Happy December, Friends! I’m shocked and amazed we made it to the last month. But I’m so very excited that the Christmas season has kicked off. A time to watch Christmas movies, read lots of good books, and shop for the friends and family in my life. In fact, it’s the shopping that led me […]
Books & Puzzles # Giveaway
I love jigsaw puzzles, but it’s been several years since I’ve done one. When I was a kid, I remember my Uncle Spud always had a puzzle. When I visited or spent the night with my cousins, he’d let me ‘help’ with his puzzle. Over the years, my parents bought me puzzles and my love […]
10 Ideas for Turning “Survive” Into” Thrive” Without Leaving the House
So, you may be thinking, “Laurie, we’ve been on lockdown and staying home for eight months now. Why this post now?” With the COVID pandemic seemingly hitting a strong second act, with numbers increasing again after a summer of inching downwards, and with no normalcy in sight, I thought I would share some insights I’ve […]
Grrr-attitude
Thanksgiving. (In America, anyway!) The time when I ponder the many blessings I’ve received in my life this year. But let’s be honest here. Because…2020. #AmIRight?? I am at the point now where any time new…trials…crop up, that’s my answer. Because 2020. And 2020 has been a doozy for us here at the Kastner home, […]
Farm and Family
When I decided to write a series centered around a cattle ranching family, I knew there would be many hours of research involved. Ranching is more than a job—it’s a way of life, and it’s often an inheritance. You pick up right where your parents left off. I grew up on a cattle farm in […]
The Power of Friendship
A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 A friend I’ve had since high school called me yesterday afternoon to let me know that she would be providing supper for me and my husband. You have no idea what a blessing […]
When I Grow Up
Often, I hear writers talk of how, when they were little girls, they’d write their own stories, sometimes dreaming of being an author one day. I was not one of them. I did not enjoy creative writing in school and was not an avid reader—mostly Enid Blyton books when I did. I do remember the […]
A Season of Thanksgiving
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever” (1 Chronicles 16:34). In just a few weeks, it’s Thanksgiving week again in the USA. Canada has already celebrated its Thanksgiving last month. Even if your country doesn’t have a Thanksgiving holiday, we know that as Christians we are […]
Making Time to Read #Giveaway
The love of reading inspired me to be a writer. But since I started writing, I don’t have time to read. It’s a conundrum. When I read, I like to focus–to really give my time to the book and read it in two to three days. Over that last several years, I read a book […]
Puppy Love by Merrillee Whren
When I decided to join a group of authors in writing a group of novellas about Puppies for Christmas, I looked for a photo that would work on my cover. The above photo jumped out at me immediately. Who can resist a child and cute little dog? My novella, Puppy Love and Jingle Bells, is […]