This past week I was invited to be the guest author for a local book club. I haven’t participated in a lot of these gatherings, so I don’t know what the protocol is for such an event. I make sure I show up with gifts and door prizes for these eager participants. Readers are the […]
Travels
- Faith Matters
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Back From Conference
Uplifted. Refreshed. Inspired. This past week I spent the better part of four days attending the Oregon Christian Writers summer conference in Portland, Oregon. Theme for the week was Opening Doors and centered around the scripture of Colossians 4:2 (NIV), which reads: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that […]
Off to Conference
Two years ago this week I attended the Oregon Christian Writer’s conference in Portland, Oregon. There I met my then-to-be-publisher Miralee Ferrell, of Mountain Brook Ink and agreed to write a three-book series—a happy ending to a long journey of attending conferences and seeking publishing houses. This week I will again attend the conference, bringing […]
Reunion Time
I’ve always enjoyed family reunions. As a child I remember anticipating the summer reunion every July at Jasper Park. As a fifth generation descendant of Cornelius Hills, who settled in the Willamette Valley in 1848 and who developed one of the first 640-acre land claims in the area, I was expected to come and join […]
- Historical
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Book Pick for Summer Reading
Karen Barnett’s latest release, Where the Fire Falls, published by Waterbrook Multnomah, has everything a reader could hope for in an historical account—the beautiful setting of Yosemite National Park, engaging characters, a touch of mystery, and a love story. A surefire mix of elements for an intriguing tale. It’s 1929 and Yosemite National Park is in […]
- Faith Matters
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Another Look: The Contract that almost wasn’t
Author note: this article appeared on another website last week as part of a promotion. So many responded to it, I decided to run it again on my own website this week. In 2016 I planned to attend the Oregon Christian Writers summer conference in Portland, Oregon. Like most conferences, authors were invited to pre-submit […]
Then There’s Book Club
Last Monday I was invited to speak to a book club. A friend who had read my debut novel, An Anchor On Her Heart, and who belonged to a local group of readers asked me to come and share with her fellow booklovers. She said I could speak on anything I wanted to share. […]
A Horse from History
No horse rescue ranch would be worth a story if not for a horse. When I chose to place the setting of my novel in Harney County in eastern Oregon, I was motivated by knowledge of a protected herd of horses, who ranged on Steens Mountain near Kiger Ridge. The herd is believed to be the […]
Finding Inspiration
Finding Inspiration How does an author find inspiration? This week as I finished the proofread copy of my second novel, Love Calls Her Home, I needed to stop and ponder that question. I thought back to the story’s beginnings several years ago. At that time I was particularly bothered by the ongoing war in Afghanistan […]
Reflect with Thanks
Days of rain, accompanied by cold, forced my husband’s decision not to attend this year’s annual Veteran’s Day parade in Albany, a city forty miles north of us. The parade boasts more than two hundred entries and as many as 40,000 spectators, making it the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi. The event […]