Home from Chicago, the Christy Awards gala & the inspiring Art of Writing conference, JustReadRendezvous, & time with extended family – my cup overfloweth ahead of Thanksgiving! While I’m not a fan of flying, the trip went well, I didn’t get airsick, stayed well throughout, & enjoyed being with people who understand the author life. Here is a picture of me with Christy winner Jamie Ogle and the Regency Queen, Julie Klassen. I admire them both so much both in person & on the page.

Now I’m home & about to travel again for the Thanksgiving holiday. With 2 deadlines approaching I hope to sneak in some working time while roasting a turkey and making Thanksgiving special. More news soon…

See you in December! 

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I’m so honored when my work is noted by the Christy Award. So much goes on behind the scenes to make this award special right down to a gala & awards ceremony for books of many genres. This year I happen to be a finalist – rather The Seamstress of Acadie – is one of the chosen books. For those who enjoyed that story, look for the 232 page novella of Bleu Galant coming next July 2025.

My first experience for the Christy Award was as a finalist for Love’s Reckoning in 2013 & then a winner for The Lacemaker in 2018 & The Rose & the Thistle last year. To be a finalist again this year is a dream come true. Heartfelt thanks to my publisher, Revell, for believing in my writing enough to enter me for such an esteemed award, & Christy judges for selecting it. This year I’m sharing the historical romance category with Julie Klassen, a Regency-era author & debut author, Jamie Ogle. I actually endorsed Jamie’s novel set in Rome AD 270!

I’m excited to attend the Christy Award celebration outside of Chicago this fall on Thursday, November 14th, 2024. The Art of Writing Conference beforehand is something I really enjoy & learn from every time I attend. Then, the next day I’ll be joining authors & readers for the JustRead Rendezvous – a sweet time of fellowship & fun to celebrate Christian fiction. So thankful!

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Soon it will be time to fly south for a delightful evening hosted by Jenny Snow! If you live in Texas or thereabouts, I’d love to see you! Grab your book-loving besties & join us for A Christmas in the Books! Seats are limited, so secure your tickets today. To find out more, please visit this link.

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Last month I made a whirlwind trip to Minnesota, my first visit to the Land of 10,000 Lakes! I was just one of many authors attending the Mississippi River Readers Retreat hosted by author Gabrielle Meyer who writes wonderful books. She has a dream team of organizers/planners in the Heffron family who also live in the storybook, historic town of Little Falls. Such a beautiful time was had despite the 103 degree temps when I landed. Whew! I never realized MN could get that hot but this southerner got dewey! I even visited the Mall of America & came away without buying anything but lunch. It was a delicious lunch:)

So many lovely touches during that four days including these lovely author corsages. Spending time with reading friends made for a wonderful, memorable time. The next MRRR event will be July 2025. Please attend if you can!

Thank you, Minnesota!

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Our Independence Day Giveaway is now open!

If you’ve read my novels, our country’s founding in the 18th-century is a major theme, thus July 4th or Independence Day is a beloved holiday for me & many. In light of this, four author friends & I have teamed up to host a giveaway with some fun perks! Just enter to win a signed copy of four historical novels highlighting faith & freedom at America’s founding.

The Shenandoah Road by Lynne Basham Tagawa, An Uncommon Woman by Laura Frantz, Many Sparrows by Lori Benton, Preacher on the Run by Jayna Baas

Earn bonus entries by joining these authors’ social media followers or sharing this opportunity with a friend! All entrants receive a list of historical novel recommendations from participating authors. ENTER HERE!

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I’m so happy to learn A Heart Adrift is the book club pick for BEYOND THE BOOK book club this coming January! Discussions are every Tuesday through the month and I’ll be there on Thursdays to share some special features, chocolate recipes, & more.

Please join us!

BEYOND THE BOOK

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Daniel Boone would have chuckled to see us frontier fans concoct a meal in the leanness of late winter that they only dreamed about. And at Fort Boonesborough, to boot. While I longed to eat with a pewter fork on a pewter plate, modern paper reigned. Water, so often spoiled back then, took the place of their usual small beer or ale. But the fare… Oh my!

THE MENU:

Oxford Kates Sausages with a selection of mustards

Sops

Chicken Fricassee ~ Brown, in a Good Gravy

Potatoes

Peas Francoise

Another sort of little Cakes

Tea

FASCINATING FACTS:

Settlers ate seasonally. Whatever was growing depending on the time of year became the bulk of their diet. In spring, when nettles were new & tender, they ate these, etc.

Fort women often followed the cows into the woods to see what they ate and then they ate that, too.

Spoons came in a multitude of sizes. There was no such thing as a uniform spoon. Utensils of any kind were carried by the person who ate. Often several diners partook from a shared dish or trencher.

Corn crops took 2 years to take hold and land on the setter’s table.

Settlers ate green ham, a far cry from the country ham of today.

Spices were often kept in horns like powder horns.

Men hunted for furs, not only meat, so there was a lot of waste. Most settlers consumed meat with every meal. Almost immediately the game began to scatter and hunting became harder and harder.

A baby boom began in Kentucky after 1780 but not before due to women’s health being poor and the struggle to eat and simply survive. Once corn became commonplace, a midwife was escorted in by armed men to help deliver all the babies being born.

Men often carried nutmeg graters in their pockets, especially when frequenting taverns. A grating of nutmeg took a drink to the next level.

Tea leaves were often several years old in colonial America. STALE. The tea dumped overboard in Boston was mourned by no one.

MY TAKEAWAY:

Frontier cuisine is quite tasty. I had seconds on the peas. Bohea tea, a staple in my novels, is delicious especially when paired with a little Caribbean sugar and cream. Today we have very little grasp of how hard it was to simply serve up a meal back then. From the wood that had to be chopped first thing to kindle a fire, fresh water drawn to cook, animals to butcher, eggs to gather (only in season)…

Hats off to Michael Dragoo and Emily Burns! “Michael is a contributor to https://savoringthepast.net/ and the video series called 18th Century Cooking with Jas. Townsend & Son, These media have been started as a means to share authentic recipes, foodie history, and all of the details they found most interesting from their research and experimentation. We invite you to join us at the table as we savor the flavors and aromas of centuries past.”

Fort Boonesborough Living History

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Spring has nearly sprung! After a very snowy season out west during which I felt I was living in a snowglobe, March is nearly here and I’m packing for some fun events and also family time. Kentucky in spring is such a beautiful place {all those dogwoods} and I’m so happy to call it home.

I’ll be spending time with friends and family as well as enjoying DAR – Daughters of the American Revolution – events including the state conference. It’s always a joy to talk books wherever I am. I’ll be traveling to Nashville and then Mammoth Cave, two favorite spots. I’ll also be working on novel 11 & 12 at home, enjoying some porch time if the weather turns warmer.

I’m especially excited to attend a culinary workshop at Fort Boonesborough, preparing and then enjoying an 18th-century feast. Photos to come!

Hope your start of spring is bright!

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A wee surprise! For those with pre-orders of A Bound Heart, here’s a link for you with a surprise & social media images to celebrate this upcoming release!

Thank you!

PREORDER GIVEAWAY

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Since 1999, The Christy Awards™ have honored Christian novels of excellence, imagination, and creativity. The Christy Award™ is designed to nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview and showcase the diversity of genres. The Award is named for Catherine Marshall’s enduring bestselling novel, Christy, published in 1967.

When I was a teen I read my mom’s copy of Christy, a novel about the author’s mother who went to the Smoky Mountains as a young teacher and fell in love with the unique people and a Scottish doctor there. It has always been one of my favorite books, showcasing the beautiful Appalachians with depth and beauty and a shattering realism. I then read Marshall’s nonfiction books on faith which are also remarkable and timeless.

When I wrote my first story at age 7, I wish I could have glimpsed my ninth novel winning this wonderful award. It is considered the pinnacle of publishing and something I never thought one of my books would attain. When I attended the Christy gala and experienced that wondrous moment when the first line of the winning novel is read aloud, I closed my eyes and savored something that might never come again, an award that holds such history and meaning to me growing up in Appalachia.

In other words, I’m thrilled! A list of the other finalists & winners can be found here which make a fine reading list. Thank you to the Christy folks who work tirelessly on behalf of excellence and edification through the written word and to publishers like mine, Revell, and readers perhaps most of all.

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