Every morning after an hour of quiet time with the Lord, my husband and I will work out in our home gym—it’s a fancy name for that portion of our garage that houses an elliptical, treadmill, and some free weights. I admit I need a distraction while running on the treadmill or doing squats because I get easily bored. For …
If you have ever doubted the existence of spiritual warfare, you only need to look in the Bible for proof. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to …
Do you ever consider what goes into a novel written for the Christian market? I suppose it’s different for every author, but for this one, it has been a lifelong faith journey. And it began with a passion for stories. My love for books was born in a local library when I was barely old enough to read. I’d troll …
It’s the time of year when many churches bring the three J’s together—Jesus, joy, and juice boxes. Although in the case of our church, juice boxes come in the form of sweet tea and lemonade. But that would make for an awkward (and non-alliterative) title. Like most moms, I am sometimes riddled with regrets about how I parented my kids. …
The catalyst for the setting of my Norfolk Southern Series in Chattanooga was the railroad. Everyone has heard of the Chattanooga Choo-Choo—or at least the hit song from 1941 made popular by the Glenn Miller Band. No, I wasn’t alive back then, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the music of that era. The Chattanooga Choo-Choo was a …
We hear about tragedies every day. They occur so often that we can easily become desensitized by them, unless they impact us directly. On Mother’s Day, there was a six-car pile-up on Highway 75 near Chattanooga, but it didn’t become real until a friend showed me a picture of one of the families horrifically impacted by this accident—the Smiths. The …
Reading Kristin Hannah’s novel The Nightingale made me a fan of the author. I had no idea until recently that she’s been publishing books for over thirty years. The oldest novel of hers that I read was Night Road. It didn’t have near the depth of characters or plot I expected after reading her newer works, but like most …
Train-Wrecked Hearts, Book One in my Norfolk Southern Series, is my fifteenth novel to be published. If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll notice this release comes with little fanfare, and I must admit, a lot less stress. No “Countdown to Release” posts seven days before the big day. No seven articles after the release day. No hosting a …
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus—Philippians 4:6-7 After working on other author-related projects for two hours, I’m writing this post at 3:00 a.m. I can’t sleep. Is …
Quick note before I launch into the blog post. In case you missed last week’s blog, I’m doing a short series on trains in celebration of my newest novel, Train-Wrecked Hearts. I’m excited about this book for a couple of reasons. It’s the first in my new Norfolk Southern Series, and it’s also the first I’ve indie-published from start to …
