Adventure. Love. Heartbreak. Welcome to the California gold rush.

Although these things are difficult to pin down so far ahead of schedule, I anticipate Halcyon Days will see the publication light of day in 2021. I have a rough draft, but it's still in its manuscript infancy, so there's a long way to go yet. I do most of my writing in winter, so I'm confident I'll make great strides in early 2021.

Halcyon Days is the emotional tale of Norah Foster, an outcast in her own family, and Merrick Brandt, a young ranch hand determined to reach the California gold fields and make his fortune. In an act of desperation to escape her cruel family, Norah commits an irrevocable mistake that has far-reaching consequence that binds her fate to Merrick's. Although our hero is younger than our heroine, he has a strong sense of self, whereas Norah's sense of self-worth has suffered because of her family's revulsion for her mixed Sioux-Mexican heritage. They're a sweet, well-matched couple if Merrick can learn to forgive her manipulations and Norah can believe herself worthy of love and respect. These two have a lot to overcome before they get their happy ending, but their tender embrace on the cover perfectly illustrates how Merrick and Norah ultimately end up being each other's emotional rock.