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 sometime in the summer of 2020. 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 the winter, so I'm confident I'll make great strides later this year.

Halcyon Days is the emotional tale of Norah, an outcast in her own family, and Merrick, 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 tells a horrible lie that forces the honorable Merrick to take her with him when he departs Texas. Merrick is a bit younger than Norah and painfully shy, but he's capable and earnest, whereas Norah has a low sense of self-worth because of her family's revulsion for her 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.