Recently, I spoke with a friend who was at a low point. So much so that she said, “I quit. I’m giving up.” “You can’t.” I told her. “I won’t let you. You’ve got this.” “But you don’t understand, Cindy. It’s always been so easy for you.” (I’d been told something similar in college. Didn’t care for it then, and I still don’t now.) …
I don’t know about you, but August is usually a busy one at our house. This time the month held a fun twist. Our youngest started back to school, and our oldest started teaching it. What was once an uncertain future, God has brought to beautiful fruition. (If you haven’t already, you can read part of our story here.) Bittersweet, to …
This is the time of year the writing world is abuzz with all things “conference.” For those who write Christian fiction, it’s especially exciting. One of the biggest writing events of the year is the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference. In 2011, the conference was held in St. Louis. Last year it was in Dallas. This year it’s in Indianapolis. …
I asked some friends, “What says ‘romance’ to you?” Their answers varied: “When my husband calls/texts me for no reason at all.” “When my husband hides love notes around the house.” “When he cleans the toilets.” “When he’s attentive, chivalrous, and passionate.” “When my boyfriend lets ME pick the movie.” “When my husband reaches for my hand. In public and …
I talked to a friend recently who adores Heartfelt, Homespun Fiction (which, of course, happens to be my tagline.) “What do you like about it?” (I was curious and–yes, I admit–I wanted to use her answer for this blog post.) She thought for a moment and then smiled. “It’s like a hot fudge sundae. Sweet and satisfying, but leaves me wanting …
When I first started writing, I used anything I could get my hands on–tablets, stationery, legal pads, almost anything would do. It was a big day when I graduated to a typewriter. Then a word processor. Then a computer. I had arrived! I was finally going to be a real writer! Squeee! Ahhh If only… If only there’d been Writing 101 waaayyy …
I once attended church with a dear, silver-bunned matron who I thought was widowed. It wasn’t until many years later I learned the truth. “Maude” (not her real name) was divorced. It happened in the late 1950’s when anything less than marital bliss wasn’t discussed. At least openly. After her divorce, Maude went on to work long hours in a laundry …
Twenty years ago, the world of writing was a much different scenario. Writers had fewer irons in the fire and more time to create. The internet was still new, a “social media presence” unheard of, and snail mail the order of the day. Today, we have the ability to research from home at the touch of a keyboard. We can …
Have you noticed the same trend I have? (No, I’m not talking about the underwear as outerwear fashion phe-nom. Or the Honey Bugaboo disrespect-is-in head-scratcher. Or even the grizzly gore buffet that’s pandered to us on a daily basis.) Those things DO ruffle me, but they deserve another blog post in and of themselves. What I’m referring to is not as insidious, but still, it disturbs me …
Gracious! Friday, already? Yay! I don’t know about you, but Friday is the highlight of my week. Especially this week. I’ve had appointments every day, and I’m ready for some down time. Except… do writers ever really “do” downtime? You may remember (a few months ago) I told you about my office re-do. Well, I’m still in the midst of it. …
