Here's Aunt Marge! Well, Almost

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 Aunt Marge has been one of my longest thought-to-production books ever. Life kept interrupting, for one thing, a broken leg and a local situation that makes me leave my writer hat off for days while I work to protect the community I love. Add to that a complicated plot. As my editor said, there's a lot going on in this book, and I had to be sure it all made sense and led to a believable ending.

As the story begins, Gwen finds herself in crisis. She's overdosed on prescription painkillers, partly because she fears her husband Jeff is cheating. When her aunt offers to take her to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to recuperate, it seems perfect. She'll get back her strength and kick the drug habit. And with her gone, Jeff will realize what he's missing. 

The problem is that Marge's place, called Giiwe, is full of secrets. Marge shares nothing of herself, and her ward/farmhand Charlie seems nice until Gwen learns about his violent past. When she finds out the woods of Giiwe aren't as deserted as she thought, Gwen isn't sure what she should do--or even what she can do.

This one is women's fiction (meaning there are relationship issues) and suspense (meaning somebody is in danger). Aunt Marge was a fun character to write, though I suspect I'm more like Gwen. I hate controversy, though I greatly admire people who stand up to it without flinching.

Today I ordered reader copies, meaning that everything is together in one place. The manuscript is prettied up and uniform. The page numbers are in place and correct. The margins fit Amazon's standards. The cover looks good on-screen. The advance copies might show me places where things should be tweaked, but that's what they're for. My wonderful, last-call readers will check for errors, tell me what doesn't look right, and generally help me put the final touches on the book.

Target publication date for Aunt Marge is January 1. Pre-orders should be available on Amazon soon.

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