Do you remember the first time you fell in love… with a fictional hero? Back in the 1970s, when I was about fourteen and growing up in the Missouri Ozarks, a family friend named Bessie gave me a stack of Grace Livingston Hill books that she said she thought I’d enjoy. An avid reader, I […]
Let’s Talk…Author Websites
I might be an author, but I’m also an avid reader. I constantly have a book going and can get through two to four books a month. Every once in awhile, I read a really great one. When that last page has ended, I stare off into space for a moment, transfixed as I begrudgingly […]
The Comforts of Home in Fiction…plus #Giveaway
When I was a little girl, growing up as an only child out in the country, I found comfort in books. Decades have passed, but I haven’t changed much. Good day or bad, give me a sweet story, a cup of tea, and a Lorna Doone cookie or two. My soul will ease, I will […]
Overcoming Obstacles
The former pastor of our church used to say that if she heard something three times, from three different people, she knew she needed to pay attention. It might be a nudge from God. I had that happen recently. I heard the same question from three different sources in one week. What are you telling […]
The Power of a Single Kind Act…plus #Giveaway
I’m getting ready to write the second draft of the next book in my Abundance series. At this stage, one of the things I look at in particular is whether or not my hero and heroine are likable. In fiction, one way to make a character more likable is to have them do something kind […]
Tied up with a Bow…plus #giveaway
At first, I thought my leaning toward writing “double” romances—stories where two couples both find their happy endings in one books—was purely based on math. In 2014, I began the first draft of Love at Sunset Lake. My goal for the manuscript, based on traditionally published novels, was 80,000 words. That seemed like a lot. […]
Love And Roses: An Excerpt
I have had the privilege of reading each of contemporary romance novelist Sally Bayless’s books, and today I get to share an excerpt with you from her latest book, Love and Roses, which releases Thursday, March 1st. The best author I can think of to compare Sally to is Susan May Warren and her small-town […]
New Author Alert–Sally Bayless
No, that’s not my name there in the title. I met Sally Bayless back in 2013 when we were both finalists in the Genesis contest for unpublished writers. Since then, Sally has published three books — a novel and two novellas — all set in the town of Abundance, Missouri. Ever heard of Susie May […]