Dear Reader,

Did you miss me? LOL! Probably not. Our inboxes are so overloaded these days—which makes me very grateful for anyone who reads my newsletters and completely fine with anyone who unsubscribes.

Since I last wrote, I have had some huge, life-changing events. Two, to be exact. On Monday, October 27th I had my first cataract surgery. On Monday, November 3rd I had my second. And now, after 65 years of needing glasses or contacts, I can see beautifully with my naked (albeit rather bionic) eyes.

It's hard to forget that we live in an age where such things can happen when we're all struggling in one way or another to survive and thrive. A lesson not to take for granted the good things in life.

For me, surviving and thriving means writing—and having readers.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to all of you who made the relaunch of my Medieval trilogy such a success. It means more than I can say to discover that those books are still finding readers. The history they're based on is compelling and somewhat overlooked in the chronicles (at least in the U.S.), and it serves as a reminder that history is written by the victors, the strong, the dominant.

That is one of the reasons why women take center stage in all of my books, no matter which period or topic I'm writing about. They take center stage, and they find a way to thrive within the strictures of their era and prove they are capable of meaningful, autonomous action.

Fast-forward nearly 600 years to The Falconer's Lost Baron—and the Goodreads Giveaway.

It's November, and time to shift my focus to the launch of Book Four in my Double-Dilemma Romance series! I have lots of things planned for this, but first of all, for this month you have an opportunity to win a free Kindle copy of the book by entering the Goodreads Giveaway!

What inspired this book? The kernel of the idea arose from my fascination with raptors and the art of falconry. Although by the time of the Regency, falconry had pretty much given way to hunting (on horseback), shooting, and fishing as rural activities pursued by the gentry, there were definitely some hold-outs.

So I couldn't resist giving one of my female protagonists a love of birds and her own fascination with this dying art. It gave me an excuse to reenter a world I love (falconry) and to set a story in one of my favorite English counties (Cornwall).

But the book is about more than falconry, of course. It's a romance, where love prevails and everyone ends up with their heart's true mate.

The story

Advance reviews have started coming in—I'm always so grateful for those. They keep me going as I prepare for launch day.

As do preorders! They are a wonderful indication to the Amazon algorithm of a book's potential popularity.

The Giveaway

As I said, the giveaway is now live! The winners will be announced on December 1—which is both launch day and the day the story begins (albeit in 1814 rather than 2025).

Are you writing this November?

Despite the demise of NaNoWriMo, several other people and organizations have taken up the challenge of creating Novel November. This includes ProWritingAid. I did a planning workshop for them in October, and I'll be doing a "what's next?" workshop in December.

In the meantime, they have some real star-power to inspire you to get those pages written during November, including Madeline Miller (Circe), Tome Adeyemi (Legacy of Orisha Trilogy), and Jessica Brody (Save the Cat Writes a Novel.

It's free to participate, and writing along with thousands of others who are working toward the same end can be really motivating. I did it for many years in NaNoWriMo. 😊

Wishing you all the best in your reading and writing lives, as well as not too much approaching holiday stress,

Susanne