My husband and I have long enjoyed the travel writing of authors like Bill Bryson (A Walk in the Woods, Notes From A Small Island, etc.), and we were recently surprised to learn that more than 100 years before Bryson wrote, the famous Mark Twain wrote humorous travel books of his own. My husband and I visited Mark Twain’s Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri about a week ago. In … [Read more...]

Last week, I attended the Christian Product Expo (CPE) near St. Louis, MO, flying for the first time since the pandemic began. (Sigh… Traveling isn’t the pleasure it used to be, but I was grateful for uneventful flights.) CPE is a trade show where booksellers learn about new products, order inventory, and receive training and inspiration to continuing doing their jobs, often during trying … [Read more...]

Those of us who live in the frozen Northlands share an annual experience of coming out of our homes after a long, cold, dark winter, and wincing up at the bright orange orb in the sky and having to grow accustomed to warmth again. This year, I experienced something similar, but at the end of July. Attending an in-person readers retreat (Mississippi River Readers Retreat) was like a Minnesota … [Read more...]

It has been a busy 10 days here, working on final galleys and participating in two writers conferences. Last weekend, I had the privilege of being on faculty for the fabulous Northwestern Christian Writers Conference at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. I taught a workshop on “Avoiding Common Mistakes on the Road to Publication,” met with up-and-coming writers, and participated on a … [Read more...]

It’s summertime here in the northern hemisphere. If you’re having hot, sunny weather where you live as well, perhaps you've cooled off with a visit to the beach. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the beach myself. Not in reality, but in researching a future novel set on the English seaside. I’m guessing some of you may have watched the fairy recent miniseries, Sanditon (based on Jane … [Read more...]