 Me and the Mr about twenty years ago. I have been a bit sentimental lately. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that my 16-year-old is a 16-year-old. And nothing to do with my approaching 49th birthday or the various other life changes that I have experienced in the past few months. Maybe I’m sentimental because I’m Southern. Maybe it has something to do with my complete obsession with old houses and antiques. I don’t know, but I do not find sentimentalism to be the negative experience some people consider it. No. I believe lost in the fog of sentimentality are wonderful stories, common and all-too-forgotten stories but all worth the telling. And I do plan on telling more.  As you might know, I recently completed The Kingdom of Nefertiti, the third book in The Desert Queen series. Now, I have turned my attention back to the last book in the Seven Sisters series, The Sun Rises over Seven Sisters. I know many of you are anxious to tie up the loose ends, to find out what happened to our favorite characters (and our not so favorite characters). But I want the story to end with more than a feeling of satisfaction that you know what happens on the next page. I want to bring to you an ending that leaves you feeling like you experienced something special — something you will never forget. Because you, Dear Reader, are always on my mind. I don’t know how much you know about writing or the writing process but for this humble author it is all about the storytelling. For right or wrong, some authors are motivated by making a bestseller list, or earning a certain dollar amount, or perhaps achieving some type of prestige within their circle of friends. It’s true that achieving any of those things is commendable but in all honesty those are not motivators for me. My motivation is a bit different. I have an innate need to entertain. Weird, hmmm? Yes, absolutely. And in that regard I am a straight up weirdo but it is the absolute truth. I love the fact that you want to know Bette’s recipes. I love that you are familiar with Cottonwood and Beaumont family trees. And the reason why I love those things is because that it shows me, no it proves that my storytelling matters to you.  Not really a relevant picture but I love it. There's a ghost there! And that’s probably why I’m sentimental today because as the Seven Sisters series ends I know that many of you will probably say goodbye to me. Sure, I have other works to read like the books in my Desert Queen series. (Those include The Tale of Nefret, The Falcon Rises and The Kingdom of Nefertiti.) And I am sure that you know all about my upcoming Sugar Hill series but I know that life gets in the way and we don’t all finish our various journeys together. You’ll move on to other authors or return to some classics. It’s the circle of life. I’m okay with that. So to those of you listeners and readers that will say goodbye to me at the end of Book Six, The Sun Rises Over Seven Sisters, I say, “Thank you!” Thank you for the reviews, the many comments, the likes. Thank you for the emails, the visits during my book signings and for the occasional letters I receive in my old country mailbox. Thank you for loving Carrie Jo and Calpurnia. Thank you for loving Muncie and Christine. Thank you for exploring an old house with me and strolling down the paths of the Moonlight Garden. Thank you for allowing me to entertain you even if only for a little while. It has been my delight and honor to scare the be-jeezus out of you and make you remember that you once believed in such things as ghosts. That you once dreamed of exploring an old plantation… And to those of you who might stick around long enough to check out the first book in the Sugar Hill series, The Wife of the Left Hand, thank you in advance. I promise to entertain you with tales of lost loves, haunted plantations and lingering ghosts. The best is yet to come! All my best, Monica Leigh Bullock a.k.a. ML Bullock
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