Greetings, friend! Welcome to this sneak peek into my newsletter world! Today I thought it would be fun to offer a behind-the-scenes glance into my monthly newsletters. For current newsletter subscribers, this will seem like old hat. For new “family members,” and those wishing to sign up for my monthly updates, I hope this blog post whets your appetite for …
What’s Fiction’s Purpose?
What’s the real purpose of fiction? A few weeks ago, I tweeted: Fiction is just that. Fiction. Reading it is (and should be) fun. It is a break from reality. An escape. It doesn’t have to make sense, a point, or a literary statement. It can, but it doesn’t have to. When we distort that, we miss the art of …
Sometimes, We Must Multitask, Juggle, and Pivot Quickly
If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last decade, it’s that nothing stays the same. Multitasking for authors is, indeed, a way of life—even (especially) during a pandemic. We may not like it at times, and we may rail against it. Sometimes, it will be necessary to carve out much-needed downtime in between books. But after our very first book …
Good Things and an Update
I haven’t blogged since November. While I’ve missed our weekly visits, I found it necessary to step away for a while to focus on writing, deadlines, and family obligations. Over the years, I’ve come to recognize things I must relegate to the back burner for a season. Blogging’s one of those things. You may remember my father is in the …
Back-to-School and August Update
Hi friend ~ It’s back-to-school over our way! That’s right—we moved college gal back to the dorm last weekend, and like many of you, we’re in another season of transition. Whew. Who knew back-to-school month could be so exhausting? We’re now in the readjustment phase. Our baby chick is settled again on campus, and my husband and I have resumed …
Summer Update
Hi friend! It’s great to be with you for a little while today! Summer is in full-swing in the Ozarks, and as you may remember, I have much going on. Because of summer busyness, I’ve taken a bit of a blogging break, but I hope to resume my normal schedule soon. College gal’s home so that means catching up on …
Writing through the Pain…While on Deadline
As you know, here on the blog and generally as I navigate life, I love to speak positivity. It’s my happy place. The reality is, though, life isn’t always fair, kind or happy. Sometimes, there are ways we can juggle bad things or tiptoe around them. Sometimes, there’s no other way but to just plow right through the situation. As …
Wet and Soggy in The Ozarks
Here in the wet and soggy Ozarks, we’re a little weary. If you’ve followed weather-related events of the last week, then no doubt you’ve heard of our recent storm outbreaks. Ozarks weather has truly lived up to its unpredictability. Even for those of us in Tornado Alley, we’re more than a little battle-worn. To our neighbors north of us in …
Love an Author? Leave a Book Review!
It’s great to be back with you today! Recently, I completed my Her Hope Discovered blog tour with Just Read Publicity Tours. What an awesome experience! Several of those nineteen blog stops included Q&As, book excerpts, and book reviews. A big shout-out to the very gracious hosts—this début author thanks you! Now, as you may remember, we’ve mentioned why book …
What’s the Hardest Thing a Debut Author Faces?
I’ve toyed with writing today’s blog post for months. To be honest, it’s a little unnerving laying bare those hurdles and milestones a début author faces. I strive to encourage and motivate while also sharing a little wit, wisdom, and reality. In other words—I refuse to be a Persimmon Polly in this world where ugly rhetoric is too often the …