Good Night, Irene

Well, after we thought we were home free once hurricane Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it arrived in Maine, we lost power. This was Sunday afternoon at 1:05pm. Sixty hours and 31 minutes later (yes, I was definitely counting!), power was restored at 1:36am this morning. That hot shower is going to feel so good!! We have a well so it wasn't long before the water was used up in the tank and the pump is electric. So, it's been fun using bottled water to brush our teeth, wash up, flush toilets, etc. I don't even want to tell you how much food we had to throw out from the fridge and freezer - broke my heart!

All that said, I'm looking at my queued-up orders and will be working on them starting today. What an August it's been for me! One set-back after another, but I'll catch up eventually. No new info on upcoming books from Kansas City Star but I'll do some sleuthing to see if there's anything out there somewhere to post.

Hope you all were safe throughout the storm and have your power back too. Have a great, sunshine-y day!

Late Summer Reading Heating Up!

Extra, Extra, read all about it! There are some AWESOME new books due to heat up the waning days of summer very soon:

* Maggie Bonanomi will release Buttonwood Farm - I know lots of Maggie-philes can't wait for this!

* Renee Plains (Liberty Star) releases Stitches from the Schoolhouse

* Polly Minick & sister Laurie Simpson present Victory Girls for rug hookers and quilters.

* Jill Peterson (Frontier Homestead) and James Cramer of Seven Gates Farm collaborated on 'Tis the Season, Christmas Eve with James Cramer (available in October).

I'm taking pre-orders on all of these new books with the usual offer of free shipping, AND, as an extra bonus, receive a free copy of Need'l Love's Spooky Threads, just in time for Halloween and fall crafting. This is one of their classic "Threads" books, a $25 value in itself. International customers will get a break on shipping charges as well - we'll pick up a third of the shipping cost this time around. Details on this pre-order offer and the books themselves can be found on my web site.

Waiting for pictures of Renee and Maggie's book covers so I can post, but all four will be available for pre-order on my web site later today.

On a personal note, my left knee is recovering - slowly - from arthroscopic surgery about a week and a half ago. I wasn't prepared for the reaction to the anesthesia and strong pain meds and developed a hellish bout of gastritis on top of that! Constant nausea and pain is the pits! Because of all that, order processing fell behind, but I'm working to catch up. Thanks to everyone for their patience during this hiccup!

Hope you're enjoying a few cooler days. We've had some gorgeous, dry temps and cool, crisp nights lately. Heavenly! That's my reward for last week!

Take care,