Rich in heritage and unique in culture, The Ozarks region is a place like no other. Amidst a lush backdrop of rolling hills and hidden hollows, stories abound. Some remain elusive while others beg to be shared. In Her Hope Discovered, book one of my Welcome to Ruby series, Charla and Sam’s story takes center stage as they reconcile the …
This One’s for YOU, Imperfect MOMS
Like many moms, I wanted to be the perfect mother. I have quite an extraordinary mom myself and I envisioned what life would be like once I delivered my darling bundles into this big, beautiful world. I embraced the notion of pouring myself into these new lives and I determined to be the best mother ever. On my journey to …
So… We Took a Trip
You may have noticed my absence on the blog over the last two weeks. There’s a great reason for that—I’m in deadline mode. Sometimes, writers must get words on the page rather than write a blog post. It’s that little thing we call balance. Knowing what to prioritize in our lives and sticking to it. Still, I’ve missed you and …
Happy Easter Blessings
As Holy Week draws to a close, I wanted to pause for a moment and consider this poignant time of tragedy and triumph. For some, the holiday means little more than Easter eggs, baskets, and goodies. For Christians, we understand that’s surface stuff—fun and fluff secondary to the real celebration. When our kids were little, each received an Easter basket, though we …
10 Reasons to Make Ruby Your New Home Town
Recently I shared with my friend Ann Gabhart how my Ozarkian roots influenced my début novel Her Hope Discovered. Here’s a snippet of what I said: You might guess that family is very important to me. So is my heritage and the region where I was born and raised. The Ozarks are where “my people” are. When we’re children, I …
The Best Thing About New Seasons
After the holiday season, the next few months can seem like an endless dose of blah. There’s the Christmas high, then the post-Christmas afterglow. Around late January, though, many of us start counting the days until spring. Winter is just not our friend. Now, if you’re one of those folks who favors colder weather, fuzzy sweaters, and gray, cloudy days—my apologies. This Ozarks …
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 …
Grab Your Coffee Mug ~ It’s My HER HOPE DISCOVERED Blog Tour!
Grab your coffee mug and join me! I’ve partnered with Just Read Publicity Tours for an upcoming blog tour! The tour begins Monday, February 18th and continues through Friday, February 22nd. There are approximately nineteen stops in five days! Wow! In addition to other fun things, blog hosts will include author Q&As, book reviews and excerpts. Just Read will kick off …
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 …
Congratulations! And the Winner Is…
Oh, my goodness! As I said in my recent newsletter, December was a whirlwind. January’s shaping up to give December a run for her money. Between a book launch and a blog party (one here and one at Mountain Brook Ink), guest blogs, marketing, promotion, and my work-in-progress, even breathing is a short commodity. Toss in Christmas and last month’s …