Earlier this month, May 10th to be exact, was the 145th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit in Utah, uniting the East and the West via the first transcontinental railroad in the United States (May 10, 1869). For our young nation, that was a huge accomplishment. The trip that pioneers had made from Missouri to Oregon in the 1840's took many months and was … [Read more...]
Giveaway: Win $200 in the Romantic Weekend Getaway Giveaway (ends 6/8/14)
Hey, friends. In celebration of the release of The Heart's Pursuit, I'm running a Romantic Weekend Getaway Giveaway. (Say that three times real fast! LOL!) The grand prize is a $200 Visa cash card (US dollars). Open to US and Canadian residents. Lots of different ways to enter, beginning either by signing in with Facebook or signing in with your email address (for non-Facebook … [Read more...]
There’s Always a New Story to be Told
Novelists get asked all the time where their stories come from. My answer, as I've probably shared in this blog before, is that story ideas are a dime a dozen. They are everywhere, like wildflowers growing on a hillside in the spring, just waiting to be picked. Do you want proof? Yesterday, my 71st book—The Heart's Pursuit—was released. Trust me. When I put pen to paper on what … [Read more...]
Plot is a Four-Letter Word
The word "plot," for anyone who hasn't noticed, is a four-letter word. That's more or less how I feel about it. Writers who are more analytical thrive as they work out the plot before writing their books. But I am an intuitive writer. I create from my gut. I write to discover what will happen next just as my readers read to discover what will happen next. I don't know what will occur in chapter … [Read more...]
What Are You Reading Today?
I read a lot of fiction. A lot of Christian fiction, both contemporary and historical. A smattering of general market fiction, just to keep a finger on the pulse of what catches readers' attention. But I also like to read non-fiction, including Christian living, bios and memoirs, histories, etc. Usually I'll have one novel and one non-fiction title going at the same time. I also am a huge … [Read more...]