A few years ago I had my first Christmas novella published as part of the ‘Joy to the World’ collection, and discovered just how voracious readers can be for Christmas stories. Last year I wrote a contemporary Christmas novella (Originally Yours) as a special free gift for newsletter subscribers, and a full length Christmas contemporary […]
Welcome to River Ridge
I’ve started a new book series, which means it’s time for a new fictional town! These are my favorite kinds of places to write and read about because my mind has the freedom to make them my own. The idea for this series came from the many trips with my daughter as we drove the […]
Llama, Llama, Love My Mama
Before baby Emily was born (she’s now 15 months old), we were shopping at a secondhand store when I laid eyes on a multi-colored stuffed llama, which I have since come to learn is a character from the video game Fortnite, although I was blissfully ignorant of that fact at the time. I snapped it […]
Picnics on the Beach (#NationalPicnicMonth)
Did you know that July is not only National Ice Cream Month in the USA but it’s also National Picnic Month? I don’t know why there are so many food-related events when I’m trying to lose weight. Haha. But who can say no to a scrumptious picnic? Have you read books with picnics in them? […]
The Long and Short of It (and #FreeBooks)
Some readers love to read short books: super short flash fiction or bite-sized short stories and novelettes or easy-to-finish novellas are for them. Some readers love long books: epic tomes and multi-volume family saga that go on and on and on. Some readers enjoy what’s in between: not too short and not too long. What […]
A Road Trip Romance to the Grand Tetons
It’s my pleasure to welcome back former regular contributor Janet Ferguson for a guest post. Janet’s writing first drew me in back in 2014 with her signature blend of sweet, funny, and poignant moments, and we’ve been critique partners ever since. (Thanks for all the help, Janet!) If you love mountains and romance like I […]
Take a Summer Trip with CCR Books!
It’s summer here in Michigan, and gorgeous weather brings opportunities to get outside and enjoy nature! I’m an avid traveler, and when we travel, I’m always on the lookout for beautiful natural landmarks. Michigan is full of those, and my husband and I enjoy a trip to the beautiful upper peninsula almost yearly. Since nature […]
Love in Season
Things sure are heating up here in Texas. And we’re only at the beginning of summer! Maybe you feel the same where you live. Or maybe you live in the Southern Hemisphere and things are starting to really cool down. Good thing love is the perfect thing to read about in any season. Still, I […]
A Different Kind of Roadtrip
Vacation season is gearing up. Are your bags packed? Are you more likely to be a book “traveler” this summer, taking trips simply by reading about them? That’s probably what my summer is more likely to resemble. Our house has taken quite a bit of the money I had hoped to use on a trip. […]
The Making of a Fictional Small Town: Many Oaks, Iowa
I knew I wanted to set my next series in a small town in Iowa, and I knew I wanted a character from my last series to live and own a business there. Because of his background as a musician, I decided early on that I wanted the business to be a restaurant and music […]