Have you ever read a book and scratched your head at a familiar reference you couldn’t quite place? You’ve read it somewhere before, maybe in another work from that author. Perhaps what you’ve stumbled over is an author’s hidden gem, otherwise known as a nod, a wink, or an easter egg (I’m not capitalizing here […]
A Peek into my Christmas Reading Journal
This year I started my Christmas CCR (Christian contemporary romance) reading early to have books ready to discuss on our StoryChats @ InspyRomance podcast/YouTube. My usual process is to write a book recommendation after I read each book and schedule the post on my blog. When I’m reading a book for a StoryChats spotlight episode […]
More Than Enough
Part of a romance author’s writing process involves getting inside our characters heads and understanding how they think. One of the most important parts of this process is asking, “what is his/her lie?” A”lie” is the false belief they live with that shapes how the he or she reacts to situations and other characters. Overcoming […]
Love in the Kitchen (+giveaway)
Did you know September 10-16 is Chef Appreciation Week this year? How exciting is that?! I know, I know, it’s back-to-school season, but I’ve already written a back-to-school post. Yeah, I’ve already written a food post too, but this time I thought it would be fun to talk about those who fulfill our fictional food […]
Birthdays and Holidays and Books (Oh My!)
July is always a little crazy. Not as chaotic as December or May, mind you, but close. We have several birthdays (including mine tomorrow), Independence Day, and loads of summer activities for starters. Since becoming an author, I’ve had fun adding bookish events such the FaithBooks Free Book Blast and Christmas in July to the […]
Fools for Love
It’s April 1st, known to many as April Fools’ Day, day marked for many by pranks and mischief (or one that goes on as normal with little notice, ha ha!). Since I recently did a post on pranks for my third Sinclair Sisters book, I won’t do a repeat of that. Instead, let’s talk about […]
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 […]
2023 Goal: Read More Romance (+sale & freebie!)
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore. It’s been years since I’ve bothered. Just as soon as I made a list of goals, habits I wanted to change (or develop LOL), weight to lose, well, I’d break it and never manage to get back on track. And then the Type A overachiever side of me […]
Destination Christmases
Do you travel for Christmas? It’s been years since my crew has been away from home on Christmas. We have a lot of family we’re close to, which used to mean a lot of obligations over the holidays. As much as we loved everyone, it was exhausting. My husband and I decided early on that […]