This book is very special to me. The Shaken Series was my first-ever foray into fiction writing, and its reception in 2002 by fans in the online world of Xena fanfiction forever changed my life, not only because it unearthed my bliss -- telling stories -- but also because it opened doors to some of the richest, most enduring friendships I've known. Since the moment publisher Linda Hill said yes to bringing this series to print, I've been consumed with ideas for a new story that would grow the bond of Anna Kaklis & Lily Stewart. With these two women the answer was simple -- grow their family.

I never had any personal inclinations toward motherhood, so my research work for this book was cut out for me from the start. There are literally hundreds of thousands of websites devoted to various aspects of pregnancy & giving birth, which meant my biggest challenge was narrowing down the information to that which best helped me tell the story. But motherhood is a lot more than medical factoids about fertilization, pregnancy calendars & delivery rooms. I know this not because I am a mother, but because I had one.

While working on Mother Load last spring, I was caring for my mom, who was in failing health and suffering from Alzheimer's. Writing was a respite of sorts, a chance to chuckle at Andy's antics, Anna's anxiety & Lily's raging hormones. As I worked, I inevitably relived a lifetime of memories of my mother, including recollections from family & friends of how she, with my soldier dad serving back-to-back tours overseas, cared for two small children on her own, one an infant daughter with life-threatening allergies and frequent bouts of pneumonia. How lucky I was to have the chance to return my mom's dedication with my own. In her last weeks, she struggled sometimes to find the right words to express herself, but I could always count on her to answer my many "I love you's" with her very sweet assurance, "I love you too." One night her poignant slip of the tongue crystalized the whole concept of motherhood for me: "I loved you first," she said. 

In honor of my mom, I'll be donating 100% of Mother Load's ebook royalties to the Alzheimer's Association. Click here to download from Bella Books & read it right now, or here to order the paperback, which has begun shipping. Thank you very, very much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story.

Back in 2007, I announced here that my publisher (Linda Hill) & I had hatched a plan to bring back the story originally published as Shaken in a 3-volume series, with hopes I could periodically peek in on Anna & Lily as the muse demanded. One of the conditions for writing any new installments was "if the series does well ..." Since the story had already been posted online and published in 2 prior editions, I wasn't sure about its marketability as a new series, and I knew I couldn't expect Bella to invest precious resources into a series that didn't deliver a reasonable return. Turns out I didn't have to worry about it, thanks to the wonderful reception from all of you. It's now 3 years later, and the first three installments -- Without Warning, Aftershock & Small Packages -- have enjoyed more success than I could ever have hoped, thanks to your support. All 3 were shortlisted for Golden Crown Awards (Without Warning won in the Contemporary Romance category). Not only that, the series was also published in hardback by the InsightOut Book Club.  I'm so grateful to all of you who cheered the return of The Shaken Series, and I hope you'll enjoy this 4th installment, Mother Load. I've wanted for years to tell this story, and you made it possible.

Bella Books is now taking orders for Mother Load, which -- as you can see -- happens to have a gorgeous cover. It won't ship until mid-October (i.e., when it arrives at the warehouse from the printer), but what's certain is that Bella will deliver it to you sooner than anyone else. What's also certain is that Bella deeply appreciates your support of lesbian fiction, especially when you order direct. For those who prefer the ebook, I'll post the link for download as soon as it becomes available.

Thanks again to all of you who have emailed or posted your good wishes following my back surgery. I'm now 3 weeks post-op and doing a bit better. After the 1st week, I was sure I would bounce back quickly, but reality set in after about 10 days and I have conceded that I'm in this for the long haul. To paraphrase my surgeon, this is my window to heal, not to build back my strength & stamina. It's driving me crazy to lie around so much, but it has allowed me to spend a lot of time in my head with a couple of new characters. Can't wait to start writing again.