Yesterday, I experienced seeing my book, Journey to Riverbend, on the shelf of a bookstore for the first time. There it was, the cover that’s been my computer wallpaper for almost a year, the cover that captured the heroine so well. When I first saw the cover, my reaction was …
Recent Blog Posts
Handling Rejection
At my first writers’ conference, with trembling hands and sweaty palms, I presented my first five pages to an agent. She said they were interesting and showed promise and, if I could sell them to a publisher, to come back and see her. I bit back the first words that …
Truth in Fiction
Truth in fiction. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Fiction is made up stories culled from the author’s imagination, ideas creatively crafted into worlds and characters. But each author, each story, has a truth inside and the writing is the attempt to get it out. It can be a story …
Where Would We Be Without Mentors
One of the greatest blessings I’ve ever received as a writer was the divine appointment the Lord made for me with the person who became by mentor and my friend. I met DiAnn Mills at the North Texas Christian Writers Conference in September, 2008. She read the first few pages …
Reflections on the Season
Thanksgiving. The time of year for reflections and nostalgia, of memories from years past. And for reflection on the here and now, of the blessings and favor we walk in. For me, this is a time to savor all He’s done. Our Father has blessed me this year, beyond measure, …
What Deadlines Say About Us
During the summer we were overcharged by several hundred dollars for some work we had done. In pursuing reimbursement, the office manager assured her that she would have the check within a week. We are now on our tenth “within a week.” So, what do we think of the office …
Touching Others
Sometimes, it seems, we go through life wondering what it’s all about, feeling like we’re unknown little cogs that nobody notices. We go through life, day after day, our routines and habits seeming to define us. We see others in passing as they tangentially touch our lives. The barista at …
Write the Vision
Christian writers frequently say they feel called to write. Some Christians are called to be pastors or teachers or evangelists. Some are called to be doctors, lawyers, school teachers, auto mechanics, stay-at-home moms, business leaders. God has plan for each of us, “plans for good and not for disaster, to …
Our Hidden Sales
Two weeks ago, Mary DeMuth posted a short article on Novel Journey called “Measure Your Sales in Light of Eternity.” It reminded me of a truth I heard almost twenty years ago when I worked in what was then called tape duplication in our church. The truth I received was …
Writer’s Block
Or, as Curly once said to his fellow stooges, “Hey Moe, Hey Larry. I’m trying to think but nothing’s happening.” I think every writer at some point gets stuck. No ideas, not a clue of where to go from here. Maybe we’ve written ourselves into a corner and can’t figure …