I’m a perfectionist. A bit of a neat freak. An over-analyzer. So when I dive into something, I dive all the way. For writing, I took classes, read blogs, joined writers groups, attended conferences, wrote my little fingers off, social network-ed, created a website, blog weekly… So why am I not published? Why aren’t you seeing my mug all over the place? Well, it doesn’t work that way. There are thousands of writers, millions of books and countless blogs that create the sea of content that I have to fight my way to find my own place in. So I’ve been perfecting and over-analyzing what my niche really is. Really,...
Review: Love Finds you In Homestead, Iowa
Description: Times are hard in 1894. Desperate for work, former banker Jacob Hirsch rides the rails west from Chicago with his four-year-old daughter, Cassie. When a life-threatening illness strands the pair in Homestead, Iowa, the local Amana villagers welcome the father and daughter into their peaceful society. Liesel, a young Amana woman, nurses Cassie back to health, and the Homestead elders offer Jacob work. But Jacob’s growing interest in Liesel complicates his position in the Amanas. Will he fight to stay in the only place that feels like home, even if it means giving up the woman he loves? Or will Liesel leave her beloved community to face the outside...
Congratulations to ACFW winners
2011 Genesis Winners Contemporary Fiction Katy Pistole Contemporary Romance Mary Curry Historical Fiction Johnnie Alexander Donley Historical Romance Sarah Ladd Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Dianna T. Benson Romantic Suspense Renee Ann Smith Speculative Fiction Matt Jones Women’s Fiction Camille Eide ***Camille is a member of my local ACFW Chapter and she’s incredible! I’m so excited for her! Young Adult Nicole Quigley 2011 Carol Awards Debut Author Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes (Tyndale Publishers) Long Contemporary Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House) Long Contemporary Romance Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson) Long Historical Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren (Summerside Press) Long Historical Romance Love Finds You in Homestead...
A fresh look, at myself
Recently, I lost some weight and decided to reward myself by taking some new professional headshots. See my old post about the modeling session with my horse here. That was a riot. We learned then that my horse is not the most patient or understanding of props. He’s downright annoying, in fact. But we endured and I ended up with some very nice shots, courtesy of my friend Ashlee Murr. She also photographed my wedding and my sister-in-law’s senior pictures. I learned a few things, though, in looking through my “film.” My horse is not photogenic. He ruined most of my good shots. (Note to self, leave horse...
Review: Dry as Rain
From the bestselling author of Crossing Oceans comes a powerfully moving story that tests the limits of love’s forgiveness. Like many marriages, Eric and Kyra Yoshida’s has fallen apart slowly, one lost dream and misunderstanding at a time, until the ultimate betrayal finally pushes them beyond reconciliation. Just when it looks like forgive and forget is no longer an option, a car accident gives Eric the second chance of a lifetime. A concussion causes his wife to forget details of her life, including the chasm between them. No one knows when—or if—Kyra’s memory will return, but Eric seizes the opportunity to win back the woman he’s never stopped loving. ...