New Novella Collection Contracted!

Drumroll please!

I am so delighted to announce that I've signed a contract with Barbour Publishing, along with four other talented authors, for The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection! The five of us are currently hard at work writing our novellas, each from a different era and location, tied together with a single bottle that finds its way across the world and through generations to bring hope. My particular novella is set in one of my favorite periods: you guessed it, the Civil War. 

We've been sitting on this news for sooo long! Look, I'm wearing a turtleneck in that photo. It was February when we signed the contract! I'm so honored to be writing with these four ladies. If you're not familiar with them already, allow me to introduce you!

HEATHER DAY GILBERT writes novels that capture life in all its messy, bittersweet, hope-filled glory. Born and raised in the West Virginia mountains, generational story-telling runs in her blood. Heather is a graduate of Bob Jones University and is married to her college sweetheart. Having recently returned to her roots, she and her husband are raising their three children in the same home in which Heather grew up. Heather's Viking historical novel, God's Daughter (link is external), is an Amazon Norse bestseller. She is also the author of  Miranda Warning (link is external) and Trial by Twelve (link is external), Books One and Two in the bestselling A Murder in the Mountains mystery series. She has also written the Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher (link is external). Find Heather online at her Web site (link is external), on Facebook (link is external), Twitter (link is external), Pinterest (link is external), and Goodreads (link is external).

AMANDA DYKES is the author of Bespoke: A Tiny Christmas Tale (link is external), the critically-acclaimed bicycle story that invited readers together to fund bicycles for missionaries in Asia. She is a drinker of tea, a dweller of Truth, and a spinner of hope-filled tales. With both Scottish and British heritage herself, writing A Song in the Night for the Message in a Bottle collection has been a very special journey for her. Amanda has a B.A. in English Education. She relishes connecting with readers online in an encouraging and heartfelt way. Delighting in a shared love of good books, she serves as the book club resource person for Novel Crossing (link is external). It’s also her joy to serve as Digital Coordinator for PulsePoint Design (link is external). Find Amanda online at her Web site (link is external), on Facebook (link is external), Twitter (link is external), Pinterest (link is external), and Goodreads (link is external).

MAUREEN LANG is the author of thirteen novels and three novellas, with settings ranging from historical to contemporary, Europe to America. Her earlier work won RWA’s Golden Heart Award then ACFW’s Genesis, and published works went on to final in the Christy, Carol, Book Buyer’s Best, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Golden Quill. She’s won a HOLT Medallion, First Place in the Selah and RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest. A wife and mother of three, she is the primary caregiver to her adult son with Fragile X Syndrome and lives in the Chicago area. Find Maureen online at her Web site (link is external), on Facebook (link is external), on Goodreads (link is external), and in a group blog at Christians Read (link is external).

JOANNE BISCHOF is a three-time Christy Award finalist in historical romance and young adult categories. Her titles include Be Still My Soul (link is external), This Quiet Sky (link is external), T (link is external)o Get to You (link is external) and The Lady and the  Lionheart (link is external)(forthcoming). She has a deep passion for heartfelt tales and writing stories that shine light on God's grace and goodness. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her husband and their three children and visits Coronado Island as often as she can. Find Joanne online at her website (link is external), Facebook (link is external), Twitter (link is external), Pinterest (link is external), and Goodreads (link is external).

WOW! What a line-up. I'm so fortunate to be able to write with these authors. I can't wait to read the stories they are spinning. We are sharing glimpses with each other along the way, as we work out details of how the stories interlock, and I can tell you that you're in for a treat with this collection!

This will be my first novella I've ever written. Let's see if I can squeeze a story into 30,000 words instead of 100,000! :) I'm up for the challenge! The next few weeks I'll be really digging into this story, so if it's quiet on the blog and social media, just know I'm busy in my writing cave, doing terrible things to my characters and then bringing them back from the brink. :)