A Letter from Danielle for February ’26
Hello Everyone,
With snow here and there, and cold weather nearly everywhere, it’s a great time to tuck in at home, catch up on your reading, and for me to catch up on my writing after taking some time off during the holidays.
If you haven’t read it yet, I’m very excited about my book The Devil’s Daughter, which came out in hardcover in January and was a fascinating book to write. It’s about two sisters: one a kind, decent, hardworking young woman, a serious student and a graduate of MIT, and the other a fascinating, devious sociopath who has managed to blame the good sister for all of her misdeeds throughout their childhood. The evil sister is clever about covering her tracks and convincing their father and everyone in her world of her innocence. She has conned everyone for her entire life. She meets and falls in with an equally dangerous man. Together, they join forces and create a successful medical fraud of epic proportions. And as sociopaths do, they con everyone . . . for a while. Only the good sister recognizes the signs, but even she is stunned by how far they’re willing to go in the pursuit of riches, power, and success. It’s a fascinating study of the classic sociopathic mind, the dark side of human nature, and the contrast between good and evil. It’s a great winter read.
In February, A Mind of Her Own will come out in trade paperback and takes place after World War I, when the world was struggling back to its feet and was decimated by the Spanish flu. The world had changed dramatically during the war, and encouraged by her parents to be an independent thinker, a young woman goes against the currents of the times, longing for a career and wanting to change the world. She grew up in France, and when she loses her last living relative in Paris, she goes to live with her American grandfather in the Midwest, gets a college education, and works on the small country newspaper her grandfather owns, with modern opinions of his own. He encourages her to follow her dreams and be bold for her time. She pursues a career with a newspaper in Chicago and enters a man’s world courageously, determined to succeed despite all the barriers and obstacles enterprising women faced at the time. She meets a like-minded journalist. As independent free thinkers, they forge a relationship with obstacles of its own. The book combines the history of the time with the personal challenges women faced then in a rapidly changing world.
I hope you enjoy both books.
And one of the highlights of the month of February is always Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air, with flowers, chocolates, and for some, proposals, engagement rings, and wedding plans. And if you’re dreaming of a Valentine surprise, I hope all your wishes come true!
Love,
Danielle