Confession: About 10 years ago, I heard the Brothers Four singing "Night Before Christmas" and it sparked an idea I'd never heard before. For fun, this silly mom, who never "did" Santa with her kids, began writing a "Santa story." So... because it is pure fantasy--with no Christian basis other than Continue Reading
Blog
The Long Awaited: HEARTHLAND!!!!
Those of you who've been around for a while likely remember fondly our Willow Wednesdays. Each week we would have a new episode of Past Forward that would be free for a limited time. Since each episode came out on Wednesday, we fondly began calling the releases "Willow Continue Reading
“Oldie Friday”: Noble Pursuits
Once upon a time, an aspiring author was writing about a young college graduate who inherited her sister's eight children. It was the first time the author had attempted to write in about fifteen years. I tell you this, because it goes to show just how much said author didn't know about herself AS Continue Reading
The Cool Lessons Learned in Discovering Hope
Before we get started in the lessons learned in Discovering Hope, I thought I'd give a bit of... Background for Discovering Hope: Hope was a NaNoWriMo challenge to myself. I told myself I wanted to write the sappiest book I could possibly fathom. At the time, I couldn't have written anything Continue Reading
Winner of the boxed set of books!!
Did a little drawing tonight for the boxed set of books I mentioned on my previous blog post. And the winner IS: Betty Landesman!! Congratulations, Betty. If you would be so kind as to email me and let me know if you'd like the boxed set or one of my books, I'll get it sent out to you as soon Continue Reading
Lessons Learned from Alexa
Alexa's Background: Manuscript for Murder was one of the first things I started to write. Those who know me well have often "suggested" that I might have literary ADD--the inability to keep my attention fixed on one work in progress at a time. It's one reason I have several dozen books in Continue Reading
All I Want For Christmas Is a Short Story?
(Merry Christmas from all of us at Just the Write Escape) A Mama for Christmas Toys filled the shelves—cars, robots, games, plush animals, and dolls. Two full aisles of dolls, to be precise. Dolls that looked like little girls of eight, Barbies, mini dolls, baby dolls, dolls that wet, cried, Continue Reading
Lessons Learned in Argosy Junction
Background of Argosy Junction: Argosy Junction began as a NaNoWriMo challenge. In 2007, my NaNo challenge to myself was to write about a subject near and dear to my heart. Phariseeism and what happens when it grows into legalism. In Argosy Junction, a small group of like-minded families grows Continue Reading
The Californian’s Guide to the Eastern US- Part 2
It's my unprofessional opinion that those in the Southeastern US are GENIUSES. I mean, these folks are pretty much amazing. I am not being hyperbolic or sarcastic/facetious/snotty. I believe this with all my heart. Proof? Street signs. You see that sign to the left? That's supposedly one Continue Reading
The Californian’s Survival Guide to the Eastern US: Part 1
Or TCSGTTEUS (Looks like Betelgeuse's red-headed step-child's name, doesn't it?) This summer, I took two major trips. The first was to Minneapolis where our family rented a car (okay, a 12 passenger, gas-guzzling van the likes of which we haven't driven in five years!). So we all piled in said Continue Reading
Welcome to…
What have I been up to? Why do I feel like "I've arrived" once more? I'll tell you! See, last Wednesday, I flew to AsheVOLL (I'll explain that in another post) North Carolina. I spent Labor Day weekend laboring on Project Stephen and then began the long drive from Buladean, NC to Morgantown, WV Continue Reading
Lessons Learned in Past Forward
Background for Past Forward: Most of my books begin with a premise--a "what if" question of sorts. Past Forward is different in that I "discovered" Willow as a person first. I knew who she was, how she was different, how she was interesting. I just didn’t know her history until I thought about who Continue Reading
