Almost Sisters is the delightful first book in the trilogy The Company of Good Women. In it, three women from diverse backgrounds and lifestyles are drawn together at BYU Education Week through a sharing of problems and a Guilty Secret.

Looking for an interesting program for your group? Look no further! If the authors live in your area or have engagements nearby, they would be glad to bring their wit, wisdom, and experience to your group! Contact us for more information.

All during the month of August, different LDS writers and bloggers will be reviewing Surprise Packages and interviewing Carroll, Nancy and Lael. If you'd like to go along, visit our blog, www.crustyoldbroads.blogspot.com. Every day there will be fresh links so you can join us on the tour. Be sure to add your comments to the blogs you visit. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Good news! Surprise Packages is on the shelves at Deseret Book!

Nancy, Lael and I will be signing books at the BYU bookstore during Education week--specifically, Thursday the 21st from 1:30 to 3:30. If you are in the area, please drop by and help us celebrate the conclusion of the series.

If you haven't already done so, vist our blog, crustyoldbroads.blogspot.com. Starting in August, various LDS authors will be hosting a virtual book tour for Nancy, Lael and me. Check our blog for links to these authors to see what they're saying about Surprise Packages. We'd love it if you would leave a comment on those sites.

A special request--if you love Surprise Packages, please post a reader review on the Deseret Book website or on Amazon.com. If any of you visit www.goodreads.com, that would be another good place to put a review.

I hope you all are as excited as we are about this long-anticipated release. An associate in the Boise Deseret Book said she thought Surprise Packages was the best book of the series. Open it soon!

Carroll, Nancy and Lael

In Surprise Packages, the satisfying conclusion of The Company of Good Women series, Juneau, Deenie, and Erin deal with a new set of challenges.

Deenie, now living in Gainesville, Florida, begins to question everything she has believed about herself as she sees her actions through others' eyes. Juneau's feelings of guilt come to a head when a secret from her childhood and the mystery of her great-grandmother, Letitia, combine to force her to confront her past. And Erin, whose painful divorce has made her cynical about love and marriage, must decide if she can take a risk when she has a second chance for love.

I read Surprise Packages in three days!

I want to thank some of the best LDS authors!! Anticipating Surprise Packages was exciting. How would this book top the first two? Would Deenie make life fun in Florida? What about Erin and her life? Would Juneau find Giddy? These questions and more were answered. When I read the last chapter and knew this series was at an end, it was a sad sad day. Good for the characters, just sad for me. The way the three of you write I felt I was with the story as a character not written in the pages but walking along with Deenie, Juneau and Erin.

Dianna Smith, Blue Springs, Missouri

Surprise Packages is the best book of the series.

I couldn't put it down. It's fast paced and full of life lessons.

I love the characters. They’re real women with real problems. They don't pretend to be perfect--they face their problems and work towards becoming "crusty old broads" together.

Besides being a good read, the book inspired me to make some changes in my life. I want to be a Crusty Old Broad when I grow up!"

Wendy Cornaby

We love to meet our readers! If you are in the area, we'd be thrilled to see you at any of these upcoming events:

October 4th: Women's Night

Nancy in Orem: Deseret Book in the University Mall in Orem from 6-8pm

Carroll in Phoenix: Deseret Book in the Phoenix metro area (store not yet determined)

October 25th: Book Signing in Anaheim, CA

All three authors will be signing books at California Utah Women Boutique in the North Exhibit Hall of the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Doors are open from 8:00am - 12 noon. Admission is FREE. For more information about the Boutique and the luncheon to follow (you need tickets for that), go to www.cuwonline.com/luncheon_boutique.html.

November 14 and 15 in Southern CA

Lael will be signing at six Southern California Ensign bookstores along with Anaita Stansfield and Lynn Gardner!

Friday the 14th:

Hesperia: 9-11 a.m.

Arcadia: noon to 2 p.m.

Cerritos: 3-5 p.m.

Saturday the 15th

Temecula: 9-11 a.m.

Riverside: 2-noon

Upland: 3-5 p.m.