BACK in the SADDLE AGAIN: Day before Thanksgiving, with a former student, I got a riding fix after 5 long years! Skip is the Palomino we sold to Red Gate Riding School. To quote a line from Jessica in The Accidental Wife, “there’s always something about the outside of a horse  that's good for the inside of the rider.”  It was a prelude to comfort food! 
Reader Fan JENNIFER QUERRY is a native of Wyoming, an RN since 1999, wife to Jason since 2007, mother of Meredith and Morgan, aged 9 and 6, AND a lifelong reader. She confesses to “accidentally” falling into a nursing career after high school as one of the best decisions of her life. Working primarily in ER, surgery, endoscopy, and preop is the DIVERSITY she credits to working at big urban teaching facilities and small rural hospitals. She volunteers with OUR (Operation Underground Railroad) which centers around training, rescuing and rehabilitation for human trafficking.  Her hobbies include “most everything with fitness and health: lifting weights, spinning, biking and running—a half marathon last year--plus anything else I can talk my girls into trying!” Hard to fathom this active lady reads 4 to 10 books a month—all genres, including The Accidental Series. She met Cj (and gave her a tour) of the little Wheatland, Wyoming hospital in June of 2015 when Cj’s western research was sidetracked by a severe strep throat on her way to Ft. Laramie.
      “I was drawn to “The Accidental Wife” due to the time travel and love story. Cj is able to write in a way that brings the story to life and as a reader, I could connect with the characters, tying my emotions to theirs during the whole story. She brings history to life and peaked my interest to learn more about this period and region.”  Note by CJ: The Accidental Stranger's hospital scenes feature nurse Jennifer and Dr. Hawley as actual characters. Jennifer’s guided tour prompted book details—e.g. robins egg blue vinyl chairs in the waiting rooms.  ROYAL READER/FAN BIOS continue next month, picking up on some DIVERSITY in history by the great grandson of a Civil War General who has become my favorite East coast pen pal.  (The grandson, that is.) What an amazing story in itself!   
MORE COMFORT FOOD? Besides a Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixings, a picture is worth 1000 words. Notice the number of  men vs. woman  in top group of the newly elected 116th Congress; difference in gender and race in the bottom group.  Does this mean DIVERSITY still reigns??  Mid terms were truly historic.      Gratefully yours,  Cj