I care for my seven-month-old granddaughter Emily every weekend, and one of her favorite things to do right now is to sing. We are a musical family. We’ll randomly break into song anytime we hear a Broadway lyric or a nursery rhyme. For many years I sang in church choir and have acted in musicals […]
Cowboys and Commitments
I gotta say, I’m excited for 2023. So much happened in 2022 that I’m still processing, but that doesn’t dim the excitement of a new year with new challenges and new books to write. I feel like I failed a lot in 2022, and I was forced to reevaluate my commitments. I’m currently finishing up […]
What am I Thankful For?
“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever!” ~Psalm 107:1 I am the first to admit that 2022 has nearly done me in, in a way even 2020 and COVID did not. I don’t like to talk about it, or even admit it, but rather grin and bear it. But as the American […]
What is The End?
What is The End? I love how a simple phrase can have multiple meanings, and it brings us different emotions depending on the situation. When I’m writing, I love when I reach the end, especially if my characters have fought me throughout the entire story. When I’m reading, I might be sad to reach the […]
Playing Dress-Up
With Halloween right around the corner, I have a confession to make. I love to dress up. Give me any excuse and I’m there, whether it’s handing out candy to the neighborhood kids or acting in local theater musicals. A couple of Saturdays ago I took part along with the rest of the HearthFire Keep […]
Two Steps Forward…
…one step back. And sometimes in life and in our books, it’s one step forward and two steps back. In life, this looks like my entire family coming down with the flu (yes, you read that right—the regular, run-of-the-mill, wretched FLU!), from the disabled senior to the four-month-old baby. We all suffered with fevers, sneezes, […]
Interviewing Emma and a Giveaway
INTERVIEWER: Today I’m hosting Emma Fitzpatrick from A Reason to Stay. Good morning, Emma, and welcome to the blog. EMMA: Thanks for having me. INTERVIEWER: Let’s start with why you’re in Whispering Pines, Colorado in the first place. It’s a small mountain town, and you come from LA. That’s a huge change. EMMA: Well, I […]
Work/Life Balance
We’re about halfway through summer. My how time flies! Baby Emily is over a month old now and we just signed Anthony up at the nearby middle school. It’s been so crazy around here that I realize I’ve taken very few moments to just…well…be. July 22nd is National Hammock Day, which brings to mind relaxing […]
Baby Love
A couple of years ago I wrote a series of books (starting with six and ending with nine) set in fictional Serendipity, Texas called Cowboy Country. The series premise was all about cowboys and babies—lots of babies. So, when I went to plan out my next six-book series, I shied away from babies, at least […]
She Said Yes #Giveaway
For the last few years, our son has dated a few girls and found flaws with each one. My husband, Grant, told him someday he’d meet the one who would knock his socks off. Hannah blew in like a whirlwind last October. Our son and all the other boys had a crush on her in […]