Happy January, Readers and Friends!

Well, 2012 is finally here, and that means LUCKY PENNY will be out at the end of the month! For me, launching a new book is a little like having a baby...lots of labor pains, great anticipation, and finally the launch! I never take for granted that a book will be a hit with all of you, so your feedback means a great deal. I hope you’ll let me know what you think when you’ve read the book.

David Paxton, the hero, is a younger half-brother of gunslinger Ace Keegan, whom many of you will recall from KEEGAN’S LADY. Ace does appear in LUCKY PENNY and you will get a brief update on his new life. David is a lawman who plans carefully and believes he has both his life and his town under perfect control. He may be right about the town, but the arrival of a misdirected packet of letters explodes his well-ordered existence as completely as a stick of dynamite detonating at the tips of his cowboy boots. To his certain knowledge he’s never been married, yet the writer of the letters claims to be the wife of a David Paxton.

That’s mystery enough, but a heartrending appeal written by a little girl who addresses David as “Papa” sends David on a quest that springboards him up to his eyeballs into a mystery. If this red-headed Irish spitfire, Brianna, whom he’s positive he’s never clapped eyes on, is truly his wife, why is she treating him like a case of smallpox? And why does she keep denying that the golden-haired child who carries the Paxton family birthmark is not David’s child?

The answers to these questions are slow in coming, and David is forced to acknowledge that he’s met a woman as stubborn and determined as he is. I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it and that you’ll fall in love with David and root for Brianna as they make their way along the rocky path to true love.

LUCKY PENNY received Top Pick and a rating of 4 1/2 stars from RT Book Reviews! Hurrah!

I haven’t had as much time to write during the holidays as I’d hoped, but I’ll be back to work on Quincy Harrigan’s story very soon. Our Kiwi branch of the family will be visiting until the middle of January, and we cherish every moment with them. Even though we Skype at least weekly with them, it’s astounding to see how much our two grandsons have grown!

Quincy’s book will be the last in the Harrigan/Kendrick/Coulter series. He’s the last unmarried sibling, a horseman to the marrow of his bones, and a confirmed health nut whose list of essentials includes a juicer and a blender. Many of you have speculated that he will fall for a fast food junkie...but that’s not in the cards. Quincy’s heart will be ambushed from a totally unexpected direction!

I’m sorry, in a way, that the series is coming to an end, but I’m very excited about several new projects I’ll be starting work on. More on this later...but never fear, retirement is not in my plans for the future. There are so many stories, and so little time, to twist a phrase. ;-)

The winner of my December Writerspace Contest is Irene Menge, who will be receiving an autographed book. Don’t forget that you can enter this contest, too, every month. Check out Writerspace. You won’t be disappointed. Congratulations, Irene!

Cathy Norton sent in the most tempting family recipe for December. She’ll be getting an autographed book, as well. Here is her delicious recipe for Pecan Meringue Cookies, and I’ll bet that, like me, you won’t be able to eat just one.

Pecan Meringue Cookies

2 egg whites, well beaten
4 TB flour
1 cup sifted brown sugar
2 cups whole pecans

Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff. Add flour and pecans. Grease a cookie sheet and flour it well. Drop batter by small teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Space far apart...about 12 on a regular size cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for about 20-25 minutes.

Thanks for sharing, Cathy, and congratulations!

Christina Baxter-Perry sent in the winning entry for stocking stuffers. She suggested coloring books, washable markers and crayons, cutie oranges, and Etch-a-Sketch gadgets for young children. For teens, she suggested iTunes gift cards, sock monkey toys, movie tickets, concert tickets, and passes to amusement parks. For adults, passes to a show, a book exchange, cookbooks, scrapbooks, or movie tickets. For seniors, she suggested family photos, hand crafted teas, favorite candy, and hand warmers. She even included suggestions for pets...something that the Anderson clan can really relate to!

Congratulations, Christina! An autographed book will be coming your way.

My January contest is easy: What’s your main New Year’s Resolution, and how do you plan to keep it? Send it to my e-mail address at CatherineDirect@aol.com, marked “contest entry.” The winner will receive an autographed book!

My main New Year’s Resolution is the same as it was last year...try to write faster. The fates conspired to make that difficult last year, but I’m hoping for better luck this year. My newly remodeled office, designed for maximum comfort and efficiency, should be a huge help in carrying out that resolution. Sissy, who considers my office Her Territory, allows me unlimited access , provided that I keep to our agreement. She can count, and she knows I have two hands. One, I can use as I please. The other must be available at all times if she wants to be scratched, rubbed, or stroked. On that understanding, peace reigns supreme. I haven’t dared push the limits.

In closing, I have a special request, made on behalf of Tim VeArd and his wife, Lynda, known as the Lighthouse Lady on my Bulletin Board. They are very dear friends of Sid’s and mine, and they are in need of prayers. I won’t cite the details because it may be a breach of confidence, but if you have any spare room on your prayer lists, please add their names. Tim and Lynda have long been the host and hostess of my guestbook, with Tim’s expertise in Internet security preventing unwanted advertising, foul language, and the shocking pornographic material that once haunted my original guestbook. They also created a live chat room for us to use, free of charge, not to mention a world clock and many other lovely features. They are both fabulous people and have silently been great friends to all of my site visitors for years now. All of us owe them a big thank you plus all the prayers we can send up despite our busy schedules! My “time for prayer” trick is to pray while I wash my hands. Years ago, our priest’s mom told me to silently sing the Happy Birthday song while I washed my hands in public restrooms to make sure I scrubbed long enough to kill all the germs. I quickly switched from the song to my favorite prayer, which I offer up for loved ones in need of help. I even do this at home! When I’m in a hurry to get back to something, it’s too easy to do a quick rinse. Saying my favorite prayer keeps me scrubbing and also keeps me in communication with God on a frequent basis. On behalf of Lynda and Tim VeArd, I will be washing my hands a lot over the next few months.

Happy New Year to all of you, and thank you again for your amazing loyalty, encouragement, and good wishes. They mean the world to this writer.

Catherine Anderson