The cover shoot for my new release, Let It Be Me, took place eight months ago. Today, I'm excited to share behind-the-scenes photos of that day + runner-up covers that the team considered for the novel + a fun giveaway! Cover designer Jennifer Parker (seated on right) told me that the cover creation process has been extremely challenging this last year because of Covid. Like so many of us, … [Read more...]

For almost all of my books -- My Stubborn Heart is the only exception -- Bethany House has organized a cover photo shoot. And I've had the pleasure of interviewing all of the people who posed for those shoots. Sometimes, they were friends of Bethany House employees. Sometimes they were models. Every couple on my covers was also a couple in real life. The same is true of Let It Be Me's cover … [Read more...]

A month ago, I received an unexpected gift in the mail.... A WHOLE BOX of Bordeaux chocolates from See's Candies. My absolute favorite! Three reader friends -- Joy, Crissy and Amy -- sent it to me. The note accompanying the chocolate indicated that I should be on the look-out for more gifts. More gifts? But why? It wasn't my birthday. Nor had anything celebration-worthy occurred … [Read more...]

I spent last week in New Orleans! While we were there, one of our tour guides mentioned the phrase laissez le bon temps rouler -- let the good times roll -- which captures the flavor of New Orleans well. I'm glad I set aside a whole week for our trip! Because we took our time, we were able to explore numerous facets of the city. The history, the food, the music, the … [Read more...]

I was once the girl who couldn't memorize multiplication tables (and to this day numbers do not stick in my head). I was once the girl who fell so far behind in 5th grade math that her teacher asked her to sit in the hallway filling out worksheets while she taught the other kids the math unit in the classroom. I was once the girl who failed math in middle school. I was once the girl who passed … [Read more...]