Yes–I know it’s June, but it’s almost July and hey, it’s 2020–anything can happen. Besides, I had to post this in June to prepare us for July, right? Although Hallmark is still playing Christmas movies in June. In fact, my favorite one from last year, The Mistletoe Secret, starring Kelly Pickler was on a couple […]
Women in the Work Force by Merrillee Whren
It seems to me in romance circles that readers and writers talk about the occupations of the heroes in books more often than they talk about the heroines. Cowboys, firemen, policemen, and military men= seem to be among the most popular occupations. But do we ever talk about the occupations of the heroines? Maybe, but […]
Give yourself a holiday! Travel by Book! #Giveaway
Hi Inspy Romancers! A huge thank you to Marion for allowing me to hijack her spot today and share with you all. For those who don’t know me, I’m Ashley Winter, a South African, church-planting wife and mom of four, living on the beautiful south coast of Wales, and I write Christian Fiction set in […]
Writing What You Know: Character Edition
Research is a fundamental part of writing. There is an old saying that goes, “Write what you know.” While writing only what I know would give me a book or three, that would be the end of my career. You can only get so much entertainment out of one person’s experiences and then the well […]
Summer Reading Survey & Giveaway
Ah, summer. As a kid, one of my favorite things about summer was the endless hours of reading time it brought. In my bed, on the couch, outside under the tree . . . it didn’t matter where. As long as I had a book in my hands, I was happy. This summer, I’ve been […]
Interview with Chef Tony Santoro… and #giveaway
Ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome Tony Santoro to Inspy Romance! I’ve known Tony for a long time, since about 2011 in Real World Time™, which is about twelve years ago in Story World Time ™. He was a gangly, mouthy teenager back then, but he’s turned into a fine man. Valerie: Hi, Tony. […]
Five Questions for Chef and Restaurateur Piper Peyton (and #Giveaway)
Do you like to read character interviews? Today we’re going to revisit one of my Savannah Sweethearts main characters, Piper Peyton, who is the chef-owner of Piper’s Place in Savannah. Piper Peyton’s restaurant has appeared in every single book in the series, since the days of the prequel, Ask You Later. However, I didn’t get […]
My Summer TBR Pile
Y’all, the summer has been good to my TBR pile. There are so many great Christian Contemporary Romances coming on the docket, that I just had to share my excitement. So below is my list (in no particular order). Driftwood Dreams by T.I. Lowe This is the second book in the Carolina Coast series. Small-town, […]
The Road Home
Things at our house are in a bit of an uproar. After twenty-five years in Ohio, twenty-four years in the same house, my husband and I have decided that after Christmas we will be heading down the road home. We are moving back to Missouri. Whew! Talk about a mix of emotions. Our kids were […]
Time to Meet the Moms! (and a giveaway)
June 7 is a big day, and it’s just around the corner. It’s not only my fifty-(mumble mumble)”th” birthday. It’s the release date for my new book Meet the Moms! I want to tell you all about my new book, but I digress just a moment. I love releasing new books on significant days. My […]