Hey y’all. As I mentioned in my last post, I’m all about Christmas. But what happens when your editor asks if you can move your story from Spring to Christmas when you’re doing her editorial revisions in Sept? You do it. But I’ll be honest, it was hard to get in the Christmas mood when […]
Christmas Tree: Past, Present & Future
Hola! Jolene Navarro checking in from the Texas Hill Country. Saturday after Thanksgiving is another day to carry out a tradition of gratitude for my family. Each year memories are treasured and hopes are added. As a kid, I anticipated the holidays with nothing but joy and excitement. From baking cookies with my family to […]
Touring Ireland! Star Rising by Janet W. Ferguson
Isn’t it fun to travel, whether vicariously in a book, or in real life? Last year, I was blessed to get to travel to Ireland with my family. This year, I relived a good bit of that trip when I took my characters on a similar journey! It was so much fun! One particular scene […]
Christmas Movies Based on Books # Giveaway
I’m all about Christmas. Yes, I know Thanksgiving is first and I love that day as well. But Christmas forces the entire world to think of Jesus. Whether they want to or not. I have three trees in my house, and yes, they’re already up. One in the living room with lots of Christian ornaments […]
The Value of Christian Romance + #Giveaway
I recently saw an article shared on Facebook that got me thinking about the value of Christian romance. More specifically, is there any value in reading books about fictional Christian characters who fall in love? I would say, yes, definitely, and for sure! Here are 3 reasons why I believe there’s value in reading (and […]
My Second Chance at Romance
There was a time when I quit writing romance. Ten years ago, I sold my debut novel, Love Finds You in Sun Valley, Idaho, then my husband left me. Being that I’d sold the book on proposal alone, I had to write a love story as my own marriage fell apart. I didn’t believe in […]
ACFW Conference, Fangirling, & the Christy Awards #giveaway
ACFW Conference, Fangirling, & the Christy Awards #giveaway! Authors are readers and fans too! Most authors started as avid readers, so we have our author heroes. In the past, I was thrilled to meet some of my favorites, Francine Rivers, Charles Martin, Terri Blackstock and Randy Alcorn. Last month at the ACFW conference in […]
Retelling the (Fairy) Tale
Ah, fairy tales. Like so much classic literature, fairy tales form the basis for many contemporary stories. In recent years, retellings have even become so popular they’ve become their own subgenre in fiction. And it makes sense. The originals are clean and usually end happily. Good triumphs over evil. The impossible becomes possible. Romance. Magic. […]
Putting Real Life On Hold # Giveaway
I’m in the throes of a deadline again. When I turned in the last book, I took a month off. I wrote for a month. Then my editor sent my revisions on the book I just turned in. Once I finished revisions, I had to supply cover details and artwork. I finished that just in […]
My Favorite Spark Brother
Did you know that authors have a whole gaggle of kids? Let me explain. In my real life, I am a mama of two—a teenage son and a pre-teen daughter—whom I refer to as my munchkins. In my author life, I’m also a mom to all the characters I’ve created, including the five guys in […]