If you’re looking to add to your reading list, have a look at the Christy finalists for 2018. This award is associated with Catherine Marshall and her classic Christy set in my beloved Appalachian mountains. This particular novel inspired me and my writing in ways I can’t name as well as her other nonfiction books on faith. I was a …
Pages and pages
So the pages came today, that last version of the book prior to print. The next step is holding the actual novel in hand. For now, I have 407 pages to peruse. I open the envelopes that have been Fedexed overnight and put all the pages together. And because I’d rather be playing in my sunny garden like Lark in …
Summertime
Colorful clothespins. Line-dried sheets. Warm porch planks. Cold Coke. Strings of party lights. Red geraniums. A barrel of blooming lavender. New potatoes and peas. Garden to table. Birdsong mornings. Warm wind. Open windows. Cherry tomatoes. Wildflowers. Wild blackberries right outside your door. Good books. The Good Book. Sunsets. Letter writing. Long walks. Creek music. Children’s voices carrying through the trees. …
Creativity As Worship
Every once in a while a book comes along that is so God-timed it seemed the pages fell straight from heaven into your lap. This is one of them. My first thought when I looked up the author was, “How can she be so young and have so much wisdom?” Here’s a small part of what spoke loudest to me. …
Favorite Frontier Fiction
I’m kicking off my FAVORITE FRONTIER FICTION series with fellow author Michelle Griep! Her summer release, The Captured Bride, looks quite at home on our cabin porch. Without further adieu, here’s a guest post by Michelle that gives us a realistic look at the research, history, and inspiration behind this new novel… A Visit to Fort Niagara Whether you’re a …
A Modern-day Fairy Tale
Once upon a time I lived in England and attended school there at a place called Harlaxton in Lincolnshire. To say it was magical was an understatement. Only now, looking back, do I see how the Lord used that experience to stoke my imagination and lay the groundwork for my writing. I’m eternally grateful! I remember endless cups of steaming …
A Scottish Setting
If you were to ask which country is my favorite other than the U.S.A. I’d say Scotland without pause. Home of my Hume ancestors (and those Ballantynes), Scotland has epic history, scenery, and cuisine, to name just a few of its many treasures. Here are some things I learned about Scotland as an ex-patriate: Scotland is smaller than the state …
New newsletter with a perk!
I finally took the plunge last year and hired a freelancer to teach me how to craft a compelling newsletter (I so hope you think it’s compelling)! I’m all about beauty and edification so it took countless hours to transfer that vision in my head and heart to a delightful e-letter format. Since I love sending snail mail complete with …
Yes to the dress!
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″] [et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Cover art continues to be my favorite part of publishing and it seems to be of fascination for many readers, too. Other than reading the book! I begin thinking about a cover as soon as I start writing the book and create a ‘secret’ Pinterest board where I save images to share …
And she gave each Indian a spoon…
Spinning by Firelight, Henry Tanner (American artist, 1859–1937) Oh, the ongoing joys of research! Recently I spent several hours by the fire reading about the early settlers in what is now West Virginia – The History of Randolph County, West Virginia by Dr. A.S. Bosworth. I actually prefer these older accounts because I find not only are they closer to …