"You're my favorite." My daughter grins first at me and then over at her siblings. They pretend to be upset, but mostly they just roll their eyes. After all, next week, or perhaps tomorrow, maybe even five minutes from now... Yep. It'll be their turn. My "favorite child" changes faster than a Continue Reading
Search Results for: independence islands series
Now, Did You Hear about That Time I Ended up in High Water?
Picture it. The summer of 1984. Clear Creek Lake, Oklahoma. I was fourteen and becoming red just thinking about going out on the water. Did that stop me? Nope. I was born a duck without protective feathers. Or something. My aunt and uncle had bought a motorboat--perfect for pulling water Continue Reading
If I Were Looking for Great, Exciting, and Unconventional Date Ideas…
A friend recently asked my best idea for an unconventional date. Now while Rachel didn't ask for my actual unconventional dates, that's where my brain went, and I'll be honest. I had no idea how to answer the question. You see, my husband and I never dated. Not only that, but I never went on Continue Reading
Isn’t It Cool When What Seemed So Awful Turns Out Great?
When Mom moved in with us back in 2019, we had one problem. Our house is a three-bedroom, one-bath, house with 1100-1250 sq. ft. Years ago, we converted part of the garage into the "annex" for our older girls, but we still had girls and the remaining boy in the middle room. Where to put the madre, Continue Reading
Why I Did Not Want a Wedding Dress That I Actually Loved
While other girls dreamed of their wedding dresses, I schemed to find a way to get Nancy Drew's wardrobe. So when the time for me to come up with a wedding dress, I had no idea. I knew what I didn't want but not what I did. The funny thing is, I ended up with a dress that I LOVED but didn't want. Continue Reading
How a Beautiful, Heartbreaking Old Song Inspired My Newest Romance
This will probably shock many of you, but I'm here to confess that I was a weird kid. I'll give you a second to let that sink in. Done laughing? Yeah. Didn't think so. I'll wait... Look, while my friends were listening to Bon Jovi, U2, Cindy Lauper, and who knows who else (I remember those Continue Reading
The Write Reading Challenge for 2022
It's 2022!!! Can you believe it? Last year I participated in a few reading challenges and really enjoyed it, so when someone joked on Avid Readers of Christian Fiction that I had enough books to create my own reading challenge, I thought, "Why not?" So, after some initial attempts at Continue Reading
What Does My Dream Island Vacation Have to Do with a New Book?
"If you could visit any island in the world, which one would it be?" I've had people ask me this question before. I don't know how to answer it, frankly. Why Fiji and not Hawaii? Why Nantucket and not Prince Edward Island? For that matter, why Guernsey instead of Catalina? I've had a dream Continue Reading
Our Smartest Dog Used to Do This Crazy Thing All the Time
I was torn between the names Kemper and Mitzi. In the end, I think Kemper won, but I can't be sure. Why don't I remember my own dog's name? My Christmas present in 1985? Well, that Australian shepherd mixed mutt didn't stay whatever I named her for long. We'd just moved to "the property" in Continue Reading
Complete List of Chautona’s Books
A Bird Died Agency Files, The • Induction • Justified Means • Mismatched • Effective Immediately • A Forgotten Truth • Hashtag Rogue Aggie Series • Ready or Not • For Keeps • Here We Come • Ante Up! • Aggie’s Complete Collection Box set Allerednic: A Regency Cinderella Tale in Continue Reading
Classy Women Wear Heels but I Absolutely Love Invisible Shoes
My feet hurt. You'd think after walking through airports all day, this wouldn't surprise me. Here's the thing. I've worn the same brand of shoes for the past five years. When my old pair got worn out and my daughter said Marshall's had them in stock, I had her grab some. They are not the same. Continue Reading
My #1 Most Beloved Makeup Tip. Fake Health with Foundation.
"I was hoping to see you feeling better." It wasn't the first time someone had said that. In fact, I was getting pretty sick of hearing it. Just that morning, I'd stood at the mirror and really examined myself. Were my eyes dull? Nope. I might need to pull out a few of my Groucho Marx Continue Reading
