"Where are you going on vacation this year?" The question is a common one. Let's face it. We all need "neutral" conversational topics that are unlikely to cause conflict. Vacation seems a perfect topic. Until you ask me that question. There were years when just whispering the word "vacation" Continue Reading
So, Just How Awful Are Old Secrets Really?
When I saw the cover of The Bookshop of Secrets, I knew I had to read the book. And seriously, yeah. This book, guys! This book! Listen in as Mollie Rushmeyer and I chat about how this book came about, what kinds of things you'll find in it, what I thought was way over the top and then I realized I Continue Reading
We Love to Read about Great People Overcoming Terrible Circumstances
One of the hardest things (I would imagine) for Biblical Fiction authors has to be finding a fresh look at a topic people know really well without changing the facts of Scripture or presuming too much on it. Well, authors like Elizabeth Jacobson are particularly good at giving us another way of Continue Reading
Can Repeating History Ever Be a Good Thing?
The heroic stories of average people during time of war are one of the few things that will choke me up. Book, movie, verbal--doesn't matter. Tell me all the stories and watch me try not to sob. Lauralee Bliss captured one of the most inspiring stories of WWII in her recent release, Escape from Continue Reading
I Loved This New Release the Minute I Saw It
We all have them--those authors who are insta-buy authors. A book goes up for preorder and bam! SOLD! Michelle Griep became one of those with the first book of hers that I read. If I recall correctly, I gave that book stars in dog years just so I could do more than five. So is it any wonder Continue Reading
Remember When ADHD Was So “New” No One Believed It Existed?
When I chatted with Suzanne Woods Fisher about her last book on Because Fiction Podcast, she mentioned her next Amish book and just listening to her talk about what she had planned reminded me again what I love about her Amish fiction. Amish fiction isn't my favorite, but when an author does it Continue Reading
It’s Never a Bad Time to Fall in Love (Especially with a Good Book!)
The authors of Love in Any Season joined me for a four-way chat about this seasonal novella collection featuring small towns, small businesses, and seasonal festivals. Join Amy Anguish, Sarah Anne Crouch, Heather Greer, and an absent in voice but with us in spirit, Regina Rudd Merrick, and me as we Continue Reading
Some Say Opposites Attract, but Do They Really?
The question threw me for a loop. "Do you have a friend who is your opposite but you just love them?" I didn't (and still don't) know how to answer her. My friend Teresa is crazy outgoing and gregarious. I'm naturally shy. So... sure. We're opposites. But we have most things in common. The same is Continue Reading
Action, Danger, Personal History, and Romance—What’s Not to Love?
Nothing makes my heart sing like a good romantic suspense. Okay, it's really all about the suspense for me, but I'll take that romantic part, too if it gets me the suspensefulness. EEEP! Karen Randau is a new-to-me author with a book that opens like no other. Joggers. Fog. And poof! One of the Continue Reading
Tales of Bravery and Resilience in Difficult Times Always Inspire Readers
I've loved Dutch resistance stories since the night I watched The Hiding Place at a junior high lock-in and discovered it was first a book. I've read a few since then, so when I learned that Lauralee Bliss wrote a book about the smuggling of children out of Amsterdam (one of my favorite stories!), I Continue Reading
You Never Know What Will Inspire an Author’s Next Great Book
I had a lovely chat with Kim Vogel Sawyer a couple of weeks ago, all about her newest novel, Still My Forever. I'll never see tubas or Music Man the same again. Listen in for her inspiration for this book and her next! Quick note: the audio on my end of the episode is horrible, and I can't figure Continue Reading
Do You Think the Future Be Cool, Scary, Crazy, or What?
I seem to be on a dystopian kick. It began with Jess Corban's Nede Rising duology but then a couple more were suggested to me just a couple of days after I chatted with Christian Cross about his book Extraction: A Song for Emma. Perhaps there's a reason, eh? Listen in and discover where Christian Continue Reading
