I’ve said it before. As a kid, I read everything—from total junk to great stuff. And for a while there, that included stuff from the extensive YA section of the library. From coming of age angst to confusion on relationships, to figuring out just what was true and wasn’t, and a host of bizarreness Continue Reading
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Is This Author Really Worth the Hype?
“Have you read this book?” The question is asked with the confidence that the answer would be in the affirmative. I mean, anyone with any sense has read it, right? All it takes is a shake of my head for the reaction. “What?!” Suspicion furrows a brow and narrows eyes. Lips purse. Then Continue Reading
4 Purposeful Ways You Can Change Your Life
As I said in my newsletter a week or two ago, I’ve been listening to Emily P. Freeman’s, The Next Right Thing podcast recently. Woven through the words she shares each Tuesday, one thread stands out strong, courageous, and a little audacious in our modern, “go, go, go—do, do, do” society. As she Continue Reading
Should You Really Judge This Book by Its Cover?
It had an outdoor checkerboard with autumn trees in the background—a skyscraper. I paid a lot of money for that photo—clueless that it was a picture of Central Park in New York City. Oops. In the place of an O in the title, I used a checker piece. I thought I was so clever. Look, I Continue Reading
Why this Book Will Be Worth Your Time and Money
Brown paper bags with a big blue prize ribbon on them. It said “Stater Bros” in the middle of that blue ribbon. Our preferred grocery store. Well, and the only one actually in Yucca Valley, California in 1984. We lived in Landers about twenty miles away—at the end of Dusty Mile Road. No, Continue Reading
Just Who Is The True Apple of This Governess’s Eye?
Sarah E. Ladd. I’d never heard of her. I know, I know. Shoot me now. Do you know how many awesome Christian fiction authors there are out there? I can’t know them all. Kind of wish I could, though. Wouldn’t that be cool? Still, I promised myself I’d try out new authors this year—books that Continue Reading
Why Do Readers Love Weird Happily-Ever-Afters?
Go to Avid Readers of Christian Fiction on Facebook in almost any given week, and you’ll find at least one request for a good marriage of convenience or mail-order bride story. I feel like I should say, “I’m not exaggerating!” But I don’t have to because I suspect most people know it’s true. Continue Reading
Why You Need To Let Go of All the Baggage in Your Life
It doesn’t happen often, and maybe that’s a good thing. After all, if every time you picked up a book and read half a dozen pages—if every time that happened you just knew your life would never be the same—you’d have to stop reading. Our lives can’t shift that often or drastically without causing Continue Reading
Is Symbolic Fantasy the Best Way to Captivate Readers
The argument raged—symbolism or substance. Should we use allusions to familiar Biblical and theological truths, or should we be overt and forthright to avoid any chance that someone might miss an important lesson? How do people learn best? In my usual fence-sitting style, I agreed with both. I Continue Reading
Dance of Shadows Review
I’ll never forget her voice. Deep, throaty, with a strong Slavic accent. She read to us of Mr. Tumnus, Lucy, the Beavers, Jadis. From her, I learned to love the world of Narnia. From her, I learned to see the symbolism of the Lion of Judah in the mighty, fierce, loving Aslan. Mrs. Elkins. My Continue Reading
Dare to Be an Anna in a World of Hurting Kings
“Dare to be a Daniel…” I loved the song as a young girl. That idea that one could stand firm in the face of life-threatening Danger. “Dare to stand alone.” Would I be able to do it? As a girl, I didn’t know. As an adult, I can only pray for the strength. “Dare to have a purpose Continue Reading
Some Books, Like People, Need Time to Grow on You
The email loaded in my inbox—a “friendly reminder” that I had a book due to review. One problem: I thought I’d done it. And, the one I thought it was, I had done. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t that book. Oops. So, instead of sending my Lara on a trip across the country, I sat in my Denny’s Continue Reading
