How is your September calendar looking? Mine is still fairly open, but you can see I've got the most important date marked. September 29th, my third book will release. The title is Saving Grace. I am so excited to get the story of Greg and Michelle into your hands. It's a tale of figuring out that the plans we make for our own lives aren't always what God wants in our lives, and accepting that love isn't only butterflies and giddiness. I'm so excited to share it with you in SIX MONTHS! Whew! So close, and yet, so far away.

This post was supposed to be about how amazing my first writers' conference was. But, COVID-19 hit and cancelled the conference. So, we're going to talk about something else.
I don't know about you, but I'm very much a "people" person. I love being out and seeing others. I'm a hugger. I'm someone who likes alone-time for only so long and then wants to be around different people. Needless to say, being told "don't go out unless you absolutely have to" is about to kill me ... and it's only been a week.

Last week, I got to have a new fun experience. A book club in Texas used my first book, An Unexpected Legacy, as their read for February. And then, they had me skype (or actually facebook messenger) in to their meeting so they could chat with me about the story and other things about my writings. It was so fun to hear their thoughts and take-aways from something invented out of my head several years ago. I am always touched when people tell me my book made them FEEL. It means I've done something right, something that makes the story and characters come alive to the reader. It was a true pleasure chatting with these ladies in a state I came to love in the eleven years we lived there. I'm pretty sure I made a roomful of new friends.
If your book club would like to have me visit, and you're too far away for me to drive, this is a really neat option. I look forward to doing this many more times. Thank you to these delightful ladies for hosting me, and who's next?

Today on my interview, I have someone I've only met online, but have gotten to know quite a bit through chats on Facebook over the last year. We're both with Mantle Rock Publishing and have worked together on a couple different things over the last few months. Jessica White has a new book coming out this month, and I know you're going to love getting to know her.

Jessica, your third book is about to release. Is this story totally different from what you've done before? Can you tell us a little about it?

Yes. My Healing Seasons Series is historical, set in 1920s’ rural America. It centers on heiress Abigail Morgan and her struggle to honor her parents’ legacy to “do what’s right no matter the cost” despite the injustices she experiences and witnesses. The ripple effects of her decisions bring her and her brother into the care of a Montana doctor who is grieving the loss of his wife and failing at raising their son on his own. God brings these characters together to heal them and the communities they serve over the four book series.
 
One drawback of my historical series is the need to read them in order. When I was encouraged to try writing a contemporary romance, I knew I wanted to write stand-alones and decided to base them on characters from Greek mythology.
 
Song in the Dark is a Hades and Persephone inspired romantic suspense. This book explores what it means to overcome our darkest struggles.
 
For harpist Jenna Fields (Persephone), it delves into growing up with a narcissistic parent whose love is conditional on her performance and how she makes her mother look. We discover the self-destructive coping mechanisms Jenna has relied on to take back control and her struggle with her predatory ex who sees someone he can manipulate.
 
It also tells the story of homicide detective Dean Blackburn (Hades) who feels tainted by death. He doesn’t see himself as a rescuer but as the one who seeks justice for the dead. He struggles to accept there is a place for light and hope in his life.
 
When he sees that Jenna’s goodness isn’t because she’s never faced the world’s ugliness, but despite it, he determines to help her break free of her mother’s gilded cage.