A Letter from Danielle for February ’22
Hi Everyone,
After the quiet month of January, recovering from the holidays, things start to get lively again in February. Some schools have a ski break vacation, and it’s great if you can get to the snow and enjoy it, instead of just shoveling it in your driveway to get to work, or not-so-enjoyable slush on city streets. Winter seems very long right about now.
And mid-month in February are the thrill and trauma of Valentine’s Day. Will you get a Valentine or not? Chocolates and flowers? Or a marriage proposal? Valentine’s Day can be incredibly exciting, or disappointing— with your heart on the line. I’ve had both kinds. I was the only girl in third grade who didn’t get a Valentine, but many years later, I had two marriage proposals on Valentine’s Day, and said yes both times. So I really can’t complain. And I do love Valentine’s Day.
A week before February rolled in, my book Finding Ashley came out in paperback. It’s a touching story about a mother’s love, and a daughter’s search for the mother who gave her up as an unmarried teen at fifteen. Her parents sent her to a convent in Ireland—where her parents also forced her to give up the baby—and it left a deep scar on her heart. When other tragic life events reopen that unhealed wound, her sister goes on a journey to see if she can find that baby, now an adult. It’s about healing some of the deep losses in our lives and, in the end, it is a book about hope and bonds that can never be severed. I hope you love the book.
And next month, my new hardcover High Stakes will come out, about five women who work at a literary and dramatic agency, representing actors and writers, producers and directors. The women who represent them are as different from each other as the people they represent. Women with children, struggling to be single parents and support their kids, women who are unmarried and must face the inequities and injustices that women face in the workplace every day. Women who love their jobs, or have come to hate them, or are being exploited by their boss. The five agents in the book face much of what we all have faced as women—struggling to juggle family and work—while dealing with very talented people every day, and bosses who demand more than they give. I hope you really enjoy the book!!
So have a great month, whether you are trudging through the snow, or not, and whether you get roses and chocolates on Valentine’s Day or not. And even if you don’t get the Valentine you want this year, there is always next year!!! I hope you have a terrific month of February!!!
Love,
Danielle