• Apr. 10th, 2016 What I Learned in March

    Last month’s “What I Learned this Month” was quite well received, so I’m doing it again. It’s coming to you a little late … I hope you don’t mind! Without further ado…Seven Things I Learned in March. 1. Kittens are cute. This winter, a stray cat adopted us (long story) and a few weeks ago, [ read more ]

  • Mar. 3rd, 2016 Our Stories Matter

    There’s a very cool section in the book of Numbers that I think has a unique application to writers.  If you haven’t perused this section of the Old Testament recently, you may not know that God gifted certain individuals with creative talents for the building of his Tabernacle and then called out entire families for [ read more ]

  • Feb. 29th, 2016 What I Learned in January and February

    Two of my favorite bloggers ( Emily P. Freeman and Modern Mrs. Darcy ) do something toward the end of each month that I always look forward to, so I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon. I love to learn new things, and I want my kids to be lifelong learners. To help me model this for them, each month I’ll [ read more ]

  • Feb. 14th, 2016 You Get What You Get and You Don’t Pitch a Fit

    My boys have both been privileged to have the same wonderful teacher in preschool, Mrs. Rhonda.  She’s responsible for teaching super awesome tips like how to hold onto your sleeve when you put on a jacket so your sleeve doesn’t wind up over your elbow. I think we can all agree this is a crucial [ read more ]

  • Feb. 4th, 2016 A Writer’s Fear

    A few weeks ago, I watched a  live Adele concert . The lucky people who filled the venue were an enthusiastic audience. There were cheers, applause, and the occasional sing-a-long when she sang a favorite. I’m a fan so I enjoyed it immensely, but I couldn’t help but be struck by her vulnerability. She stood on the stage and [ read more ]

  • Nov. 10th, 2015 Read More from Harlequin

    You should be reading more books published by Harlequin. Really. As I mentioned in my post a few months ago (this one – I Write For Harlequin – you should definitely read it!), the term “Harlequin” has a tendency to raise some eyebrows. Some people assume that if the book has the Harlequin logo on the cover, it’s one [ read more ]

  • Nov. 5th, 2015 Strengthen Your Writing Muscles with NaNoWriMo

    I’m doing  NaNoWriMo  this year. There are a million reasons not to, but I’m doing it anyway. Are you familiar with NaNoWriMo? NaNo, as it’s often abbreviated, stands for  National Novel Writing Month . The goal is to write a new, 50,000 word novel in thirty days.  That’s 1,667 words every day for thirty days. I’ve done it before. I’ve [ read more ]

  • Oct. 1st, 2015 On Your Left

    A few weeks ago, my family and I rode the Virginia Creeper Trail. Built on an old railroad bed, the Virginia Creeper Trail offers a unique biking experience. 17 miles. Downhill. Really. It’s an amazing ride. The scenery is stunning and the trail is open to cyclists of all experience levels. As you head [ read more ]

  • Sep. 14th, 2015 Already There

    Despite the fact that he has never been left and has absolutely no reason to expect me to forget him, one of my children needs constant reassurance that I’m not going to leave him alone. This summer, I arrived early to pick him up from Vacation Bible School. I took a seat at the side [ read more ]

  • Sep. 3rd, 2015 Perfection and Vulnerability, A Tough Combination for Writers

    There are a few things I know about myself. I don’t like them, but I know they are true. I’m a perfectionist and I don’t like feeling vulnerable. But I kept hearing about this author and researcher,  Dr. Brené Brown , who has a couple of insanely popular  TED talks  where she discusses her research.  Guess what she researches? Vulnerability, [ read more ]