Because I indie-published my last book, I used ChatGPT as an editor--and it did a good job, I must admit. It didn't pick up subtext, and it had problems about remembering what had happened in the early part of the book, but it was really good about keeping my characters' tone consistent and not offending anyone's sensibilities. But in my story, God speaks to Josh. Not in long sermons or … [Read more...]

We own a vacation rental house at Lake O the Pines, Texas and were fortunate to spend time there over spring break. The charming old town of Jefferson is only twenty-five minutes from the lake house, and so it has become our "hometown away from home" whenever we're in Northeast Texas. Jefferson was founded in the early 1840's and swelled to a peak population of over 4,000 in 1870. It has a … [Read more...]

Hi, friends! I just returned from a wonderful time of fellowship. Twice a year, I host a writing retreat for authors from aspiring to multi-published. Sometimes it’s all pre-published writers, while others, it’s all published authors, but this recent one was a wonderful mix. We spent all of last week together in a lovely home in Orlando, Florida, but I’m still bummed we didn’t have a Pac-Man … [Read more...]

Today I’m thinking about romances—reading them and writing them—and in particular what makes a hero seem heroic (even swoony) for you? To help you think about this, let’s first play a game. Match each of the 18 "hero actions" below with the period drama where it occurred. (At least 2 of these things appear in more than one drama.) These heroes are from three of my favorite adaptations: A. John … [Read more...]

The author of Ecclesiastes had it right when he said there is nothing new under the sun. That fact came home to me this past week when my daughter alerted me to a new novel that has a very similar theme to my newest novel, Who Stirs Up the Sea! The heroines in both novels take a DNA test with their book club "just for fun" and discover, to their shock, that they are not who they thought they were! … [Read more...]