Book Talk: BTS: Come What May Listen to the Behind the Scenes episode for Come What May Do you ever wonder where authors get their ideas? Today I share the story behind the story for my novel The Art of Deception in the Come What May collection that was released in August 2023. It’s a unique story for me because …
Happy Book Birthday, We Three Kings, and Giveaway
Today’s the book birthday of We Three Kings! I love this collection and novella! To celebrate I’m hosting a giveaway and I want you to join the fun! If you’d like to learn more about the Story Behind the Story of my Novella in We Three Kings, be sure to check out the new episode of Book Talk with Cara …
When Amazon Throws You Lemons…Giveaway
Over the weekend Amazon threw me a whole orchard of lemons. What happened? My publishing account closed and all of my indie and republished books were removed and my earned payments kept. It’s a #preorder #giveaway with @Cara_Putman for We Three Kings, her new book… Click To Tweet It was a writer’s worst nightmare, and sometime I’ll share the full …
Book Talk: BTS: We Three Kings
Book Talk: BTS: We Three Kings Listen to the Behind the Scenes episode for We Three Kings Do you ever wonder where authors get their ideas? Today I share the story behind the story for my novella Beauty Bright in the We Three Kings collection that releases in September 2023. It’s a story that’s near to my heart because it’s …
Review: What Would Jane Austen Do?
This summer has been intense in a good way, so when I was offered a copy of What Would Jane Austen Do? to review, I decided to give this new to me author a try. I really enjoyed this rom com that is a sweet exploration. Mandy Shaw adores Jane Austen but her neighbor has no use for romance or …
A trip, beauty, and a Giveaway
This has been a quick week with a trip to North Carolina for a conference/vacation. I’ve had the opportunity to learn and present at a scholarship of teaching and learning conference tied to my day job while also exploring the North Carolina mountains with my family. It’s a last hurrah before life gets insane with the start of school and …
Four reasons you should read to be a better writer
If you want to be a writer there are a few things you need to do. One is obvious: you must write. Others may not be as clear. You need to be willing to stay teachable. You should be willing to push yourself. I also believe you should stay a reader. Many of the best writers I know read all …
Book Talk: Across the Shores Collection Authors
Book Talk: Across the Shores Collection Authors Listen to the episode with the Across the Shores Collection Authors It was so much fun to write a novella in this collection, and it was just as much fun to bring you this episode where we talk about our stories and how they connect. Across the Shores is a novella collection that …
Our Words Matter, Book News & Giveaway
Last week I gave a keynote at a plenary session to approximately 350 court staff from across the state of Indiana on customer service and why they matter. As I left, I thought back to 12-year-old me who sat in a hearing room at the Nebraska Unicameral and was so impacted watching attorneys with a national advocacy organization testify on …
Book Talk: The 100th Episode Celebration
Book Talk: Cara Putman Listen to the episode with Cara Putman and Pepper Basham Y’all, I never thought we’d get here. When I started Book Talk, I didn’t have a vision for a podcast that would become this. Today to mix it up, my good friend Pepper Basham is interviewing me. It was so fun to share some of my …









