Seeing a cover design for the first time is an exciting moment for an author. It's a little nerve-wracking as you hold your breath, praying that the designers captured the essence of your story in visual form. Their vision doesn't always match the author's vision, but when done well, a cover can prove to be the most effective marketing tool in a publisher's arsenal. The cover is what gets a reader … [Read more...]
When I Least Expected . . .
I won’t lie. These past three years in a new city, living a new lifestyle have been tough. So tough that I’ve ended up being grateful that I didn’t have an outside deadline or find myself juggling several editing clients. But over the past few months, as my outlook has been improving, as my contentment has been growing, I’ve been wishing for writing or editing jobs again. Projects to force me to … [Read more...]
What are you listening to?
While I love to read, I don't always have the time to cozy up in a big comfy chair with a cup of warm, foamy espresso and savor the written page. I listen on the fly as I'm running errands or, most often, traveling back and forth between Nashville and Atlanta visiting my sweet dad. I'm currently finishing the audio version of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate and oh, it's been such an … [Read more...]
Tell Me When
I'm very happy to introduce my friend Christine Bierma as my guest blogger today. Besides being an excellent writer herself, Christine is the founder of Launch Right a social media boutique company that has been an invaluable resource to me and other authors. Welcome Christine!! My husband and I went to out for dinner this past weekend to celebrate his birthday. I spent some time alone at … [Read more...]
Inspired by Scripture
This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashEntertainment.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...]
How Much Sensuality is TOO Much For Christian Fiction?
Recently I was tagged in a Facebook discussion about one of my books. While I’m not able to catch or read every tag, this one caught my eye because it was about the sensuality level in my books. The initial comment was this: “Who’s finished Searching for You by Jody Hedlund? Great story but, um, a bit steamy in my opinion...” The ensuing discussion was really interesting. Some agreed … [Read more...]
Soul Care and a Free Ebook
I'm not very good at slowing down. I tend to push forward through exhaustion, writer's block, life obstacles. I'm a pretty determined person, so it's easy to just keep moving. This last weekend, I stepped out of life for 24 hours and spent it with two of my heart sisters. These are women who were my neighbors...and then they moved away. For at least seven years we talked about trying to connect … [Read more...]
Picture This
Hi friends, Deadly Isle released last week, and I wanted to share a behind-the-scenes peek at part of my story development process. I’m a visual learner and a visual writer. I picture the story playing out like a movie in my head as I write. To foster this aspect of my writing process, I utilize Pinterest. Image credit: Amy Adams & Taylor Kinney I create a storyboard featuring … [Read more...]
Did Jane Austen Ever Receive A Valentine?
At this month's meeting of the Minnesota chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America, author Candice Hern again graced us with an interesting and lively talk. I love it when Candice speaks, because she knows her stuff and is passionate about it. She is a Regency aficionado and avid collector. Plus she's a lot of fun. Her presentation this time was about valentines during Jane … [Read more...]
A Garage Sale Tale
Many of you know that my husband, Ken, and I have a date every Thursday morning to scout out our city's many garage sales. Our dates started shortly after we moved to Wichita, as an exploration of Wichita's many unique coffee shops. But one week we spotted a garage sale sign on our way home from a coffee shop. And well...the rest is history. I started sharing some of our garage sale purchases … [Read more...]
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