This week we're talking to one of the most entertaining, gracious, and inspiring authors out there, Bethany Turner! Think I'm joking? Not only did Bethany allow me to tell the story of how I didn't like her first book, but she also let me put her on the spot and allowed me to ask her if she thought Continue Reading
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Trashy Reality Shows: A Media Menace or Guilty Pleasure Time Wasters?
I never saw the first season of Survivor. It didn't appeal to me, but something someone said about it made me curious after the season ended. So, when Season 2 came along, I watched it. That was the one with church elder Rodger and sweet Elizabeth. It was fun, interesting, and I actually enjoyed Continue Reading
Announcing the Release of My New Mail-Order Bride Novel
I spent hours trying to figure out what I wanted to do for this post. Did I want to write about how women "built" the west? Did I want to talk about the hardships of homesteading? Maybe sharing how little has changed in the trafficking worlds of the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. Both Continue Reading
How Many Awesome Authors Have I Been Missing Out On?
If her books aren't entertaining enough, just a chat with Becky Wade will keep you on your intellectual toes as you navigate tough topics and realistic romance--all while chuckling, no less. Becky Wade's latest book, Let It Be Me, will have you cracking up from the first page. Great and realistic Continue Reading
Grab a Spoon and Magnifying Glass & Dig Into This Delicious Mystery
Okay, confession. I love ice cream. So much so that I actually make it. Often. The day I bought my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker, is the day that my life changed. Then I chatted with Dana Mentink about her book on the Because Fiction Podcast and the freakshake contest she had for her release, and I Continue Reading
What Is So Great about this Popular Mail-Order Bride Series?
I suppose you could say that mail-order brides have been a thing since the Garden of Eden--if you change the spelling just a smidge. In today's episode, I tell about a large, multi-author series featuring mail-order brides with a twist of suspense. The Westward Home and Hearts Mail-Order Bride Continue Reading
This New Split-Time Series Keeps Getting Better and Better
The series concept intrigued me when I read about the first book, The Lady in Residence. Then I read the next book, Hope Between the Pages, and we all know how much I gushed about that one. So of course, when The Bridge of Gold came up for review, I signed up faster than... something that does Continue Reading
Take a Romantic Vacation to Key West in This Compelling Book
While in the middle of writing my own island novel, I was given the opportunity to review Island Charm by Audrey Wick and snapped up the free review copy lickety-splickety! Okay, so I just put in my request and waited for the day to read it to arrive. Would I like it? Would I love it? Did I find Continue Reading
If You Love Books and History, This Is the Book for You
I'm so excited about this week's interview with author Ann H. Gabhart. I've loved her work for years, so when I learned that she wrote a book about the packhorse librarians of the Depression era, Along a Storied Trail, I knew I was going to love it. Ann + librarians? What's not to love? Ann Continue Reading
How Do You Write an Exciting Fairy Tale Retelling as a Mystery?
One of my all-time favorite movies is Something in the Wind with Deanna Durbin and Donald O’Connor. No, Donald doesn’t get the girl. When did he ever? Sigh. But there is a song that gets me every time. It explains so much about why I LOVE a good mystery! To get a few of what is going on during Continue Reading
This Author Does One Really Brilliant Thing with Her Books
J.L. Crosswhite and I had a chat about her books, specifically her romantic suspense series--the Hometown Heroes and the In the Shadows series both! We also digressed and talked about readership, publishing, and the pros and cons of traditional and indie publishing. All with tons of Continue Reading
Why Did I Write a Terrible Ballad to Share My Book’s Backstory?
"Her parents' deaths?" The moment I thought of it, the answer was no. Did not want to start my book with something like that. Too far back and too depressing. There were so many possibilities. The book would be partially epistolary--just one letter at the beginning of each chapter--so I Continue Reading












