Readers, I want to thank you all for taking a journey (or maybe two) with Mabel Hartley this year. It truly has been a banner year for Mabel and me, with the completion of Volume 3 in the series, awaiting a line edit, and ready for publishing in Spring 2016.

What a year I’ve had. 2015 has taken me to New York City, Pittsburgh, and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. I have walked the Mayan ruins in Tulum, which reminded me so much of Mabel’s discovery in Scotland in book 2. I swam with giant sea turtles and floated on my back through an underground cave.

Most importantly, my daughter, who is eight became a reader of my stories and so did my nephew, who is 10. I got to see the light in their eyes as they followed Mabel to the darkest corners of treasure hunting and feel the triumph of knowing I had written a story worthy of their imaginations.

Finally, in book 3, The Crusader’s Hoard, we meet Mabel’s birth mother. Writing this story felt the most momentous to me because the story poured out of me in about 3 months. It took the summer away with my children to get some perspective on the story and start rewrites in September, which I just finished in December.

So with the arrival of the New Year comes a new Mabel. A character transformed by the secrets of her past but also haunted by them. The series will continue with volumes 4 & 5 and I am anxious to start researching the next story which will take our fearless treasure hunters to New York City.

I wish all my fans and readers a wonderful holiday season and all the best for 2016. It is truly a gift to write for you and share the adventures of Mabel Hartley.