My second novel, Enchantress of Paris, hit bookstore shelves yesterday. The launch event at Barnes & Noble and all the wonderful feedback from readers and reviewers have touched my heart. Have I mentioned how much I love and appreciate you, dear readers? Thank you for making my work possible!

USA Today just allowed me to write as their guest and published my article about the unsung heroines of history here.

Also today, Harper Collins is revealing the cover for our WWI anthology A Fall of Poppies. I’m pleased and humbled to be included in this anthology centered around Armistice Day with such incredible, bestselling authors as Heather Webb, Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson, Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland, and Lauren Willig. The line about a Belgian rebel in the following blurb…that’s my story!

~ “Top voices in historical fiction deliver an intensely moving collection of short stories about loss, longing, and hope in the aftermath of World War I…

A squadron commander searches for meaning in the tattered photo of a girl he’s never met…

A Belgian rebel hides from the world, only to find herself nursing the enemy…

A young airman marries a stranger to save her honor—and prays to survive long enough to love her…

The peace treaty signed on November 11, 1918, may herald the end of the Great War but for its survivors, the smoke is only beginning to clear. Picking up the pieces of shattered lives will take courage, resilience, and trust. Within crumbled city walls and scarred souls, war’s echoes linger. But when the fighting ceases, renewal begins…and hope takes root in a fall of poppies.” ~

Without further ado, I give you…the cover & links…. [isn't it beautiful?!!]

Fall of Poppies Cover Reveal

Barnes & Noble / Amazon / IndieBound / Books-a-Million

William Morrow Trade Paperback; March 1, 2016; $14.99; ISBN: 9780062418548

I have to halt posting about seventeenth century cosmetics for a moment. Why? Because I just booked my flight to The Historical Novel Society Conference and I’m psyched!

We only meet on US soil every other year because we rotate with our British founders across the pond. Which makes it the Do Not Miss Event for historical fiction!

Though I’ve been a member for many years, 2011’s San Diego conference was my first. No matter what you may have heard about my goings-on during the early morning hours in the lobby, I can make no further public comment. Suffice it to say, I made some of my very best friends in San Diego.

I was delighted to meet PhDs, archeologists, and world travelers. For this group, it’s about more than just the writing, it’s passion for time and place. Because of so many variations within historical fiction, you find thrillers writers to romance writers, specializing in settings from Ancient Rome to World War One.

From meeting big names, to informative panels, it’s a lot of bang for your buck. Count on covering all the hot topics in the genre. Strictly limited to only three hundred attendees, you get to meet almost everyone. They schedule plenty of networking (aka cocktails) at large then break into smaller, more intimate sessions. Agent and editor pitches are scheduled in advance, but most snag extra pitches from the waiting list and by hanging around the pitch room for no-shows. This year they’re even offering an optional writing-coach workshop.

Check it out and join us. We can make some history of our own. Like this little memory. I can’t recall exactly why or how Sophie Perinot and I managed a Tweet & Greet. She made me hold the sign, even threatened me with a big stick.

HNS11 from left authors Elizabeth Loupas, Sophie Perinot, Susanne Dunlap, Marci Jefferson, and Heather Webb