I’m the first to admit, I can be nitpicky about grammar and punctuation. I always loved spelling bees and—you’re really going to think I’m nerdy now—I can diagram a sentence with the best of them! My first job after college was as a newspaper copy editor. Imagine my surprise when my first book came back […]
Being Humble in God’s Eyes
In romance, we often write about the “Happily Ever After” ending once a single man and woman meet and navigate the waters of a romantic relationship. A lot of times the written pages stop after they exchange wedding vows. In real life, the romance continues and builds in the years that follow. My husband, Gregg, […]
Count Your Blessings by Mary Manners
Sometimes I’m so caught up in the day-to-day bustle of life that I forget to thank God for how very blessed I am. The new year is a time to reflect…and hopefully take a moment to slow down long enough to draw a breath, step back, and count the many blessings that fill my life. […]
Two Birthdays & a #Giveaway!
Not Until Forever (book 1 in my Hope Springs series) turns ONE later this month! Which means I’ve now been on this indie publishing journey for a year. When I first started last January, I have to confess that I had no idea what would happen or how it would turn out. But after much […]
What’s in a Name?
For as long as I could remember, I’ve been interested in names. Their meanings. Why parents pick certain names. Etc. As I got older and delved into the Word, I became fascinated with how God changed the names of those He called. When we encounter God, repent of our sins, He changes us. Not just […]
Random Ramblings + Reader Poll
I haven’t even started, and I know this post is going to be all over the place, thus the title. I have so much I want to say, and I can’t decide on one specific topic for my final post of the year. I’m glad 2020 is only a few days away (though Christmas hasn’t […]
The Psychology of Getting to Know Characters
by: Staci Stallings So, my blog this month stems from a couple of questions I got from my Facebook group, Staci’s FAN-tastic Readers, The first comes from Christina Jay: “Maybe not much of a question, and it’s something you’ve talked about a bit here but you have really dug deep into psychology with the Imagination […]
In Defense of Negative Reviews
If I were a betting woman (which I’m not), I would bet that many of you read the title of this post and needed to take a moment. Fellow authors are probably, even as we speak, sharpening the tines of their pitchforks. Readers are just shaking their heads, sadly, thinking that I’ve officially and completely […]
Shaking It Up a Bit!
What do you think of when I say Process Improvement? Be honest. Does this term make you roll your eyes, yawn, maybe even snore a little bit? Coming as I do from a professional background of insurance and project management, I’ve become familiar with my fair share of processes. I’ve documented my fair share […]