Fiction Friday: Announcement

It's official! My next novel is going to be called She Makes It Look Easy. I had to wait for it to get through titling committee before I could tell you that for certain. But this week I found out that the title I proposed will be the actual title of the book. Yay! Stay tuned for the cover-- I will be sure to post it here once it gets designed.

I am very excited about this book, which will come out next June. I should begin edits on it in the next few weeks, I would expect. In a way I feel like a first-time author-- and I'm sure I will even more once the edits start-- because this book is so different from Mailbox. I went from coastal love story to a story about the complexities of women's relationships. This book focuses on the pedestals we put each other on and the need for authenticity and acceptance between women.

I will share the summary I wrote for the novel-- you guys are the first to see it!

When Ariel Baxter moves to a new neighborhood and meets her backyard neighbor Justine Miller, she knows she’s found someone who can help her achieve her goal of being a better wife and mom. Quickly Justine draws Ariel into neighborhood organizations and a church mother’s group she is convinced will be a lifeline for her. Justine ushers her into a world of clean houses, fresh baked bread, homemade crafts, and organization techniques sure to make her life easier, her marriage better and her motherhood more manageable. When rumors start to circulate about Justine’s relationship with a male neighbor, Ariel must choose whether to believe the best about the friend she admires or accept that what we wish was true sometimes just isn’t. She Makes It Look Easy is a novel about the complexities of women's relationships, the value of being real, and the freedom that comes with accepting who we are, faults and all.

As for the whole "will there be a sequel to Mailbox" question, I can say that we aren't sure. There will probably not be a direct sequel, but I hope there will be some more Sunset Beach love stories coming. How's that for vague? For now we've decided to move ahead with this one. I hope you will all want to read She Makes It Look Easy and will be as supportive of it as you were of The Mailbox. It's you guys who made all the difference in the success of The Mailbox, and you guys can make that difference again!