No western romance trope is more cheesy or more famous than the old Damsel on the Railroad Tracks trope. Which is why when my research for my upcoming book, The Heart's Charge, revealed a railroad bridge as the main entrance to Kingsland, TX, I knew I had to include a scene with my hero and heroine on this bridge. I removed the melodrama, of course. There is no mustachioed villain cackling in the … [Read more...]
Summer Days
Summer is coming! And I’m so excited! Now, if you know me, you know this is, frankly, a miracle. I have never loved and longed for summer, as others seem to do. Why not, you ask? First, it’s hot here in Texas. And I don’t like to be hot. Or to sweat. Or to worry about sunburn on my extremely fair skin. Second, summer has always been about non-scheduled days. But the truth is that I … [Read more...]
Friends making French Press coffee
If you saw Deb's blog post last week, you already know that she and Ken dropped by to see me and Joe on their grand adventure! And oh, what a sweet visit that was. Only problem...it was too quick! We had breakfast with them at their campsite one morning, then they spent the day with us on Mother's Day. Deb and I are both major coffee lovers! So when she mentioned she was going to make … [Read more...]
Together Again
I came across these wonderful black and white photographs while researching my newest novel, “Chasing Shadows,” which takes place in the Netherlands during WWII. The pictures clearly show the joy the Dutch people felt as they celebrated the liberation of their country after six years of war and enemy occupation. The Dutch still celebrate that day, May 15, 1945, each year. We’ve … [Read more...]
Inspired by Scripture
This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online. … [Read more...]
Behind the Scenes of My Cover Shoot (and a giveaway!)
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...]
Christmas already? + Giveaway
This week I turned in final grades for my day job -- professor at a Big Ten University. I have to say the big exhale I felt as the last one was entered was fantastic. This summer I'll do a little research and developing new classes, but I plan to read and write. A lot. First up on the writing front is a Christmas novella for a collection with my friends Pepper Basham, Janine Rosche, and Teresa … [Read more...]
Beach Reads
Hi friends, It’s no secret my favorite season is Summer, and my favorite place to be with my family is at the beach. Being so close to God’s majestic creation makes me feel both at home and a sense of awe and wonder. It stills my mind (which anyone who knows me can tell you that’s a miracle in and of itself) and quiets my soul. A sweet author friend has a beach house in the Outerbanks that … [Read more...]
Silhouettes: The “Snapshots” of the Regency Era
Photography began to develop (pun unintended) in the 1830s and 40s. Before that, likenesses were captured in other ways. This past Saturday, I attended an online class about one of the most popular methods. The class was called “Shades, Shadows, and Profiles: Silhouettes during the time of Jane Austen.” It was taught by Candice Hern, a well-known and respected Regency author and … [Read more...]
A happy meeting (and a giveaway!)
Ken and I have been traveling for the last three weeks and at the end of our time, I had a happy, happy get-together with my dear friend and writing critique partner, our own Tamera Alexander! It had been almost exactly two years since we got to see each other face-to-face and I can't tell you how wonderful it was to make breakfast for Tammy and Joe at our campground, and then yesterday, to spend … [Read more...]
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