Every year in January we (or at least I do…I can’t be the only one, right?) see a whole hoop of reading challenges crop up. For the uninitiated, a reading challenge is essentially a list of types of books to try and read during the calendar year. They can range from topical (e.g. a book […]
‘Twas the Night After Christmas
Happy Reading to All, and to All a Good Year! ‘Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the house Not a human was stirring, not even my spouse— The peppermint tea at my elbow did sit; The cat on my lap was too fat to fit. The children were nestled all snug in their […]
Sharing local holiday traditions in fiction + giveaway
Culture is fascinating, isn’t it? I think a big part of what I love about reading is how we can travel anywhere in the world just by picking up a book. And at each stop in our travels, we learn something new and interesting about the culture, the people, or traditions of a place. I […]
I Walk the Beach
“I listen again to the whispering waves, Music of nature calming and brave. Its power unknown, its stillness untamed, Mysterious and magical, a treasure earth claims.” Excerpt from poem Whispering Waves by Edel T. Copeland Where is your happy place? The place you feel the most peaceful, the place you dream to be when […]
Sneak Peek at Olive + a #Giveaway
I mentioned a few months ago that I was working on another book from the Rainbow Falls series. (See that post here.) Today I’m giving you a teeny, tiny sneak peek at the main characters’ first meeting. These two are developing into an interesting pair with their fair share of differences. Despite their not-so-auspicious first […]
Do You Love The Hero? plus #Giveaway
I’ve always believed that it’s the hero, rather than the heroine, who makes or breaks a romance story. As a reader, if I’m uncomfortable in the heroine’s headspace, I’m probably going to struggle to enjoy the book. If it’s written in third person rather than the closer first person point-of-view, that discomfort will be less […]
Let’s Talk…Author Websites
I might be an author, but I’m also an avid reader. I constantly have a book going and can get through two to four books a month. Every once in awhile, I read a really great one. When that last page has ended, I stare off into space for a moment, transfixed as I begrudgingly […]
Small Town Anchors-#giveaway
Welcome to Inspy today! Back-2-School Book Bash has begun! Always great fun! And today we’re talking small towns. What we love and maybe don’t love about small towns. There are tried and true elements that readers love and come to expect when creating this type of community. I’m calling them anchors. Small Town Anchor […]
Armchair Travel
If I had my druthers, I would do a lot more international travelling than I manage to do in reality. My mom and dad took a six month trip around the world when my dad finished his PhD and I grew up listening to stories of the places they visited, the things they saw, and […]
Twenty-Twenty Hindsight
Do you have twenty-twenty hindsight that makes you look at your own life and circumstances more critically than usual? Do you think of questions that begin with any of these starters? It would be easier now if I had… Things would be different now if we were… I wish I never did… Those things crossed […]