The Erindale Tales are a series of novels mostly set on the banks of the Erindale River, which flows through Erindale, an imaginary land similar to early 19th century Britain or America, as viewed in nostalgic remembrance of "simpler" times. The Foreword to Two Pigs and a Chicken describes the setting:

There is a land which exists not in ordinary space and time, but only in our collective imaginations. A land where, far removed from the turmoil and strife of great cities and kingdoms, good men can live simple, honest lives, and pass on their values, little changed by the passage of time, to their sons and grandsons, and from them to their sons and grandsons.      In such a land, romance often takes root and grows. Of course, even for the people who live in such a place, things are not always as easy or as pleasant as we might want to imagine; but when true love blossoms, they -- and we -- can enjoy a truly magical experience.

     Two Pigs and a Chicken, the first of the Erindale Tales, is the story of Gael, a farmer who barters two pigs and a chicken for a girl, and gets more than he bargained for. It was originally meant to stand on its own, but even before it was in print, I received insistent "requests" for a sequel from those who read preliminary drafts, fell in love with its characters, and wanted to read more about them.
     The resulting sequel, The Maiden All Forlorn, kept growing until it was too long and complex to be published as a single novel. In the end, I broke it into three novels, and added three more to expand upon the original storyline. The six volumes will tell a tale spanning forty years and three generations, ending about a year after the end of Two Pigs and a Chicken, so they are to a certain extent prequels, as well as sequels.
     The first novel in the series, still titled The Maiden All Forlorn, should be published in early 2010, with the others following at one year intervals (or perhaps a little more frequently, now that I've retired from full-time teaching). An Author's Note at the end of The Maiden All Forlorn establishes the tone and setting of the series, and the following notes describe the individual novels:
     The Maiden All Forlorn is the story of how Gael came to hire Moira, a young girl of exceptional beauty and accomplishment, hampered by unfortunate circumstance. The novel covers about seven months, starting a year and a half before the end of Two Pigs and a Chicken, and resolves the central problem besetting her when first hired.
     An Unsuitable Suit covers a similar time frame, but is centered on different characters (friends and relatives of those in the previous novel) who live in Benton, a town about ten miles upriver from Gael's farm. It covers three romances -- 'suitable', 'unsuitable' but perhaps forgiveable, and very definitely unsuitable -- and the happy or unfortunate results of their different circumstances.
     A Change of Heart continues Moira's story, ending with the successful conclusion of one romance, and the start of another.
     Just Jamie starts a few weeks before the end of its predecessor, and focuses on a young man of considerable luck and pluck who plays a major role in Moira's life. It ties up a number of loose ends from the previous tales, but adds a few more, by uncovering a long-held secret.
     Poor Emily is currently concived as a two-part novel. The first part, Emmaline, reaches into the past to expand on the mystery revealed at the end of Just Jamie. The second part, Emily Elisabeth, resolves that mystery and ends with the desperate conclusion of a romance which began in An Unsuitable Suit.
     In Blind Man's Bluff, a gruesome discovery uncovers a forty-year-old tale of love and betrayal which binds the past to the present, and for now, ends the series. That doesn't mean that there won't be more Erindale Tales after that; in fact, I have at least two more stories in mind for the series. But until I've finished the novels currently plotted, I won't be giving serious thought to any others.