HAPPY SPRING!

       Spring brings a renewal of life to the earth, a renewal of joy and spirits to people, and most of us really need that right now! I am getting started on helping my rose garden “wake up,” and bought a couple new table umbrellas and a garden flag that says it all – “This is my Happy Place.” I find so much peace sitting outside once my garden is in full bloom. I have hundreds of birds that nest in the huge pine trees that line my back yard, several bird feeders and bird baths, and it all comes alive in spring. Soon I will post pictures when everything is in bloom.

       After a long, cold winter of writing, writing, writing, I finished BLAZE OF GLORY, my sixth OUTLAW HEARTS story. Jake is alive and well and in full gunfighter mode in BLAZE, thus the title. Trouble with new settlers enters this story, along with a train robbery (guess who was on the train at the time? The train robbers get a big surprise!), a trip to visit friends in Chicago (where Jake comes to terms with Peter Brown, the lawyer who he knows loves Miranda), and coming home to disaster. Jake has been trying hard to adapt to the “new” West of law and order, but what brings him home wipes out all his incentive to live a new way. The “old” Jake comes fully alive, and it’s not a pretty picture. He risks prison and his very life to make things right, at least in the way Jake Harkner thinks is right.

       BLAZE OF GLORY is a very big book, roughly 600 pages, and is a highly emotional story that reveals thoughts and feelings within outlaw/ lawman Jake Harkner that will have you grabbing the Kleenex. Jake is a torn man who has lived with dark memories of his brutal past through this entire series, and BLAZE OF GLORY brings even more of the "real" Jake to light. The beautiful ending will stay with you for years to come . . . but I am not done with the series. Look for a future story about Jake's son, Lloyd, and another story about his grandson, young Jake - who will be all grown up and have the same problems staying out of trouble that his grandpa had. Young Jake's memories of his beloved grandfather will be a guiding spirit for a young man searching for the kind of love his grandparents shared.

       The pub date isn’t set yet, but I am hoping for October of this year -- I hope to have a cover to show you in a month or so. I love the basic draft of the cover. It’s very “Jake” and really fits the title, BLAZE OF GLORY!

    Outlaw Hearts series   

       Meantime, this year will bring reissues of ARIZONA BRIDE and ARIZONA ECSTASY. I just finished the proof of Amazon’s conversion of ARIZONA BRIDE, and oh, my, I had forgotten what a good story it is. AB was published way back in 1986, so I hadn’t read the story in a long, long time. What a beautiful love story! I cried several times, even though I wrote the book! Your heart aches for the heroine, beautiful, young southern belle Shannon Fitzgerald – and for the brave and handsome soldier (Bryce Edwards – stationed in Arizona) she is to marry – and also for the handsome Apache man, Saguaro, who saves Shannon from a terrible event on her way west. Fate finds Shannon in love with two men – a woman torn between two worlds – a woman who has to make the most difficult choice of her life – one that will definitely bring you to tears. You, too, will fall in love with BOTH heroes in this unforgettable love story! ARIZONA ECSTASY is about Shannon’s half-breed son, Chaco. ARIZONA BRIDE will be available through Amazon on Monday, 10 May, and ARIZONA ECSTASY is scheduled for around the end of August.

       While you are waiting for my new reissues and "Jake" book, be sure to look for the anthology LOST AND FOUND on Amazon! Along with eight other short stories by some of my friends/fellow authors, you'll find a new story of my own called TROUBLE RIDES A FAST HORSE.

       The title LOST AND FOUND refers to the fact that this collection of sweet, spicy, and hot romance stories -- "from today, yesterday, and in the future; from this world and beyond" -- are all about love that has been lost and then found again. The book, available in e-reader format or trade paperback, is a fund-raiser for a writers group I belong to called Grand Rapids Romance Writers Group (they are not affiliated with Romance Writers of America). Other authors who have included stories are Diana Lloyd, Diana Stout, Jae Vel, K. D. Norris, Lisa Campeau, Martin L. Shoemaker, Natalia Baird, and Patricial Kiyono.

       In my story, TROUBLE RIDES A FAST HORSE, teenager Jackie is distraught that her best friend is going to date her secret crush. When her grandmother tells stories about the lost loves of her own grandmother, mother, and herself, Jackie learns how all of their individual prayers were answered.

    Order LOST AND FOUND   

       I am so overwhelmed with all of your enthusiastic responses to my HIGH LONESOME series books! I have gotten some great reviews, and many of you have told me that you are not only enjoying these books yourself, but have also been buying them as gifts for friends and family! One of my readers told me that after she enjoyed JOURNEY TO HIGH LONESOME, she gave it to her husband to read, also! I hope eventually to write more books in this series, each a single title with new hero and heroine and all with "cameos" of characters from other of my books who just happened to be in the same place at the same time.

    RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME   

   LAWMAN IN THE HIGH LONESOME      JOURNEY TO HIGH LONESOME   

       In light of all of the rapid changes we are seeing right now in our country and our world, I want to assure you that the “Bittner” voice and style will NOT change. I will always write about other cultures with truth and honor based on deep research, showing inclusiveness and diversity. Most of all, I will always aim for a great, lasting love story that will live in your minds and hearts for many weeks, months, even years after you have finished a Rosanne Bittner book!

        If you are new to my writing -- or even if you want to replace old favorites -- please see my Books in Print page for a complete list of all my books, with most recent covers, publication histories, and Amazon.com ordering links. Eventually, I want to have all of my backlist available for both new readers and long-time fans who have reread the original print versions so many times that the pages are worn out! If you prefer the convenience of e-books, check out my E-books List, where you will find ordering links for electronic versions of my books in several different e-book formats.

       Brand new Bittner titles are distributed through Amazon.com. But locally in Southwest Lower Michigan -- my books are available at Hardings Market and Linda's Antiques in Coloma and Back On the Rack in Watervliet! You'll find my new books there, as well as an assortment of my older titles. I am excited to have such great outlets for my work right here in and near my own hometown. (Plus, Email me for a personalized autograph.) You can also check with your local library or book store and ask them to order any of my books you’d like to read.

       And if you want a print book personalized for yourself or before you “gift” it, just e-mail me privately at rosannebittner17@outlook.com for mailing information, and I will pay the postage to send the signed books back to you! Or, if you prefer, I can autograph a label for you to stick into your book.

       I'm hearing from more and more men who enjoy my books, like Chester "Chet" Cripe, a Korean War veteran who was one of my avid fans and a dear friend. Chet died in 2020, and I miss him very much. Chet was a member of the 45th Division of the Army Infantry and was Sergeant of the 4th Platoon. He served on Heartbreak Ridge, Sandbag Castle and Christmas Hill. The Outlaw Hearts series in particular were among his favorites because they are packed with action, western history, and solid family values as well as heart- felt romance. Yes, "real" men really DO enjoy reading my books!

       Many thanks for your continuing e-mails and notes. YOU keep me going back to the computer to write more books. Many of you tell me that reading my books got you through something physically or emotionally traumatic -- well, WRITING those books does the same thing for me! Keep reading, and I will keep writing!

Rosanne

Because of the large number of requests I receive for full lists of my books, the Books In Print section of this website is frequently updated to reflect my latest releases, as well as listing all of my past works. I have also added a My Books Now Available in E-Reader Formats page with ordering links for all e-reader formats. You can also use the "Search" link below to find new, used, and Kindle versions of my books on Amazon.com!