Greetings from Piper Cove!
by Linda Windsor

Actually, this fictitious town is an amalgamation of two nearby towns--quaint, historic Berlin (setting of the movie RUNAWAY BRIDE) and Ocean Pines, the growing getaway on the bayside of the barrier island ocean resort of Ocean City.

As for the people in Piper Cove, well, I know them. I grew up with them, especially the four very different women who are featured in each of the Piper Cove Chronicles books. Control addict Alex, CEO and heroine of WEDDING BELL BLUES is part me and part one of my best buddies.

I can so relate to Harley-riding tomboy Ellen in FOR PETE'S SAKE, although I grew up riding horses, not motorcycles, and I worked in a motor repair shop, not landscaping.

The Harley idea came after I met this 50-something widow who decided life was too short not to live it to its fullest. So, she bought herself a Harley and is seeing the country, riding with groups of other ladies who like the feel of the wind blowing about their helmets. All I can say is, go girl!

Actually, many of the scenes in this Piper Cove series have been "borrowed" from actual escapades over the years with my bosom buddies. Like, what the Lord's forgotten, we can pad with cotton. Trust me, makeovers by friends are not always the wisest choice. The funniest, maybe, but not the wisest. Nuff said.

Ellen lives like life is too short as well, which is why she's ready to switch careers, absolutely clueless that love is ready to roll into her life in a spanking new Corvette with engines and wheel covers to die for. And this guy has a kid that opens the door to her kid-loving heart. Seven-year-old Pete has Asperger's Syndrome and is a square peg in a round hole society. A lot like Ellen. (And me, and, especially my son, who has the syndrome. See www.Aspergers.com.) That's why Ellen is determined not to let this bright, often misunderstood kid get hurt by his dad's femme fatale of a fiancée.

Smart as Adrian is, he is marrying the wrong woman for the right reason. Sheesh! But how can Ellen compete with a woman who is everything Ellen is not? By being true to herself, that's how Ellen sees it. The vamp is nothing but a putz in stilettos. (See previous mention of how poor a decision this makeover business is.) But just when Adrian, aka Prince Charming, realizes our Harley-riding Cinderella is the princess of his heart and hope for his son, internet spies, who have infiltrated his net security business, turn to kidnapping. Then, things really get popping in Piper Cove. Not even the bosom buddies can help now.

You know, it's an old, old dream of many high school grads in this rural area between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean resort of Ocean City, MD to leave their simple lifestyle in their dust and aim for a larger life. I was a lot like Ellen. I liked it here. Can't pry me away from my ocean and bay, not to mention the characters who live here.

I've spent days year round in Ocean City, on the sand in the lazy hazy days of summer, and in my heated '66 Mustang in the winter, studying for exams in the inlet parking lot. I outlined part of this book there, watching a seagull make a feast of a starfish, while I munched on Thrasher's French Fries--a must if you ever go to Ocean City, MD! In fact, I've mentioned several places in the series that are must see's and do's.

But the other bosom buddies wanted to and did leave Piper Cove. Life might have been bigger, but it wasn't better. Now they are 30-Somethings. Both they and Piper Cove have changed...and love hasn't been altogether kind. What hasn't changed is their friendship. They are still all for one and one for all, ready to tell the truth, even when it hurts. That's the real deal and it leads to love, laughter, a dash of suspense, and a Grace-lift for each one.

Come on by and visit Piper Cove and me at my website: www.LindaWindsor.com. I've decorated my virtual fireplace for summer. I entertain guests 'round the real one in the 18th century home my late hubby and I restored. (That fireplace makes the best prime rib or oven stuffer you'll ever taste in a tin reflector oven.) You'll also find sneak peaks at all of my books--both rom coms and Celtic historicals. Enter contests for free books and sign up for my newsletter, which comes out on a when-I-have-something-to-say basis. Thanks for "listening" about Piper Cove, my home place.

PS: Just a note about the first book in the Piper Cove Chronicles. Alex's plans for her baby sister's perfect wedding (hence the name WEDDING BELL BLUES) are turned upside down when the ex-husband, who left her after a year of a not-so-blissful marriage, returns as the best man. Family interference and a struggle to forgive, because she certainly can't forget, are only made worse when a blackmailer threatens to ruin everyone's happily-ever-after.

Good thing Alex has her best friends. Ellen is ready to punch out the ex's lights, once she's finished admiring his hot ride. Jan, the eternal believer in fairytales, is certain that love will prevail, at least for someone, if not her. And Sue Ann wants to scratch his eyes out...if she can stop flirting long enough. After all, there are two sides to every story. With friends like these, well...it's gotta be fun!