Are you Kidding? Brand New Susan G. Mathis series!

How many hours does our Susan G. Mathis spend daydreaming and creating wonderful books for us to enjoy all year long? That is a question that only Susan can answer. Thank goodness, this year, it is one she has not stopped to think about. You will see below that her daydreaming and creating is paying off . . .

Q: Are you kidding me? You’re working on a brand new Thousand Islands series?

Yup! In “Irish Rose Orphans’ Christmas,” get ready to fall in love with seven girls and their unforgettable stories before you meet them in the new series that will release in 2026. This is the reader's chance to get to know the story behind the stories.

Here’s a little about “Irish Rose Orphans’ Christmas:”

Brooklyn, 1876

At the Irish Rose Orphan Asylum for Girls, seven young women are about to experience a Christmas that will change everything—their last one together before stepping into lives of service among strangers in the Gilded Age. United by trials and an unbreakable bond, they've pledged to remain “forever sisters.” But as the season of parting approaches, buried wounds rise to the surface.

Twin sisters Annie and Taryn remain divided by a silent rift. Fiona grapples with the ache of abandonment. Vivian hides her fear of being left behind beneath a cheerful façade. Cassie, ever the want-to-be teacher, tries to steady the group as Isabel and Gloria struggle with the agony of separation.

When Sister Rose invites the girls to prepare their hearts during Advent for a deeper calling, each young woman must face the truth of her past and the hope of her future. A final gift—tin lockets adorned with the Irish Rose—become tokens of hope, courage, and an everlasting sisterhood. This Christmas, seven orphans will discover that no matter where life leads them, love and faith will go with them.

Q: It sounds like it’s different than your other books since this Christmas story is not set in the Thousand Islands.

A: True, but this heartwarming prequel sets the stage for the upcoming Irish Rose Orphans: A Thousand Islands Gilded Age Series, where the seven young women come to the Thousand Islands to serve the islands’ elite ten years later. You’ll meet Annie on Dewey’s Friendly Island, Taryn on Nobby Island, Fiona at the Westminster Park Hotel on Wellesley Island, and the other girls on St. Elmo, Neh Mahbin on Comfort Island, Little Lehigh Island, and at the Edgewood.

Q: What unique research was required to write this story?

A: To authentically portray the world of Irish Rose Orphans’ Christmas, I researched life in early 1900s Ireland and America, focusing on Irish immigration, and the cultural traditions of Christmas during that era. I explored how Irish families celebrated the holidays amid hardship, the clothing and foods of the time, and even the dialect and expressions common in Irish and immigrant communities. I also looked into the emotional realities faced by orphans—how they coped with loss, adapted to new families, and clung to hope. These details helped bring realism and heart to the story’s historical and emotional setting.

Q: So, tell us about the Irish Rose Orphans: A Thousand Islands Gilded Age series.

A: As you know, this area and era are endlessly inspiring to me, and I’m excited to keep bringing it to life for readers. In The Irish Rose Orphans: A Thousand Islands Sisters series, the young women who vowed to be “forever sisters” while at the Brooklyn Irish Rose Orphan Asylum for Girls now find themselves reunited in the breathtaking beauty of New York’s Thousand Islands during the opulent Gilded Age. Each book follows one “sister” as she serves in a grand island setting, navigating the dazzling world of America’s elite, while confronting personal wounds from the past.

Amid class divides, spiritual awakenings, and romantic challenges, these women face the unspoken expectations of their era while they hope for something more. In the midst of summer castles and sweeping river vistas, they rediscover the strength of their sisterhood, the power of love, and a deepening faith that anchors them through every trial. This series invites readers to journey through the Thousand Islands alongside these courageous heroines—whose futures prove far more golden than they ever dared dream.

Coming in 2026!

Annie’s Admission
Dewey’s Friendly Island, 1886

She serves the debutantes who chase love and luxury—but what if her own heart is longing for more?

Annie Burns is content to keep her head down and her lady’s maid duties in order. From lavish summer galas to riverfront picnics, Annie’s job is to ensure May and Ella Dewey stay polished and proper—but lately, their flirtations and mischief are spiraling out of hand. Then, a chance encounter on the tennis court changes everything. When Martin White, a handsome young tennis buff with a keen eye for talent, mistakes her for a lady of leisure, Annie is swept into a romantic charade she never meant to start.

Encouraged by the flirtatious whims of the spirited Dewey sisters and caught between loyalty and longing, Annie must decide whether honesty will cost her the love she’s only just begun to find. As her feelings for Martin deepen, Annie must battle with guilt and duty. Can she tell him the truth without breaking his trust—and her heart? Or will the walls of class and propriety keep her from the life she longs for?

Taryn’s Triumph
Nobby Island 1886

When scars run deep and secrets surface, only faith can lead them home.

Taryn Walsh never imagined she’d leave the crowded orphanage in Brooklyn—until a twist of fate sent her to the remote Nobby Island. Hired as the private nurse for a battle-scarred Civil War veteran who suffers from recurring malaria, she steps into a world of soldiers, secrets, and the Thousand Island magic.

Colin Byrne, the gruff, brooding spy-turned-bodyguard—and fiercely loyal caretaker—guards more than just the island estate. Haunted by the war and carrying his own hidden scars—inside and out—Colin wants nothing more than to protect his world. But with Taryn’s arrival, everything begins to shift. She’s all sunshine, but he’s desperate to stay in the shadows.

Trapped together in close quarters as they navigate the rhythms of island life, sparks fly in the most unexpected ways. What begins as wary companionship slowly grows. But secrets run deep, and when Taryn finds Colin’s hidden Medal of Honor, it holds the power to shatter the secrets, and she must choose between truth and scandal. With emotional walls crumbling and hearts on the line, will Taryn risk everything for the truth, or will echoes of the past crush their growing bond?

Fiona’s Freedom
Westminster Park Hotel on Wells Island 1886

Shame tried to silence her. Faith gave her a voice.

Fiona King never meant to step into her mother’s shoes—let alone fill them. Orphaned, unsure, and all too shy, she arrives at the grand Westminster Park Hotel on Wells Island carrying nothing but her late mother’s tarnished legacy and a box of handwritten Irish recipes. To her astonishment, instead of being a hideaway cook, she’s given command of the kitchen—a position for the seasoned chef, not an insecure orphan. Overwhelmed by expectations and haunted by whispers of inadequacy, Fiona is desperate to prove herself worthy. But self-doubt is a ruthless enemy, and the pressures of perfection threaten to consume her. Then a surprise ally enters her world.

Conor McGinty, the maître d'hôtel with a disarming smile and a heart of grace, sees past Fiona’s insecurities to the talent she doesn’t yet believe she has. With his steady encouragement and deep-rooted faith, Conor urges Fiona to honor her heritage—and her calling—by reviving the humble recipes that once filled her mother’s kitchen with laughter, love, and warmth. As they work together, a tender friendship blossoms.

But just as Fiona begins to find her rhythm and reclaim her God-given gifts, a Watertown Times scathing review that hints at her mother’s scandal strikes at her deepest wounds, threatening to unravel her fragile confidence and destroy her reputation. Old lies come rushing back—You’re not enough. You never will be. You’re just like your mother. Now Fiona must make a choice—cling to fear and shame or step boldly into the freedom God offers. With the future of her position—and her heart—at stake, she must choose to believe her worth is not defined by the world’s applause but by the One who called her for such a time as this. Can she prove herself competent, successful, and secure, or will she let fear steal the freedom—and the love—she was born to embrace?

And what about Vivien, Isabel, Gloria, and Cassie? Stay tuned for more!

And there are more!

This editor is always happy when I get an email from Susan G. Mathis, and this month is no exception. Rather than just set this one up, I decided to go back and see all of the articles that we have published. You see, Susan has sixteen in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House, Libby’s Lighthouse, Julia’s Joy, Emma’s Engagement, Madison’s Mission, and Irish Rose Orphans’ Christmas.

We are honoured to meet this international award-winning author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY, and for letting us know.

And you may wonder why I started this article with my question – does this writer ever stop daydreaming? Actually, Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She is also a winner of more than two dozen book awards, and she’s a published author of two premarital books, two children's picture books, a dozen stories in compilation books, and hundreds of published articles. Of course, you can go online and find out more at www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction, but suffice to say. Keep them coming Susan. We appreciate each and every one of them.

By Susan W. Smith, info@thousandislandslife.com