Dear Reader,

She's here! Or rather, they're here: Persephone, James, Sophia, and Nathaniel. I'm excited for readers to discover this side of Regency Cornwall, near what was the largest slate quarry in the world at that time.

To celebrate, I'm embarking on a five-day blog tour, starting today. Here's the schedule:

I'll be sharing links and reviews as we go!

Fun was had... at my Dull-Thud-Day Eve party!

I didn't really have an in-person launch event for this book. It's book five in a series, and I won't have my author copies until Monday. But I did get together with a few friends for some convivial moments in the lobby of The Lincoln Hotel in Biddeford, Maine. Honestly, so much fun. Old friends and new. We made a lot of conversational noise for such a small group!

Books do have a way of bringing people together.

And of course, The Teacher's Noble Heart is now available to purchase.

I sincerely hope you enjoy it. There's something extraordinarily rewarding about sharing a story that's born of one's imagination with readers for whom it resonates. It's kind of a magical connection.

Now, I must focus ahead to writing book 6, which is in my mind but only about 10% on the page just now—and a very rough 10%. I do a certain amount of planning, and think about my characters and their backstory, their "whys," and then I start drafting. Slowly. Sometimes I have bursts where I crash out 1500 words. But those are rare moments.

Somehow it eventually all adds up to a manuscript of over 100k words in the end. I'm never entirely sure how it has come about!

How about the other writers on this list? How do you manage to get your manuscripts written? Here's a quick poll:

That's all for today! I hope everyone is doing well and managing to maintain your sanity in these crazy times. Books. Stories. As Oscar Wilde said, "Art is the only escape from the sordid perils of actual existence."

Best,

Susanne