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 […]
How Bad Can She Be?
Do you like heroines who have a checkered past? Do you like a heroine who has a checkered present? How much are you willing to overlook in the heroine’s journey to redemption? As you can see from the blurb above, Annie Payton has a past she is trying to live down. So her bad-girl […]
Bring On the Backlist (+ #Giveaway)
Before I became an author, I had no idea what a backlist was. In case you don’t either, this word means “a publisher’s older books that are still in print”. Therefore, backlist titles are basically books that are not new releases. The reason I bring this up is because I recently polled my newsletter subscribers […]
Favorite Covers # Giveaway
I’ve been browsing bookshelves again. But instead of my usual bookstore hangout, I’ve been browsing online. My agent is getting my newest proposal ready to send out and asked for comparables. This is where I have to find titles published by the publishers I hope will publish my book. Wow, that’s a lot of publishing […]
Main Characters with Disabilities
I got a Facebook Message the other day from one of my long-time reader/reviewers. In it, she talked about some of the people in her life with various disabilities and encouraged me to write a story (or two) with main characters who are differently abled. I let her know that I would think on how […]
Summer Love and Cookouts
It’s a gazillion degrees outside here in New Mexico. We’ve spent weekends in Arizona, Colorado, and Kansas in the past two months, and it’s been H-O-T hot there too. I know it’s not summer for half the world right now, but many of you still know the sticky, sweaty, blazing sun, furnace-blast-to-the-face feeling of a […]
Work/Life Balance
We’re about halfway through summer. My how time flies! Baby Emily is over a month old now and we just signed Anthony up at the nearby middle school. It’s been so crazy around here that I realize I’ve taken very few moments to just…well…be. July 22nd is National Hammock Day, which brings to mind relaxing […]
I Need a Hero
The novel I’m currently working on is titled Hero Rehearsals. I’m starting each chapter with a quote about heroes, and I’ve found some great ones. I’ll share my top ten here, and I’d love any you might have to offer. 10. Romance is at the heart of our lives. The truly blessed among us find […]
Weirdness in Christian Fiction
In one of my very first books, I had a church scene with an altar call – or invitation if you’re more familiar with that term – and my editor commented and said something like, “I’m a Christian, and I’ve never heard of this. Remove it so you don’t lose your readers.” I thought that […]
Summer Reading List + an apology
Things have been weird in JayceeLand the past several months. I’m still trying to find my groove again, and what mojo I do find comes in small snippets that disappear soon after. So rather than force myself to write, I’m taking the summer off to focus on my family, my home, side projects I’ve set […]