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 ]

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 ]

Every time I see a book on “structure” or “story” I find myself bracing for the inevitable battle. If you’ve hung around with writers for long you know why, don’t you?  Someone is about to get in an argument about THE way to write. In my mind, I see a group of literary protesters. “Structure Leads… [ read more ]

Lori Roeleveld One of my favorite writers anywhere ever is Lori Roeleveld . I’ve had a writer crush on her since 2010, when I heard her share her story in a workshop at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference …and then listened as her name was called several times during the awards ceremony a few days later.  I discovered her blog, Deeper With Jesus in Rhode Island ,… [ read more ]

Today’s post is for the writer’s out there… You’ve been writing for a while now.  You’ve got a book or two written. You’ve entered a few contests, pitched to a few agents, even attended a few conferences.  You’ve been doing this writing thing long enough to know you want to keep doing it. You know… [ read more ]

Hello! Hellooo! Anyone still here?! Please forgive my lengthy blog absence. Re-writing half of my book turned into a very lengthy process and there just haven’t been enough hours in the day. But the revisions were accepted and the book is headed out to a copy editor in the next week or so. For the… [ read more ]

In my last post, I mentioned that the jury was still out on my 2nd novel. Well, it isn’t any more! To bring you all up to speed… Earlier this year I entered a contest. The Search for the Next Killer Voice was a four stage contest held by the editors of Love Inspired Suspense.… [ read more ]

My son loves playing games on my phone. He has one that he’s been playing for a while now. He’s completed so many levels that he has begged me not to let his little brother play, for fear that he’ll mess things up.  So I was surprised yesterday when he asked me to download the… [ read more ]

Several years ago, my dad made a beautiful mirrored coat rack. I had the perfect wall for it and it hung in a place of prominence in my home where it received oohs and ahhs from friends, family, and guests. Then we moved. Our new home has an open floor plan with short walls. Most… [ read more ]

So how much writing did you get done this summer? Every time someone asks me this, I have to fight an intense desire to slink away in shame. Instead, I mumble something about being busy with the kids and vacation because I hate to tell them the truth. How much did I write this summer?… [ read more ]