Have you ever known a widow—a woman whose husband has been suddenly removed from her life? Most of us know someone who has traveled down that road. After the initial shock of their loss and they return from the memorial service to an empty house, they struggle to navigate the rest of their tenure on […]
Mountain Brook Ink
- Faith Matters
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The Waiting is the Hardest
To the casual observer launching a book doesn’t seem like a big deal. The book gets published, is uploaded to a book site like Amazon or Christianbook.com, and the author leans back and waits for the sales to roll in. Piece of cake. Nothing could be further from the truth. After devoting months, maybe […]
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Book Pick #4–Author Richard Spillman
Few speculative fiction books with frightening content make the grade for my to-be-read pile, but this one’s premise captured my interest from the beginning. I’ve long known the biblical account of Lazarus, the man whom Jesus rose from the dead, but I’ve never considered what might have happened to that man after his encounter […]
After A Conference
This week I had the privilege of attending the Oregon Christian Writers conference at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion in Portland, Oregon. Featured speakers included Brian Bird who writes screenplays for the popular Hallmark Sunday night movie, When Calls the Heart and Francine Rivers, who is a best-selling, multi-published […]
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Of Ghosts and Goblins
When do the winter holidays begin at your house? I confess that Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two I give any attention, but with the commercialism of our culture my daughter gets into the spirit of the season early by insisting on a Halloween pumpkin. I benefit from her enthusiasm by having a lot […]
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 […]
Reflections on a Contract
Today I completed the contract with my publisher, Mountain Brook Ink. The third book in the Mended Hearts series, A Kite on the Wind, is on its way to the proofreader. The graphic designer will produce the cover mid-June. The book will release October 1. It’s an odd feeling to be […]
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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 […]
Happy? Valentine’s Day
Reposted from an earlier entry February 2015– Today, while waiting at an intersection near the university where I live, I studied the faces of the people in the crosswalk. A handful jogged by on their way to the popular running path our city boasts. Others were students, backpacks in place, hurrying to their next class. One […]
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 […]