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Day One: Monthly Letter
Dear Readers, The last time I made a New Year's resolution, I swore that I would whip my office into shape (believe me, when I say "whip" is the right word!) and march into the year 2000 as organized and efficient as Martha Stewart. So much for my good intentions . . . I opened my office door this morning, screamed, then slammed it closed. I would have locked it, but I think the key is buried under fifty tons of old manuscript pages that should have been filed some time in the late 1980s. I told a friend of mine about my continuing office dilemma and she summed it up quite nicely, "Accountants have neat offices; writers have studios." Maybe that's the secret. Studios are allowed to be chaotic and colorful and wildly messy. It works for me. But the hope that one day I'll morph into a romance-writing version of Martha still springs eternal.
I have lots of wonderful new things planned for my website this year. I've decided to go ahead with my plan to post one of my old historical romances here as a gift from me to you and hope to begin on Valentine's Day. If you want to be kept up-to-date on what's new, you can join my notify list by sending an email to me at update@barbarabretton.com with UPDATE in the subject line and I'll take it from there.
And please take a moment to visit my Scrapbook section and meet my friends Jimmy "Guitar" Smith and Mrs. Elsie Neal. Jimmy is a blues guitarist/singer/poet who can break your heart with a single word. Do yourself a favor and click on one of the musical clips. Mrs. Elsie Neal has written and published a fictionalized account of her remarkable life. BEYOND THE MIST is a powerful story of a woman's search for family. I hope you'll take a moment to read more about her. We all have stories to tell. Our families are built upon a foundation of stories, both happy and sad, stories that too often slip away. Elsie Neal refused to let that happen and we're the lucky ones. 2001 was a tough year for all of us but we made it through to the other side. Here's to 2002: may it bring peace and joy, health and success to all of us.
Warmly,
In stores now:
Archived letters:
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January 2002
I'm thrilled to say that -- in what I can only describe as a Christmas
Eve miracle -- we found a wonderful home for Sammi the Cat. Pam and her
family are everything we prayed would come along for Sam: warm,
wonderful people with hearts of gold. The women of Open Your Heart told
us that our hearts would tell us when we found the perfect new family
for Sammi and they were right: the second Sammi curled up next to Pam's
young son and kissed his hand, Roy and I knew it was a match made in
heaven. Somehow I think my parents would agree.
I might have mentioned that I collect old letters and diaries. There's
something sacred to me about them, something almost magical. I have a
small packet of Edwardian Era love letters that I'm going to share with
you right here on the web site. I think you'll love them as much as I do.
