HAPPY 2023, EVERYONE!

       Oh, my, January of 2023 has started off on a real downer for me and my family, but I hope that means greater things to come. My son, Brock, lost his wife on New Year’s Eve Day, just before we were all to gather at my house for a belated Christmas celebration. Maria was only 54, and her loss has been a real blow to the family. She was one of those people whom everybody loved. We have had comments from complete strangers who only knew Maria from when she worked at a local pharmacy and from people she’d known in her newest job as a local mail carrier. Every time I see one of those boxy little mail trucks, I think of Maria. There are some people born into this world who uniquely affect the lives of others just by being loving and unselfish and truly caring about everyone they know. Maria was one of those people.

       Needless to say, my daughter-in-law’s death put a big kink in my writing progress. My current work in progress, SHADOW TRAIL (the next edition of my continuing stories about Jake Harkner and his family) had come to a halt … until yesterday, when I finally decided I had to get back to it. Writing is a real catharsis for me, so as I have managed to put my heart back together a little more, I have returned to writing as my medicine to help make my heart whole again.

       I think one of the reasons writing helps me is because it is something I can control. I literally lead my characters wherever I want to take them, make them do what they do, think what they think, and say what they say. I can even control life and death in a novel, but real life is a far different situation. My desire to control probably brings me more heartache than necessary. If I didn’t have this frustration over wanting to make everything wonderful for everybody else and for doing things that I think will make them happier, I would not have so much stress in my life. But the need for control is also very likely the reason I love to write. It’s all mine, to do with as I please. And traveling into my fantasy worlds also takes me away from reality.

       Right now, reality means getting my butt back into my office chair and returning to the J&L Ranch and the Harkner men (oooh-la-la!) out in the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. I am currently working on a 7th story for my OUTLAW HEARTS series, titled SHADOW TRAIL. Jake is still with us in this story, and it involves a surprise from his past Miranda and the family never knew about. The surprise explains Jake’s constant fear over his 37 years of marriage of losing his family’s love and devotion. Added to that is a revelation even Jake did not know about. It comes to him in the form of a woman from his past (before he met Miranda) – a woman Jake hates, and for good reason. But her news forces him to strap on those .44’s again, something he promised Miranda he would never do after the gun battle that brought him to the brink of death in BLAZE OF GLORY.

       Can Jake and Randy overcome this latest blow to their love and trust? SHADOW TRAIL seals a great and memorable love story and family saga readers will want to read over and over for years to come. Jake Harkner is the ultimate Bad Man with a Good Heart, and his wife is the only person who totally understands what makes this man tick and how to control his violent-to-tender emotions.

       My designer is working on a cover, and I hope to have it by February. The book is currently planned for publication by Amazon in June 2023.

       After SHADOW TRAIL, I will work on a sequel to DANCING BENEATH YOU. And I have a brand new western I want to write called A WIND IN THE PINES. It’s a very compelling love story. Of course, I still plan to write the story about Jake’s grandson (also named Jake) as a full-grown (and meltingly handsome) young man. I have talked about this before, and I do intend to write the book, which will bring in one of Zeke Monroe’s (from Savage Destiny) granddaughters. I will finally tie these two families together. Never in a million years did I know, when I wrote the Savage Destiny books back in the eighties, that forty years later I would bring the Monroes back into my mind and heart through writing a different series. What goes around, comes around. It just took me 40 years to complete the circle..

       I have so many more ideas for stories yet to write. also still want to work on my WWII story, which I will probably title NOW AND FOREVER. I have a new pioneer (Native American/ white) love story to write called IF I LOVED YOU, and I still want to write a book about Jake’s namesake grandson (young Jake all grown up), as well as an eighth SAVAGE DESTINY book about one of Zeke Monroe’s modern-day descendants.

       The ideas never end! I pray every night for the health I’ll need to continue writing. My goal is 80 books before I am gone from this earth. These next two will make 77, so I have a good start! I appreciate all of you so much. You are what keeps me going, so keep reading, and as long as the Good Lord allows my brain and fingers to work, I will keep writing!

        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 Rackin 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 mefor 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.comfor 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!