Congratulations to my friend and mentor Shelley Shepard Gray! On November 7th, her 39th Amish title will be available for purchase. The Gift is the third book in The Amish of Hart County Series. The Schwartz family purchased property from the Vances in Hart County, Kentucky. They are happy to be spending Christmas on their new farm …
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#FictionFriday: The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell
When Julie Cantrell won a 2017 ACFW Carol Award for The Feathered Bone, I thought I’d check it out. I read the book’s premise and was hooked: “In the pre-Katrina glow of New Orleans, Amanda Salassi is anxious about chaperoning her daughter’s sixth-grade field trip to the Big Easy during Halloween. And then her worst …
Preparing for ACFW 2017
In five short days, I’ll board a plane a head to Dallas for the 2017 American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. As I polish my pitch and print materials, I’ve been reflecting on my experience at last year’s conference in Nashville. Throughout that weekend, I was a sponge, noting various tips and tricks on the pages …
My Top 10 Favorites in Ohio Amish Country
Over the past four years, I’ve visited Ohio Amish Country about a dozen times. People often ask me for recommendations as they plan their own trips, so I created a list of my top 10 favorites in Ohio Amish Country. 10. Rebecca’s Bistro If you’re not in the mood for Amish fare, head …
Keep Moving Forward
While packing for a week’s vacation in Michigan, I received an email from my agent. She had heard from The Editor, the one who had expressed interest in my writing after reading my novella, and she wanted my thoughts about his reaction to my first full-length novel. This was the moment I’d been waiting for …
The Creation of a Novel
I attended the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat this weekend in Cincinnati. My favorite part of the event was the presentation by inspirational authors Becky Wade and Dani Pettrey. While speaking to us about planning, writing, revising, and publishing a book, Becky illustrated the creation of a novel with M&Ms. When I asked for permission to …
#ibelieveinbookfairies
This summer, thanks to a couple of friends, I discovered The Book Fairies, a community of book lovers from around the world who have the desire to share books with others. From the website, I learned The Book Fairies launched in March 2017, and there are currently readers in “over 100 countries involved, from New …
Assistant to the Author
In October of 2013, I was invited to be an assistant to New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Shelley Shepard Gray. At that time, I was a full-time stay-at-home mom to two young daughters in elementary school. I was familiar with Shelley’s writing because my mom would read her books and then pass them …
United Through Reading
With Memorial Day memories fresh in my mind, I look ahead and begin preparations for our family’s 4th of July festivities. In addition to cookouts, parades, and sparklers, we will make our annual Independence Day donation to the United Service Organizations (USO). We receive USO mailings on a regular basis, and through one of these packets, I learned …
My Writing Journey: An Update Part 2
For the past couple months, I’ve waited to receive feedback about the Amish novella proposal my agent pitched to editors on my behalf. Yesterday she forwarded an email from the editor who had expressed interest in the story in March. I have printed his email to hang beside my desk as if it’s my first rejection letter. …