It’s been five years since Miracle in a Dry Season first hit store shelves. Giddy days, those! And while I’ve been fortunate to see more stories published (and others yet to come), that first novel is the one that will always hold a dear place in my heart. And somehow, even after five years, readers keep falling in love with […]
When I saw that Amanda Barratt was tackling a novel about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s ill-fated love, I knew I wanted to read it! While I was familiar with the pastor’s part in the conspiracy to kill Adolph Hitler and his ultimate martyrdom, I had no idea he’d been engaged. Let me begin by saying this was a HARD book. In the […]
I was joking around with a librarian friend about how working a day job really cuts into my readerly and writerly activities. A regular job means I have less time to read, write, go to conferences, and just hang out with friends talking about books! She offered to write me a note to give to my boss if I need […]
Do You Have Influence? If you’ve enjoyed my books and maybe even recommended them to someone, I want to talk to you for a minute. I’m in need of a few good influencers to help promote When Silence Sings, which releases this coming November. To be clear up front, an influencer is different from a reviewer. Influencers are people who want to jump in and help promote an author’s book. If you’re interested in helping me get the word out about my latest story, then please click through and take my Influencer Quiz to learn what that would look like. If you’re chosen, you’ll receive an early copy of the book and can help launch novel #5 into the wide world! For years Serepta McClean has towered over the coal-filled hills of West Virginia, taking more than her share of trade–legal and illegal alike. She’s intent on securing the future of the McClean name, despite two unreliable sons and a long-standing feud with the Harpe clan that’s once again exploded in violence. While many fear her and many more hate her, few dare stand against her. Especially not someone like Colman Harpe—a railroad man with dreams of being a preacher. And yet it’s a reluctant Colman, her sworn enemy, who finds himself in Serepta’s territory, supposedly sent by God himself to preach stories of love and redemption. With the feud growing ever more dangerous and the entire region at risk, […]
I’ve written before about how hard it can be to let go of a manuscript. It can be agonizing when I send that first draft to my editor. And the rewrites? Oh, how I want to keep shaping and polishing! But releasing the final read through of designed pages? That can be easier. At this point I’ve read and re-read […]
I’m SO excited to be presenting at this year’s WV Writers Summer Conference! I so enjoy talking writing and sharing what I’ve learned thus far, but to do it back home in West Virginia . . . well, you can’t beat that with a stick! PLUS, I’m hoping I can sit in on sessions being led by some of the […]
For a long time now I’ve assumed, based on Matthew 17:20, that my faith is pretty pitiful. Not even a mustard seed’s worth. That scripture suggests that if my faith were as much as even a BB-sized seed, I could move mountains or cast mulberry bushes into the sea. And I can’t. Goodness knows I’ve tried. It’s long been a […]
