Seasons...

       September? Really? It got all the way up to 70 degrees today and I am freezing. LOL! We had such a crummy hot and humid summer that my blood is still too thin even for 70 degrees. It will take a while to thicken up for winter.

       Meantime, I don’t have to worry about how cold it will get between October 14 and mid-December. As of October 14th I will be homebound with my second knee replacement. I am rapidly on my way to becoming a bionic woman! I'll be laid up again for about 6 to 8 weeks. However, since I have been through this before, I'm hoping for a faster recovery because I know how important it is to do all the physical therapy and keep moving the new knee.

        At least surgery is a pain you know will get better, but putting up with the bad knee, hoping it will get better, is just a hopeless dream, so I'm getting the dang knee replaced soon so I can get all of this over with. I am so tired of chronic pain and walking like Frankenstein because it's too painful to bend the bad knee. Ah, getting old is so enjoyable. At least I am in great health otherwise, so I won't be down for much longer. I have to stay healthy and active for my wonderful little great grandsons AND my new great-grand-daughter who is expected in March. Yes, I will finally get to pamper a little girl

       I know I haven’t given you a new read for quite a while, but it has been very hard to sit for long at the computer. Pain does a number on you when it comes to concentration, and after just recovering from a fall that fractured my pelvis, and now going into knee surgery, I simply have not done much work on this new book, BE STILL, MY HEART. But I promise I WILL FINISH IT in time for a Valentine’s Day publication (or sooner). And I am constantly haunted by Jake. Every day different scenarios about what could happen in another story about the Harkners dance in my head, nagging me to continue the epic OUTLAW HEARTS series. I pray I keep healthy mentally so I can write more books about Jake and other characters still waiting in my head to come alive on the written page so I can share all of them with you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank all of you for re-reading some of my older books and wanting more, and for supporting my writing through sharing my books with others through your wonderful comments on the Street Team. Life has been so good to me when it comes to my writing. Sharing these stories that also help share American history is as much a part of me as breathing.

       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.

       As I told you a while back, Diversion Books, who has reissued many of my titles over the years in both print and for e-books, will now begin offering my books in AUDIO! This will take place through RECORDED BOOKS, the biggest audio book publisher in the U.S.! I have had so many requests over the years for my books in audio, so now they will finally be available. The first books to be offered in audio are TENNESSEE BRIDE, TEXAS BRIDE and OREGON BRIDE (my "Bride" trilogy - the books should be read in that order but it's not really necessary since I write series-type books in a way that any of them can be enjoyed on their own). Plus, I've recently received word from Diversion that, in addition, after that will come CARESS, COMANCHE SUNSET, HEART'S SURRENDER, LOVE'S BOUNTY, RAPTURE'S GOLD, SHAMELESS, and TAME THE WILD WIND This is exciting news! WATCH THIS SITE for more information about when and how you will be able to order the audio version of these books, and more titles to come!

       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    

       Ideas for future projects: a sequel to DANCING BENEATH YOU, the next “Jake” book, which will zero in on Lloyd and Katie; and a story about about Young Jake as a grown man. 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.

       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!

       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!

        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 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 Formatspage 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!