HAPPY NEW YEAR!
May your upcoming year be a blessed one.

I cannot believe Christmas came so quickly! Where had the first eleven months gone? The tree went up without a hitch. This was the first year that my house was not decorated inside and out. A torn ligament in my right knee prevented me from doing much. Not even a tree. But that was okay. Next year!!

Tradition in the Hassell household is still ongoing after thirty-five years. I bake goodie boxes for my kids. Mind you, I have five. And, it takes me three days of constant baking to get it done. This year due to my knee injury I eliminated a few goodies, insisting they don't need so many sweets anyway.

The boxes consists of Homemade Bread, Pound Cake, Banana Bread, Brownies, Sugar Cookies, Orange Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Peanut Butter Fudge, Chocolate Fudge, Tiger Butter Bark, and Sugared Pecans. I also made some quick treats: Cranberry Nut Clusters and Christmas Chex Mix.

With the help of my husband, I made it through. That's still lot of goodies, a lot of baking and a lot of yummy goodness. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Christmas Day is the most fantastic and rewarding. This year all five of my kids were there but one. Spouses, significant others, Grandkids, extended family and friends. Our house was bulging with thirty hungry people. And we had a wonderful, loving, fun-filled day. Lots of laughter and memories to last a long time. Well, till next year anyway. Then we get to do it all over again!

Naturally, with my attention focused on Christmas, cooking and all that goes with it, there was no writing getting done.

As you know, THE FERRY CROSSING, is my current work in progress, that will be back in full swing, so to speak. I pushed back the release date to March to give me plenty of time to write without rushing. I very much like where the main character, Everly, is going and where she is taking me and the rest of the characters. Everly is breaking out of her normal life with new adventures, with the man she knocked flat on his backside on the ferry boat when she exited her car.

THEN THERE WERE FIVE is a novel I've been working on when I can. I hesitate to give a release date, possibly May. This is the story of a young woman whose sister dies leaving three young children. Taking on their care is a monumental task which she undertakes, increasing her household to four. Then without warning it becomes five.

I'm revisiting my THE LADIES OF SUMMER PLACE series. I'm writing about an attorny, CHARLAYE BELLWOOD. I'm excited to see how her story will pan out.

Another idea swirling around in my head is ANASTASIA'S MOUNTAIN. I've put that one on hold until I have more time to focus on her story.

Until next month! Take care and count your blessings!