The next book in the series

It’s been a week since my last entry, and that’s longer than I intended. Isn’t it funny how life has a way of just taking over?

But I’ve cleared the decks, packed the dog off to the groomer (overdue!) and Buster the cat is hunting mice in the barn. He’s old now, and slow and tho’ I’m certain he’s nailing them in his dreams, in real life–they’re laughing.

I wanted to give you a sense of the next book in CV series, and what’s happening with my characters and plot.

The working title is, Raggedy Ann, MD. The story opens with Ann Lamb, a young pediatrician just completing her residency in San Francisco. She’s excited about launching her career, but the reality is that she’s saddled with student loan debt–until best friend and newly minted psychiatrist Lola Tabucci explains a new Federal program called Rural Doctors.

“It’s pretty simple,” the shrink says. “You practice for five years in a small town where they need docs—and 85% of your loans are forgiven. What’s not to like?”

So, after some library research, Ann hits the road in her ancient V-dub, headed for Christmas Valley. And she nearly made it, but twenty miles out of town, the battered car limps to the side of the highway, giving up the ghost for good. As she sits alone in the darkness, a rumbling pickup stops on the gravel shoulder. The truck’s door squeaks open and slow, deliberate footsteps approach from behind.  Palpable panic and fear overwhelm her as the stranger moves closer. Against the backdrop of moonlight, she sees the outline of his tall silhouette under a Stetson.

Enter Hubble Diamond, the returning son of a shattered family, and a man labeled by townsfolk as a killer. She knew better and good judgment normally ruled, but not this time and sure as hell not with Hub. The love they both crave is there for the taking, like ripe fruit on the vine, and their explosive chemistry is impossible to ignore. But the circumstances of his past makes a relationship impossible.

Many of the characters from the first book will populate this one too, so no worries. Jess, Will, Zack Harper and many of others will still be around.

It’s a big story with lots of moving parts and I’m loving telling it.

Sam is back from the groomer and looking so handsome!