With a disdainful look at the cover of an overly airbrushed young woman in plain dress and a white kappe, the woman shoves the book back on the bookstore shelf. “I used to like these, but they’re all the same, now.” “Try something with a little more action—like maybe Dee Henderson or Brandilyn Continue Reading
Personal
Why Write about Diabetic Alert Dogs in a Christmas Novel?
Today’s “noella” spotlight… Mine! The Second Noel. Note: links in this post may be affiliate links that provide a small commission at no extra expense to you. Why Write about Diabetic Alert Dogs in a Christmas Novel? The message came from a reader who had slowly but surely become a friend. You Continue Reading
Why Is Christmas My Absolute Favorite Time of Year?
I wrote this back in 2006 on my old blog. While some of the traditions have changed as our children have grown and moved from home, most of them stay the same. But this post has always reflected best what I love about Christmas, and I thought I'd share it. It was edited for typos, and I tried to Continue Reading
When You Live in the Desert, They’re ALL Seasons in the Sun
The gentle breezes ruffle the curtains of my nostalgic mind. Okay, it’s wishful thinking. But let me dream a bit, okay? Because the reality is it’s September. And this is the Mojave Desert. Know what that means? WIND. Yep! Fall has arrived. The weather is much more temperate, but with that comes Continue Reading
The Top 4 Things That Recharge Me When I Crash
“She’s a writing machine.” If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. There’s this perception among my writerly friends that I just churn out thousands of words, one after the other--and nothing else. Just eat, sleep, breathe, and write (and as to sleeping, I apparently don't do much Continue Reading
What I Did When Praying Failed Me
Um… so… um…” The dead silences mocked me. Why could I pray just fine and dandy when someone asked me to pray for them or with them, but just an intimate time with the Lord turned my usual chatterbox self into a tongue-tied moron? Yeah. I still don’t know the answer to that. But I do remember Continue Reading
Why November 5 Is the Best Obscure Holiday Ever!
At least once or twice a year, someone asks. “What’s your favorite holiday?” It was fun answering the first time or two. Has my opinion changed over the years? Do I like something new or even older? Did something horrible happen to ensure that I hate Christmas now? Well, there you have it. The Continue Reading
15 Bloggers Share How They Fell in Love with Christian Fiction
Said Farmer Brown, “Tra-la, tra-lee…” Ahh… Little Golden Books. They might not have been the first books my mother ever read to me, but they probably were. My first mystery. Nancy Drew. My first “western”? Well, I consider Little House on the Prairie to fit that bill! But remembering all the Continue Reading
The Most Beautiful Place I’ve Ever Seen
The memory blurs, but I recall a cedar shake facade… Spanish tile roofing, two stories—a ranch. The great archways that completely surround the outside of a desert "hacienda," the Oklahoma farmhouse—and the great generator that fired up now and then for a rare use of my curling iron. Each one a Continue Reading
The Unexpected Blessing of Unlikely Mentors
She wore white—a cotton t-shirt and jeans cut off at the knees. I’d been told not to wash my hair with shampoo, not to use hairspray or cosmetics, not to wear perfume—nothing with a scent. I felt ugly sitting there in the sweats and a t-shirt she’d left waiting for me in her garage—with my hair Continue Reading
3 Important Things You’ll Find in My Favorite Books
The scent of books mingled with coffee lures you in through the doors. You wander down past the array of clearance items, gift bags, goofy book-themed gifts, and hit the discount racks. Bestsellers. Science Fiction. Mystery. After wandering through the rows of beautiful “repurposed trees” for a Continue Reading
What Book Would Make the Best Last Literary Meal?
Okay, let me just be super transparent here, okay? Last meal. When I saw that question on this week’s blog challenge, I kept wanting to ask, “What do you know that I don’t?” It’s strange. I’ve never been afraid of death. Okay, I’m not so keen on the dying part. Not unless I get to do something Continue Reading
