This might sound funny coming from someone who grew up slogging through cold Canadian winters, but I’ve always looked forward to fall more than spring. There’s just something very energizing about that “back to school” energy. And the siren song of Hallo-Thanks-Christmas always draws me in. Emily Conrad, author of springtime romance To Belong Together, […]
The Best Opening Chapters & A Giveaway
First lines are a big deal. Novel writers spend inordinate amounts of time painstakingly crafting the perfect opening sentence. While I do like a good first line, the first chapter is way more important to me. I always read a novel’s opening chapter via the online bookstore’s “preview” feature. I’ll buy the book only if […]
Support Your Favorite Authors #Giveaway
You’ve heard of the starving artist. Well, I’ll let you in on a secret. Most authors are starving. If not starving, at least struggling. Very few authors make a living with their words. Especially Christian authors since secular books make up most of the market. For every consistent bestselling author dominating Christian sales, there are […]
It Takes All Types
One of my favorite things about reading is that fictional characters are every bit as individual as people in real life. When they’re written well, anyway. It’s fascinating to me that in a world of tropes, we may find similarities but never the same story, same heroine, same hero. It takes all types of authors […]
The Fourth Annual Inspy Valentine’s Awards
If you’re here, I know two things about you: 1) you love to read, and 2) you love love. And when you put those two things together, you get the Fourth Annual Inspy Valentine’s Awards. I founded (read: made up) these awards a few years ago as a way to share some fun glimpses into […]
Black Christian Contemporary Romance Reads
Happy Black History month!! I thought I’d put a little twist on talking about Christian contemporary romance to highlight a few amazing reads written by Black christian authors. I haven’t read all of these books, but I have read all of these authors and look forward to finishing their backlist (someday I will tackle my […]
God Bless the Caretakers
I’m not a nurse. I never chose to be, and I don’t have the skills or the patience for it. However, I’m getting the impression that God has different plans for me. I’m married to a wonderful man, a top-notch father and life partner. We’ve been together a long time. But one thing that I […]
It’s Complicated: How Authors Really Feel About Their First Book
Confession: I don’t like my first book. I’m actually pretty embarrassed by it. Back in 2017 when I first wrote What Could Be, I was like a proud new first-time mama. My book baby was perfect. Beautiful. And certain to make its mark on the world. Aaaaaaand then I read it again months after I’d […]
So Cozy!
When you think of getting all cozy for a reading binge, what do you picture? Here it is for me: • Snow falling softly outside the windows • A fire in the fireplace • Flannel jammies and fuzzy socks • A cozy quilt • A mug of something hot (mocha? tea? hot chocolate?) • A […]
Christmas Eve Traditions
As a kid, there was almost nothing I liked better than Christmas Eve. The decorations were up. The presents were wrapped. The anticipation was palpable. My family would start the evening by having an early dinner of Tourtière, a French Canadian dish that’s a lot like Shepherd’s Pie except it’s cooked with pie crust instead […]