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The Making of a Book Cover
Today I'm so excited to take you behind the scenes, into the making of a book cover! There's more than one way to go about the process, of course. I will just share with you the most recent one in my experience: A Refuge Assured, published by Bethany House.
Even before we landed on a title, they asked for my input on the art direction. This is a great opportunity, and I was happy to put together an 8-page document for them. It included notes and images on period dress, location, book...
Author Chat with Laura Frantz!
Happy Release Day to my friend and fellow author, Laura Frantz, for her new novel, The Lacemaker! I'm tickled pink that today of all days, I received my copy of my February release, A Refuge Assured, as well. (Don't they look fantastic side-by-side?) The reason I love seeing them together is that our heroines are related!
Laura's story is set in colonial Williamsburg on the eve of the American...
How the Republican Calendar Shoved God Aside
Today I’m hanging up a fresh calendar for the new year. It’s pretty basic—12 months, from January to December. Seven-day weeks, each of which begins with Sunday. Christmas is marked on December 25. The year is dated from the approximate birth of Christ.
After researching the French Revolution and writing A Refuge Assured, I no longer take all this for granted. Here’s why.
In October 1793, the revolutionary government declared a new way of ordering their days by replacing the...
Goodreads Challenge Report for 2017
In January of this year, I set a goal for myself to read 50 books in 2017, which felt daunting since I also needed to write and release books of my own. But reading is really, really important to me, personally and professionally. I can't be a great writer if I'm not also a great reader.
According to Goodreads, I've read 60 books, which amazes me! I'm sure my new addiction to Audible greatly helped. I've recommend books throughout the year on my Facebook page, but I thought it would be fun to put a bunch of them all in one place.* I've broken them down into several categories....
Author Chat with Susie Finkbeiner!
Today I'm celebrating Susie Finkbeiner's new release,A Song of Home, the third and final book in the Pearl Spence series! If you are just now hearing about this series, I recommend starting with A Cup of Dust, and then find...
5 Questions (& Coffee) with Jaime Jo Wright
I'm thrilled to welcome Jaime Jo Wright to the blog today to talk about her new release, The House on Foster Hill (Bethany House Publishers)! I first met her at an ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference, but really got to know her last summer when we roomed together while attending a writers conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since she hails from Wisconsin, she's a fellow Midwesterner, which means we totally dig each other's denims and plaids. (hee...
On Books, Bread, and Fish: Christy Awards 2017
This week I travelled to Nashville to attend The Art of Writing Conference and the Christy Awards Gala, hosted on the campus of Lipscomb University. The last time one of my books was a Christy finalist was 2013, for Wedded to War, and I skipped the Gala so I could stay home and write. Afterward, even though my novel didn't win, I second-guessed my decision to forfeit the opportunity to gather with like-minded writers.
For those who aren't familiar, The Christy Award™ is...
Why Does It Take So Long? Book Publishing from Conception to Publication
Every once in a while, someone will ask me why, for the love of new releases, does it take so long for my next book to come out? After all, I turned A Refuge Assured into the publisher (the first time) on March 6, 2017. It releases Feb. 6, 2018. Eleven months in between? What gives?
The process varies according to author and publisher, so I will just speak to my own experience, and I'll use A...
Recipe: Mom's Best Pumpkin Bars
It's pumpkin season! That means there is no reason not to make these delicious bars. This version is an adaptation of three of my mom's pumpkin bar recipes. It's the best from each! You can add raisins and/or walnuts if you like, but since my children are opposed to finding "debris" in their bars, these are simple and still so delicious. This recipe makes a LOT of bars, so it's great to share with others. OR make a pan, frost them, and freeze as many as you want to! I experimented with this, myself, since you all know my love of making food ahead and freezing it. I was going to wait two...
Look for the Light
As the days are getting shorter this fall, I can’t help but think back to the long winter nights I experienced as Coast Guard wife living in Homer, Alaska. I could tell a marked difference in my spirit. We lived pretty far south in the state, so on the shortest day of the year, the sun started rising around 10am, and started setting again around 3pm. I’m grateful I wasn’t in the dark any longer than that every day.
Sometimes, though, we can feel like we’re in the dark no matter what time of day it is, can’t we? Maybe it’s uncertainty that blocks our view of the future. Or perhaps...
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