At our house right now, my tweens are racing through Andrew Klavan’s books. Here’s what my daughter says: Crazy Dangerous is a well-written thriller. Sam is a regular boy who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances. He just wants to be a normal kid, but not pushed around anymore. Jennifer is a school mate with some type of mental illness. She …
Scavenger Hunt Stop #3
The first ever Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt has ended and the grand prize winner, who will collect 23 new Christian novels with a value of over $250, is Elisabeth Scherer! The winner of my drawing for a copy of After All is Shondra Brown! Your book is on the way, Shondra! Thanks to all who entered! It’s too late to enter the …
Three Tips for Creating Compelling Characters
I don’t know about you, but characters often make or break a story for me. As a writer, I try to remember what makes some characters and their stories more compelling for me than others. Here are a few tips I try to keep in mind as I write based on the characters that I love to read about again …
Getting Our Facts Right…
I’m bringing this one back. Getting research right is so important. Our readers care. My friend Julie Lessman recently had a great post on this at the ACFW blog. So Recently, I received some really amazing feedback for one of my historicals A Promise Forged. First, you need to know a little about the story, set in 1943: When Kat …
Interview with author Olivia Newport
Today I’m delighted to have fellow author Olivia Newport join us. her first novel, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning released May 1st. I always love to talk to new authors and see what their process is like. I hope you enjoy getting to know Olivia and her book as much as I have. Olivia, can you tell us a bit …
How do we show love at home? I Corinthians 13
Now that Mother’s Day is over, and it’s back to real life…I wanted to share this version of I Corinthians 13 that Family Life emailed. It is spot on… If I live in a house that is spotless, perfectly in order, and people are not free to LIVE because my home is more important than my family, I have not …
Parenting Styles: there’s one for everybody
Recently, we had some friends over for dinner. They came with their clan that mixed with our clan and a glorious time was had by all…until one of the boys decided to send a chair down the stairs with our little angel on it. She survived without being battered or bruised, and his parents took him to task for his …
What I Didn’t Know by Rhonda Shrock
I always knew I wanted to be a mother. As a girl, I played house with my dollies, shushing them when they cried and kissing their plastic heads. Looking back at that girl, I realize now that there was a lot she didn’t know. This morning over my fresh-ground coffee, this mother of 22-1/2 years scratched out a list of …
He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey
As a little girl, I loved baby dolls. Loved them! I played school, adoption agency, daycare operator and babysitter all day. I felt like I was born to be a mama. Therefore, I was a bit anxious when the ages, 22, 25, 28 and 32 came and went and there were no babies. Have you ever desired something so much …
How life turns into books: Interview with author Tracey Bateman
Today I’m delighted to have my friend Tracey Bateman join us. Back in 2005 at the beginning of my writing journey, Tracey spoke hope and encouragement to me. She’s an amazing writer and I’m so delighted to have her here to tell us more about her latest book. Tracey, tell us a bit about your new book, Widow of Saunders …