Roxanne Rustand's Blog

Happy summer!

I love this time of year, when our perennial flower beds come to life, and we can begin planting the colorful annuals. I especially love Knock-out Roses and have planted them in beds all over our yard, because they survive and thrive despite my inept efforts.

Do you like to garden? Whether it’s a large garden or a pot on your balcony, what do you like to grow?

I’ve never started plants from seeds, but my daughter Emily and her husband enjoy doing so, and they shared a wide variety of tomato, pepper, and herb plants with us, with names I’ve never heard of, and I can’t wait to taste them.

Have you tried Sweet Chocolate, Purple Beauty, or Aji Dulce peppers?  BrandyBoy, Chocolate Cherry, or Granadero tomatoes?  It will be such fun to watch these plants grow!  With all of the weeding, I think this summer will be busy…assuming I can actually keep them alive, that is.

Last month, I posed a question about your childhood adventures.  Here are some of the responses. Each person will receive a free e-book chosen from my Amazon book list. See the list *HERE*  (excluding all Love Inspired titles from the past.)

DIANE:  We used to stand in the back of the Ute with our arms spread wide whilst someone drove the Ute at one hundred miles per hour down a dirt road.  Such an amazing feeling like flying (and the same feeling after stepping out of a plane for skydiving.  You are traveling so fast that you can’t consciously breathe; you need to let go and let your body breathe.  The newbies would open their mouths to scream. Uh oh, bad move! You never know what’ll end up in your mouth, especially in summer with flies and mosquitoes galore.  At least we were smart enough to put a mattress on the bed of the Ute, so hitting unexpected bumps in the road wasn’t so painful when we lost our balance and fell over.

ALISON: I can relate to your memory of riding horses bareback in the summer in shorts and bare feet. That is what we would do too. A neighbor girl had horses, a mare and a gelding. My sister and I would ride the horses with her. The gelding would always follow the mare. One particular day, my sister and our friend were riding together on the mare, and I was riding the gelding. We were riding through the woods, and for some reason I can’t remember, I got delayed. When I was ready to get going, the gelding was so upset for being so far behind the mare that he took off running and bucked me off just outside the woods. I hit my head hard on the pavement and slid on my shoulder and leg. I was pretty tore up. I had a horrible, horrible concussion and was so sick! It took quite a while for me to be able to get back on a horse again after that accident. Those lazy summer days as a kid though were such great memories growing up. You’re so right… no worries of strangers and all the things we have to be mindful of today.

CHRISTY: My sisters and I often wonder where our parents were when we were growing up, too!! We’re GenX, and we would ride our bikes all over the place, go to friends’ houses blocks away, go to the candy store, etc. When my youngest sister was 4, she shot my middle sister, who was 7, in the armpit with a BB gun! That was at a friend’s house. I was 10. So there we were, 10, 7 & 4, 5 blocks away…though we were at our preacher’s house! Those were the days.

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NEW QUESTION FOR THIS MONTH:
Do you do any gardening over the summer—even if just in window boxes or on a porch?  Since I tend to be a spectacular failure with plants, I would love to hear about what has (or hasn’t) worked for you!

LEAVE A COMMENT by  CLICKING the little dialogue box to the right of the title of this blog post, and you can receive a free book if your response is used in the next  newsletter! 

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Finally, here’s a reminder about Danger in the Shadows: 10 Christian Suspense Novels.  It’s still FREE with Kindle Unlimited, or just $9.99 to buy. That’s just one dollar per novel!

CLICK HERE for that link!

Wishing you all my best for a wonderful summer!

Roxanne

The post The sweet days of summer, and books galore! appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Do you ever think back to your younger life, and marvel over some of the things you did? Things that could have gone totally wrong?

Ahhh, the innocence of childhood. I can think of way too many. And when I do, I offer up a fervent prayer of thanks for still being  here.

I remember riding bareback double behind Carolyn, an older girl in our neighborhood, when I was about six. We’d ride in shorts and bare feet—no helmets in those days. Instead of a bridle, she would use a leather string with a loop in her mare’s mouth.

Off we’d go with me clinging to her waist, loping merrily down the dirt roads nearby, or off into the woods.  If there was an interesting object to jump, we did—including the long galvanized bar (set in cement) of a big teeter-totter, with no care in the world. Yikes. I think there was even a picnic table in the mix…

At seven, I had my first horse, an elderly Welsh mare with the patience of Job. And I’d be off even more, with Carolyn and other girls close by who had backyard horses.

We’d ride in what we called The Great Woods (an abandoned and overgrown sand pit) pretending we were cowboys or Civil War soldiers. Or we’d follow the  railroad right-of-way to reach distant places to ride, or the lake where we could swim the horses.  The only rule was to get home for supper.

I took some foolhardy, thoughtless risks when I was in elementary school. I’m sure I gave a certain train engineer nightmares for the rest of his life when I raced him for an intersection. I can still his horn blaring.

I shudder to think what could have happened to any one of us, in the blink of an eye, during those carefree, vagabond days…when folks weren’t thinking so much about stranger danger, and our parents had no idea where we were.  Where were my parents, you might ask? I think they were trusting. Maybe a bit too much…yet I wouldn’t give up a minute of those carefree days.

But—with that adventurous start—I grew up to be a super cautious adult. And with my own kids and their horses, I knew about the potential dangers, so I was super cautious with them as well!

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Do you have memories of any funny or wild adventures while growing up that you would like to share? I would love to hear them!

LEAVE A COMMENT   (look for the outline of a little dialogue box, at the top right of the blog title) and you could win a free book–any of my e-book titles since 2022.
To see all of the available books CLICK HERE.

Three or four replies will be drawn and featured in my next newsletter (published with only a first name for the winner’s privacy) and each will win a free book.

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Here are some of the replies to “What is a favorite Easter memory?” from last time!

From Penny:
Oh gosh, when the guys were young sprouts, we spent one Easter with Uncle John and Auntie Ingrid at their property in the mountains. Uncle John had a lawn tractor and a cart. One of my favorite pictures is of my three stair step sons lined up in that cart with Uncle John driving the “tractor”. The photo captures him turned around to look at his precious cargo with a huge grin on his face! Earlier this month, Uncle John passed away very unexpectedly. I take comfort knowing he and Auntie Ingrid are reunited in Heaven as she left this world about five years ago. Thanks for bringing that memory to mind as it made ME smile. Tears, but still smiles.

From Lauraine:
Here’s a funny one. When I was in High School, the boy next door left me an easter basket– and he was 10 years younger than me!

From Esther:
The year my father bought six painted chicks for my younger siblings as he missed growing up on a farm. Turned out all six were roosters. What a way to learn how they learn to crow.  Many meals later…
He never bought chickies again.

From Vickie:
I’m looking forward to seeing all of my grandchildren who live in three different states. And the summer kicks off early for me because I have four (I can’t believe it myself!) grandchildren graduating in May, three from college and one from high school. We have an engineer, a computer scientist and a psychologist and I am thrilled to see what God will do in their lives next

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NOW, HERE ARE  SOME FREE AND BARGAIN OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU!

RELEASE DATE MAY 13th, so it is available NOW!
FREE on Kindle Unlimited, or just $2.99 to buy a ten-book anthology.

These are full-length novels. Already a #1 Best Seller in Religious Mysteries!

Ten pulse-pounding, full-length novels in a single Christian suspense and romantic suspense anthology. Each story delivers a mix of secrets, crime, and chilling danger. With strong female leads, heart-stopping thrills, and inspiring themes of trust and forgiveness, these tales of love and mystery are a must-read for fans of clean romance and page-turning suspense.

AND HERE IS A FREE BOOK!  Don’t miss out on this chance for a free book by Vikki Kestrell, who is a wonderful author!

AND HERE IS ANOTHER BARGAIN!

Montana Secrets (Book 1-3)  is FREE if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited  (KU) or just $8.99 if you buy it!

Best wishes to you for a wonderful spring, and many hours of good reading!

Roxanne Rustand
USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of over forty books,
with over 29 million books sold

The post Free books, fun and adventure appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Spring is here. Finally!  It’s still chilly outside, but the grass is turning a tender green and the trees are starting to leaf out here in the Upper Midwest.

There’s a constant chorus of birdsong from dawn until dark. Then at night, we hear a symphony from the frogs in a wet area just beyond our pasture fence. We may live in the country. But it’s definitely not quiet!

How is spring coming where you live? Which season is your favorite?

Our deck runs along the back of our house, and as I look out my office windows, I see a flock of sparrows  busy building a veritable condo community within the support beams running the length of the deck.

Last year’s hanging flower basket is now a staging area for birds bearing twigs and dried grass for their nests. Only one bird is in this photo, but often there are many on the basket and its hanger, patiently awaiting their turn as the nests are quite close.

If you look closely, can you see the old paint mare grazing out in our pasture? She is one lucky gal.

She has had long-term Cushing’s disease for years, for which she has been on Prescend, an expensive daily medication. Cushing’s is a progressive, metabolic disease which can cause severe lameness.

She hates those tiny pills. If we put one in her feed tub mixed with her pellets, she can eat every last pellet yet leave that tiny pill behind. It’s like she has eyes at the end of her muzzle!  So we need to crush them.

Last fall, the vet and I contemplated her future, given her sudden, severe lameness and the winter ahead. But our farrier created special cushioned pads for her hooves, attached them with little screws instead nails, and she made it through the winter with flying colors. She is now moving without any sign  of lameness. A blessing to be sure!

Easter has come! Hallelujah!  We try not to travel then, because we always look forward to being in our home church on Easter Sunday to hear the wonderful Easter message, to enjoy the lovely scents of the lilies, and hear the triumphant music. The trumpets give me a chill!

Some of my favorite Easter memories center around the years when our three kids were young. What busy and joyful those days were!

After Easter dinner, Joe would take our kids (and later, our young grandkids) for a ride down our gravel road in a cart pulled by the lawn tractor “just for fun.”

Meanwhile, I would be scurrying around the yard hiding baskets. At least when they were younger, they were always amazed at how they had “just missed”  the Easter bunny on his way through town.

Do you have some special Easter memories? I would love to hear them!

Leave a comment and you will be in a drawing for a FREE book—your choice of any book I’ve published within the past three years.

To see the books available, click here and then select “Sort by newest arrivals” at the right.

An extra chance for a free book:  
I’ll add three of your wonderful answers to my next newsletter using first names only, for your privacy. Or “anonymous” if you prefer. Of course, you can decline entirely.  I will check with everyone first.

If your response is used, you will be offered a free book—any title within the last three years.

CLICK THIS FOR A FREE BOOK by Jordyn Redwood!

Jordyn Redwood  is a wonderful author, so don’t miss this chance to receive this Christian romantic suspense novel FREE!

A nurse by day, a novelist by night, Jordyn has specialized in critical care and emergency nursing for over thirty years. As a self-professed medical nerd, she reads medical textbooks for fun.

And here’s link for a big book promotion you might enjoy!

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I almost forgot to add…

MONTANA SECRETS Book Bundle (Books 1-3): Christian romantic suspense
Is still FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

And it’s now on sale at $8.99 if you choose to buy. That’s three full novels, and a savings of $3.00.

CLICK HERE to read more and to buy.

This Christian romantic suspense series is set in the Montana Rockies, where the wild beauty of the mountains and ranches will captivate you. And where unseen danger lurks…

Wishing you a wonderful spring!

Roxanne Rustand
USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of over forty books,
with over 29 million books sold

The post SPRING IS HERE! Would you like some free books? appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Happy spring!

At least, I think it’s spring. Here in the Upper Midwest, we’ve been varying between 74 degree sunshine, thunderstorms, sleet, snow, and frigid cold. Some of the trees are sure confused… some are already starting to leaf out already.  How are things where you are?

Whatever the weather, over the past three days I have been finding happiness in many things—like a full night’s sleep and more time with family. Even spring cleaning sounds exciting!  I can’t express my utter relief and joy when a manuscript is done.  I’d like to dance on the roof tops! But then…I can’t wait to start the process all over again.

What are you looking forward to the most this summer? If you could choose anything in the world, what would your dream vacation be? We have visited family, and I go to an annual writer conference, but we haven’t been on any other trips since before Covid. I would love to hear your thoughts about where you wish you could go, so I can dream, too!

Leave a comment  here on my blog  (look for the little dialog symbol at the upper right), and then you will be entered in a drawing for a free copy of DANGEROUS PAST (or an alternate title if you’ve already read it.)

                                       ~~~~~

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS:   Would you like to receive four full-length novels FREE?

My MONTANA SECRETS Books 1-3  Collection released this month!

CLICK HERE  to read more about it and to buy.

It is FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
Or if you’d rather buy it, this set is a bargain compared to buying each individual novel.

This is the first part of a Christian Romantic suspense series set in the Montana Rockies, where the wild beauty of the mountains and ranches will captivate you. And where unseen danger lurks…

The  MONTANA SECRETS Books 4-6  Collection will be released this summer.

AND HERE IS ANOTHER FREE BOOK!

If you haven’t read Lynn Shannon’s wonderful books, you sure have been missing out. She is an incredible, award-winning, best-selling author I know you will love. I sure do!
Here is a link to receive a FREE book from her!
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/7qpnm327ws

Wishing you all my best,

Roxanne Rustand
USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of over forty books,
with over 29 million books sold

The post Here are some wonderful book bargains for you! appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

So many questions!

It’s already the beginning of February, and the clock is ticking. I start every year by planning to be organized, to maintain a comfortable, low-stress writing schedule, and to strike a healthy balance in our lives.

Invariably, I end up overwhelmed. 

Writing deadlines start to pile up and interfere with the extra time I want with family, and I get behind on everything else—like decluttering and house cleaning. Thank goodness my husband will take over!

Does your life ever end up that way?  I now have three book deadlines looming and wish I could create an extra three weeks in February! ?

One of those deadlines is for the final proof of my first boxed set containing three full-length novels.

It will be released March 11th on Amazon. It’s up for pre-order now (click here to read more about it) at a bargain price compared to buying each individual book.

Authors tell me that many of their readers prefer boxed sets, so they can easily move through the books in a series. Is that true for you?

I would love your opinion on boxed sets, before I create one for the final three books in this Montana Secrets romantic suspense series. 

What do you prefer–buying books one-by-one, or buying boxed sets? 

I have another question.   ?

Do you prefer audio to e-books or print?  Do you listen to many audiobooks per year?

It’s very expensive to create an audiobook if an author hires professional narrators. Less so, if one does this via a shared royalty contract with that voice talent. But either way, it takes a lot of financial commitment—possibly more than the audio book will ever earn back.

I deeply dislike the idea of AI (artificial intelligence) taking work away from voice talent.  

Yet, I am wondering about readers who have visual impairment and struggle to read even the largest font size on their Kindles. Or those who simply prefer listening to audiobooks.

I’ve started seeing quite a few audiobooks for sale created with an AI voice.  This doesn’t begin to compare with live voice talent, of course, though the AI quality is getting much better.  And, I could offer them to readers at a much lower price this way.

Have you ever listened to an audiobook created in this way? What did you think? 

Would it be better to have the option of audio versions of my books now?

Or should I skip audiobooks until I can afford to have them professionally produced? It’s a painstaking process….multiplied by the number of books in a series. So for me, this could take several years for a single series.

I would be so very grateful for your opinions! 

There is a little comment icon at the top of this page, to the right of the blog post title.  Click it, leave a comment, and you will be entered in a drawing for one free e-book of any of my book titles!

CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU COULD WIN?
Click here to see all of my titles, then be sure to click “Sort by date” on the right side of the page, so you don’t see the newest titles at the top.  One e-book per winner.

Wishing you all my best,

Roxanne Rustand

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The post Questions, questions! appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Escape from your daily life, that is.    Walking? Cooking?  Setting time aside for your family?  Sports, crafts, or other interests? I would love to hear about them!

 My most favorite thing of all is spending time with family, of course.  But I love reading,  whenever I can in the evenings. Also cooking, baking, and spending time with the horses. 

But during the day, I’m working nearly full time in my office. The old saying “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” is so true, because those hours speed by!

Here in the Upper Midwest, it’s nine degrees right now, and we have snow on the ground. Beautiful to look at, but….brrrr!

I have Reynaud’s, which means my fingers become painful and turn dark purple or blue when exposed to cold—even if the house is chilly. So my sweet husband has been doing the horse chores all winter so I don’t need to go outside as much. I’m so grateful!

In case you are looking for something new to read, I have a new boxed set!  It includes the first three books in my Montana Secrets series. 

It’s only available on Amazon.  CLICK HERE to read about it on Amazon and buy.  

Author friends tell me that some readers prefer buying boxed sets of books so they can read straight through from one book in a series to the next, without needing to shop for the next title.

What do you think?  If my readers seem to agree, I will do more of them this year, including the next boxed set in this Montana Secrets series.

Leave a response to this post, and you will be in a drawing for a free e-copy of any of my books!  To see them, CLICK HERE.

This will take you to my Amazon book list. Just be sure to click the “Sort by Publication Date” button on the right, or you will see some very old titles at the top.

Wishing all my best to you all…and especially to those suffering terrible losses due to the horrific weather events this country has been suffering. 

I have repeatedly returned to  CHARITYNAVIGATOR.ORG   this year and last, to find charities serving those areas.  It’s so easy—I can see the ratings of each charity, zero in on the disasters I am seeking, and then pay via PayPal for them all at once. There are other payment options as well.  The ones I’ve donated to recently are Samaritan’s Purse, the Red Cross, Salvation Army,  Pasadena Humane, and a humane animal shelter in North Carolina.

If you aren’t sure how you can help out, try the Charity Navigator link above. Every dollar helps.

Blessings,

Roxanne Rustand

The post What is your favorite escape? appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Escape from your daily life, that is.    Walking? Cooking?  Setting time aside for your family?  Sports, crafts, or other interests? I would love to hear about them!

I love reading, of course, whenever I have the chance in the evenings. Also cooking, baking, and spending time with the horses.  But during the day, I’m working nearly full time in my office, which  I love as well.

Here in the Upper Midwest, it’s nine degrees right now, and we have snow on the ground. Beautiful to look at, but….Brrrr!

I have Reynaud’s, which means my fingers become painful and turn dark purple or blue when exposed to cold—even if the house is chilly. So my sweet husband has been doing the horse chores all winter so I don’t need to go outside as much. I’m so grateful!

In case you are looking for something new to read, I have a new boxed set  up for pre-order! It includes the first three books in my Montana Secrets series.

It’s only available on Amazon.

Leave a response to this post, and you will be in a drawing for a free e-copy of any of my books!  To see them, CLICK HERE.

This will take you to my Amazon book list. Just be sure to click the “sort by Publication Date” button on the right, or you will see some very old titles at the top.

Wishing all my best to you all… and especially to those suffering terrible losses due to the horrific weather events this country has been suffering. 

I have repeatedly returned to  CHARITYNAVIGATOR.ORG   this year and last, to find charities serving those areas.  It’s so easy—I can see the ratings of each charity, zero in on the disasters I am seeking, and then pay via Paypal (there are other options well.) If you aren’t sure how you can help out, try this link.

Blessings,

Roxanne Rustand

The post What’s your favorite escape? appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Ours was busy, with at least twenty of us here to celebrate. Now that all of the cooking and cleaning and gift wrapping is behind us, the house seems so quiet.

Our living room isn’t large by any measure. But it does feel good to just sit back in a recliner in my heavy velour pajamas and fuzzy Christmas socks (as you can see), with a Kindle in my hands. 

I love every single minute with our kids, grandkids, and extended family. But now it’s time to get to work!

The business of writing doesn’t follow a day job  time clock, as I set my own deadlines. But now I need to get busy on a boxed set of my own, my part of a ten-author anthology that will be out in late May, and a new release this spring. Next month, I will let you know about those titles.

I would love to hear about the foods you enjoy at Christmas. You will be an inspiration to me when we reach Christmas 2025!

Leave a comment, and you will be in a drawing for any one of  my ebooks.  You can see them my clicking HERE,  Be sure to select “sort by publication date” at the right, though, as otherwise some very old titles show up at the top.

Wishing you all my best in 2025!

Roxanne Rustand

The post Happy New Year! appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Looking at the calendar today and seeing that date literally took my breath away.

We’ll be just fifteen this year, as part of the family will be traveling to a warmer climate, and another is staying home rather than risk exposing their littles to a lot of people during the cough and cold season. It’s always such fun cooking side-by-side with everyone, so I will miss that!

So now I’m thinking about what I can make the day before, or make even earlier and freeze, so dinner can be done on time.

What sort of thing do you traditionally make at Thanksgiving? Do you have any ideas about making things ahead or keeping it simple?

Leave a comment on this blog post, and you will be entered in a drawing for a free copy of A DANGEROUS MOVE!

Oh, and by the way, I have a new book out this month!  Dangerous Storm, a clean romantic suspense, is set in one of my favorite places on Earth.   It’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited or just $3.99 to buy.

You can find it here under the BOOKS tab or simply find it on Amazon. 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA!

Roxanne

The post How can Thanksgiving be coming so soon?! appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.

Do you have certain events that you look forward to every year? For me, it’s the annual Novelists Inc. conference in September.

On the last day, I know I’m going home with invaluable new information that will help the business side of writing during the coming year.  The chance to hear so many wonderful speakers and learn about the latest updates about the industry is a phenomenal experience. I take copious notes!

But there’s also the personal side—the delight of seeing writer friends from all over the country. People I’ve known for many years, now.  With Facebook and emails, many of us keep in touch. But the chance to visit in person is so much better.  Now I miss those conversations and I’m already looking forward to next year!

We were all at the Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete’s Beach for a week, then most of us left.

But just days later, Hurricane Helene hit the area and caused widespread damage far beyond Florida’s border as well. My heart is breaking for everyone who was in the path of this monstrous storm. Were you or your loved ones affected?

I LEARNED SOMETHING IMPORTANT!

I was at a loss over how I could help with disaster relief from my home in the Midwest. Which charities would provide the best relief, without consuming a large share of donations for their own operating costs?

Then a friend pointed me to CharityNavigator.org.

I zeroed in on North Carolina, and donated to the Asheville Human Society, Samaritan’s Purse, and World Central Kitchen, which all had 100% ratings. And I could easily donate right on that website, using Paypal (which always makes me feel safer than sharing my credit card number across the internet.) Check it out!

If you are looking for some distraction from all of  the news, I have a new book coming out on November 12th  in my Northern Pines Suspense series.

DANGEROUS STORM (not about the hurricane—this book takes place on the North Shore of Lake Superior) is available for pre-order.  CLICK HERE to learn about it, and to pre-order so you don’t forget! ?

Leave a comment on this blog  and you will be entered in a drawing for a FREE copy of DANGEROUS PAST, the first book in my Northern Pines series.

Blessings,

Roxanne

The post Everything was fine. And then… appeared first on Roxanne Rustand.