 How is your 2025 going so far? Mine is off to a fairly good start.
Over Christmas break, I was able to add about 20,000 words to my story, Fairest Inn All. It's my Snow White retelling and my goal is to finish it by April so I can get it on the calendar for early 2026. Between now and then, though, I have a fun novella collection releasing in a month. Wow! February isn't very far away, is it? Where did the rest of January go? Pets Amore is four rom-coms and each has their own pet involved in the romance. My story is "Out-of-the-box Valentine's." It has a hamster named Houdini, a kindergarten teacher, and a firefighter. So much fun!
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 When I ended 2023, I had not reached the goal I set myself in the Goodreads yearly reading challenge. And while it doesn't really matter, it still frustrated me. So, I lowered the goal for 2024 by five books. This is me, trying to learn how to live this life I've given myself with two kids, four jobs, etc. I figured that was attainable because I ALMOST read that many back in 2023.
Y'all. This year I read 125 of 120 books. I kid you not. I could have just left my goal the same as it has been for the last however many years. Life is crazy. Anyway, want to know a little more about what I read?  I love meeting new authors, especially when they're just starting out on their writing journey. When I joined our local writing group, I had no idea how many other Christian authors were in our group. And I definitely wasn't expecting a teenager like Lynnea Mileusnich. Not because I don't think teenagers can write, but because you don't expect them to write as well as grown ups. Don't believe it. Lynnea is amazing and such a blessing in my life and I'm thrilled to introduce her and her new book to you! Lynnea, congratulations on your new release. What inspired you to want to start writing?
Thanks! All praise belongs to God, who told me to work on the series in the first place. I’d have to say my family influenced me the most up until the time I started writing Heir of Promise. All of my siblings are creative in different ways, and I mixed their creativity together to make my own. My brother is a detailed worldbuilder, my oldest sister is a crafter, my other sister is an artist, and my sister-in-law is a writer. I think they really impacted my creative development. The original Wings of a Hero story was originally a sort-of graphic novel with all sorts of my drawings and little dialogue bubbles (I probably killed a tree with how much paper I used, hah). When I saw my sister-in-law Amber communicate her stories through writing, I saw it as another method to express my story. Wings of a Hero turned into 100,000 words in 2020, and I decided to rewrite it and turn it into a series in 2023 after a prompting from God. I’m so blessed to have recently published book one, Heir of Promise.  When I started editing a few years ago, I was so nervous. After all, I still need people to edit my books for me. How could I possibly catch everything that needed to be caught on someone else's story?
Obviously, I have conquered that fear for the most part. I will say, I still pray over each and every book I edit because I want to help the author make it the best it can possibly be. But I also can't imagine not editing anymore. I love working with other authors, helping them strengthen stories, and I definitely adore being able to read a book before anyone else. ;)  Another year draws to a close. Are you like me, looking back and wondering how everything didn't get done? Or wondering how you got so many things done?
I've got to admit, this year went a bit different than planned, not always in a bad way. I had two books release, which is the personal goal I have set myself for now (after almost killing myself doing four a few years ago). And I have contracts for two more to release next year. But ...  If you've followed me for long at all, you know I love all things bookish. Socks, T-shirts, mugs, etc. Therefore, it probably doesn't surprise you that I own a shirt and earrings that look like a Christmas tree made of books. I just can't help myself. They're too cute.
So, when my publishing company family decided to participate in our own version of Jolabokaflod, I was intrigued.  I was addressing Christmas cards a few weeks ago and had to stop. It was the first year I would address an envelope to one person but not his spouse. The first time that name wouldn't be on my list. And it hurt. I stopped and teared up for a few minutes, praying for the family that would be without their Marmie at Christmas for the first time. For the man who would do Christmas without his wife.
I had a friend lose her dad a few weeks ago. Another has her dad on hospice. Several friends have received cancer diagnoses or news that wasn't what they wished. Another friend suffered a traumatic brain injury over Thanksgiving break. But it's Christmas. That means we have to be happy, right?  All three of my Christmas stories have children in them. Want to know why? I can't imagine Christmas without kids.
Don't get me wrong. We had ten Christmases without children, while we waited on God's perfect timing. And I enjoyed those Christmases. But they lacked something. There is something magical about seeing the holidays through a child's eyes. They still believe in magic and see it in every piece of the holidays. Why not join them? Can fictional murders lead to real-life ones? I'd like to hope not, but just listen to this funny story from my good friend Deborah Sprinkles. She writes mystery and suspense and this new series of hers is sure to pique your interest.  When I decided to write my Mac and Sam mystery series, starring Mackenzie Love and Samantha Majors, the first thing I had to do was choose a location. Would their private investigation firm be in an imaginary town like my first series or a real one? There were advantages to both.
I liked the idea of a small town close to a big city. It offered the best of both worlds. And, being from St. Louis, I knew the perfect location. Washington, Missouri, a small town on the Missouri River about forty-five minutes southwest of St. Louis. I’d been there a number of times and loved it.  The Christmas trees decorated by theme are beautiful. Their big fluffy bows and color-coordinated ornaments are stunning. But that's not the kind of Christmas tree I want.
Granted, I also don't want one like I described in the first chapter of Mama Dated Santa, where all the ornaments are falling apart, tinsel is here and there, and some of the branches are in the wrong slot. Yeah, no. Thanks. There's something special about the tree we put up each year--and not because it's twenty years old (the one we bought our very first Christmas when we barely had any room to put a tree up). No, it's because the ornaments hold so many memories and reminisces. |
This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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