My husband has this thing about soccer. He says, "It's the 'sport of the beast'." Okay, under certain eschatological positions, he may have a point. After all, it is a "one-world" sport, so to say. Whereas, American "football" is pretty much ours. I don't know if anyone else in the world does it Continue Reading
Writing
Murphy’s Mystery Law (and 20K reasons I’ll prevail)
Let me set the scene. Denny's. Eleven o'clock at night. I had to wait for my "usual" booth--table 14. It's the only table in the restaurant with an outlet right at the base of the bench seat. My spot. It happens almost every night these days. I walk in, they point to "my table" and tell me Continue Reading
What Happens When a Song Inspires a Story
Some have asked the"song-spiration" for the title of the series Ballads from the Hearth. I chose that series title not because it has a "lovely" sound but because it so perfectly describes what comes to mind when I think of these ballad-inspired novels. My father sang these--often sitting on Continue Reading
Giddy Much?
So last night I was at Denny's, working on the notes so I could start Ante Up! today, when I typed out the ideas for the last scene. Even as I typed, I found myself cheering and laughing inside--almost shaking with excitement. then I heard me say this: (please excuse the "road noise". I was Continue Reading
Inspiration at a Hair Salon? Is No Place Safe?
Note: links are likely affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Inspiration: It started with a joke about how I couldn't afford to die. I'd be 132 years old just sitting at a typewriter--a skeleton--and working feverishly (do bones get fevered?) to Continue Reading
Tools for Writing Effectiveness *snicker*: Part One
This could be subtitled "Or tools I use to trick myself into being productive." People often ask how I "get so much done." Now, a lot of times they're also asking about housework (hint: I subscribe to the "lived in" school of housekeeping), homeschooling (toss the books at 'em and tell them if Continue Reading
5 Things I Hate about Writing (Number 4 is the worst)
What, you thought it was all roses and ink stains? HA! Dream on! Okay, so writing is pretty awesome. I'm not going to pretend it isn't. I love it. Always have. I've "written" stories in my head since I was old enough to think coherently--or at least I thought I was coherent, and I'd Continue Reading
5 Days of Fun, Tedium, and Chaos
Or, otherwise known as, "A Week in the Life of Chautona Havig." Yep! That's right! (pretend to be excited, will ya?) This coming week, with one day delays (we hope only one day), I'm gonna share just what life is like for this girl! The fun, the boring, and well... the ordinary (which equals Continue Reading
Smut, Scripture, & Authenticity
See that gal ^^^ up there? Yeah. Her. I've been her. I've scrolled through Amazon and found a great-looking book. The synopsis gripped me, the cover looked crisp and inviting, and the negative reviews (that's where I start) said things like, "It didn't download right" or "The author thinks Continue Reading
Want to Know Why I Write? My 2 Main Reasons
The email drops in my inbox, and just from the subject line, I know what's coming. It's usually something innocuous enough like, "I just had a question about your books" or "Something's been bothering me..." There's really no indicator, but it's like I've developed a "Spidey sense" about it or Continue Reading
What’s the Big Idea? : Or 5 Ways I Get Inspired
I love getting emails from readers, and this week I got one from Kim asking about where I get my ideas. She wrote: I loved your Past Forward series - I was hooked from page 1. I have all the books in the Hearthland series so far but just started reading it last night. I hated having to wait for 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
