"That is not a ghost story. That is the RiverCliffe legacy." She looked at me, her eyes gentle. "Do you find that hard to believe?"Three years after her divorce, Risa Armitage is still trying to get back on her feet. Living in the basement of her mother's brownstone with three kids, one bathroom and no cross ventilation is not her—or her three kids'—ideal.When the family of the father that she never knew leaves her a surprise inheritance, RiverCliffe, Risa knows he...

Dee Ernst's Lucy Checks In is a delightful work of romantic comedy about a disgraced hotel manager who travels to Rennes to rebuild a hotel and her own life in the process.Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start. Once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel's owner, Lucy had her entire future planned out. But when the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy's life as she knows it falls apart.T...

The Brightness wasn’t the end of the world, but it might as well have been. Now, Amy and her family are trying to rebuild their lives, trying to return to some kind of normalcy, all the time wondering…why did it happen? How? And when will it happen again? And a million years (Miles? Worlds?) away, the answer is so simple…This short story originally appeared in the anthology, Celestial, as written by Marijon Braden

Mt. Abrams was the kind of small, quiet town where, as any of its residents would tell you, nothing ever happened. That was why Ellie Rocca loved living there, even if her ex-husband did not.But even small towns had secrets, as Ellie discovered when Lacey Mitchell suddenly disappeared. Ellie caught Lacey’s husband in a lie, and one small discovery led to another until it became apparent that nothing about the Mitchell’s was quite what it seemed.Mother’s Day was just around ...

Grace has sworn off good-looking men. As soon as she starts dating one of them, she transforms from a mature, confident woman to a needy teen-aged girl. So when she meets Seth, the best-looking man she’s ever seen, she makes the right choice — forget all about him. But a neurotic golden retriever and a broken elevator keep bringing them together. Is the world working against her… or maybe the gods are finally smiling?Out of Order is a short story that originally appeared i...

Meet Enza Biondi—the ballsy, quick-thinking owner of Luxe Affairs. Armed with a pink notebook and killer curves, she's a party planner with no time for fools and a nose for murder.Finding a dead body was not the way Enza wanted the McGowan Tea Party to end. She's been hoping for a quick and easy clean-up so she could spend more time with the tall, dark and sexy guitar player who arrived with the entertainment. Instead, Enza and her partners find themselves in the middle of a crime ...

When Aladdin rubbed the magic lamp, things went pretty well for him. But a few thousand years later, the world has changed and the genie is old, cranky, and doesn't play fair. Young Alison thinks she's found the answer to all her prayers, but instead finds that having wishes come true isn't all it's cracked up to be.This short story originally appeared in the anthology, Through a Tangled Wood, as written by Marijon Braden

Sarafina Castellano has lost it all — her popular restaurant, her famous boyfriend, and her beloved father. At odds with her disapproving brothers, she has found a new place to call home, a quiet southern town called Hills of Andrew.Starting over means a new job and new people, especially a new man who may want more than she is willing to give. As she tentatively moves forward, there comes a call from home; a favorite niece whose needs threaten to disrupt her fragile peace....

The first three novellas in the Mt. Abrams Mysteries Series.Welcome to Mt. Abrams, a perfect little community where, everyone will tell you, nothing ever happens.Until…A Mother’s Day MurderIntroducing Ellie Rocca and the small community of Mt. Abrams, where the disappearance of a local mom has the neighborhood buzzing. There’s a sexy detective on the case, but that doesn’t stop Ellie and her friends from trying to find their own answer to the question — wher...

Andy Williams. Yoga. Twitter. Costco.What do these things have in common?Well, at one time or another, I blogged something about each of them. As a writer, you are often told to write what you know. This should tell you a lot about how glamorous and exciting this writer’s life is.I’ve put together a number of short essays on these and other fascinating subjects, most of them previously published on one of my blogs, and am offering them as a collection. Most of them ...

A sparkling romantic comedy starring a bestselling author who goes to Paris to overcome writer's block and rediscovers family, independence, and love along the way.All Maggie Bliss needs to do is write. Forty-eight years old and newly single (again!), she ventures to Paris in a last-ditch effort to finish her manuscript. With a marvelous apartment at her fingertips and an elegant housekeeper to meet her every need, a finished book—and her dream of finally taking he...

The last three novellas in the Mt. Abrams Mystery series.A Deadly New YearEllie Rocca and her boyfriend, Detective Sam Kinali are off to a cozy inn with Sam’s friends. He’s planned the perfect get-away—a murder mystery weekend. But romance takes a back seat when a real body turns up to spoil the fun.A Malicious MidwinterA surprise blizzard traps Ellie Rocca with unexpected guests, including an alcoholic author and her cowering assistant. As the storm worsens...