Women of Whitfield

Drum roll, please… It’s Release Day!

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Here it is! It’s finally done! It’s the end of a journey — it’s book three in a trilogy, the last installment in a heartfeltPageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00031] story of three friends in a small Kansas town.

The three stories in this series are companion books. They feature a trio of close-knit women who’ve been friends for a long time – each story focusing on one of the friends. The series will take you on a ride through their ups and downs as women, wives, mothers, bread winners and civic leaders. Through joy and pain, new love, longtime love and lost love, these women pull for each other, catch each other when they fall, and embrace life. You’ll wish these gals were your friends in real life!

Barefoot Days is Mary’s story — the story of a strong, beloved woman who suddenly faces fear and loss when her rock-solid world is shaken.

Available now in ebook or paperback!

Readers are saying:

  • Like in all of Darlene Deluca’s books, these characters seem very realistic and the reader really comes to care about them. I especially enjoyed hearing more about the characters that appeared in the first two books of this series, and seeing where life had taken them. The engaging characters, realistic dialog and compelling storylines make for another great book from Deluca!
  • There’s plenty of drama, romance, and a scary medical mystery, told with Deluca’s trademark honesty and sensitivity to real human issues and the ways that real people, like us and our own friends, try to cope with grace and kindness.
  • Barefoot Days is about how the bonds of friendship and love of family can turn despair to hope and fear to strength.

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Get Book Two

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Get Book One

Comment here or on my Facebook Author Page for a chance to win a digital copy of Barefoot Days or a $10 Amazon gift card now through Sunday, April 23!

 

 

Cover Reveal! Take a peek!

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Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00031]Ahhhh . . . doesn’t that image make you want to curl your toes in the grass? I’m so excited to share the cover of Barefoot Days, the final novel in my Women of Whitfield small town trilogy! Book three takes readers back to Whitfield and the lives of three women who share a special I’ve-got-your-back friendship.

Barefoot Days is Mary’s story.

Mary Logan believes in the goodness of people. She believes in grace under pressure. But when the ugliness of human nature touches her family, and a series of seismic events shake up her world, she’s put to the test again and again.

She and her husband are supposed to be enjoying the benefits of early retirement. Their nest is empty. It’s time to travel and re-focus. It’s their time. Then an alarming diagnosis and an unexpected announcement from their daughter change everything. Facing the possibility of heart-wrenching loss, Mary finds herself breaking commitments, forcing smiles, and keeping secrets.

Until now, her cup has always been half full. Will a positive outlook be enough to withstand the challenges ahead?

Though final edits are still under way, you can pre-order your digital copy of Barefoot Days now! Release date for both ebook and paperback is April 21, 2017.

Happy reading!

Friends face year of challenge and potential

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P1040503So here it is — 2016! A new year full of new challenges and possibilities. I don’t generally have specific resolutions for myself. I know, in general, what I’d like to accomplish, but there’s so much I can’t control. The goal, overall, I suppose, is simply forward progress!
As I was contemplating the year ahead, I started thinking about what a new year might look like for some of my characters.

Let’s start with the Women of Whitfield. The two books published so far end on a positive note for both of the main characters. But they also clearly point to change in the next chapter of their lives.
For Claire, the new year will bring renewed confidence as she makes a new home in a new city. She’ll miss her friends in Whitfield, but she’ll work to rebuild the library there, which will give her a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment – and the chance to spend time with her best buddies, Mary and Dana. Another top priority will be to strengthen her relationship with her daughter and grandchildren, to redefine her role in their lives. But the year won’t be without struggles. She’ll still mourn her son and her former life, and she’ll fight to stay away from alcohol. Her calendar will be marked with weekly AA meetings while her husband’s speed dial number on her phone is replaced by the number for her AA sponsor.
Claire’s New Year resolution: to take things a day at a time and be mentally in the present.

For Dana in Second Wind, the new year holds much promise. Considering the bumpy year she’s had, things have got to be better! On a practical side, she has to get a new home built and settle into her new job as Whitfield hospital administrator. On an emotional side, Dana’s resolutions are to let go a little, and to let someone new into her life. The new year will be an exciting time when she branches out and shifts her focus from her kids to herself – meeting new challenges and falling in love.

And for me? Write more books, of course! Hoping to have book three in the Women of Whitfield series, Mary’s story, available by the end of summer.
Wishing you all a healthy, happy and prosperous 2016!