Summer is sizzling and I love every minute of it. The St. Louis weather is almost as hot as the pages of my July release, LOVE LESSONS AT MIDNIGHT. Regency London has never seen such a heat wave. If you haven’t done so already, please check out Amber and Rob’s unusual meeting and his startling request in the two excerpts on the Upcoming Section . I hope this will entice you to buy the book and enjoy how these two vulnerable souls come together and find lasting happiness in spite of terrible obstacles.

Next up early in 2011 is DARK ANGEL AT MIDNIGHT, the story of Amber’s “bodyguard,” a bold and daring French émigrée named Lady Jenette Beaurivage. I had a ball writing about her and spymaster Sir Blake Hawksworth (aka Lucifer) as they battled with their wits and their swords. Now I’m busily at work on the third book in the “House of Dreams” trilogy, LOVING LIES AT MIDNIGHT. Although rescued from the London slums and raised in a bordello, Lorna has remained an innocent. A kindly older man wants a daughter to fill the void left by the death of his only child. The owners of the House of Dreams bring the two together. But then Lorna falls in love with the son of a duke. Untitled and having grown up surrounded by courtesans, she is hardly suitable marriage material for Geoffrey Vance, Marquess of Kensington. Unaware of her life before she became Gavin McCrory’s ward, Geoff cares nothing about her lack of pedigree. She convinces him that she is a respectable cit from a wealthy family. Defying his father, he courts her and they wed. Then her deception leads them both to unhappiness and great danger before they discover the power of love.

Be sure to read Jim’s latest Newsletter. This past spring he chronicled the catastrophic beginning of the year in the Henke household. Well, friends, things have not taken much of a turn for the better. I’ll let him regale you with our tale of woe.

Since summer is in full swing, what better time for a picnic? Check out my new additions by clicking on the recipe section here. I’ve given my own take on baked beans that are good hot or cold, a dreamy light lemony potato salad, and for dessert, a sweet, easy-to-prepare cheesecake.

Stay cool, enjoy the sunshine and wherever you go on vacation, take plenty of good books along!

Happy reading,

Shirl