In search of the happy ending

SANDY HUSEBY: Why do you write the kind of story you do?

STEPHANIE MITTMAN: For the eight months or so it takes for me to write a book, I live in the fictional world which I am creating, so I write stories about the kind of world I'd like to live in -- one of caring families, concerned communities, moral heroes and heroines who triumph in the end. I make sure that goodness is rewarded, evil punished, and that love conquers all. I see to it that people truly care about each other and help each other through life's rough spots. Of course, I do give them lots of rough spots, but then my books wouldn't be very interesting if love won out on page four!

My stories also contain lots of humor because I think the world should be a funny place, and we shouldn't take ourselves or our problems all that seriously. They always end happily because I couldn't bear to work on something for all that time and not be sure that I would be smiling in the end. And I wouldn't ask a reader to give me her time if I couldn't leave her with a smile on her face, too.

SH: Which writers do you read?

SM: I like legal thrillers by Richard North Patterson, Scott Turow, and Nancy Taylor Rosenberg -- I suppose because I like the morality of them. I like when the system works and the guilty are revealed and made to face the consequences of their actions.

SH: What are you writing next?

SM: A contemporary that I hope has the feel of my historicals. It's about a minister's widow who unwittingly becomes involved with the man who is responsible for her husband's death. As always, I'm writing the story of good people who can't possibly find happiness with each other -- but of course, they are the key to each other's happiness.

Who says there's no justice?

REVIEWS BY SANDY HUSEBY

Could there be a snake lower than Slick Waynick? He's about to flatfoot out of town, stranding Arliss Mallard on their wedding day. Fortunately Gideon Forbes stands by the bride -- and marries her -- in the heartwarming western A Kiss to Dream On by Stephanie Mittman.

But the "I do's" are just the beginning. Not only is the bride pregnant, but the groom is a deputy sheriff distracted by worries of violence from the Montana miners struggling to survive under harsh conditions. The couple must also cope with living amid a houseful of in-laws, including a jealous sister.

Stephanie Mittman delivers a sensitive and moving story of two people finding love and coming to understand themselves. The treasure is not in those mines, it's in the pages of this captivating love story.


Never say never

If you haven't yet discovered the emerging historical suspense genre, you'll want to track down Never Again by Jo-Ann Power.

Raine Montand sets out from Victorian London to track down Gavin Sutherland and restore his rightful place in Parliament. Raine's wickedly pointed cartoons helped make Gavin a murder suspect; now, she's determined to solve the crime. Posing as Gavin's secretary, Raine alone stands with him. As the pair collaborates on the investigation, they discover that the greatest collaboration -- and the greatest risk -- is posed by their growing love.


Tell it like it is

Carla Kelly is a Regency author who can always be counted on to deliver "something extra" in her stories, and she comes through in Miss Milton Speaks Her Mind.

Miss Mitten, as her young cousin Andrew calls her, learns to speak her mind with the encouragement of mill owner Scipio Butterworth. The poor relation in an aristocratic household, Miss Mitten discovers that warmth and heart transcend class structure -- as do family secrets.

Kelly seamlessly weaves into her story social issues of the day, such as child labor and fair labor practices. Miss Milton Speaks Her Mind speaks to the heart about the worthiness of love and regard for family and workers alike.


Face it, political thrillers are hot

Suspense has long been a staple of contemporary romances, yet it can be served up in very different forms. The Face of Deception by Iris Johansen is a fast-paced political thriller as provocative as today's headlines.

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan recreates faces on skeletal remains. When billionaire businessman John Logan challenges her to sculpt a face, he draws her into a conspiracy that leads right into the White House.

Logan's actions imperil Eve's life as much as his own as the pair take on the most powerful adversaries in the nation. Johansen delivers a fascinating slice of political and human drama with the skill of a master in this one.


Don't let the man get you down

Bud Pulaski has always controlled the women around him, but his final act sets them free to find their own destinies in the empowering In Love's Shadow by Catherine Lanigan.

Roya, the unsuspecting wife, must take over the bankrupt business with a reluctant manager, Nick Petros. Bud's teenage daughters face their own growing-up challenges when the family is forced to move from their lavish suburban home. Kitt, Bud's longtime mistress, finds her lifelong dream of marrying him shattered. And at the core of it all are the unanswered questions: Who killed Bud and why?

Lanigan's absorbing tale of family torn apart, then put back together stronger and better than ever, is a winner.


Sandy Huseby reviews from her homes in Fargo, North Dakota, and Nevis, Minnesota. She is online at Shuseby@aol.com.

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