Guests enjoyed an entertaining and informative evening at the booksigning held on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at Borders Books & Music in Naperville, Illinois. Maureen Greene welcomed Kate Huntington and Cathie Linz who dazzled the group with their personal anecdotes and insights into their newly published books.

Kate had determined that one day she would write a book and she succeeded! Once committed to writing, she sold her first Regency within two years. Since that time, Kate has written numerous books. Kate shared her love of the Regency period and how she approaches the research for her delightful stories.

Kate mentioned she prefers to use books for her research. She highly recommends meeting your local reference librarian to discover the treasures hidden within history books. She said, "these folks are wonderful!" Although Kate acknowledges there are many historical web sites available, it can be time consuming finding the sites. Another issue to consider is the credibility of the web site. Make sure the information is accurate and properly referenced.

Kate informed guests that her new book, The Merchant Prince, was challenging to research. One example of research she discussed was locating a cemetery for Amelia’s deceased fiancé to have been buried. Kate shared bits of her research including the fact that deceased individuals were buried in the country in which they died.

"When times are tough, the people who are heroes do what needs to be done," Cathie said during her discussion of the U.S. Marines and her new book Married to a Marine. She was in the midst of writing her new release when the horrific event of September 11, 2001 changed the world. The book is about heroism, she said.

Cathie also spoke fondly of her father and of his term in the service during World War II. She shared a glimpse into the romance of her parents during the war. Her parents corresponded regularly during the war. Cathie showed guests a V-mail letter* from March 26, 1945 and several photographs of her father. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed reading the letter penned to a beloved spouse during a time of war.

To close off an enjoyable evening, Maureen held an auction whereby the proceeds would be donated for breast cancer research. Various books were auctioned and fun for a good cause was had by all!