“The Month of May is the Gateway to Summer.”  – Jean Hersey

May, to me, is always a happy month, leading to the end of the school year and into the glory of summer. A lovely quote by Fennell Hudson says: “May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive.” Nothing kicks up that feeling of being more alive than getting out-of-doors. In May, you can head into the yard to finally put out those flowers, more certain there won’t be a late freeze to zap them. In May, you get a late dose of “spring fever” to start cleaning projects you’ve put off and a yearning to head off on adventures out-of-doors … maybe even to catch an early week of vacation somewhere in the sunshine. Anyway, in May it is time to get off the sofa and get outside, if only to sit in the sunshine for a little while and look at the blue sky, green grass and trees. We have so many blessings we too often take for granted.

J.L. and I have some final Book Tour Events in May and early June … but then we will take a summer break, too, to get home projects done and for me, to hopefully get started on another novel. This month I finished a new book RIVERSIDE LEGACY, a Mountain Home book, set along the French Broad River in the Kodak area of the mountains. I hope readers will enjoy visiting a new mountain area in this book and will love Eleanor Warren and Gideon Isaac’s story.

This year, I have also  been enjoying writing “free” stories for my blog posts and if you haven’t discovered them, go look for the latest titled THE MAKEOVER. I had fun with this cute story about Donovan Alistair and Sophia Winton and how life brought them together in a peculiar way. My “free” stories are archived, and you can read any earlier stories you might have missed, too, starting with December 2025 with more “good time” stories in January, February, March, and April… So with the latest, there are now six fun and different stories you can read and share with your reader friends. The direct blog link to this month’s story is: www.linstepp.com/blog/

If you’ve missed seeing us at our past events and live nearby or will be visiting in Tennessee, look for us at one of these signings:

May 1-2, Friday and Saturday, 10:00 – 4:00, APPLE VALLEY GENERAL STORE in the Apple Valley Mountain Village during the new Big Foot Festival, 7138 Lamar Alexander Parkway, Townsend, TN  37882. [Look for us on the front porch of the store both days].

May 9, Saturday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm, 2nd Annual TENNESSEE PLANT SHOW, Meadowview Conference Resort and Convention Center, 1901 Meadowview Parkway, Kingsport, TN. 37660…Plants, plant-related items, vendors and more!

May 30, Saturday, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, MOONPIE GENERAL STORE and BOOK WAREHOUSE, 3127 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863 [a wonderful independent bookstore in the heart of Pigeon Forge].

June 6, Saturday, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, BARNES & NOBLE in the Hamilton Place Mall, 2100 Hamilton Place Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN, 37421…Spread the word around Chattanooga and come to see us!

June 13, Saturday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, SOUTHERN CHARM AND SWEET TEA, The Venue at Lenoir City, 7690 Creekwood Park Blvd, Lenoir City, TN, 37772 … Summertime fun with artists and crafters at a beautiful venue location!