Today in America is the National Day of Forgiveness. In a country where we’ve set aside days to celebrate trivial things like corned beef, scarves, and crushing cans (all also today!), I can actually get behind taking time to focus on forgiving others. Books, too, can serve as reminders for important themes that need attention […]
Escape to … Italia
Seven years ago, we traveled through Northern Italy. Have you ever been? Even now, I can shut my eyes and remember the aromas of truffle oil and garlic that saturated the air around our apartment in Florence. So heavenly! What does this have to do with writing novels? Everything. You see, at the time, I […]
Small Town Romance
I live in a small town. I’ve lived in my small town of less than ten thousand people for the past twenty years. Before that I lived in another small town. And while there are some advantages to living in the city (and hey, I’ve written books set in cities from NYC to London) there’s […]
Newsletters – Why Sign Up? #Giveaway
Most authors have newsletters these days. Let’s talk about why you should sign up. There’s usually a free book or giveaway involved for signing up. Newsletters usually include exclusive info only available to subscribers. Authors get more personal in newsletters. All that personal and exclusive contact is addicting. They’re usually encouraging and uplifting. If you’re […]
Romantic Relationships in Christian Fiction
A little while ago I asked a question in some groups about how Christian characters pursuing relationships in romance books are portrayed, a question which met with some interesting responses. It led me to wondering how Christian readers like to see Christian characters demonstrate their faith in Christian books, and how this relates to romantic […]
The Novel of Your Life #Giveaway
Have you ever thought about writing a novel based on your life? Many people tell me they’ve mused about putting the events of their life into a book but have never been able to sit down and do it. That’s understandable! It’s tricky to fictionalize events that are so personal. I learned this about six […]
Favorite Covers # Giveaway
I’ve been browsing bookshelves again. But instead of my usual bookstore hangout, I’ve been browsing online. My agent is getting my newest proposal ready to send out and asked for comparables. This is where I have to find titles published by the publishers I hope will publish my book. Wow, that’s a lot of publishing […]
Fiction and Keeping it Real (& Release Day for Muskoka Blue!)
Do you like reading realistic fiction? Have you ever suffered from depression, or gone through a traumatic experience that makes you want to escape, or makes you question whether God is real? Sometimes there’s a tricky line in writing fiction that feels real, where we want to offer an ‘escape’ through a story that feels […]
Book Sightings #Giveaway
In 2005, I went to my first American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. I was so overwhelmed, didn’t know a soul there, and it seemed like everyone I met was published. Don’t get me wrong, I met really nice people. They weren’t bragging. But it seemed like everyone there was published. Except me. After that first […]
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 […]