MARCH IS HERE ALREADY???

       Wow. Great-Grandson #2, Bennett Bittner, was born to my first grandson, Brennan and his significant other right after we rang in the new year! Now I have two great-grandsons with another coming this month – yes – another boy – this one fathered by Grandson #3, Blake Bittner. The Bittner name has no chance of dying out when you have 2 sons, 3 grandsons and soon 3 great-grandsons. Grandson #2, Connor, who was married this past summer, hasn’t even started a family yet, so … MORE TO COME!

       And...I turned 81 years old on January 14th! I never dreamed back in 1963 when I graduated from high school and had not even started dating my husband that I would live to see 60 years of marriage, and all these boys coming from that union. It was difficult to comprehend that I would even see the science-fiction year of 2026, let alone be called grandma and then great-grandma.

      How the world has changed! I used to "stay over" with my own maternal grandmother, Jessie Florentine (Boussum) Williams. She and my grandfather were poor and lived in a converted shed with no electricity at first. They used an outhouse, cooked with a wood-burning stove, cooled food in an ice box (I remember when the ice man would bring those big blocks of ice) and got their light with old-fashioned lanterns. I slept in a roll-away bed on a feather mattress. Eventually they got electricity, and one of the first programs we listened to was the radio version of Gunsmoke. The theme music was the same as was used throughout the many, many years that program was on TV and is still used today in old re-runs, which hubby and I still watch. I remember our first TV at home, but grandma never did own one. Staying with her and grandpa are my best memories. I wonder how much things will change in my great-grandsons' lifetimes, and what their memories of me might be!

       You all know I'd hoped to have a new book for you by now, but I've had to do some hard thinking on this one and have done a lot of re-writing. But I promise it is coming (if all goes well, by Christmas 2026), and after that I will write another book about the Harkners!

       As I've already mentioned, BE STILL MY HEART (formerly IF I LOVED YOU) was inspired by the song of the same name from the 1945 musical CAROUSEL. I find this a bit ironic because I didn't know when I picked the title that it came from a musical that was popular the year I was born. I just knew and loved the song. When I hear it, I picture two people from two extremely different worlds who fall in love but are kept apart because of their very different lifestyles, beliefs and customs. BE STILL, MY HEART brings a well-educated and well-mannered young woman, Olivia Phillips-Gaines, into the wild and challenging world of a Cheynne Dog Soldier named Thunder Spirit. Both characters suffer shattered hearts for very different reasons. Being faced with a love each knows is impossible to keep for the other makes that love an even bigger challenge because neither is sure their hearts can bear more hurt and loss. The Josh Groban/Audra McDonald version of the song "If I Loved You" brings forth the vision of how my story will end. You will cry, but you will love it. I think it’s a beautiful story about how we allow cultural differences get in the way of love and joy and stop us from following our hearts. You can listen to the song here -- just skip the ads.

       I see BE STILL, MY HEART as one of my best love stories, not just because of impossible odds, but because it also involves Thunder Spirit's five-year-old son, Little Owl, the only child left of Thunder Spirit's family after the Sand Creek Massacre. Little Owl will win your hearts as he becomes the catalyst that gives Olivia and Thunder Spirit hope for a relationship that never should have survived. I just know all of you will ove this story, which also involves a rugged trail guide who ends up owning a piece of Olivia's heart.

       Meanwhile, I'd like to send another big THANK YOU to everyone who is enjoying the reissue of THIS TIME FOREVER, buying it as gifts for friends, etc.. For those of you who haven't already read it, THIS TIME FOREVER is about an independent, brave woman who is orphaned on her way to the US from Scotland and travels west with a Mormon family, though she is not Mormon herself. It's a beautiful depiction of the fortitude of pioneer women, and my heroine's ability to survive the harsh realities of a woman alone in a rugged land. It also one of my foreign "hits" -- it has been translated into Norwegian and reprinted at least four times in French!

    Order THIS TIME FOREVER    

       After that I will be writing either a sequel to DANCING BENEATH YOU or the next “Jake” book, which will zero in on Lloyd and Katie. I also need a story about about Young Jake as a grown man. I might combine their stories. I do know Young Jake will have his grandfather’s personality and that “wild side” that will often get him in trouble. I think his parents, Evie and Brian, will have to bail that young man out of jail more than once. But along will come a young woman who will help change his life … the kind of woman Young Jake has always searched for … someone who is as faithful as his Grandma Miranda was to Jake. The story will also get Young Jake involved in World War I.

       I'm hearing from more and more men who enjoy my books 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! Just ask Korean War veteran Chet, pictured with me below, or watch this wonderful video of Richard, a fan in South Carolina (also a veteran) opening a signed, advance copy of BLAZE OF GLORY. He had been eagerly awaiting it and was one of the first people to get to read it! And recently, I heard from a brand-new fan named George, who had come across SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION, loved it, and wanted to read more of my books! In case you are interested, here is his GoodReads review of SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION.

       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. SHADOW TRAIL is number 76, 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 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 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.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.

       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!