Don't forget the stocking stuffers!

Speaking of holidays, the paperback edition of Miss Pauline's Perfect Present makes a great stocking stuffer—just the right size, and perfect for reading on a cozy afternoon.

OK, enough selling. It's my least favorite part of all this, and I promise I'll be back to more interesting newsletter fare after Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, if you celebrate the holiday, I wish you all the best for it. I know it can be a lonely time for many, so I hope you find a way of making the day special for yourself. If nothing else, send me an email! I promise I'll answer.

All the best and happy reading & writing,

Susanne