It’s been a whirlwind six months for my family.

This past fall, my daughter surprised the family with the happy news that she was pregnant with our first grandchild—the first baby on my side of the family in twenty-something years! We immediately called my 89-year-old mother in Florida to share the news and let her know that her wish to become a great-grandmother was coming true!

Weeks later, the whole family reunited in New Jersey to celebrate my nephew’s wedding. That Saturday, we laughed and danced welcoming a lovely woman into our growing family. Mom was the only surviving grandparent at the wedding, and she got to see my daughter beautifully blossoming with pregnancy, cute baby bump and all. Mom, six months shy of 90, and usually spunky and talkative, wasn’t herself that day. She complained of being cold and shivered throughout the celebration. But it was fall in New Jersey, we reasoned, and Mom, after nearly 30 years in Florida, was unused to the chilly northern temps that dipped substantially when the sunlight disappeared.

The morning after the wedding, as our families prepared to check out of our hotel rooms and head home, we got devastating news.

During the night, Mom, curled up asleep on the couch of a rented home, left this world.

Our family immediately gathered to cry and grieve at this shocking and unthinkable loss.

Now, months in hindsight, I can appreciate that Mom gave us a gift leaving us in that way—with our family, her four children, their spouses, and her beloved grandchildren—all together. As we live in four different states, this was a truly rare occasion. And that Mom went peacefully, without fear, gives us comfort even now.

The family gathered again in Florida for Mom’s funeral services. My siblings bestowed upon me the honor of eulogizing our mother. It’s been a while since I’d written with such diligence and purpose. I wanted to get this right, for Mom, for all that she was to our family, to highlight her boundless energy, her extraordinary and at times, feisty personality, her gratitude and exuberance for life.

I think I did her proud.

On the heels of Mom’s passing, my grief still very raw, my husband and I took a planned trip to England to celebrate his 60th birthday. Unfortunately, I returned with Covid, followed by laryngitis, illnesses that both left me voiceless and knocked me flat for months. And as most know from experience, the first Christmas season after the passing of a loved one is particularly difficult. We are five months into a year of firsts without Mom, and it breaks my heart every time I remember she is no longer here.

On Friday, March 31st, a bright light shined on our family with the birth of my grandson, Finn William. Our family is over the moon.

My husband and I are grandparents: Gigi and Poppy!

Today, on the cusp of my grandson’s first full week of life, is Mom’s birthday. She would have been 90! We were planning to take her to Savannah, the whole family, for a weeklong celebration she would’ve loved. Instead, today we celebrate her memory.

I wear a heart locket around my neck with some of Mom’s ashes, so she’s always with me. She was with me when I held my grandson for the first time and whispered in his ear how loved he is. I’m filled with joy touching Finn’s perfect miniature toes and fingers, happily thinking of all the firsts I will have with him, and finally experiencing the joy my mother must have felt holding each of her eight grandchildren for the very first time.

The circle of life. Both heartbreaking and heart-rebuilding.

Happy birthday Mom.

Readers’ Favorite rates Finding Edward 5 stars!

Read full review here: ReadersFavorite.com

A journey of discovery begins with one step.

When Edward’s beloved grandmother dies, she doesn’t just leave behind money. His inheritance includes a father in Italy he never knew he had.

Now he’s forced to navigate a country he doesn’t know, using a language he doesn’t speak, in search of a man who has no clue Edward even exists.

He’s expecting disappointment, he’s expecting anger, he’s expecting pain. But what Edward isn’t expecting is to stumble across the one woman to ever steal his heart … the one woman he can never have.

Edward’s past and future collide, leaving him more lost — and more alive than he’s ever felt before.

Finding Edward is the third book in the compelling Save Me Series.

Available on Amazon. Read for free with Kindle Unlimited.

Tomorrow is the big day! I’ll be revealing the cover for my newest book, Finding Edward, the 3rd book in the Save Me Series.

We first hear of Eddie in Saving Toby. He is the little brother of Ray, Toby’s best friend. Eddie returned on the pages of Keeping Claudia, befriending Claudia and leaving an impression on readers.

Now he has his own story. 

Grandma is gone. She left me money. I’ll only get it if I do what she asks. A trip to Italy. Sounds great, right? The clincher is I have to look for my biological father, a man I’ve never met. What if I find him and he doesn’t want to know me?

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 @East Meadow Library, 10am to 4 pm

Celebrate Romance in June! Romance Writers, Mystery Writers, Beach Read Writers featuring authors from Mystery Writers of America, LI Chapter: Romance Writers of America, SoHo Press — Prizes, Author Panels, Book Signings, & Raffles!

I’ll have a table at the convention. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop in and say hello!

For details:

https://www.facebook.com/events/377343432755891/permalink/377347199422181/

You could #win a $25 Amazon Gift Card just for reading and reviewing Keeping Claudia on Goodreads

To enter, visit: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/19259564-26-18-keeping-claudia-by-suzanne-mckenna

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Join me at

A Day of Romance @Sachem Public Library

Saturday, February 10

The Power of Love

1:00pm – 2:30pm

Join a panel of published romance authors to celebrate the power of love! The romance genre is dominated by women writers and readers, and these books celebrate the power of love and women’s agency. We’ll consider the ways that romance can inspire, delight, and strengthen women in their lives beyond the page. The panel will feature Patty Blount, Jeannie Moon, Meara Platt, and Nika Rhone.

Valentine’s Day Author Fair

3:00pm – 5:00pm

Meet writers of contemporary, historical, suspense, fantasy, and YA romance—and there will be chocolate!

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

I’ll be there with copies of both Saving Toby and Keeping Claudia and special chocolate treats!

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Download your copy of Keeping Claudia for ONLY 99¢!!

Don’t wait. Offer only good through December 24.

Find Keeping Claudia on Amazon

https://www.facebook.com/StorytellerAlley/videos/1227918383974271/?hc_ref=ARQxuplUawV2FtGGagcvNj42fGQNeJSkIEQAhmVgx_KDNkfngg51MyR37fhpymQvJrk

Storyteller Alley’s Author Discovery Box featuring Saving Toby

The Saving Toby Author Discovery Box will ship on December 1st and includes:

• Signed copy of Saving Toby by Suzanne McKenna Link
• Something to make the room smell just like the Long Island shore from  A to Z Candles
• Something to help you get your date night snack on from Allspice Emporium
• Something to make the world a prettier place from Plantables & Paper
• Something handmade to inspire a little daydreaming from The Rugged Heart

Perfect for the Book Lover on your Gift-Giving List!

Find out more at Storyteller Alley