Recently, my publisher held a tea party to celebrate one million copies sold of my books. It was a lovely event. How do I feel about reaching this milestone? Do I feel proud or victorious? No. Am I ready to rest on my laurels and coast? No. Don't worry, it hasn't gone to my head. I am aware that many authors have sold far more (The Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million). But when the … [Read more...]

On our recent group trip (English Countryside & Coast Tour), we visited the coastal town of Lyme Regis in Dorset. Lyme's historic Cobb was featured in both The French Lieutenant's Woman and Persuasion--one of my favorites! The cobb wall provides a breakwater to protect the town from storms while at the same time creating the harbor that helped Lyme develop as both a port and shipbuilding … [Read more...]

I just had the privilege of hosting a second group tour of England. One of our stops on this trip was to Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire. I have visited the novelist's grave in Winchester cathedral, but this was my first time visiting Chawton cottage, the only house Jane Austen lived in and wrote in that is open to the public. In 1809, four years after her father’s … [Read more...]

I am pre-posting this, but if all goes as planned (Lord willing!) I am now in England, preparing to lead my second group trip to the beautiful country where all of my books have been set so far. I am blessed to be traveling with a group of 30 reader-friends from many different states and 3 different countries (Australia, Canada, US). Together with two travel professionals, we have been … [Read more...]

Along with Inspired by Life authors Jody Hedlund and Lenora Worth, I also attended Book Lovers Con in New Orleans. I had never been to a reader conference and I had never been to New Orleans. Both were interesting experiences.  As Jody wrote in her recent post, I enjoyed spending time the other inspirational authors who attended the large conference. Sharing meals and conversation together was a … [Read more...]