I often get emails and messages asking for advice for new and aspiring authors. I do my best to write back, answer questions, and cheer everyone on (because camaraderie is fun, and it’s what I would have enjoyed as a newbie author). Here are a few tips that helped me […]
My Next Book’s Title
How long do I get to consider myself a newbie author? In my mind, I am brand new to this published author world, but the reality is I have four published novels and more in the works. I still feel like a little fish in a big pond (or however […]
One Month Birthday = Time for Trivia
A Lady in Attendance released June 1, 2021. In honor of its one month birthday, here’s some trivia! Gilbert’s name came from my love of Gilbert Blythe and desire to name one of my children Gilbert. I never got that chance, so I decided to name a character Gilbert! Originally […]
A new book is coming!
For me this doesn’t feel like a new book because I wrote it so long ago (my books aren’t coming out in the order I wrote them). I’m so thrilled that this June A Lady in Attendance will finally be in readers’ hands. Here are a few of my favorite […]
Book Club Extras!
Book clubs hold a special place in my heart. When my husband was working on his doctorate I was often alone in the evenings. Having a list of book club books to read, gave those nights a purpose. My mind grew from the thought-provoking stories, my heart sighed over happy […]
Thoughts About Bravery
As a kid I thought the bravest people were those who did dangerous things and seemed unphased by it. I’m not ready to completely abandon that definition (there are super brave firefighters and mountain climbers) but I’ve also realized that my definition was severely lacking. In the past two weeks […]
The ABC’s of Azure Springs
Azure Springs is the location of both The Hope of Azure Springs and Yours Truly, Thomas. I have come to adore this tiny Iowa town that is full of heart and adventure, neighborly goodwill, and love. So I had some fun putting together an “ABC” list for Azure Springs! Hope […]
Yours Truly, Thomas FAQ, Comments, and Observations (Caution: Spoilers)
Yours Truly, Thomas has been out for just under a month and in that time I’ve received a lot of fun emails, messages, and comments. Here are some of the more frequent observations made and questions asked. Why did Penny go to Azure Springs? Some readers have wanted to know […]
Yours Truly, Thomas is Here!
Yours Truly, Thomas has officially hit shelves! In my recent newsletter I asked for ideas of ways to celebrate this book’s release. Some of my readers are so creative!!! I loved reading all the responses. Here’s how release day ended up going: Tyler snuck out for work letting me snooze […]
Yours Truly, Thomas Trivia (No spoilers)
Release day for Yours Truly, Thomas is in less than two weeks. For those of you anxious to read this story here is a list of trivia to hold you over! I came up with the idea of utilizing the dead letter office when I was touring a historic post […]
Trailer for Yours Truly, Thomas
I’m so excited — my publisher, Revell, has put out this great video trailer for my upcoming book, Yours Truly, Thomas which is being released this July! Check it out:
Valentine’s Day Event and Giveaway!
One of my favorite things to do is to get together with a bunch of friends and hear their love stories. Everyone’s is unique. Some are quick, some are slow. Some people saw it coming from the start, others were friends first and the love crept in. Some have had […]
Real Honest To Goodness Orphan Train Sisters
The Hope of Azure Springs is a fictional story about former orphan train riders and what their experience may have been like. While researching I read that siblings were often separated in an attempt to find the children homes. I imagined that being hard even if it was necessary at […]
Yours Truly, Thomas
I’m so excited for the new cover of my next book, Yours Truly, Thomas. I think it’ll be up on Amazon and other places pretty soon (technically it’s listed there already but without a picture). This book is stand alone but it passes through Azure Springs and has many of […]
Writing and Baby Chicks
We hatched baby chicks in an incubator this last month. We were only moderately successful but we all enjoyed the process of rolling the eggs and watching them peck their way out. I always feel so bad for them when they have just their beak out and are chirping but […]
Learning Backwards
We got our four year old a balance bike a few months ago and he flies around on it. It’s the cutest thing and I know from friends that learning to balance and then pedal works so much better than learning to pedal and then learning to balance. I’m wishing […]
Quotable
Every school year we pick a theme and as a family we memorize it. It’s framed and sits on our mantle. Once the year ends it’s moved to a shelf in the basement and is replaced by a new theme. Our 2018/2019 theme is “Don’t shine so others can see […]
Embarrassing Moments
I have several stories from my childhood that my children think are so funny. Listening to them giggle over my mishaps makes me excited to someday work them into a book but for now I’ll share one with you so you can be an insider if it ever pops up […]