by Cleo Lampos My mom seldom had empty hands. When she finished pressing dough into loaves, feeding the chickens, or ironing heavy cotton, her fingers picked up scraps of fabrics left over from the feed sack clothing she designed and stitched for my sister and me. From these bits of cloth, postage stamp quilts emerged. Cozy coverings for an uninsulated home in central Iowa farmland. Frugal … [Read more...]

I initially conceived the Misty River Romance series when.... And what if, miraculously... He did? The series catches up with the "Miracle Five" when they're all adults marked in different and irrevocable ways by the trauma they endured eighteen years before. In Stay with Me, I told the story of the younger of the two sisters, Genevieve. [By the way, if you haven't read Stay … [Read more...]

With many more people now working from home due to the pandemic, pet ownership has grown both in the US and abroad. The internet teems with articles about the pros, cons, and costs of pets, how to remain productive if you’ve adopted a needy pet, and debates about dogs vs. cats. Not long ago, my first-reader was trying to review my new manuscript to give me feedback and suggestions. She has a … [Read more...]

I have a brand new novel out! Bridges is the first original novel from Raney Day Press. This means that my publisher, my art director, my graphic designer, my public relations person, and my accountability partner are all one and the same—my husband, Ken Raney. Here he is in his office the day we put the finishing touches on the book and hit "publish." The man can be a tough taskmaster at … [Read more...]