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I’ve heard people often say that writing is a solitary experience. And, I can imagine that before the internet, in many ways it could have been! There are some who may prefer the isolation (and that is TOTALLY fine �� we all create differently), but I’ve found that I thrive on the interaction both outside my own head and inside it

For me, this wonderful interaction comes in two different forms:

The marvelously supportive external group of authors and readers who cheer on me and my stories like the very best cheerleaders on the planet. There are so many amazing folks. From ones I’ve met online, to conferences, to in-person…and even those that started online and have become dear in-person friends. I’ve said this to my fabulous street team (The Pepper Shakers…they voted on their own name), I cannot imagine this writing journey without them!! The amount of encouragement, ideas, pick-me-ups, and, even being talked off figurative ledges at times (you know who you are), daily blesses and overwhelms me. It’s a remarkable byproduct of story creating and reaching out to folks beyond my little imaginary world. I have met SOOOO many wonderful people over the years!!!
























2. Unlike my fabulous flesh-and-blood encouragers (who don’t overcrowd their welcomes), my internal visitors sometimes DO. (Has anyone watched The Man Who Invented Christmas? It gives a glimpse of this very specific sort of madness). My mind is full of more imaginary friends than I can count. I know plenty of authors who are constantly mulling around 2, 3, ��.10 (or more) stories at the same time, all with characters who are determined to make it out of our heads and onto the page. (And those characters can be quite bossy and insistent too).








  I think nowadays, the connections we can make through online formats such as social media outlets and Zoom, has broadened the world for many authors who may have felt more isolated and sought connectivity beyond their own worlds. I’ve been incredibly thankful for the connection in so many ways, but particularly in the way it helped me build relationships and community.

Have you enjoyed connecting with authors and/or other readers? What about this online ability to connect have you enjoyed most?

In the spirit of celebration and gratitude, I’m sharing this wonderful GIVEAWAY!!! This particular prize is a fun one! FIVE prizes, to be exact. Check out the link below!!

Hello WONDERFUL readers!!

I’m so excited to welcome you to my revamped site and I’m happy to be able to get back to blogging again!

Since it’s Valentine’s Weekend, I thought I’d introduce myself by chatting about a few things that I LOVE as well as a few books I’m currently reading.

REAL people that I love: My family, which means hubs, 5 kids, parents (who are adorable, btw), my bro and his fam, my huge Appalachian family, and some amazing author/reader/church/long-time friends God’s been so kind to bring into my life. (and, of course, I love God and am learning to love him (and others) better IMAGINARY people that I love: It’s really hard to pick favorites from my characters. Super hard. But a FEW of my favs are Eisley Barrett, Alex Murdock, Titus Stewart, Catherine Dougall, Laurel McAdams, Reese Mitchell, and, from my upcoming September release, Frederick & Grace Childhood books I love: Again, it’s hard to pick favorites, but a few honorable mentions are the Nancy Drew series, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, and Frankenstein.Books I’ve read as an adult and loved: A few honorable mentions are…Kissing Adrien by Siri Mitchell, Petticoat Ranch by Mary Connealy, Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz, Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews, Wings of Devotion by Roseanna White, Lord of the Rings by TolkeinLatest fiction book I LOVED: Beauty Among the Ruins by J’nell CiesielskiLatest nonfiction book I LOVED: Gentle and Lowly by Dane OrtlandCurrent books I’m enjoying: The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark, Clanlands by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, and Even Better than Eden by Nancy Guthrie.Dessert I love: Carrabbas�� Chocolate Dream (I could die happy having that as my last meal I’m also a big fan of Preacher Cookies.Places I love to visit: Can you guess? Anything UK!!! (but I love my #blueridgemountains (oh, and bookshops)Time period I love to write about: Contemporary or Edwardian!!!

Your turn!

Tell me some of your newest bookish discoveries that you’ve LOVED!!

Do you have places you LOVE to visit?

Are there any of my books you’ve “loved�� the best?

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!�� The hunt BEGINS on 10/15 at noon MST with Stop #1 at��

When my daughter, Lydia, was a little girl, she had nightmares pretty regularly. Without fail, when she’d have one of these nightmares, she’d leave her bed and come into me and my husband’s room, sniffling all the way. She’d stand by my side of the bed until I ‘woke up�� or acknowledge her presence, and��

In Amanda Dykes�� novel, Set the Stars Alight, we receive many wonderful things (and I use the word wonderful intentionally): A spellbinding cover and excellent title Beautifully intricate characters with two separate love stories paralleled in two separate times Lyrical, poetic, dazzling wordsmith-ing which not only describes but evokes feelings from just a turn of��

So�� 2020? Anyone else feel the weird sensation of emotional whiplash? It’s like we’ve spent the last four months dancing on a bed of anxiety coals on the edge of a cliff. Hearts are breaking. Folks are grieving. Voices are screaming. Voices are silent. Friends are angry. Brokenness is rife. Lots of people feel like��

What a fun interview with author,Toni Shiloh, about her newest release, The Trouble with Love

Reading someone else’s journal or diary is a definite no-no, right? I mean, it’s a glimpse into someone’s most intimate thoughts, unguarded and candid in a way we’d never feel comfortable expressing out loud. There’s this sense of vulnerability to the moment, in my opinion, that lends itself to a special kind of care and��

It’s been quite the journey over the past two months, hasn’t it? I sit here after a Mother’s Day lunch with my family and think about the shifts and changes and hardships that have happened in my family, community, and the whole world.  I don’t know what specific things you’ve struggled with �� if your��

Anybody like cliffhangers? Okay, maybe not in REAL life, but how about in fiction/movies? Personally, I’m not a fan of them, because I want an ENDING (or the promise of a happy beginning), but something I DO enjoy are chapter hooks. Chapter hooks are those moments at the end of a chapter when you left��