Easter is my favorite holiday, because there is such an abundance of things to be grateful for at this time of year. I am most grateful to be reminded of the possibility for redemption by the Savior. As I am a prolific reader of the Classics, I am aware that the most common message that they share is redemption—Tolstoy, Hugo, Dostoyevsky , Gaskill, Austen, and other greats all have one thing in common. They lead us in the direction of "redemption by love." I truly believe that this world must be changed one heart at a time through this love, and what always underlies my writing—the changing of hearts and the real nature of love.

As a Latter-day Saint, I am also grateful for Spring Conference and all the uplifting, hopeful messages I will hear. I am thankful for Spring in Utah which is always amazing when seen from my office “The Cranberry Tower” that looks over Utah Valley.

In writing news, I am pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Discovering Annika , (working title) this fall. It used to be called The Only Bright Thing, but my publisher disliked the title and the name (Sigrid) of the main character. So, I’m hoping that they go with this one. Am also hoping that they come up with a cover as nice as my other books. This is not a mystery or an historical novel, like my previous offerings. It is straight women’s fiction. However, it does have a minor mystery, and a good deal of romance. The real kind of romance that readers of The Last Waltz will expect from me. It digs deeply into the origins of romantic feelings and demonstrates different kinds of love.

The story was begun 25 years ago in the Ozarks, when I was mentored in the craft of writing by an outstanding editor, who taught me the art of cutting away the dross and allowing the true story to shine. It was a painful process and took about five years. Since that time, the novel has undergone many incarnations, but when I submitted it to my product director last year, she said, “You need to go deeper with this.” So I began digging once more into the psyches of my characters. I was surprised at how much my perspective on love has changed from my first writing of this tale. The waiting was good, for I learned a lot in those many years of letting it simmer.

Annika is living a double life, plagued by flashbacks to a former very passionate relationship and a career as a concert pianist in Europe. Her husband knows nothing of that Annika. He thinks she is his stoic, Scandanavian Eve and that he has found Eden in the Ozarks. Annika has never given him the slightest clue about her past, because she is determined to begin a new life with Dennis. But, as most of us know, if we don’t deal with our emotions properly, they will hold our bodies and our lives hostage until we have let ourselves feel the feelings we have been shutting down. Dennis must piece together Annika’s real personality, while Annika must decide whether she is the past Annika or the Annika that is living with her husband and three and a half year old son on the Peach Tree Farm. I can promise you that if you like character-driven fiction, this will be a good, and perhaps even an enlightening read for you.

So, you ask, what about The Crazy Ladies? Well, that book has turned out to be an amazingly wonderful and difficult project. I have never written any serious fiction this fast and it is a challenge. I am on my second draft, incorporating the ideas and edits of my three alpha readers. I will need to add a lot of new material at the end. Hopefully, you will see it in 2011!

Meanwhile, I am preparing for our second Crazy Ladies research trip--this one a cruise to the Greek Isles. It promises to be fascinating and exhausting. Am trying to up my capacity for both aerobic activity and walking and climbing after more than a year of little or no exercise due to my orthopedic problems. I have a brand new stationary bike, and plan to resume my neighborhood walks. I have also bought an impressive array of shoes. I think I may need to take an extra bag, just for shoes! Everything from silver sandals to Sketcher orthopedic walking shoes! Wish me luck!

And for goodness sake, if you are an Alex and Briggie fan, be sure to enter the great contest on the contest page!