Often when I talk about being an author, people say, "With your busy life, I can't believe you find time to write." And when I start talking about how I love to read, people will invariably say something like, "I don't have time for reading. I'm just too busy." Both statements stem from a similar presupposition–that it's nearly impossible to find time to write or read amidst the crazy chaos of … [Read more...]
Author Confession: A Strange Reading Quirk
A popular question I’m asked in interviews and when I go to speaking engagement is: What do you like to read? (Or who are your favorite authors?) As a matter of fact, I recently had the chance to meet with a book group who’d chosen to read my Luther and Katharina book (waves at all the lovely ladies!), and they asked me that very question. “As a historical writer, do you read a lot of other … [Read more...]
New Year, New Post!
I got in on the first try! Yay, me!!! Of course, our dear Robin Lee Hatcher gave me a big hint on how to do that. Saved and noted! Happy 2016. Hard to believe it's already five days into the new year. I am fast approaching my first deadline of the year. On January 15th, I have to turn in the fourth book of my Men of Millbrook Lake series for Love Inspired. It's been a fun series since I wanted … [Read more...]
Are Kids Still Readers?
One thing you may not know about me is I homeschool my kids. You know the part about homeschooling that overwhelmed and scared me the most? It wasn't teaching math, though it should have been. Teaching long division about did me in for my older two. Thank goodness I haven't hit that stage yet with the younger two! It wasn't teaching them how to write, because I knew if they read, they would … [Read more...]
Keeping Track of Books
Twenty years ago, in 1996, I started keeping track of how many and which books I'd read. It was the year my first novel was published, and I had quite an impressive list of books I'd read—55 books over the course of twelve months. In 1997 I was working on writing my second and third novels, but I still managed to read forty books, recording each one in a pretty spiral journal. In the years between … [Read more...]