Cover #20 is almost here! I’ve said many times that cover art is my favorite part of the publishing process & the framed art above showcases my favorites by my publisher, Revell. As David Pearson said, “The cover of a book is the beginning of a conversation between the author  & the reader.” When you spend a year and a half on a novel like I do, it’s so critical to get the face of it right. When it’s wrong, it can sink a solid story. I’m thankful to have had some of the best designers in the industry & a publisher committed to excellent cover art. I’m on pins & needles in the best way, hoping the next cover POPS off the shelf & into your hands, either physically or virtually. Personally, there’s nothing like a bonafide book to admire all those design details.

Back to share the cover reveal soon!

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I wish someone had told my seven year old self when I started writing stories that someday my words would travel around the world & I’d be a “paper missionary” as Janette Oke said of Christian writers not long ago. Now, grown up me is absolutely amazed & delighted when foreign language editions of my novels come into being. Aren’t these covers incredible?

Thank you to my Dutch & German publishers! Thank you to the ultimate Author of the writing gift!

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It’s not till next year but we’re SO excited to bring this tour to history-loving friends! To learn more, visit this site & sign up to hold your place. Details & link are also on my homepage. Or call the #800 number to talk w/ a tour company/ACTs representative.

More details to come…!

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A beloved Bible passage is 1 Thessalonians 4

“… to aspire to live quietly, & to mind your own affairs, & to work with your hands …”

Recently I came across this devotional from one of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp. I highly recommend his devotional books. This is from Everyday Gospel: 

“For many of us, social media dictates how we spend our time, & it dominates how we act, react, & respond to others. Social media is the place where you go not to live quietly. The power of social media is that it gives you a voice-& it rewards loud voices. It encourages you to weigh in & to make your presence & opinion known. Social media encourages you to live loudly, & it rewards you if you do.

You do not go to social media to mind your own affairs. No, social media encourages you to to mind other people’s business. It rewards you for sticking your nose into things that have nothing to do with you … It gives you the false impression that you are a part of something, when in reality your involvement is just a bunch of keyboard clicks.

Two things result when we fail to live quietly & to stay out of others’ affairs. First, if your attention is dominated by the business of others, then you are not investing time in examining your own heart & life, in confessing what has been revealed, in seeking God’s forgiveness, & in surrendering yourself once more to him. This harms your spiritual growth & worship. Second, the time you invest in social media takes you away from developing & using the gifts God has given you, & employing them in the work he has given you.

Paul David Tripp

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I’m honored to learn that The Belle of Chatham has been chosen for the KSDAR or Kentucky Society Daughters of the American Revolution’s reading list for my beautiful home state.

Thank you, thank you!

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I was very close to my granny as a child, my mom’s mom. We spent a lot of time together and she taught me how to cook. I was said to be her favorite, probably because I’m a foodie:) Cooking was her love language. Family dinners, especially on holidays, are among my favorite memories. Her gift to me each birthday & holiday was a 3 layered German Chocolate Cake. I still remember my delight in going to the back closet on her rear porch which was actually a pantry that held cakes, pies, cookies, soaking/brining hams & turkeys, fudge & sugar cookies & all manner of Granny’s most delectable things.

This year for an April birthday I’m making her German Chocolate Cake. I’m sure it won’t taste the same without her. What I’d give to sit down with her at her round table on the back porch for coffee & cake & tell her how much she means to me. There are so many questions I wish I’d asked her that I never thought of till I grew up & realized what truly matters. Maybe that conversation will be held in heaven instead.

I just know there will be cake!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 package German’s Sweet Chocolate from Baker’s Chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2-1/2 cups Swans Down Cake Flour

1 cup buttermilk

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites, swiftly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Melt chocolate in boiling water, then cool. Cream butter & sugar together in a bowl till fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, & beat well after each. Add melted chocolate & vanilla & mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together salt, baking soda, & flour. Add alternately with buttermilk to chocolate & butter mixture, beating well till smooth. Beat egg whites till soft peaks form & fold into batter. Divide mixture between cake pans & bake each at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

COCONUT PECAN FROSTING

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1/4 pound margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups coconut

1 cup pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, oleo & vanilla in a saucepan & cook over medium heat till thickened. Stir frequently. Remove from heat, add coconut & pecans & beat till thick enough to spread. Frosting should make approximately 2 cups. Spread between cooled cake layers & on top of the assembled cake.

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Publishing milestones are fun things!

I’m so happy to share that Revell kept my working title for this next release once again. Titling a book can be tricky & many of my novels have simple names starting with my debut, The Frontiersman’s Daughter.

This portrait-like image above hints of the setting & shows the two character templates I had in mind while writing it. The letters of their first names are entwined in the wax seal at bottom right. But no spoilers for you!

Please watch for a cover reveal this summer, likely June, and details as to what this story of my heart is about…

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March is nearly here along with a spring forward adjustment to the clock which steals an hour of reading away! I’m dreaming of planting a little colonial garden but it’s too soon here in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve experienced one of the mildest winters on record. Rhododendron bushes were actually blooming in December! I missed our usual, beautiful snow, since we got a scant half inch this winter. But you need only look up from our foothills to see the Olympic Mountains dressed in white.

I made sure to put a snowstorm in my Christmas novella I told you about last post. I’m finishing the first draft now & adding historic quotes at the beginning of each chapter. To say I’m smitten with this story is truly an understatement. It highlights history at one of my favorite historic sites in the most festive way. But for now, back to spring & dreaming of new story ideas. If you have something in mind you’d like for me to write in future please let me know!

And please return to to this journal page for a title reveal soon for my next full-length historical romance with Revell releasing in January 2027! Cover reveal coming after that…

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Book clubs are dear to my heart! Here’s a succinct guide for reading friends wanting to read & discuss The Belle of Chatham.

Of course, no book club would be fun without dessert, so why not try an authentic 18th-century recipe?

And last but not least, basic questions for discussion, though I’ve found book clubs are very good at coming up with their own!

Happy reading & meeting!

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