The Blog

I’m so excited to be in 2024. I’ve always liked new years, new calendars, fresh starts. And this year is especially sweet. I’ve decided to dub this year my “year of jubilee.” Do you remember that story in the Bible? I found this: According to regulations found in the Book of Leviticus, certain indentured servants would be released from servitude,... read more

Let’s see if you’ve heard any of these. “Tough times never last, but tough people do. ~Robert H. Schuller “You’ve got to stay strong to be strong in tough times.” ~Tilman J. Fertita “I think most art comes out of poverty and hard times.” ~Willie Nelson I’ll bet you can think of a few more to add to this list.... read more

It’s true. I’ve accepted a half-time teaching position. Beach time is over my friends. Okay, I was only at the beach for 4 days, but you get my meaning. Life is about to get busy! So am I still going to write books? You bet, I am! I’ll still have half a day. What do you think I’d spend that... read more

As a writer, I need things to do that don’t require sitting in front of a computer. I knit. I quilt a little. I love to play in the garden. But Good Golly Miss Molly, it’s hard to maintain flowers in Texas. It involves so much watering. At first it’s every other day. Then it’s every day. Then it’s twice... read more

You get the general gist. I think this could be fun! I’m not a big basketball watcher myself. They go up the court. They go down the court. In the last minute of the game (which takes 10-15 minutes to play), the score is usually tied. And all those free throws. I’ve never made a free throw myself (I throw... read more

February is the month of love. Well, come on now. ALL months are months of love, but you know what I mean. Let’s talk about the things we love. I’ll start. It’s not so hard to come up with a list of things you love. It’s the things and people that make you smile, that make your heart feel light,... read more

Sometimes readers will ask why a book is available at one store or website and not another. Great question! If your book is published by a traditional publisher, the publisher makes this decision. They have contracts for shelf space in certain stores. For example, my Love Inspired books are carried in most Walmart stores. That’s nice! I love that. I... read more

I see a lot of writers talking about deadlines and stress. In fact, I see and hear a lot of people admitting to feeling stressed in general, so I thought we’d talk about that for a minute. I don’t mind deadlines personally. They give me a date to finish something, which is good. Otherwise I might take forever. One way... read more

How I write a book—there are probably a lot of ways to write a book. This is what works for me, but results will vary. ... read more

Today I thought I’d share with you about writing retreats. They come in all shapes and forms. More formal retreats are at hotels or retreat centers. For the retreat I went to earlier this month, we rented an AirBnB and split the cost (which ended up being about $80 for two nights–a real deal). So what do you do at... read more