I’ve just returned from a massive writing conference in Las Vegas, Nevada called 20Booksto50K. Nearly 2,000 writers converged to talk writing and marketing, but you know what the biggest topic of conversation was? YOU. This yearly conference is for writers in all genres, but on the eve of the first day, about a dozen authors […]
Romancing the Holidays
Happy Monday! November is half-way through and we’re about to hit Thanksgiving–then full on holiday mode until January! With the holiday season upon us, doesn’t it just bring romance into the air? It does for me. In my romance world I love reading and writing holiday romances. (We won’t even get into the movies, because […]
It’s Fall, Y’all! with a Giveaway
I’m from the South, and “It’s fall, y’all” is a common phrase you often hear this time of year. Many of my friends started sharing posts on social media back in August about how much they were looking forward to the “BER” months which bring Friday night lights and pumpkin spice. Even though I’m a […]
How Far Will You Go to Meet an Author?
Hi all! Fall is here. I’m being upfront and honest–I don’t care for Pumpkin Spice anything. I hope you’ll keep reading!! Seriously, though, I do need your help. As readers are you interested in meeting the authors whose books you enjoy? I hope the answer is yes. So let’s talk scenarios. Some of you that […]
The Strength of Story
I attended a ladies’ retreat this past weekend. It wasn’t a sleep-away retreat, thankfully. Those of us who are introverts need some down time in-between all that socializing. Even so, there was a lot of peopling that occurred. When you get a group of women together and discuss the things of God, some truths come […]
Excuse Me While I Fangirl
I spotted her from, oh, maybe thirty feet away as she browsed the selection at the bookstore. I’d never met her before, but I knew who she was, and introvert though I may be, I just had to cross the distance and connect with her. With uncharacteristic boldness and excitement, I stopped beside her and […]
Romantic Relationships in Christian Fiction
A little while ago I asked a question in some groups about how Christian characters pursuing relationships in romance books are portrayed, a question which met with some interesting responses. It led me to wondering how Christian readers like to see Christian characters demonstrate their faith in Christian books, and how this relates to romantic […]
Personal Facts in Fiction
Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day and she was laughing about telling my brother that I had written him into one of my books. This made me […]
Quiz: What Kind of Reader Are You?
What kind of reader are you? With different demands on our time and energy, not to mention different tastes, we all vary in how we choose books to read and how we tell others about books we’ve loved. Are you a loyal reader or an adventurous one? A word-of-mouth, grassroots cultivator, or a megaphone enthusiast? […]
Beginnings and Endings
Welcome summer! I live in Georgia in the United States, and we’ve been dealing with some massive heat. But I have to say I don’t mind it. I guess I’ve gotten used to the hot weather over the years, and with our son moving to Puerto Rico, well, the heat is just a part of […]