What's up, buttercups? Has Spring sprung yet in your neck of the woods? (Why do I always begin my letters with a weather report, you ask? I'm beginning to wonder about that, myself. ) Hope the brink of Spring finds you in great health and spirits, regardless. And you'll be happy to know you can stop holding your breath pretty soon: TO LOVE A THIEF will be out April 1st! (Ok, well, I've been holding my breath, anyway—can you tell??) Right about now is when I need to adopt some form of behavior modification to keep myself from looking at the Amazon rankings: a rubber band snapped against the wrist every time the impulse strikes, maybe?? Any suggestions?

But we already have a few glowing reviews for THIEF— including a Top Pick from Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine! I'm thrilled—and I hope you guys will like the book as much as they do. You can read the review below.

A few other things: On Saturday, March 12th, at 2:30 p.m., I'll be signing copies of TO LOVE A THIEF at The Book End, a wonderful bookstore in Newark, California (next to my home town of Fremont), with Suzanne Enoch, who'll be signing her latest contemporary romance. Stop by for a visit if you're in the area! I'd love to see you. Also, on April 2nd, I'll be joining Susan Wiggs and other authors for a booksigning at Brentano's bookstore in San Jose, in the South Bay.

We have a new contest, too, the last in our series of Romantic Milestones contests in honor of THIEF's Gideon Cole and Lily Masters, and we're going out with a sparkly, dangly, bang! See the Contest section below if you're wondering what the heck that means.

Also, if you're dying to see blurry new photos of me (LOL!), check out my Diary for new updates and other random babbling.

And as always, drop me a line if the urge takes you—and feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone who might enjoy it. Take good care for now!

Warm Regards,

Julie :)

THE RUNAWAY DUKE was All About Romance Senior Editor Ellen D. Micheletti's choice for Historical Romance of the Year! It was also voted a Desert Island Keeper— a singular honor at AAR. I'm very touched.

Also, DUKE has been nominated in two categories at the Historical Romance Club—Best Regency of the Year, and Valiant Hero of the Year (that would be Connor Riordan). Go here to vote if you get the urge!

And introducing....BEAUTY AND THE SPY! That's what we're calling the first book in a trilogy for Warner Forever. It's about three sisters separated when they were very young, and currently it's scheduled for release in March 2006. You'll be hearing more about it in the weeks and months ahead. :)