It’s wedding season! I love hearing all the stories of how couples got together. It inspires me to write better because, really, there are a lot of overused tropes out there. I’ve overused them myself. Though I’m happily married, and I feel like my love story would make good fodder, do I really have what […]
Awkward Proposals
Was your proposal PERFECT? You know. Flowers, starlight, candles, down-on-one-knee perfect? Straight-out-of-a-romance-novel perfect? Well, mine wasn’t. Are you confused? I was, too. You see, my then-boyfriend and I had been dating for over two years. He was getting ready to graduate in a month, and everything was up in the air. I was stressed out […]
Where To Next?
I find myself fantasizing about locations lately—specifically getaways. See, this August marks my twentieth wedding anniversary. We haven’t gone anywhere without the kids for longer than a weekend, but this year we decided to plan a *real* vacation, just the two of us. And after being cooped up for over a year with hardly more […]
Will You Marry Me by Deb Kastner
My husband Joe and I met on a blind date. Mutual friends invited us to dinner to meet each other and we hit it off the moment he walked in the door. I was dazzled by his huge blue eyes and friendly smile, and I already knew he was a godly man. (Although if I […]
Dreaming of a Castle Wedding… (Plus #FreeBook)
I know, right? What was I thinking? For a romance novelist who prefers beach weddings (and the occasional landlocked weddings), I don’t know what came over me when I decided to be adventurous and write a romance novella with a wedding set in a castle. Perhaps to other authors, it’s no big deal, but to […]
The Blended Family
Happy February! Before we talk blended family, I wanted to thank everyone for their kind messages and prayers regarding the loss of my mom. We’re still in a state of shock, to be expected, and both my sister and I are overwhelmed with the business side of the transition. It’s been hard to focus on […]
5 Things Men Could Learn From Romance Novels
Once upon a time, my husband listened to a romance audiobook with me. I downloaded Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade for a road trip, and he got sucked in. It was the cutest thing ever. He said stuff like… “Matthew McConaughey could play a good Ty.” When Ty rode his Harley to the […]
Opposites Attract?
Merry CHRISTmas to all the IR readers! I’ve had a couple chats regarding the season and many of you, myself included, are dragging. It’s been a tough year and digging deep to celebrate has been a chore. For me, being intentional about the birth of Christ and spending time reading and in prayer hasn’t been […]
Meet Cute by Deb Kastner
I’m currently in the middle of one of the most exciting parts of writing—getting to know my new hero and heroine before I start writing my new book. Because at Harlequin Love Inspired I sell six book series at a time, I already have a brief blurb about the story and the names of my […]
Holding Hands
Every Christian romance has several firsts: first time the hero and heroine meet, first date, first kiss. But of all the “first” moments, one of my favorites to write is the first time the hero and heroine hold hands. It’s a seemingly small and simple gesture, but there’s just something about it that makes my […]