Scandinavian Cottage Image used with permission from Little Free Library At a recent ACFW Minnesota Chapter (MN NICE) meeting, one member, Heather Edwards, enthralled the group talking about her Little Free Library journey. (If you’re not familiar with Little Free Library, check out their website: https://littlefreelibrary.org/). Heather convinced me that I need a Little Free Library in my front yard. That …
Lucy & Schroeder in Rice Park
I’ve gotta admit, I’m at a loss trying to think up a blog post for today … so since it’s not even a week since Valentine’s Day and since I talked about music this past Tuesday and since snow is still two-feet deep in Minnesota with a forecast of four to eight more inches falling today, I thought you’d enjoy …
Story and Music
When I read, the musicality of the prose is vital to my enjoyment of the story. Prose isn’t just words, but it’s cadence, it’s harmony and dissonance, staccato and legato. Stories must crescendo and decrescendo. Some stories fall flat, while others go sharp. Like music, some books are simple, while others are complicated. Some authors take a simple story and …
Romantic Reads
Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d take a day to give plugs to my friends–co-Inkspirational Messages contributors who write romance. If you’re looking for the perfect romantic read, check out any of the authors and books below. Lorna Seilstad – If you enjoy historical romance with a touch of laughter, you’ll want to pick up Lorna’s books! While Love …
Novel Anticipation, February 2014 – Part 2
I’m very excited about these next four novels, all written by veteran authors, authors with a gift for challenging the reader to think–my favorite type of books! Are any of these on your to-read list? A STILLNESS OF CHIMES by Meg Moseley (Multnomah Books) When Laura Gantt returns to Georgia to handle her late mother’s estate, she hears a startling …
Uncomfortable Praise
Since announcing my contract signing with Winslet Press, I’ve been flooded with congratulatory emails, phone calls, notes, hugs, etc. Needless to say, it’s been pretty wonderful. But along the way, a few compliments have made me uncomfortable, not because what they said was bad. No, just the opposite. Their praise *felt* too good, describing me as persevering, faithful. Certainly they described …
Exploring the Twittersphere
***Warning: Commercial Ahead*** Well, I finally broke down and did it: I joined Twitter. Albeit, I did not join without a great deal of groaning and stalling, but I figured now that I actually have a book coming out, it was time to become a Twitter hatchling. So, if you’re already on the Twittersphere or Twitterverse or whatever people call …
Novel Anticipation – February 2014, Part 1
Now that football season is officially over, and since the entire country seems to be in a deep freeze, I can’t think of anything better to do than pick up a book. February’s options are eclectic, and that’s just the way I like it. There are too many to talk about today, so you’ll have to stop in next Tuesday …
The Reason We Sing
Thank you! Those two words seem inadequate, but I doubt additional words would say it better, so I simply say, Thank You! Thank you, readers, for the overwhelming response to my post this past Tuesday. So many came running to help me–a nobody, really. Someone just singing the song God gave them to sing. It always amazes me when people …
Help Wanted!
Now that I have an actual release date (April 8, 2014), it’s time to put out that Help Wanted sign. As an about-to-be-published author, I’m in need of some help. There’s no monetary pay, but hopefully satisfaction for a job-well-done will suffice. Below, I’ve listed a few ways you can help. Apply for all positions, or just one. Just know, …