Words. Yep, that’s what’s facing me: lots and lots of words.

Now that The Greek Villa is out in soft-cover, and The Parisian Affair has been published in hardcover (and won’t have its soft-cover release until autumn of 2005), you’d think I could take a breather. But not quite yet. Especially since I’ve just returned from an extended stay in Europe. Part of that trip was spent sailing the Aegean (something I could do forever and ever), and visiting old friends and making new ones. However, I’ll be coy about any other specific places I’ve been, since I don’t want to give away any future plots!

Lest you think life is all fun and games, suffice it to say that I took along my most essential traveling companions—notepads and laptop. As I’ve already mentioned in my newsletter on the Home Page, I’m racing the clock to finish Dreamboat, but other than that, mum’s the word! And once Dreamboat is done? Well, there’s no rest for the weary. First, I’ve simply got to fly out to California to visit my very best friends who live on Monterey Bay, and who I’ve been neglecting.

Then, as soon as I’m back, it’s high time to put the garden to rest for the winter. That’s serious business around here—would you believe that last year we had temperatures of -40 degrees Fahrenheit if you counted the wind chill factor? Plus there’s tons more renovation needed to be done on these two barns, and a shed to convert into a guest house, all work which requires personal supervision. I discovered that the hard way! And above all, the holidays are around the corner—which in the “Gould” household is a really, really big deal. Thanksgiving to New Year’s is celebrated seriously, with all the traditions and trimmings. Even while all this is occurring, there will be real work going on as well—writing. But just so you don’t feel too left out, I’ll let you in on some of the things under consideration.

First and foremost (since Dreamboat is the new 2005 hardcover title), I must decide which novel to tackle for 2006! A lot of plots and outlines have been brewing, and it’s time to choose between them. Also, if you’ve already clicked on The Story of Judith Gould, you know that besides being a pseudonym, Judith Gould consists of two of us, so we’re considering developing a second pseudonym in addition to Judith, which is really, really exciting! They’d also be novels of romantic suspense, but with the emphasis on the suspense. And then there’s 2007 to consider...

Why 2007? Because that will be the 25th anniversary of the publication of Sins! Can you believe it will have been that long? Anyway, I’d love to do a sequel in which Hélène Junot reappears, but which focuses on the following younger generations. In other words, besides being a sequel, it would be a novel which stands on its own, in and of itself. A pretty tall order—but who can resist a challenge?

So...how will you be able to keep up? Simple. I’ll let you know specifics with periodic updates of my newsletter on the Home Page.

You’ll also be able to click onto the previous newsletters, in case you wish to peruse them again, or are a new reader. Besides which, I suppose those trite old sayings really are true: “Busy hands are happy hands,” and “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”

Well, there’s no time to be idle around here! But who wants to be idle? Idling is for cars! There’s too much to do! Books to write, exotic locales to explore, and then the very best part of going away to do onsite research—coming back home to Billy and Jeffrey’s excited licks and Mina’s purrs. Because there really is no place like home.

And on that note, best wishes to you and yours,