Happy Launch Day to Me!

Keys to the Castle is available from Berkely Books  January 4 at bookstores everywhere.

 Forty-something workaholic Sara Graves thought her chance for an outrageous life was over... until she met and married a charming Frenchman who left her widowed three weeks later.  Suddenly she is the heiress to an estate she can't afford to keep and uncovering secrets she never wanted to know.  Does she have the courage to leave her home, her country, and everything she's ever known for a second  chance at family... and love?

Keys to the Castle is my first non-Ladybug book in three years, and I loved every minute of writing it .    Here's a brief interview telling why:

Q. Why did you want to write Keys to the Castle?

A.  Keys to the Castle was actually inspired by an article I read about the owners of historic European castles.  It all sounds so opulent and romantic, but the reality is that these  grand old estates are just as much of a burden to their owners as my falling-down barn is to me-- in spades!  So what would  you do if you suddenly found yourself with the keys to a castle?

Q. But in Sara's case, she's only part owner of the castle.

A. Of course, I had to add a romantic complication!  The reason why she is only part owner is the second piece of inspiration for this book.  I've always been intrigued by the question "What happens after happily ever after?"  Sara thought she had found Prince Charming. But what if he turned out to be more charming than prince-like?

Q. Though this book still centers around the themes of home and family that you've established in the Ladybug series, it has much more of a romantic flavor than the Ladybug Farm books.  Why did you decide to deviate from the Ladybug books?

A. I write about relationships.  The Ladybug Farm books are about the relationship between three women friends who build a very unusual family.  Keys to the Castle is about a man-woman relationship, but it also centers on building a family in a very unusual way.

Q. But you got your start in romance, didn't you?

A. I did! I've  written over 50 romance novels in my career under the names Rebecca Flanders, Donna Carlisle, and Leigh Bristol.  Ten of my favorites  are available now as e-books on Amazon.com, and one of them, A Man Around the House, will be available in print January 20.  Check www.donnaball.net for details.

Q. Does this mean there will be no more Ladybug Farm Books?

A.  The Ladybug Farm saga definitely is not over!  However, it is up to my publisher, not to me, as to when or if the story will continue.  The publisher makes this decision based solely on how many Ladybug Farm books are sold as new in bookstores.  Readers who are on my mailing list will be notified when a new book is scheduled, or  you can check my web site at www.donnaball.net.