​When aspiring journalist Maura moves to Chicago with her eight-year-old son, she teams up with fellow employee Rick to fulfill the Christmas wishes of children across the city. Will the spirit of the season bring their hearts together, or will secrets tear them apart? READ MORE

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Thank you, my friends, for all your support! It means the world to me when I read your reviews asking for more books! It keeps me going in this crazy world!

The next newsletter, which will hopefully be in the next few weeks, will announce the release date of the next Midnight Sons book.

And the final two Creatus books will be out Fall 2021!

After that, I have two new series on the horizon, so I should have dates for those in the next few months.

Thank you again for hanging out with me all these years! 2021 will be ten years of publishing for me, so I'm hoping to share lots of new and great things all year...and to get over 2020!!!!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Carmen

​XoXo

Nearly all my books are available in ALL formats, so you have a choice!

Me... I still like to read!!! But... I find that I like to flip back and forth between the eBook and the audiobook. Not always, but nearly always, when an audiobook is offered at a discounted price with the purchase of an eBook, I'll snatch it up.

​Why? Because, like most of you, I'm always running, and I hate to stop reading. I can literally start reading with my Kindle in bed, then ask Alexa to "Play my Audiobook" in the kitchen while I'm making coffee, then I hop into my car, and it flips to the speakers, then while I'm shopping or waiting in line, I can either plug in my earbuds or flip to my Kindle App on my phone. And I never lose my place!

All the books are stand-alone stories. However, I do believe they're better read in order, so if you haven't started, catch up now, as the release dates will be up in a few weeks! Learn more on Amazon.com. Or CLICK the icon of your favorite retailer for more info!

I love Christmas! I love the traditions, family, gifts…the food.
 
But I also grew up poor and, oftentimes, wondered why other kids got presents that I didn’t. As I got older, I saw the realities of the world and realized how lucky I was. While I didn’t get the Barbie Dreamhouse I wanted, I did have a Barbie doll, and we always had a roof over our head and food on the table.
 
Some children aren’t so lucky…
 
When our boys were young, my husband, who was a police officer at the time, worked with the local community and knew the families who had rough breaks. The police department spent months collecting food and toys, and then took them to the hard-working families who needed help on Christmas. The faces of the beautiful children…and the tears of the appreciative parents were unforgettable. Our sons learned something, too. When they saw how wide-eyed a little boy was to receive a Tonka truck, they were more appreciative Christmas morning when they got their Nintendo or Sega…or whatever was popular that year.
 
Someone once said that if a group of people wrote their problems on a sheet of paper and tossed them in a basket and passed that basket around and traded problems, most people would choose to keep their problems. Obviously, no one can prepare for the tragedy that happens in the blink of an eye, but is it possible that we learn to deal with what we have—or don’t have?
 
I think so. I've been through a lot in life, and yet, writing has helped me. So, when a good friend suggested I write a Dear Santa story, I wanted to bring to life a story of a woman who, like me, didn’t realize how lucky she had it…and forgot about her dreams…or assumed she wasn’t powerful enough to make her dreams come true—personally and professionally.
 
I hope you enjoy my story of hope. Hope for a single mother…her son…and the children who live on the poor side of Chicago.