I'm excited to share Sarah Price's latest release, The Matchmaker! And a PERFECT day for it since today happens to be my wedding anniversary (not to be mistaken for my marriage anniversary. hee hee)! I just finished the book and I really think she did a fabulous job of combining Austen's Emma with Continue Reading
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Lizards in Holland? WHAT?
I don't know about you, but as a desert dweller, when I hear "lizard garden" and Amsterdam in the same sentence, it seems a little... incongruous. So, when author Anne E. Phillips (who happens to be a dear friend of mine) wrote a children's novel, The Lizard Garden, that takes place in The Continue Reading
Meet Ella & See What the Editor Says about Her
Today we have Christy the wonder assistant-slash-editor to give you her take on one of the first books she edited for me! Ella has a special place in many of my readers' hearts, and Christy is no exception. I did the editing for None So Blind, so for that reason alone, it holds a special Continue Reading
Romance: What’s the Point?
People who know me personally, know that I'm not much of a romantic. In fact, as much as I don't like to admit it, in Austen's Pride and Prejudice, I am probably most akin to Charlotte Lucas who said in the 1995 A&E film adaptation, "I'm not romantic, you know. I never was." In fact, I Continue Reading
Preach It, Baby! Uh, no. Don’t. Just Don’t.
One of the best compliments I get is when someone sends me an email or leaves a review that says, "I like how your books are clean and point us to Jesus, yadda yadda yadda, but are not preachy." So what's so bad about preachy Christian fiction? (I'm a Christian fiction author, for cryin' out Continue Reading
7 Famous (or should be) First Lines
There it is, a shiny new book, or perhaps an old, crusty one. You crack it open to the first page of chapter one and read: "Who is John Galt?" You know, the minute you read those words, that something about it is important, but you can't possibly know what. So you're left wondering. And that Continue Reading
A Chat with Adric
One of my favorite things to do is to revisit my previous books and see if I still enjoy the characters as much as I did. So, in preparation for Ashley's promo this week, I decided to have a chat with Adric and see what I can learn. Chautona: Okay, Adric. Let's start off with the most often Continue Reading
Seeking Inspiration: A Christian Writer’s Toolbox
One of the most common questions I get in emails from readers is, "Where do you get your inspiration?" Now it isn't always phrased like that. Sometimes they ask if my characters are based on me, my family, friends, acquaintances, or from history. But the idea remains the same. What inspires me Continue Reading
Speaking Scripture into Our Hearts
As a Christian fiction author, one of the most important things to me is that the entire content of what I write reflect the influence of the Word in my novels. While I don't want my fiction to be that dreaded word, "preachy," I do have a goal for my fiction--to encourage fellow Christians in their Continue Reading
Amelia’s Interview: Deepest Roots of the Heart
One of the ways I try to get to "know" my characters is to try to type up an "organic" question/answer session. I'll try to let each question spark the following one--really working to get into the character's head. I did that with Avelino, but for this release party, I thought it might be fun to Continue Reading
Juana Briones: a California Heroine (Deepest Roots of the Heart)
Another research gem that I unearthed while writing Deepest Roots of the Heart was an amazing Californio woman, Juana Briones. I do not remember Briones from my study of California history. I don't know if she simply wasn't included or if somehow I missed her (I suspect the former), but this is Continue Reading
Historical Surprises: Deepest Roots of the Heart
Historical fiction requires a completely different writing process from contemporary fiction that takes place in completely fictional locales. My research for the Rockland Chronicles is usually limited to ensuring that I have the right style of phone for the era, seeing how to make candles from Continue Reading
