Dear Readers,

The latest news is that Some Nerve, my 13th novel, is out in an Avon A trade paperback edition, so for those who haven’t read it yet, here’s another chance! I’ve gotten so many e-mails from people who enjoyed the hardcover -- including some who told me Some Nerve is now their favorite of my books -- and I hope to hear from even more of you.

Some Nerve, it's a fast-paced romantic comedy, but it's also a book with a message about the joys and rewards of hospital volunteerism. We all know about wonderful nonprofit organizations like Habitat for Humanity. My goal is to remind everyone that the health care world needs us too.

A selection of the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club, Some Nerve is about Ann Roth, a reporter for the celebrity-driven Famous magazine in L.A.. Ann's got a major case of fear of flying that proves hazardous to her career. When she can't bring herself to fulfill her latest assignment - to interview notoriously media-averse actor Malcolm Goddard aboard his Cessna - she gets fired from the magazine. Feeling totally down and out, she trudges home to Missouri, moves in with her mother, aunt and grandmother, and tries to get her nerve back - only to find that Malcolm has checked himself into her local hospital with a heart problem. He's using an alias, desperate to escape media scrutiny as usual, figuring that by hiding out in the middle of the country, nobody will learn about his medical condition. Wrong. Ann knows. And Ann wants her career back. She signs up as a volunteer at the hospital, hoping to endear herself to him so he'll spill the story of his life and she can write the story that will force her ex-editor to re-hire her. Well, things don't go the way she planned, needless to say. (Click on "Jane's Latest" for a longer description of the plot, some reviews, the genesis of the idea for the book, and a preview of the first chapter.)

To research Ann's stint as a hospital volunteer, I became a volunteer too - at a hospital in Los Angeles, where I was living when I wrote the book. The experience was more fulfilling than I ever anticipated. Now I volunteer at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, having moved up the coast last year. What do I do on my Monday shifts? I visit patients, keep them company, talk, listen - whatever they need. I meet incredible people who inspire me with their courage in the face of serious illness. And I come home feeling useful, as if I might have actually made a difference in their lives, however briefly.

And, finally, I’ve heard from quite a few of my loyal readers asking when my next novel will be out. Some of you say you need your "Jane Heller fix!" I wish I could oblige... but I’ve put my fiction-writing on hold for now and have just finished a first-person account of the half a season I spent following the New York Yankees to every game, at home and on the road. Baseball has always been a passion of mine and, since I grew up in New York, the Yankees have always been my team. Even if you’re not a baseball fan (even if you’re a Yankees hater!), I think you might have fun with this one. It will have my same "voice" and, hopefully, provide more than a few laughs. Watch for the book, Confessions of a She-Fan: The Course of True Love with the New York Yankees, in March ‘09.

Best wishes and thanks for all the kind words. Your e-mails are much appreciated.

Jane Heller